All Directions

The 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...

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.

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.

Super funky and socially conscious. I can dig it.

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.

old school R&B. I like it.

Funky, surprisingly topical, and filled with the feeling of grooving in the summer in your youth.

this is such a great album. absolute classic soul. all of their voices are incredible. even the 10 min song was perf. MWAH

These guys sure traveled a long way from "My Girl" and "Just My Imagination." And they still have the ability, I just don't like the music as much. There are still some pop sensibilities in pleasant adaptations like "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," but they stand oddly next to what is mostly a funk album. And they do funk pretty well, but it's largely unremarkable. Though I do gave some remarks. Now I know that, the next time I'm at a track or cross country meet, and no matter who I'm rooting for, I should never yell, "Run, Charlie, Run!" This album has already saved me from that fallout. Why is the intro to "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" is long? There is no reason for this song as a while to be this length. It's good enough funk, but was this from a 70s Cop Movie with very long credits or a porn flick where the guy just couldn't finish? Mother Nature is one of my more favored tracks. You can feel Marvin Gaye's 60s give way to the 70s, and it's a decent song, but it's just a bit flat emotionally like the bulk of the album.

Good album, but I think they have better tunes on other albums.

Good songs here and there, but overall really not my style...

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.

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.

Classic - loved hearing papa was a rolling stone. Really funky. And surprised to hear “the ni**as are coming”

Pure funk. Very cool.

Solid even though 'Papa' feels like the centerpiece. I like the more upbeat songs over the ballads.

Nicely understated and surprisingly enjoyable. Of it's time great vocals and musicianship.

Love this. Funky first half, ballad side B. Beautiful arrangements and playing by the Funk Brothers, terrific vocals, and a-grade repertoire choices. And it has 'Papa Was A Rollin' Stone' in its glorious full 12 minute version, which is the high-water mark of psychedelic soul. The Temps themselves didn't really go for the funky material (especially Papa Was A Rollin' Stone), fearing it was more about Norman Whitfield's arrangements and production (true), and less like the ballad material they were more comfortable with. But the amazing cinematic soul expanse of Whitfield's production on Papa is an absolutely landmark. Whitfield had a great ear for what was happening, with much of the material on the album covers of previous singles (and likely picking up The First Time I ever Saw Yoru Face from the placement of Roberta Flack's version in Play Misty for Me, just before it was released as a single). Whitfield could hear the possibilities in the songs and arranged them into something new and different, clearly influenced by Isaac Hayes' unhurried and spacious production approach to soul The politics are sometimes a little wonky. The Temps really didn't like the lyrics to Run Charlie Run, a clumsy statement on white flight with repeated and prominent use of the n-word, and were uncomfortable with the presentation of black fathers in papa, which didn't align with their own experiences. But the playing is majestic, one of the last great works of the Detroit-based Funk Brothers before Motown moved all their operations to LA. The legend is that James Jamerson walked out of the Papa session because he hated playing the same simple riff for so long. But the tension between the singers, the musicians and producer Whitfield (and songwriter Barrett Strong) create a master work, even if they could never work together in combination again. They created one last masterpiece before they went their separate ways.

The whole is less than the sum of its parts somehow in this case. So many stone cold classics that don’t quite add up to a cohesive album. It’s more like a greatest hits I guess. Still gets a 4 though

i'm a big fan of motown in general, but it's obvious that, production-wise, the temptations truly were at their best with norman whitfield at the helm. this album is the pinnacle of that. of course, as always, the temptations' vocals and arrangements are top notch, the production, as previously mentioned, is great and although not as groundbreaking as the temptations' 'cloud nine' with this production style, but is a continuation and elevation of that style. whitfield's trademark lush orchestration and funk instrumentation is incredibly important and still great to this day. i think what prevents this album from going from good to great is the crop of songs. the first side is great and funky - especially with what may be the temptations' magnum opus ('papa was a rollin' stone'). the second side is a lot slower and ballady and, even though i know the temptations were very fond of soft, sensitive ballads, i don't know that i like them as well from them as opposed to their more upbeat fare. their cover of 'the first time ever (i saw your face)' is, quite frankly, kind of boring. i can deal with the rest but it does feel like it kills the pacing of the album.

