Patty Smyth’s The Warrior (🎵Bang! Bang!🎵) or Joey Scarbury’s Believe it or Not (🎵Just like the light of a neeeew day… It hit me from out of the bluuuue…🎵 or most anything by ABBA (Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia,Waterloo, Fernando, Super Trouper, Winner Takes it All, Knowing Me Knowing You, Take a Chance on Me, Money! Money! Money!, Etc)
WHAT I LEARNED TODAY IS HOW LEVI SAID, "I HAVE TO WRITE MY WORDS DOWN (even though they were already printed) TO FEEL THE WORDS....THAT'S AMAZING...EVEN JOHNNY RIVERS UNDERSTOOD THE INTRICACIES OF MUSIC AS WELL AS DUKE FAKIR EXPLAINED THE CREATION....I WISHED WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL I PAID MORE ATTENTION IN MUSIC CLASS(warning advice to all the children in school)....MOTOWN WAS IMPORTANT DURING & AFTER THE TURBULENT 60's...HDH, THE FUNK BROTHERS, THE ARTIST, etc; WERE SO IMPORTANT & NECESSARY...
COMMENT? You bet. The number #1 Professor of Rock episode ever. My favorite singer, Roy Orbison, yeah, loved Elvis, some good folk. But number #1 group, The Four Tops and all Motown. All and any soul was my favorite dance and listen to music. After hearing and watching this, boy was I right all those years. The Motown era to me was the best era in history period!! Not bad for a farm boy from North Dakota. Thought I'd be Country, think again!! Thank you so much. This is a keeper!!!!!!!
I grew up listening to Motown and the Beatles. Then came the Beach Boys and The Four Seasons. I lived while Motown dominated the Music scene. Either The Beatles, A Motown act or Elvis Presley topped the charts back then for the most part. And I love all kinds of music.
You seem to be getting more and more exclusive interviews with iconic artists Adam, and deservedly so, you have a great interview style, and your passion as a music lover always shines through, thanks for these uploads.
W O W...Wow, WOW you got a compliment from the Legendary Mr Duke Fakir, Professor!! Im stunned. So awesome to listen to your chat with him. AND, AND omg you interviewed THE Lamont Dozier!!!! I'm serious bro, you are so lucky. I left comments to Lamont Dozier on youtube after I heard him singing some of HIS songs. I felt grand just thinking he could read them one day. Johnny Rivers looks fantastic, and I do like his version absolutely, yes! I look for tour dates of him and Paul Anka. I am a years old Detroit Lions Fan because of MOTOWN. I could keep going on, lol. What about those fabulous Andantes?? I love your style, Professor.
Got to see them in the Philippines in 1975. Great show. Grew up in Detroit in the late 50's and early 60's so I would listen to my transistor radio to all of the music coming out. Great memories
I was 10 years of age in 1991 I was introduced to this gem. Pretty sure I first heard Johnny's version before I heard the Tops' original version. I've got 2 reactions to this hole presentation. For starters, what was said by Lamont Dozier about struggling to finish the lyric before the the Tops got around to doing it is something I can relate to from working on my original music. Afterwards, the part about this tune inspiring Barry Mann and Cynthia Wiel to compose "You've Lost at Lovin' Feeling" is both incongruous and fit fitting at the same time.
That's great that you're doing content on Motown! Motown classics never get old! "Baby I Need Your Loving" is a classic. The music. The lyrics. The singing. Thank you, Professor of Rock!
This episode belongs in the Hall of Fame. All of my favorites. Four Tops, HDH, Mann-Weill. I would have totally geeked out in their presence. Great job, Professor.
Indeed he is! It's a shame how "they" are trying to rewrite history and change it. The really sad thing about that is, history is doomed to repeat itself, so "they" are setting up the future for people to fail, and then try to figure out why, once again!
when i was younger i used to drive a van at work to pick up supplies and it only had an AM radio. this forced me to listen to to strongest radio signal which was an oldies station playing motown and hits from the 50s-60s-70s. it was a blessing really. it got me familiar with a different generation than i was in at the time. i played in a band and used to bring out these old classics to do a cover songs and people thought i had a massive record collection or something, but they didnt realize that i just heard it the day before at work.
I once was privileged to see the Four tops, supported by Ben E King. Ben E King was a fantastic act, with an amazing voice but the Four Top were on another level; slick, entertaining, good dance moves, a bit of humour thrown in. Easilky one of the best groups I have seen live & one of my favourite groups.When I was about 6 0r 7, they always seemed to be on Top of the Pops. One thing I want to highlight though, is the backing vocals of groups like the Four Tops, Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips & the Supremes, is the backing vocals. These groups in particular had some of the best backing vocalists of any era.
