Indestructible
The band posing, wearing suits
One of two covers released simultaneously by Arista in different markets and formats; the other features the band in matching vermilion suits pointing to the camera
Studio album by
Four Tops
ReleasedAugust 25, 1988 (1988-08-25)
Studio
GenreSoul
Length44:53
LanguageEnglish
LabelArista
Producer
Four Tops chronology
Magic
(1985)		 Indestructible
(1988)		 Christmas Here with You
(1995)

Indestructible is a studio album by American soul music vocal group Four Tops. The album was released on August 25, 1988, their sole release on Arista Records.

Recording and release

Four Tops joined Motown in the mid-1960s and had several hits before leaving the following decade and experiencing a period of commercial and critical decline. After performing on the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and collaborating with fellow Motown artists The Temptations on a subsequent tour, the Tops resigned to their first label.[1][2] They were also able to reunite songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland to produce one of their 1980s Motown albums and worked with other 1960s collaborators like Willie Hutch and Smokey Robinson.[3] The group re-entered the studio in 1986 with producer David Wolfert, who had previously produced them in many non-Motown releases.[4] Despite working on the release for several months[5] and issuing the single "Hot Nights" in July,[6] the sessions did not result in a new album and the group signed to Arista Records in 1987.[7] This would be the only album the group released with Arista; the song "Loco in Acapulco" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Buster and the group dueted with Aretha Franklin on her album Through the Storm on this label.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]

A brief review in Ebony recommended this album as a "sizzling set" and asked readers to "listen and marvel at the genius displayed".[9] Editors at AllMusic Guide scored this release three out of five stars, with reviewer Ron Wynn noting that Levi Stubbs' vocals remain strong late into the group's career.[8] The 1992 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide also rated this release three out of five stars.[10]

Track listing

  1. "Indestructible" (Michael Price and Bobby Sandstrom) – 4:32
  2. "Change of Heart" (Paul Kelly) – 4:50
  3. "If Ever a Love There Was" (Todd Cerney and Pamela Phillips Oland) – 4:48
  4. "The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine" (Albert Hammond and Diane Warren) – 5:01
  5. "Next Time" (Eric Lowen and William Peterkin) – 3:19
  6. "Loco in Acapulco" (Phil Collins and Lamont Dozier) – 4:35
  7. "Are You with Me" (Mike Duke, Sean Hopper and Huey Lewis) – 4:46
  8. "I’m Only Wounded" (Hammond and Warren) – 3:34
  9. "When You Dance" (Jeffrey Cohen and Narada Michael Walden) – 5:09
  10. "Let’s Jam" (Steve Bogard and Rick Giles) – 4:20

2013 SoulMusic Records deluxe edition bonus tracks

  1. "The Four of Us" (Lawrence Payton) – 4:13
  2. "Loco in Acapulco" (Body Mix) – 4:24
  3. "Loco in Acapulco" (Ph Dub) – 6:45
  4. "Loco in Acapulco" (Ph Balance Mix – Full Version) – 9:08
  5. "Indestructible" (Extended Mix) – 7:43

Personnel

Four Tops

Musicians and additional personnel

Production

  • Clive Davis – executive producer
  • Steve Barri – executive producer (1), producer (10)
  • Bobby Sandstrom – producer (1)
  • Narada Michael Walden – producer (2, 4, 9)
  • Aaron Zigman – producer (3, 5), additional production (8)
  • Jerry Knight – producer (3, 5), additional production (8)
  • Phil Collins – producer (6)
  • Lamont Dozier – producer (6)
  • Huey Lewis – producer (7)
  • Albert Hammond – producer (8)
  • Tony Peluso – producer (10)
  • Julie Barri – production coordinator (1, 10)
  • Gail Pierson – production coordinator (1, 10)
  • Margery Greenspan – art direction
  • JM – design
  • David Katzenstein – photography
  • Andrew Macpherson – front cover photography

Technical

  • Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
  • Bobby Sandstrom – engineer (1)
  • Terry Christian – engineer (1)
  • Tony Peluso – engineer (1)
  • Erik Zobler – engineer (1), mix engineer (1)
  • David Frazer – recording (2, 4, 9), mixing (2, 4, 9)
  • Daren Klein – engineer (3, 5), mixing (3, 5)
  • Rick Ruggieri – engineer (6)
  • Reggie Dozier – mixing (6)
  • Robert Missbach – recording (7), mixing (7)
  • Mick Guzauski – engineer (8), mixing (8)
  • Tony Peluso – recording (10), mixing (10)
  • Mitch Gibson – second engineer (1)
  • Dana Jon Chappelle – assistant engineer (2, 4, 9)
  • Bryan Haggerty – additional vocal engineer (2)
  • Wally Buck – assistant engineer (7)
  • Jim "Watts" Vereecke – assistant engineer (7)
  • Debbie Johnson – assistant engineer (10)

Chart performance

Indestructible peaked at 149 on the Billboard 200 and reached 66 on the R&B charts.[11] The album also spent 10 weeks on the German charts, peaking at 33.[12] The single of the title track reached 35 on the Hot 100[13] and 57 on the R&B charts;[11] the followup single, "If Ever a Love There Was" subsequently reached 31 on the R&B chart.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1228. ISBN 9780857125958.
  2. ↑ Betts, Graham (May 2, 2014). "Four Tops". Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. ISBN 9781311441546.
  3. ↑ Dozier, Lamont; Bomar, Scott B. (November 26, 2019). How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter's Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse. BMG Books. ISBN 9781947026513.
  4. ↑ George, Nelson (January 25, 1986). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 4. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ↑ George, Nelson (January 25, 1986). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Black. Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 24. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ↑ Grein, Paul (July 5, 1986). "July's Releases Bring Fireworks". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 27. p. 4. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ↑ "People Are Talking About...". Jet. Vol. 72, no. 6. May 4, 1987. p. 59. ISSN 0021-5996.
  8. 1 2 Wynn, Ron. "The Four Tops – Indestructible". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Sounding Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony. Vol. 44, no. 2. December 1988. p. 24. ISSN 0012-9011.
  10. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly; Henke, James, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews : Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist. Random House. p. 260. ISBN 9780679737292.
  11. 1 2 3 "US Albums". AllMusic Guide. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). Officielle Charts. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  13. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1994). ""Four Tops"". Top Pop Singles 1955–1993. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-105-5.
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