Recorded - July 6, 1966
Released - August 18, 1966
#1 for weeks of October 15 and 22, 1966.
Time to review not only my favorite Four Tops song, but one of my favorite Motown songs, period. What happens when you take a haunting melody, combine it with one of the best bass hooks ever recorded, and have The Four Tops on lead vocals? You get "Reach Out I'll Be There", the second and last #1 by the vocal quartet.
"Reach Out I'll Be There" is already light years ahead of songs such as "I Can't Help Myself" and "It's The Same Old Song". As much as I love both of those songs, yet they both share stylistic similarities with the material being put out under the Supremes' name in 1965. "Reach Out..." may have been written by the same Holland-Dozier-Holland team, yet this time, you really get the feeling that this song was tailor made to stand out on its own.
Well, enough suspense, I'll get straight to the point. The main reason I love this song so much is its pre-chorus hook. We have The Four Tops singing "Reach Ouuuuuut" with lead vocalist Levi Stubbs singing a counter melody and getting gradually more intense. Then they all suddenly drop out...while the bassist (Presumably James Jamerson), plays an absolutely thunderous fill. This breathtaking moment is then over just as soon as it arrived with the song's singalong chorus re-entering immediately. Wow!
Not that the rest of the song is any slouch. I love the song's intro, with flutes and clip-clop percussion. There are also numerous changes between major and minor keys during this brief 3 minute song. Levi's vocal performance again remains one of his finest, and this song remains a testament to his vocal legacy.
The Four Tops may not have hit #1 again on any of the charts, but they did record several classic followups. These include "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" and "Bernadette". Interestingly enough, they even collaborated with The Moody Blues in 1971 for a cover of the Moodies' "A Simple Game". I'd highly recommend checking that collaboration out as it's not often you hear one of Motown's top groups singing with such a renowned progressive rock band.
Final Verdict - "Reach Out I'll Be There" takes everything I love about Motown music, (Soulful vocals, stellar instrumentation, and lots of hooks), and manages to fire on all cylinders, and then some! A well deserved #1 hit, one of the best of 1966, and one that certainly belongs in your record collection.
Coming Up Next - "96 Tears" by ? And The Mysterians.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and you can always reach out to me for music history -
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