I want to applaud you Professor in recognizing these amazing music masters: The Four Tops! African Americans contributed to the very fabric of most mainstream American music: Jazz, Soul, Blues, Pop, Rock n' Roll- The originators of Rock n' Roll are all people of color! Thank you for acknowledging these fore-fathers in American music. Amazing interviews! :)
I don't remember when I heard this song for the first time but I distinctly remember being blown away hearing Reach Out I'll Be There for the first time, had never heard anything like it before, and really haven't since either...
Wow, you had interviews on this game changing song from Lamont Dozier, Duke and Rivers, amazing ! I grew up in the Detroit area during this time and Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote and arranged what seemed like a million hits . The four tops were knocking them out left and right and Rivers is a legend. Motown ruled and these guys shaped the music of a generation and on. Fantastic story from the men that change the music, thanks professor
@Anna Trail Hello, I am doing good, hope you are also, I still love Motown to this day, was just listening to the tops standing in the shadows of love and reach out. Life was simpler then but there wasn't as much to stress over as a kid too. Love Adam's work, he sure gets some great interviews. Take care my friend
Literally grew up with Motown music. My childhood comes flooding back with pleasant thoughts and feelings of simpler long summer days gone by. I remember listening to all this music on 9volt transistor radios while working on my bad ass bicycle with the tiger stripped bannana seat, oiling the chain and bearings. Those days ain't never coming back but I hold them dear as if it were yesterday!! Great video as always !
Growing up on 8-Mile in Warren, just across the road from the D, big Motown fan. Always a Tops man, every time that I hear “Reach Out”, I think back to my first game at Tiger Stadium in ‘85. Also big on Johnny Rivers, Realization is my favorite album of his.
Holy balls with these interviews you've been getting. I feel like we just don't get anything like this anywhere else these days. Thank you for continuing to bring it to to us. Johnny Rivers looks incredibly good for pushing 80
Boy! I just love that song, from the very first time i ever heard it, back in the 60's, seems like 1966, but, i may be wrong. I couldnt wait to hear all the new releases from the 4 TOPS. I still love them today and always will. I even try to sing along with them, when i hear them, seeing i cant sing. I really miss thoughs years lot of magic in the air. When are you going to do a bit on the Temptations. For me, Motown was the greast laibal of all time.
I watch videos like this, with you interviewing these massively legendary musicians and producers, and I always end up thinking what great and cool people they are. And it finally dawned on me that it's not only because they're cool people, but because you always bring out the best in them. Keep doing what you're doing, Professor. You've got a fan for life here 🙏 PS-Happy Friday!
This comment nails it. I might add that The Professor's rapport with these artists and the quality of these interviews has only improved over time. His ability to get artists to open up is a rare talent and it has so much to do with his genuine enthusiasm for all of these songs and the creative process that brought them into existence. He asks the questions that make the guests realize 'hey, this kid knows his stuff!'
Motown and 70's R&B are my favorite ear candy!! I love it when the songwriters get their props and kudos! I was fortunate to be a child throughout the 60's and experience such great music first hand. Great interviews and story as always Prof!!
Professor, today is a perfect example of why I look forward to returning to your channel each day. I never know what pleasant surprise I'll get from the next episode. Interviewing the last surviving member of The Four Tops, Lamont Dozier, and Johnny Rivers was terrific. I love Classic Motown from the 1960s and "Baby, I Need Your Loving" is one of the very best. Thank You.
Grew up with all that GREAT MOTOWN music as a child of the 60's . Until that time NOBODY combined orchestra strings with strong four beat drum tempos with gospel influenced singing. That's what keeps this style of music timeless!
ADORED this TOP(S) TIER Tribute to the Motown men with the remarkable vocal blend. I had no idea Duke Fakir is the last surviving member 😢, We went to see them in concert so many times...even one memorable performance when they were the Three Tops, because Obie didn't show up until the very end of the show (for a reason we never discovered!). It didn't stop these professionals, though: Levi, Duke, and Lawrence carried on, in top form, unstoppable. Bless them all, and you Professor, for featuring their incredible, iconic music. ❤❤❤❤
Am so glad I found this channel. You remind me so much of the Sunday morning countdown with Casey Kasem. The way you tell the story and the way you speak is so enjoyable. Thank you!!!