The Temptations were one of the most popular Progressive Soul groups of the late 60's and early 70's and with this, their most popular release, they put out some of their best known and most influential songs, mainly 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone' which is a staggering 11 minutes long which goes to show that they didn't really needed to sacrifice artistic value to stay relevant. From a today's perspective, their music might not have aged as well as maybe Marvin Gaye's or Stevie Wonder's but they aren't to be messed with overall. The Deep Funk inspired Soul song 'Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On' starts things off with a live introduction that adds the (probably) studio recorded instruments on top that features nice playing as well as some very catchy backing vocals that make this song very easy to vibe with. Although it sometimes feels like the song lacks substance and isn't fully fleshed out into what it might've been in its final form but it's regardless of that a really nice song with a ton of great moments. It gets even funkier with 'Run Charlie Run' which has a really funny hook which seems to be influenced by some stuff by The Last Poets and in that regard might've influenced a lot of early Hip-Hop. Again, it does feel unfinished and has a certain lack of substance even if it's very fun to listen to, there isn't much to hold onto. It's really good but it kind of ends there. The very Progressive Soul sounding and long playing 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone' is THE song of the album. A lot might've known it before and it's become an absolute classic in the Prog-Soul scene working as a kind of blueprint for later appearing artists. The psychedelic sound that plays with different dreamy instruments and even some interesting guitar effects that over the span of the song build up into more and more tension that stays interesting and funky. I do think that the vocals appear at a weird time. They should've either came much earlier or even later but at the moment they appear, it feels just off. But even with that, they manage to pull it back into making a really catchy chorus that sadly vanishes too early. It's overall a really interesting and really good song but there are so many things that I would've changed about it, mainly the structure and the building of tension, that in the end, I cannot think of it higher than "really good". Nothin totally mind changing and definitely not perfected to the fullest potential. On Side 2, 'Love Woke Me Up This Morning' brings in a lot of Smooth Soul performances that beautifully mix with the piano and strings and create a really lovely sound with the different vocalists that all work together. I do think that the mixing is a little bit off and too raw and also the song ends way to early to be really anything substantial. It's nice, don't get me wrong but it feels like an interlude. The smooth vocals stay on 'I Ain't Got Nothing' which would've been really good if they didn't add the weird "Shoo-wop-shoo-wop" hooks at the weirdest and most unfitting times that totally disrupt the song and make it annoying at these times. It's just not needed or adding anything "quirky" to it. I really do not care for what they did here at all in the end. 'The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)' might be the best of the Smooth Soul songs here mainly because it features the best vocal performance as well as the best arrangements even if both are mixed really weirdly. It's not a crazy song or anything too special but it's fine. On 'Mother Nature' they return to more typical approach to Soul that mainly shines with the different arrangements as well as the tension that it builds. It sounds like it's working towards one of the catchiest choruses ever made but that just doesn't appear. That doesn't make the song bad but it does make it feel pretty redundant even with the trumpets and the incredible vocals. It's nice to listen to but again, not like it has too much substance within. The final song, 'Do Your Thing' returns to more Funk while still being majorly Soul with some actually catchy moments that are really enjoyable. The piano especially as well as the hook are some real standouts here. It's a really good song and easily one of the best on the album. favourites: Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Run Charlie Run, Do Your Thing least favourites: I Ain't Got Nothing Rating: strong 6 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

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!

The funk is real! The slow jams are good, but interrupt the funk more than I’d like. Still great!

A+. Amazing funky album, and at only 34 minutes, it’s a quick listen. Good listening vibes: - Morning coffee pump up - Knocking out chores - Social gatherings

Love woke me up this morning feelin' fine I had you on my mind Love woke me up this morning And I haven't had a heartache today And all my little tears are gone away Skies are blue because of you Love woke me up this morning Thinkin' of last night You know, you make me feel all right Love woke me up this morning I'm so glad baby Because of you, happiness is really mine And my cloudy days are far behind Absolutely incredible album. Some of the most original sounds youll ever experience, and papa was a rolling stone is one of the top 10 songs of all time. 5/5

Vraiment tres bon. Un album que je reviendrai assurement

Fantastic

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.

Badass opening track, rest of the album is funky fire.

Papa was rolling The Temptations were groovin I recommend this!

Papa was a rolling stone!

I like this one

Quite a lot in here that I had heard without realising what it was, superb album I will definitely return to.

Funky as shit and wildly more progressive than I thought the Temptations were.

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.

Loved Papa was a rolling stone and run Charlie run

Slaps.

