All Directions
The Temptations
1972
Album Summary
All Directions is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. It reached number two on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most successful non-collaborative album on the chart, and became their twelfth album to reach number one on the Top R&B Albums chart.
WikipediaThe level of this (the musicianship, the artistry of the lyrics) rises so far above some of the indie crap that had come up in this list so far...
Groovy. Interesting lyrics for 'Run Charlie Run' but a powerful message. 'Papa was a rolling stone' is a phenomenal single from this album and I know it well. Even though this song sits on permanent rotation in my spotify playlist, I enjoyed every second of this version. It holds it's breath in suspense, setting the mood with anticipation. When the lyrics finally fly, it's the most powerful they've ever felt. Love the ending riff for Do Your Thing. This album is criminally short. Such is the nature of the vinyl record.
Maybe because I'm used to their more upbeat songs but this album was a drag. Maybe the songs work on their own but together it was a single melody, slow and depressing.
An incredible album. Many have heard of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, but many of the tracks on this already short album are striking pieces.
this is such a great album. absolute classic soul. all of their voices are incredible. even the 10 min song was perf. MWAH
Funky, surprisingly topical, and filled with the feeling of grooving in the summer in your youth.
Classic - loved hearing papa was a rolling stone. Really funky. And surprised to hear “the ni**as are coming”
I always knew Papa Was a Rolling Stone was a Certified Banger™, and I am very happy to see the rest of the album has no trouble matching it's prowess.
Man, the Temptations... What a wildly schizophrenic band. I feel like most of their albums have the same issue. You'll be grooving along to some truly quality funk and then, all of the sudden, it switches to track after track of doo-wop, Jackson 5 style R&B. Just stick with the monster funk, guys! It's so good when you're just funkin' it up.
A perfect blend of Motown and Funk. Solid 5. Every song is a fucking goddamn gorgeous banger. Run Charlie Run and their cover of First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is to die for.
Wow this was a surprise, knew a few of the tunes, the entire album was great though
Absolutely fantastic album. Same thing - heard of Temptations but never went through the album. Even the unknown songs are great. And both ends - pure happy funky, to very relaxed and chill R&B motown. Great great great.
Sho’ Nuff it was funky "'Cause funky music sho nuff turn me on" "Look, the niggers are coming" "I watch you go to church on Sunday But you forget all you learned on Monday Well, you see your smiling face can't hide Well well well, how you hate your brother inside" "He came into this world with a mind so clean You took it, molded it, and made it mean" Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone always love this when I hear it a lot of Motown songs of this era and definitely earlier would pretty much be finished before the first vocals in this one love the "whammy" style or whatever you call it although considering the era probably just the production not sure but sounds great had to look it up and it was played by "Wah Wah Watson" so a pedal presumably Shoo-wop-shoo-wop The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face I love every single version of this song but had yet to hear this version, I cant believe that is a guy singing Isaac Hayes - Do Your Thing "version" is a fantastic closer
Quite a lot in here that I had heard without realising what it was, superb album I will definitely return to.
Funky MF! Altså Papa was a rolling Stone er 3 stjerner i sig selv, og så lidt flere numre giver 4-5 stjerner
Classic Motown, "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" & "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" stand out tracks but not much wrong with all of this Album. One for the collection deffo!
I'm discovering as I'm going through this list that I have a previously unknown affinity for funk music. This would be a five star album of it was literally just 'Papa Was A Rollin' Stone'. Everything else is just a bonus.
Funky rollercoaster of emotions? Yes please! To think they almost didn't include "Papa" and "Run Charlie Run", and that they expected the album to flop because of these songs, is completely insane. Papa is the only song in this album that I was already familiar with (and love!). Discovering the others was an absolute treat. Was dancing and groovin' from the first track. "Do your Thing" will probably be the soundtrack to those days when I need a little extra motivation from the heavens. And boy does Otis Williamses' baritone voice get me every time. Don't know another voice like it.
This album is timeless, and shows the absolute staying power the Temptations have in the American canon. absolutely stunning.
Strong open with Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On. I normally hate a live track, but this gets the nod. I wasn't expecting social commentary either - this is ace (Run Charlie Run). And despite my much chronicled loathing of overlong songs, Papa Was a Rolling Stone is such an exercise in moody groove, I can't not love it. It gets a bit more old school with Love Woke Me Up, but that's almost a relief after three very different and brilliant tracks. I Ain't Got Nothing shouts back to The Flamingos, and is moody and ace again. The First Time is trad again, and while not the best version of such a lovely song, definitely a great one.
I'll be honest, Run Charlie Run shocked the shit out of me based on the time period. This album bumps, and has no fluff at all.
Was gonna give it 4 stars, but after hearing it again, with the current state of music, I've changed it to a 5
Apart from singles I am not so familiar with the Temptations output in the seventies and had just overlooked this 1972 album. In short, it turned out to be another great Temptations/Whitfield album - with one mega-classic song of twelve minutes - while the other songs, including a cover of a very familiar song - are excellent too, in particular I liked their version of Isaac Hayes' Do Your Thing. Definitely 5 stars.