This song-all the Four Tops’ songs really-I remind me of walking through “the Projects” in Jamaica, Queens in the mid-60s. As turbulent as those times were, they were simpler as well, in many ways. My mother was a nurse’s aide and her best friend was an RN from Jamaica, West Indies. We came to call her Grandma Smith, and she was as much my grandmother, perhaps more, than either of my blood relatives. My sister and I would walk from school to Grandma Smith’s house every day, until my mother returned from work and took us home. Two little white kids, walking through the Projects, might sound risky, dangerous, but it never seemed that way to us. People watched out for kids back then, no matter the color. I remember hearing the Temps, the Tops, and the Supremes most (my eldest sister was friends with Mary Wilson’s cousin) on those small, tinny sounding transistor radios, usual black plastic with the silver colored screen below the dial on the front. They were everywhere, and we heard the Motown groups all the way along the route to Grandma Smith’s house.
All of the amazing interviews and mini documentaries you put together are keeping great songs and artists alive throughout history... some day, that should be worthy of getting Professor of Rock into the Rock and Roll HOF. 100%. Thank you for servicing the world with all that you do.
Great episode. Four Tops my favorite Motown group of that era. I tended to gravitate towards those with a baritone voice back then. Johnny Rivers has been a fave of mine since the 60’s.
Adam, you were given the highest kudos to date!!! You will have your name worldwide, if it's not already! You, PoR, take us to school every day with your knowledge & expertise in the music field. I'm just glad the "great ones" are now noticing!!! #professorofrock
This is a great video. Thank you for highlighting Motown and especially Holland-Dozier-Holland. The music of Motown will never die. I grew up on that music and listen to it every chance I get. Besides the fantastic songwriters and talented artists, Motown also had the best musicians in the Funk Brothers. The 60s music was epic. Thank you for this edition and for showcasing Motown. R.I.P. Lamont Dozier.
You keep exceeding your previous videos on a daily basis. This was outstanding the way you intertwined the song, artists, and song writers. It was like a mini documentary! Great job.
Lovely interviews and stories. I adore the Four Tops. Their music was a haven of joy and Levi Stubbs gave us all a yearning for love. It's wonderful now to learn more about the group as a whole.
This set of interviews among many others is why I subscribed. Get more of the 60 s artists on your channel. I'm 50 and remember my parents playing lots of Motown and had hundreds of these 45s in their bedroom.
How are you not at 5 million subs? You are one of the most important, hardest working, well researched, best edited, and most entertaining humans on UA-cam! Keep it up my friend…your million+ subs will be here soon!
The Four Tops and Mowtowns influence was and is still a big part of music today. Love me some Mowtown. At age 63 I grew up with so many wonderful musical influences. I'll always be grateful for the God given gift of music. Great job again Adam!!!
Awesome interviews Professor! These guy's are awesome! Great that you got to interview these legends! I love all the old Motown music and writers! Thanks for sharing these guy's with us!
Wow, to have Duke give you such awesome praise in what you do must have been a mind blowing experience! Congrats on that. This August (2021) I got to see The Temptations and The Four Tops together in concert. The two groups were a mix of surviving members and newer members (some are family of the past members). The two groups had the place rocking! Everyone was singing along, snapping fingers, dancing, and it was such an amazingly fun night!
Great interviews Professor. Simply a beautiful song. Can't remember the first time I heard it but it's one of those songs that's like magic when you hear it. It's hard not to listen to when it comes on.
That was absolutely fantastic! One of your best UA-cam videos. I have long been a Motown fan to include, but not limited to: The Spinners, The Four Tops, Mary Wells, Mary Wilson and on and on.🎼 (Keep these videos coming).
Years ago I watched "Standing In the Shadows of Motown". Right after I found email addresses for Dozier and a Holland then sent them email begging for them to put together one more song in the classic Motown vein. Include Whitfield and Strong too. I didn't expect to receive a reply and I didn't receive one, but a gal can dream, right?
Wow-any one of these interviews on its own is amazing, but to be able to weave all together to show the full spectrum of the impact “Baby I Need Your Lovin” has had is incredible! Thanks for sharing with us! I firmly believe that extra vocal beat after the “Got” is what really makes this song stand out amongst all the other great Motown hits…
Wow, great song performed by my favorite Motown group and solo artist. Great memories of dancing to this song, even dancing in the street with transitor radio and my teen crush. Prof. Well done and thanks to your awesome guests.
This is one of your best, Prof! Music moves music lovers, and Motown moves you in a different way than any other. I don't know what it is, but it's infectious! LOVE the Four Tops!!! Levi was the man!!! I became obsessed with the names in parenthesis under songs when I was very young. I wanted to know who those people were. Holland Dozier Holland songs are magical!
Your channel ought to be required viewing for ANYONE wanting to discover the history of this music we love so much. This episode is epic!! Thank you Professor!
