One of two covers released simultaneously by Arista in different markets and formats; the other features the band in matching vermilion suits pointing to the camera
Four Tops joined Motown in the mid-1960s and had several hits before leaving the following decade and experiencing a period of commercial and critical decline. After performing on the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and collaborating with fellow Motown artists The Temptations on a subsequent tour, the Tops resigned to their first label.[1][2] They were also able to reunite songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland to produce one of their 1980s Motown albums and worked with other 1960s collaborators like Willie Hutch and Smokey Robinson.[3] The group re-entered the studio in 1986 with producer David Wolfert, who had previously produced them in many non-Motown releases.[4] Despite working on the release for several months[5] and issuing the single "Hot Nights" in July,[6] the sessions did not result in a new album and the group signed to Arista Records in 1987.[7] This would be the only album the group released with Arista; the song "Loco in Acapulco" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Buster and the group dueted with Aretha Franklin on her album Through the Storm on this label.
A brief review in Ebony recommended this album as a "sizzling set" and asked readers to "listen and marvel at the genius displayed".[9] Editors at AllMusic Guide scored this release three out of five stars, with reviewer Ron Wynn noting that Levi Stubbs' vocals remain strong late into the group's career.[8] The 1992 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide also rated this release three out of five stars.[10]
Track listing
"Indestructible" (Michael Price and Bobby Sandstrom) – 4:32
"Change of Heart" (Paul Kelly) – 4:50
"If Ever a Love There Was" (Todd Cerney and Pamela Phillips Oland) – 4:48
Indestructible peaked at 149 on the Billboard 200 and reached 66 on the R&B charts.[11] The album also spent 10 weeks on the German charts, peaking at 33.[12] The single of the title track reached 35 on the Hot 100[13] and 57 on the R&B charts;[11] the followup single, "If Ever a Love There Was" subsequently reached 31 on the R&B chart.[11]
^Betts, Graham (May 2, 2014). "Four Tops". Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. ISBN9781311441546.
^Dozier, Lamont; Bomar, Scott B. (November 26, 2019). How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter's Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse. BMG Books. ISBN9781947026513.
^"Sounding Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony. Vol. 44, no. 2. December 1988. p. 24. ISSN0012-9011.
^DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly; Henke, James, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews : Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist. Random House. p. 260. ISBN9780679737292.