Wow - that was a storming Motown album, far grittier and sharper than I expected. Hats off to them, that's a brilliant set of songs and amazingly delivered.
The fact that thus album contains the finest ever version of Papa Was A Rolling Stone makes it 5. And Run, Charlie, Run is still confronting today. Inspiring decision to include a politically charged track.
Worried this was going to be a one song album however every song was great.
amazing. A+. 10/10. Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and First Time Ever I Saw Your Face were favorites, but ever song is a winner. i mean, it’s The Temptations, come on
Papa was a Rolling Stone is a masterpiece that occupies most of this album but the other songs are worth listening to as well. I would call this one of the genre defining albums of Soul.
Pretty much everything you want from a record by The Temptations, including Papa Was a Rolling Stone, an obvious but correct choice for best song.
Solid 5 for 'Love Woke Me Up This Morning' alone, let alone 'Poppa was a Rolling Stone'.
Way more psychedelic than I was expecting, in a great way. A fantastic album.
Excellent timing for this considering I just bought a Best of Temptations album from a $2 record fair at a local classical radio station in Coorparoo.
What fine voices, how they convey emotion, gives the chills! Intense and beautiful. First Time Ever I Saw about my favorite version so far, that voice, ahhhhhh.
This is great! I think they took kind of a chance making this record, it’s way different and much darker than their other poppy motown hits and ballads.
This was really a nice surprise! For some reason I knew nothing about this band (but of course I recognized many of the songs), but this really is music with feeling.
Great album, lots of covers but all done in that great temptations groove
Good, led me down a nice path in Spotify after it finished. Better for that than the full album was but still enjoyable.
Loved the vibe on this album. Check out James Blake's cover of "the first time ever i saw your face".
This album restored my life rhythm from the clutches of enveloping bedridden mental isolation. At the onset of their overtly sensual first song, I could tell the whole album was going to radiate a bonafide groove. While listening to Papa Was a Rolling Stone and I Ain’t Got Nothin, I could imagine the lyrics being sung by an old scratchy banjo player with a minimal banjo part (the lush string parts would be missed though) and raspy, saturated singing. “And when he died, all he left us was alone.” The four minute intro to this song was a story in itself. Aside from these two songs, Mother Nature stood out to me as well. This plastic world is sho nuff killing us all!
Yeah great, this version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is an excellent effort.
I'm not into the slower jams, but when it's going (which is most of the album) this is solid. Definitely worth a listen.
The album has some weak songs here and there, but most of the songs are nice and fun to listen to. I also liked the varied topics that were in these songs. Topics like love, having nothing, black power and more. Really Liked it. Favorite songs: - Run Charlie Run - Love Woke me Up This Morning - I Ain't Got Nothing - The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face - Do Your Thing
Pretty good nice variation while keeping the same sound and lyrical content is nice
I feel like these guys have been slighted by what music has passed through time, like I only remember the chorus of papa rollin' stone instead of the heartfelt lyrics or the ' first time I ever saw your face' ballad but not the black power run Charlie and the heavier feelings of Mother Nature. and the producing of it. lots of creativity. it's Motown but not the glossy happy. geez does this happen to every genre where the culture that follows only remembers the pop and not the underbrush. when this happens in classical music, we assume it's the 'quality' that keeps certain music above the rest,, but I have always found it more interesting to listen acrooossss and under and now I've talked too much which is not honoring this music.
Fantastic music. Always makes me think of my dad and his love for old soul.
Papa Was a Rollin Stone is a Magnum Opus. The rest of the album is funky good.
The Temptations are awesome - sugary poppy doo-wop group turned psychedelia-embracing politically conscious funk superstars! Fave track - "Papa was a Rolling Stone" 12 minutes of prog funk, what's not to love!
Great stuff. Run Charlie Run shocked me - not what I expected from The Temptations... Papa Was a Rolling Stone is a great groove. Love the opening track. This is another album that slowed down a little as it went on. But that seems to just be how the cookie crumbles.
Liked the first half better than the second, but overall a good album. Favorite Track(s): “Papa Was A Rollin Stone”
Expected nothing but fantastic production from Motown! Lyrically intense subject matter but delivered with groove and funk, from beginning to end I was on the edge of my seat wondering where the album will take me next! Always loved their hits, now I know their most acclaimed album.
If this doesn't get you bobbing your head, you're wrong. I read the Wikipedia and "Run Charlie Run" is really interesting. A song about white flight is not something I expected. Plus, the band thought this album was going to flop. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Loved this album. It was great work music - it's peppy while still being soothing.
Very fun. I’m not deeply familiar with albums in the R&B genre and I’ll be glad to hear a couple more albums here. I think I developed a deeper appreciation for how they use the vocals and instruments differently from rock. This album had some good variety in the songs too.