This should be the #1 video on youtube today. I look at what else is getting major traction compared to this video...is it any wonder we're heading to hell in a hand basket? Save us Professor!!!
I love your stuff Adam, you do a fantastic job. You keep bring up songs I've forgotten and you're making my spotify playlist grow with each interview. Thanks
That set of interviews will go down as a sentimental favorite for me. Every video you produce is wonderful, but some just reach a little deeper. This one took me back to 8th grade. I'd wake up to the smell of coffee and toast down in the kitchen and the sound of 4 Tops or some other Motowngroup on the radio. Thank you.
It's really something to be in awe of being in awe.. Kind of like the moth that was telling the doctor that life has him so overwhelmed can't go on anymore.. The doctor retorts.. " you should be seeing a psychiatrist am only a GP, why did you come to me?" Moth.. " your light was on "
@ProfessorofRock: I LOVE & HAVE SUBSCRIBED YOUR CHANNEL BECAUSE ITS A MUSIC HISTORY CLASS....AS A BABY-BOOMER I THINK YOUR CHANNEL IS NECESSARY TO LEARN MUSIC HISTORY....
Great interview. Great, great classic song. Would have loved if you got to ask how they felt about playing live aid. Judes watching the response from the crowd was a beautiful sight to see. Thanks for putting this video out.
the fact that the beatles were neck and neck with titans like dozier and comp once again speaks to the fact that you can't overestimate just how great the beatles were....and relevant to the episode, my father was a huge tops fan so from a young age I knew of their excellence....just exquisite stuff.....johnny rivers...good get prof...he's awesome...motown is just as American as Apple pie
I absolutely love the 60's motown!!! Lamont Dozier is a legend! I knew who he was way before this, but he also worked with Debbie Gibson for her "Anything Is Possible" album. It was pretty amazing that she was able to get him to do that. :)
Poll: What is your favorite singalong of the rock era? A song you can't help belt out?
Patty Smyth’s The Warrior (🎵Bang! Bang!🎵)
or Joey Scarbury’s Believe it or Not (🎵Just like the light of a neeeew day…
It hit me from out of the bluuuue…🎵
or most anything by ABBA
(Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia,Waterloo, Fernando, Super Trouper, Winner Takes it All,
Knowing Me Knowing You, Take a Chance on Me, Money! Money! Money!, Etc)
@BLT You mean those you’d like to hit with the title tool ? 🧐😄✌️
Its now and ever Elvis Presley, you lost that loving feeling, righteous brothers
Real Gone Kid Deacon Blue
Don’t You Forget About Me Simple Minds
Quarter to 3 Gary US Bonds
@BLT 😄✌️
WHAT I LEARNED TODAY IS HOW LEVI SAID, "I HAVE TO WRITE MY WORDS DOWN (even though they were already printed) TO FEEL THE WORDS....THAT'S AMAZING...EVEN JOHNNY RIVERS UNDERSTOOD THE INTRICACIES OF MUSIC AS WELL AS DUKE FAKIR EXPLAINED THE CREATION....I WISHED WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL I PAID MORE ATTENTION IN MUSIC CLASS(warning advice to all the children in school)....MOTOWN WAS IMPORTANT DURING & AFTER THE TURBULENT 60's...HDH, THE FUNK BROTHERS, THE ARTIST, etc; WERE SO IMPORTANT & NECESSARY...
RIP Levi Stubbs. One of my favorite voices.
Same here. Thanks for watching.
@@ProfessorofRock My favorite all time is Jimmy Ellis from The Trammps.
Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, last of the original Four Tops, died today at 88. Rest in peace.
@@ProfessorofRock Song at 8:52?
One of the greatest songs ever written and recorded!
The Four Tops are the definition of Motown for me. The pleading quality of Levi's voice was the "signature" of the era.
they will always be indestructible!!!
COMMENT? You bet. The number #1 Professor of Rock episode ever. My favorite singer, Roy Orbison, yeah, loved Elvis, some good folk. But number #1 group, The Four Tops and all Motown. All and any soul was my favorite dance and listen to music. After hearing and watching this, boy was I right all those years. The Motown era to me was the best era in history period!! Not bad for a farm boy from North Dakota. Thought I'd be Country, think again!! Thank you so much. This is a keeper!!!!!!!
Damn shame we don't hear these songs on the radio much anymore. 🙁
I grew up listening to Motown and the Beatles. Then came the Beach Boys and The Four Seasons. I lived while Motown dominated the Music scene. Either The Beatles, A Motown act or Elvis Presley topped the charts back then for the most part. And I love all kinds of music.
