Who Did It Better? Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got)

Who Did It Better? 

Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got)

Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got) was written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. The pair were responsible for such hits as One Tin Soldier by Coven, Two Divided By Love by The Grassroots, Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.) by Glen Campbell and It Only Takes A Minute by Tavares. Lambert, solo, would go on to enjoy a number of hits in the 1980's, including We Built This City by Starship and Nightshift by The Commodores.

Originally recorded by the trio Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got) appeared on the group's 1972 album, Hallway Symphony. It was not the first time the trio had recorded a song by Lambert and Potter. The duo penned the group's first major hit, Don't Pull Your Love, which peaked at #4 on Billboard's Hot 100. They had similar hopes for Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got.) However, the powers that be at ABC/Dunhill chose not release it as a single, concentrating on other songs instead, and the album ended up languishing in obscurity.

Lambert (who was also signed as a solo artist to ABC/Dunhill) and Potter were also gifted producers with a long list of credits, including albums for Tony Orlando and Dawn, Dusty Springfield, The Righteous Brothers, Tavares, and Glen Campbell. In 1973, they were tapped to produce The Four Top's debut album on ABC/Dunhill; the group's first album since leaving Motown. Casting about for songs, Lambert and Potter felt the need to give Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got) another chance and handed it over to the group to work on. 

The Four Tops' version features lead vocals by original member Levi Stubbs. It also includes special co-lead spots by the other Tops - Lawrence Payton, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Abdul "Duke" Fakir - in that order - during the chorus. 

The song was chosen as the second single from the album, and would go on to become the group's most successful post-Motown Top 40 hit, climbing all the way to #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B chart. It would also grab the #1 spot on The Cash Box Top 100, going on to be certified as a gold record.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got)

The Competitors: Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds vs. The Four Tops

Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got) - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got) - The Four Tops

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

Oh, my word. 

You know, this group (HFR) is responsible for two great slices of Top 40 ear candy. Don't Pull Your Love (also written by Lambert and Potter)  and Fallin' In Love. The former always makes me think of Tom Jones or Engelbert Humperdinck, for there is something very Las Vegas about this group's sound. 

This seems no different. 

Produced by Steve Barri (Eve of Destruction, Dizzy, Secret Agent Man), they are laying the schmooze on pretty thick right from the get go. Now, I am not sure who is singing what here, but I do like the grit that second vocalist brings to the game. 

This is very AM radio friendly; upbeat, plenty of sunshine, though it feels like all the edges have been sanded too smooth. Man, those horns are really over the top. More and more this makes me think of She's A Lady by Tom Jones. It also reminds me of Three Dog Night and a host of other acts active on the charts during the time. 

This is as inoffensive as it is faceless; I mean, this could be anybody. There really isn't anything distinct about the sound, nor do the vocalist - all very competent - possess the kind of personality necessary to push this thing over the wall of mediocrity. 

It's a tad too Las Vegas for my taste. Fun. Energetic. Pop. 

I have to wonder if it had been released as a single, would it have gotten any attention?

And I would love to know what Lambert and Potter thought about Barri and HFR's take on their song?

The Four Tops

That's a lovely, very Philly sounding intro. Obviously Lambert and Potter had an entirely different sound in mind when they wrote this song. 

And The Four Tops sound right at home - as if they never left Motown. Right from the get go, everything is popping in this sparse arrangement.  Oh, the horns and strings may well up from time to time, but this is all pops and clicks and rhythm. That electric guitar pings and sings. Love all the room the vocalists have to play in; so much space. 

And, again, I can hear Tom Jones singing this, but The Four Tops bring a lot of soul to the playground - and that's the key difference. Stubbs sounds great; such a big, powerful voice. I'm surprised by the tempo, but then, Stubbs possesses the sort of sound you don't want to rush.

I could quibble with those initial backing vocals. Something there isn't hitting my ear quite right. 

Listening to this? I can't believe Hall & Oates never covered it. It plays just like a lot of their stuff. 

Lead vocals get a little muddy in the lower range in the chorus.  That first line of the second chorus? Golden. Don't like the flute/woodwind sting at all. The swell of those backing vocals, the strings, Stubbs bringing some grit to it; stellar. 

Huh. Something very ragged with those backing vocals on the second chorus, too. Jagged. 

Love the strings on the bridge. Not wild about flute, but this one works. Those are some very Philadelphia International sounding strings. Hee hee... with that chukka-chukka rhythm, the strings and those flutes? Sounds like the theme from Barretta or something Rhythm Heritage would have put together.

This whole thing is pretty much what I expected. It's a classic.

The Verdict

Honestly? I was hoping for just a bit more of a battle.

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds do fine. It's a very different interp for a very different audience. I like the grit the second vocalist kept bringing to the table, but theirs is just too slick and characterless for me to get too excited about. 

The Four Tops on the other hand? A timeless classic, which sounds current and brand new every time I hear it. 

For me, it's The Four Tops. No contest. 

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And that's enough of me. 

Okay, your turn. Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I love to hear what your thinking.

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got) - The Four Tops