| Magic | ||||
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| Studio album by The Four Tops | ||||
| Released | May 15, 1985 (1985-05-15) | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Soul | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Four Tops chronology | ||||
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Magic is an album recorded by the Four Tops, released in 1985 on Motown Records. The album reached No. 23 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Top US R&B Albums chart.
Overview
Half of the Magic album was produced by Reggie Lucas, which was the idea of Iris Gordy, who felt his work on the debut double-platinum Madonna album reminded her of an updated Holland-Dozier-Holland sound. The other half was handled by Willie Hutch.
Reggie Lucas produced the song "Maybe Tomorrow", a duet between Levi Stubbs and Phyllis Hyman, which received substantial urban contemporary airplay.
| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  
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Singles
"Sexy Ways" peaked at No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can Feel the Magic" | Willie Hutch | 4:47 |
| 2. | "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" | Hutch | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Sexy Ways" | Hutch, Val Johnson | 5:01 |
| 4. | "Easier Said Than Done" | Kerry Ashby, John Bokowski, Benny Medina | 5:59 |
| 5. | "Don't Turn Away" | Ivy Jo Hunter, William “Mickey” Stevenson | 5:03 |
| 6. | "I'm Ready for Love" | Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Again" | Fred Bridges, Lawrence Payton, George Roundtree | 4:45 |
| 8. | "Maybe Tomorrow" | Roxanne Seeman, Eddie del Barrio | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Remember Me" | Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | 3:39 |
Personnel
Four Tops
- Levi Stubbs – baritone lead vocals
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir – first tenor vocals
- Renaldo "Obie" Benson – bass vocals
- Lawrence Payton –second tenor vocals
Musicians
- Richard Kosinski – keyboards (1, 3), synthesizers (1, 3)
- John Bokowski – keyboards (4), arrangements (4)
- Larry Williams – keyboards (4)
- Fred Zarr – pianos (5), synthesizers (5, 7)
- Dean Gant – pianos (5, 8), synthesizers (5, 8)
- Reginald "Sonny" Burke – keyboards (6), synthesizers (6), arrangements (6)
- Philip Woo – synthesizers (7)
- John Duarte – keyboards (9), synthesizers (9)
- David Kitay – acoustic guitar (1, 3), electric guitar (1, 3)
- Charles Fearing – guitars (2, 6)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (2)
- Ray Fuller – guitars (4)
- Reggie Lucas – guitars (5, 7)
- Willie Hutch – bass (1, 3), Oberheim DMX programming (1, 3), BGV arrangements (9)
- Alfredo Washington – bass (2)
- Cornelius Mims – bass (4)
- Anthony Jackson – bass (5, 7, 8)
- Ed Greene – drums (2)
- Steve Ferrone – drums (4, 8)
- Michael White – drums (4)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (4, 9)
- Bashiri Johnson – percussion (5)
- Gerald Albright – saxophone solo (1, 3)
- Ernie Watts – saxophone solo (2)
- Harold Vick – saxophone (7)
- Stanley Behrens – harmonica (3)
- Gene Page – orchestration (2), string arrangements (9)
- Benjamin Wright – additional arrangements (4, 6)
- Eddie Summers – rhythm arrangements (9)
- Phyllis Hyman – lead vocals (8)
Production
- Iris Gordy – executive producer
- Willie Hutch – producer (1, 2, 3)
- Kerry Ashby – producer (4)
- Benny Medina – producer (4)
- Reggie Lucas – producer (5, 7, 8)
- Johnny Bristol – producer (6)
- Hal Davis – producer (9)
- Johnny Lee – art direction
- Janet Levinson – design
- Aaron Rapoport – photography
Technical
- John Matousek – mastering At Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA)
- Steve King – recording (1, 3)
- Jim Vitti – recording (1, 3)
- Willie Hutch – mixing (1)
- Bob Robitaille – recording (2, 9), mixing (2, 4, 9)
- Steve Smith – recording (2)
- Barney Perkins – mixing (3, 6, 7)
- Tom Perry – recording (4)
- Nick Spigel – recording (4)
- Joe Ferla – recording (5, 7, 8)
- Reggie Kendall – recording (6)
- Russ Terrana – mixing (1), recording (9)
References
- Four Tops: Magic. Motown Records. 1985.
- Top British Soul Albums. Blues and Soul. September 3, 1985.
- "Four Tops: Magic (Top R&B Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019.
- Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1985-04-20.
- "Welcome rnbhaven.com - BlueHost.com". www.rnbhaven.com. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- Michael, Jason A. (15 October 2018). Strength Of A Woman: The Phyllis Hyman Story. ISBN 978-0979489013.
- Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1985-06-15.
- Magic – The Four Tops at AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- Blues & Soul. Napfield Limited. June 1985.
- "The Four Tops: Magic". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- "Four Tops: Sexy Ways (Hot R&B Singles)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019.
External links
- Magic at Discogs (list of releases)
- Magic at MusicBrainz (list of releases)