What a charming, gracious gentleman Duke is. So great to see hm.
You seem to be getting more and more exclusive interviews with iconic artists Adam, and deservedly so, you have a great interview style, and your passion as a music lover always shines through, thanks for these uploads.
Working on it! Thanks!
@@ProfessorofRock working really hard I am sure! You are a gift to our troubled world!
@@ProfessorofRock Hi Professor, great tee shirt! Love it.
W O W...Wow, WOW you got a compliment from the Legendary Mr Duke Fakir, Professor!! Im stunned. So awesome to listen to your chat with him. AND, AND omg you interviewed THE Lamont Dozier!!!! I'm serious bro, you are so lucky. I left comments to Lamont Dozier on youtube after I heard him singing some of HIS songs. I felt grand just thinking he could read them one day. Johnny Rivers looks fantastic, and I do like his version absolutely, yes! I look for tour dates of him and Paul Anka. I am a years old Detroit Lions Fan because of MOTOWN. I could keep going on, lol. What about those fabulous Andantes?? I love your style, Professor.
Levi Stubbs is one of the very greatest singers of all time. He is electrifying.
@robert w guthrie ...he sang the "Mean green mother from outer space" for the movie Little Shop of Horrors
Yes he was ❤
Got to see them in the Philippines in 1975. Great show. Grew up in Detroit in the late 50's and early 60's so I would listen to my transistor radio to all of the music coming out. Great memories
I was 10 years of age in 1991 I was introduced to this gem. Pretty sure I first heard Johnny's version before I heard the Tops' original version. I've got 2 reactions to this hole presentation. For starters, what was said by Lamont Dozier about struggling to finish the lyric before the the Tops got around to doing it is something I can relate to from working on my original music. Afterwards, the part about this tune inspiring Barry Mann and Cynthia Wiel to compose "You've Lost at Lovin' Feeling" is both incongruous and fit fitting at the same time.
Being born in 1961 I don't remember a time without this song. You can call me lucky. ✌ 💘 🎸
That's great that you're doing content on Motown!
Motown classics never get old!
"Baby I Need Your Loving" is a classic. The music. The lyrics. The singing.
Thank you, Professor of Rock!
Thank you my friend!. I grew up on Motown!
@Anna Trail You too!
This episode belongs in the Hall of Fame. All of my favorites. Four Tops, HDH, Mann-Weill. I would have totally geeked out in their presence. Great job, Professor.
You ARE preserving musical history in a very trying time where history is being erased !!! Thank you so much !!! 👍🌹🌹🌹🌹
Indeed he is! It's a shame how "they" are trying to rewrite history and change it. The really sad thing about that is, history is doomed to repeat itself, so "they" are setting up the future for people to fail, and then try to figure out why, once again!
when i was younger i used to drive a van at work to pick up supplies and it only had an AM radio. this forced me to listen to to strongest radio signal which was an oldies station playing motown and hits from the 50s-60s-70s. it was a blessing really. it got me familiar with a different generation than i was in at the time. i played in a band and used to bring out these old classics to do a cover songs and people thought i had a massive record collection or something, but they didnt realize that i just heard it the day before at work.
I once was privileged to see the Four tops, supported by Ben E King. Ben E King was a fantastic act, with an amazing voice but the Four Top were on another level; slick, entertaining, good dance moves, a bit of humour thrown in. Easilky one of the best groups I have seen live & one of my favourite groups.When I was about 6 0r 7, they always seemed to be on Top of the Pops.
One thing I want to highlight though, is the backing vocals of groups like the Four Tops, Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips & the Supremes, is the backing vocals. These groups in particular had some of the best backing vocalists of any era.
Love The Four Tops, Prof! They don't get talked about nearly enough.
I want to applaud you Professor in recognizing these amazing music masters: The Four Tops! African Americans contributed to the very fabric of most mainstream American music: Jazz, Soul, Blues, Pop, Rock n' Roll- The originators of Rock n' Roll are all people of color! Thank you for acknowledging these fore-fathers in American music. Amazing interviews! :)
For sheer ferocity, the Four Tops' "Bernadette" from 1967 was right
up there.
I have no memory of hearing this song for the first time. It is one of those songs that feels like it has always existed.
I think that's my favorite comment of the week! Good call.
💯
I don't remember when I heard this song for the first time but I distinctly remember being blown away hearing Reach Out I'll Be There for the first time, had never heard anything like it before, and really haven't since either...