I was a big fan of The Temptations before listening, and I'm an even bigger fan afterward. This is more slower and relaxing compared to the other things I have heard from them, but I loved it. Lyrics were flawless, and Otis Williams is a vocal legend. Papa Was A Rolling Stone is a certified classic, and Love Woke Me Up This Morning has been in my rotation for the entire day. Amazing all around.

Fantastic funky soul

Did you know that The Temptations were some of the all time greats? I did

5.0 - “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” continues the trend in R&B towards longer orchestral arrangements that build quietly to an emotional apex, similar to Isaac Hayes’ work on “Hot Buttered Soul” released 3 years earlier. Epic! Every song on here is great. Other standouts: “Love Woke Me Up…” and “The First Time…”

This is such a great R&B/funk album and it really shows how great The Temptations are compared to their lackluster representation in the Rolling Stone Top 500 albums. (An anthology album? Really?) The obvious centerpiece is the 12-minute ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’, which is just such an amazing song, but there are other highlights as well. ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ is a beautifully sung Roberta Flack cover, ‘I Ain’t Got Nothin’’ is well-produced, and ‘Run Charlie Run’ is surprisingly poignant social commentary.

The Temptations’ All Directions feels to me like a quietly brilliant encapsulation of a specific era in music, one that succinctly wove the political with the mundane; one that treated love as do-or-die (a specific thematic concept that boy bands for decades to follow would run and soar with). of course the album is anchored by the breathtaking “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, a funk-filled soul monolith that would wear an entire generational story in its transcendental bassline, but i keep finding myself returning to The Temptations’ ruminations on love and life: “Run Charlie Run”, for one, is an evocative telling of weaponized whiteness, and “I Ain’t Got Nothing” as well as the borderline perfect “The First Time I Saw Your Face” are love songs so touchingly sweet and moving that love itself would be proud. The Temptations are not afraid to challenge their sound here — they open the record with psychedelic and funk inclinations that rear their heads throughout the album, but the jazz and soul (that sunday morning soul, you know the sound) glisten with powerful effect. here’s a generation-defining sound bottled up in not even 40 minutes, and time has no hold on it whatsoever.

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

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.

Beautiful

Solid 5 for 'Love Woke Me Up This Morning' alone, let alone 'Poppa was a Rolling Stone'.

hell yeah B)

nostalgic jams

Way more psychedelic than I was expecting, in a great way. A fantastic album.

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.

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.

Love the temptations and a few of my favourites are on this album.

Flawless first half, should listen to more of their full albums.

Interesting

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.

Funky MF! Altså Papa was a rolling Stone er 3 stjerner i sig selv, og så lidt flere numre giver 4-5 stjerner

Funky!!

Loved it

Motown goes funky, what's not to love?

idk yet

Wow this was a surprise, knew a few of the tunes, the entire album was great though

So good! Can't be mad listening to this group.

Funk

groovy, very nice, loved it, especially mother nature

funk. cinco estrellas por run charlie run.

Epic album.

A five-star album for Papa Was a Rollin' Stone alone, the under-represented rest of the album is more than worth that rating, too. Into heavy rotation with this one.

So good, every track. 👏🏼♥️

Groovy, funky, and way too short.

groovy, too short 8c 5/5? mm probably

Beautifully composed, filled with soul and heart. Ended all too quickly. A real treat.

Great

Perfect.

Every fish has bowl, every shoe has a sole. Brilliant.

Groovy and funktastic.

Worried this was going to be a one song album however every song was great.

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.

Fantastic

This is a tour de force in early '70s funk and soul. Everything about the sound and production of this album are top notch. Almost every song hits it out of the park. The long version of Papa Was a Rollin' Stone stretches out the parts that make this song so good without making it boring and repetitious. I Ain't Got Nuthin' and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face are just dripping in romance. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

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.

Papa was a rolling stone!

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.

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.

Amazing, I enjoyed every minute of it. So groovy and funky.

I love funk music so much. It just hits different, for sure

Funky music sure enough does turn me on

This album was excellent! I loved it and it is the very reason I undertook this challenge. This is the first album in the challenge I am grateful for being introduced to. Live track 2 and 3 the most! So much groove!

todas as direções!

Didn’t know what to expect. Took me in all directions.

So good.

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.

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.

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.

This album is timeless, and shows the absolute staying power the Temptations have in the American canon. absolutely stunning.

This album is everything!

Very soulful! Heavy "Shaft" vibes.

Classic