Record Review: "Second Album" By The Four Tops

“Sugar pie honey bunch, You know that I love you, I can't help myself, I love you and nobody else” - The Four Tops

Title: Second Album

Artist: The Four Tops

Release Year: 1965

Genre: R&B

Status: 2x Platinum (About 2 million sold)

Number of Tracks: 12 ( 6 Side One, 6 Side Two)

Record Label: Motown

Number Album Released: 2nd

What I Think

    This is one of the Four Tops most iconic albums. This is a must have for Four Top fans, Motown fans, and R&B fans. This album also includes their most iconic song which is my favorite song on the album, “I Can’t Help Myself”. The 1st track on the album is “I Can’t Help Myself”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a fast tempo with a saxophone solo. The message is about a guy telling a girl that he loves her so much that he can't help himself while expressing it. The 2nd track is “Love Feels Like Fire”. The group’s singing is strong and smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy talking about how a girl’s love for him is like a fire. The 3rd track is “Is There Anything That I Can Do”. The group’s singing is strong and smooth. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy asking a girl if there is anything he can do to keep them together. The 4th track is “Something About You”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a fast tempo. The message is about a guy telling a girl that there is something about her that makes him love her. The 5th track is “It’s the Same Old Song”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a fast tempo. The message is about a guy hearing a song that him and his former girl used to listen to and now the song means something else to him. The 6th track is “Helpless”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a fast tempo with a saxophone solo. The message is about a guy who feels helpless now that his girl is gone. The 7th track is “Just as Long as You Need Me”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy telling a girl that his love for her will always be there for her. The 8th track is “Darling, I Hum Our Song”. The group’s singing is strong and smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a slow tempo. The message is about a guy that misses his girl and he hums their favorite song to cope with missing her. The 9th track is “I Like Everything About You”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a slow tempo. The message is about a guy telling a girl all the things he likes about her. The 10th track is “Since You’ve Been Gone”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a fast tempo. The message is about a guy who wants his girl to come back to him because he misses her so much. The 11th track is “Stay in my Lonely Arms”. The group’s singing is strong and smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy telling his girl not to leave him. The 12th track is “I’m Grateful”. The group’s singing is strong. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a fast tempo. The message is about a guy who is grateful that he had the chance to be with a certain girl.

Scoring (Out of 10)

• How well the album did (Diamond 10/10, Platinum 8/10, Gold 6/10): 8.3/10

• How well is the singing: 7/10
• How well is the band: 7/10
• How impactful the messages of the songs are: 6/10
• How appealing is the cover: 8/10
• How creative is the cover: 8/10
• How relevant is the album after 10+ years since release: 5/10
• How much did it revolutionize its genre of music: 3/10
• How creative are the instruments: 5.5/10
• How creative are the lyrics: 7.5/10

Total Score: 6.53/10

Percentage: 65.3%

My Favorite Songs

1. I Can’t Help Myself
2. It’s the Same Old Song
3. Since You’ve Been Gone
4. I’m Grateful
5. Stay in my Lonely Arms
6. Helpless
7. I Like Everything About You
8. Is There Anything I Can Do
9. Something About You
10. Love Feels Like Fire
11. Darling, I Hum Our Song
12. Just as Long as You Need Me

Videos of the Four Tops performing songs from the album

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXavZYeXEc0  “The four tops - I can't help myself (sugar pie, honey bunch) - Live HQ”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS2nWLz-AbE  “Four Tops - It's The Same Old Song (1966) HQ 0815007”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfZgyxaspF8  “The Four Tops - Something About You Baby (Hullabaloo) 1965”

Comment what you think of this album and if you agree with me or not and stay tuned for my next record review which will be “I Hear A Symphony” by The Supremes.