Wow, you had interviews on this game changing song from Lamont Dozier, Duke and Rivers, amazing ! I grew up in the Detroit area during this time and Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote and arranged what seemed like a million hits . The four tops were knocking them out left and right and Rivers is a legend. Motown ruled and these guys shaped the music of a generation and on. Fantastic story from the men that change the music, thanks professor
Thanks for watching my friend!
@Anna Trail Hello, I am doing good, hope you are also, I still love Motown to this day, was just listening to the tops standing in the shadows of love and reach out. Life was simpler then but there wasn't as much to stress over as a kid too. Love Adam's work, he sure gets some great interviews. Take care my friend
"That's how I get in touch with these words". He wasn't kidding.
Motown is a treasure and the Four Tops are legendary. Great episode POR!
One of my favorites songs ever and best segment ever…Thank you!
Happy Music
Very Happy Thoughts.
Brings Back Good Memories.
Literally grew up with Motown music. My childhood comes flooding back with pleasant thoughts and feelings of simpler long summer days gone by. I remember listening to all this music on 9volt transistor radios while working on my bad ass bicycle with the tiger stripped bannana seat, oiling the chain and bearings. Those days ain't never coming back but I hold them dear as if it were yesterday!! Great video as always !
nice to see so many music artists from the 60s still alive to this day ! like they all have found the secret fountain of youth !
Growing up on 8-Mile in Warren, just across the road from the D, big Motown fan. Always a Tops man, every time that I hear “Reach Out”, I think back to my first game at Tiger Stadium in ‘85. Also big on Johnny Rivers, Realization is my favorite album of his.
Holy balls with these interviews you've been getting. I feel like we just don't get anything like this anywhere else these days. Thank you for continuing to bring it to to us. Johnny Rivers looks incredibly good for pushing 80
Master work is accurate! The songwriting, arranging, production…it’s all there! Wonderful song!
They were so talented.
Boy! I just love that song, from the very first time i ever heard it, back in the 60's, seems like 1966, but, i may be wrong. I couldnt wait to hear all the new releases from the 4 TOPS. I still love them today and always will. I even try to sing along with them, when i hear them, seeing i cant sing. I really miss thoughs years lot of magic in the air. When are you going to do a bit on the Temptations. For me, Motown was the greast laibal of all time.
Oh my GOD! This song always triggers such powerful memories and emotions. I can still see one particular face when I hear this. Thanks!
A great series of interviews on one of the best songs of all time!
I watch videos like this, with you interviewing these massively legendary musicians and producers, and I always end up thinking what great and cool people they are. And it finally dawned on me that it's not only because they're cool people, but because you always bring out the best in them. Keep doing what you're doing, Professor. You've got a fan for life here 🙏
PS-Happy Friday!
So grateful for your support! Awesome!
This comment nails it. I might add that The Professor's rapport with these artists and the quality of these interviews has only improved over time. His ability to get artists to open up is a rare talent and it has so much to do with his genuine enthusiasm for all of these songs and the creative process that brought them into existence. He asks the questions that make the guests realize 'hey, this kid knows his stuff!'
Motown and 70's R&B are my favorite ear candy!! I love it when the songwriters get their props and kudos! I was fortunate to be a child throughout the 60's and experience such great music first hand. Great interviews and story as always Prof!!
Rock on!
Right there with you. Motown & Stax.
I FRIGGIN LOVE Motown! Growing up in Windsor and Hanging out in Detroit, it was the soundtrack of the North American Motor Cities!
Professor, today is a perfect example of why I look forward to returning to your channel each day. I never know what pleasant surprise I'll get from the next episode. Interviewing the last surviving member of The Four Tops, Lamont Dozier, and Johnny Rivers was terrific. I love Classic Motown from the 1960s and "Baby, I Need Your Loving" is one of the very best. Thank You.
You are so welcome! Motown rules.
Grew up with all that GREAT MOTOWN music as a child of the 60's . Until that time NOBODY combined orchestra strings with strong four beat drum tempos with gospel influenced singing. That's what keeps this style of music timeless!
I absolutely love this. Duke still looks great. And he's right. You DO know your stuff. Great job!!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
THANK U THANK U THANK U!!! we, the music loving public, thank u for all u do professor! ...keep the music alive! god bless ya dude
Thank you and right back at you!
ADORED this TOP(S) TIER Tribute to the Motown men with the remarkable vocal blend. I had no idea Duke Fakir is the last surviving member 😢, We went to see them in concert so many times...even one memorable performance when they were the Three Tops, because Obie didn't show up until the very end of the show (for a reason we never discovered!). It didn't stop these professionals, though: Levi, Duke, and Lawrence carried on, in top form, unstoppable. Bless them all, and you Professor, for featuring their incredible, iconic music. ❤❤❤❤
How does this channel not have millions of subscribers with such amazing people on it all the time? Another Homerun Professor!!!!
