The Four Tops “Is There Anything That I Can Do?” (From the LP The Four Tops Second Album, 1965)

I don’t have to tell you that Gemini Roll Call rolls mighty with talent, but today we’re celebrating one of the giants of Classic Motown. With towering vocal power and devastating ferocity, Levi Stubbs gave us Mid Century Black Male Vulnerability like no other in his years at Motown and beyond. On what would have been his 79th Birthday I celebrate what is really, still, my favorite Four Tops track.

So not one of their classic H-D-H floor fillers. Don’t get me wrong, as I love The Tops in all of their boxes, but. Well. At the same time I’ve been having rather intense, vivid and heavily heart opening dreams in these days around my own birthday. This particular gem, glossed over on their 2nd LP (quite annoyingly named Second Album) has burbled up in my consciousness over the last few days.

Getting to the core of merging dreams and reality stirs in swirling strings and the beautiful interplay between the Four Tops and The Andantes supporting Levi’s dreams, and willingness to put in that hard heart work to get it done have always called out to my soul.

As I steady myself for yet another trip around this sun, I thank Levi Stubbs for giving me lessons on how to express it in a beautifully vulnerable way.