Am so glad I found this channel. You remind me so much of the Sunday morning countdown with Casey Kasem. The way you tell the story and the way you speak is so enjoyable. Thank you!!!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, oooh….!!!! Such a beautiful iconic tune!!! ✌🏻💙
This song-all the Four Tops’ songs really-I remind me of walking through “the Projects” in Jamaica, Queens in the mid-60s. As turbulent as those times were, they were simpler as well, in many ways. My mother was a nurse’s aide and her best friend was an RN from Jamaica, West Indies. We came to call her Grandma Smith, and she was as much my grandmother, perhaps more, than either of my blood relatives. My sister and I would walk from school to Grandma Smith’s house every day, until my mother returned from work and took us home.
Two little white kids, walking through the Projects, might sound risky, dangerous, but it never seemed that way to us. People watched out for kids back then, no matter the color. I remember hearing the Temps, the Tops, and the Supremes most (my eldest sister was friends with Mary Wilson’s cousin) on those small, tinny sounding transistor radios, usual black plastic with the silver colored screen below the dial on the front. They were everywhere, and we heard the Motown groups all the way along the route to Grandma Smith’s house.
Absolutely have always loved both versions of this song. I have them on my old IPOD and love playing them back to back for younger folk.
All of the amazing interviews and mini documentaries you put together are keeping great songs and artists alive throughout history... some day, that should be worthy of getting Professor of Rock into the Rock and Roll HOF. 100%. Thank you for servicing the world with all that you do.
Very kind of you.
Love Motown music. My favorite cover by Johnny Rivers is “Cupid” .
Professor! Thank you for capturing this amazing piece of music history. Another fantastic episode-thank you!!!
Great episode. Four Tops my favorite Motown group of that era. I tended to gravitate towards those with a baritone voice back then. Johnny Rivers has been a fave of mine since the 60’s.
Epic song! Epic performers! Epic interview! Thank you Professor!
Adam, you were given the highest kudos to date!!! You will have your name worldwide, if it's not already! You, PoR, take us to school every day with your knowledge & expertise in the music field.
I'm just glad the "great ones" are now noticing!!! #professorofrock
Wow, thank you!
This is a great video. Thank you for highlighting Motown and especially Holland-Dozier-Holland. The music of Motown will never die. I grew up on that music and listen to it every chance I get. Besides the fantastic songwriters and talented artists, Motown also had the best musicians in the Funk Brothers. The 60s music was epic. Thank you for this edition and for showcasing Motown. R.I.P. Lamont Dozier.
You keep exceeding your previous videos on a daily basis. This was outstanding the way you intertwined the song, artists, and song writers. It was like a mini documentary! Great job.
Lovely interviews and stories. I adore the Four Tops. Their music was a haven of joy and Levi Stubbs gave us all a yearning for love. It's wonderful now to learn more about the group as a whole.
So much music, so little time…
Got a lot of work (?!) ahead of you, Professor.
Don’t ever stop.
This video was awesome! You’re getting more exclusive artists and writers. I always love getting the back stories of these iconic songs.
This set of interviews among many others is why I subscribed. Get more of the 60 s artists on your channel. I'm 50 and remember my parents playing lots of Motown and had hundreds of these 45s in their bedroom.
How are you not at 5 million subs? You are one of the most important, hardest working, well researched, best edited, and most entertaining humans on UA-cam! Keep it up my friend…your million+ subs will be here soon!
Wow, thank you!
The Four Tops and Mowtowns influence was and is still a big part of music today.
Love me some Mowtown.
At age 63 I grew up with so many wonderful musical influences.
I'll always be grateful for the God given gift of music.
Great job again Adam!!!
Thank you Hugh!
I absolutely loved this. The song. The history. The originators talking about it. Man, I really love this stuff.
Thank you, professor.
Awesome interviews Professor! These guy's are awesome! Great that you got to interview these legends! I love all the old Motown music and writers! Thanks for sharing these guy's with us!
Tears! I love these interviews. Watching from Barbados.
Sooooo smoooooth.
Like butter.
Agreed!
Yep 60's were the best especially vocally along w/the 50's(my high school yrs)
One of the best memories of my childhood. It still gives me chill bumps. Great job, as always, Prof.
Wow, to have Duke give you such awesome praise in what you do must have been a mind blowing experience! Congrats on that.
This August (2021) I got to see The Temptations and The Four Tops together in concert. The two groups were a mix of surviving members and newer members (some are family of the past members). The two groups had the place rocking! Everyone was singing along, snapping fingers, dancing, and it was such an amazingly fun night!
Great interviews Professor. Simply a beautiful song. Can't remember the first time I heard it but it's one of those songs that's like magic when you hear it. It's hard not to listen to when it comes on.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
That was absolutely fantastic! One of your best UA-cam videos. I have long been a Motown fan to include, but not limited to: The Spinners, The Four Tops, Mary Wells, Mary Wilson and on and on.🎼 (Keep these videos coming).
Years ago I watched "Standing In the Shadows of Motown". Right after I found email addresses for Dozier and a Holland then sent them email begging for them to put together one more song in the classic Motown vein. Include Whitfield and Strong too. I didn't expect to receive a reply and I didn't receive one, but a gal can dream, right?
Great interview, it was informative and entertaining. The music of that era is timeless...
Wow-any one of these interviews on its own is amazing, but to be able to weave all together to show the full spectrum of the impact “Baby I Need Your Lovin” has had is incredible! Thanks for sharing with us! I firmly believe that extra vocal beat after the “Got” is what really makes this song stand out amongst all the other great Motown hits…
Just a magical production. And Levi! Wow.
Wow, great song performed by my favorite Motown group and solo artist. Great memories of dancing to this song, even dancing in the street with transitor radio and my teen crush. Prof. Well done and thanks to your awesome guests.
Thank you for covering a feel good oldie. 👍 I'll be singing this song throughout the day. 🙂
Great way to start your day, yeah?
What a great comment about the Professor from a legend. What and honor Adam.
This is one of your best, Prof! Music moves music lovers, and Motown moves you in a different way than any other. I don't know what it is, but it's infectious! LOVE the Four Tops!!! Levi was the man!!! I became obsessed with the names in parenthesis under songs when I was very young. I wanted to know who those people were. Holland Dozier Holland songs are magical!
Your channel ought to be required viewing for ANYONE wanting to discover the history of this music we love so much. This episode is epic!! Thank you Professor!
This should be the #1 video on youtube today. I look at what else is getting major traction compared to this video...is it any wonder we're heading to hell in a hand basket? Save us Professor!!!
This is such a great song, those first initial drum beats, man there's nothing to compare! Certainly nothing from today!
Legends, all. Amazing segment, Adam! 👍
I love your stuff Adam, you do a fantastic job. You keep bring up songs I've forgotten and you're making my spotify playlist grow with each interview. Thanks
That set of interviews will go down as a sentimental favorite for me. Every video you produce is wonderful, but some just reach a little deeper. This one took me back to 8th grade. I'd wake up to the smell of coffee and toast down in the kitchen and the sound of 4 Tops or some other Motowngroup on the radio. Thank you.
I remember setting on the side of the mesa in New Mexico singing this song when I was 12. Great songwriting and performance.
It's really something to be in awe of being in awe..
Kind of like the moth that was telling the doctor that life has him so overwhelmed can't go on anymore..
The doctor retorts..
" you should be seeing a psychiatrist am only a GP, why did you come to me?"
Moth..
" your light was on "
It is criminal that this is the first time I have ever heard of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
No it’s not 😊
@ProfessorofRock: I LOVE & HAVE SUBSCRIBED YOUR CHANNEL BECAUSE ITS A MUSIC HISTORY CLASS....AS A BABY-BOOMER I THINK YOUR CHANNEL IS NECESSARY TO LEARN MUSIC HISTORY....
The Four Tops, a class act. As are you, Professor!
Levi Stubbs was something special, on of the greatest singers ever. And I'm a rock metal fan.
Very few voices equal to his, and nobody tops him.
Im from Mo Town, grew up on the Tops! Thank you soooo much for this!
The Four Tops got the best HDH songs, and Levi Stubbs is probably one of the most underrated singers *ever*
Holy cow what an interview!
Great interview. Great, great classic song. Would have loved if you got to ask how they felt about playing live aid. Judes watching the response from the crowd was a beautiful sight to see. Thanks for putting this video out.
Congratulations on another great video. Nice to see you getting the recognition you deserve from the artists and writers you clearly admire.
the fact that the beatles were neck and neck with titans like dozier and comp once again speaks to the fact that you can't overestimate just how great the beatles were....and relevant to the episode, my father was a huge tops fan so from a young age I knew of their excellence....just exquisite stuff.....johnny rivers...good get prof...he's awesome...motown is just as American as Apple pie
I absolutely love the 60's motown!!! Lamont Dozier is a legend! I knew who he was way before this, but he also worked with Debbie Gibson for her "Anything Is Possible" album. It was pretty amazing that she was able to get him to do that. :)