Reviews (page 3 of 14)
There is a part of me that thought that this was going to be a great album. I know that I give a lot of 5 stars and this was looking up to be part of that but really only a few songs that were great. A good album but not a great album.
Groovy
I'm tempted to listen to the lively, funky songs again. The rest is pretty slow. 3.8
If the only song was “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, this would be perfect. And so I have added that to my playlist.
"The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" is probably the most well-known song from this album, closely followed by "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." Good 70's funk.
I mean. What else do you want? Some of the best to ever do it. I’m all in on the soul train, I spend a lot of time here. This is great. That’s about all.
Soul/Motown, lots of vocal harmonies and strings
oh well. Okay, but nothing that catches my attention. Eleven minutes of „Papa was a Rolling Stone“ seemed somewhat lengthy.
This was pretty groovy but some of the songs were just meh. Rolling stone adds an extra star for me
This was really good! I didn't realize the temptations had such a controversial style. But I really loved it
cooll
Extended Papa Was a Rolling Stone. Liked this album a lot
Lovely funk
Fine, didn’t expect the group behind “My Girl” to have a song like “Run Charlie Run”
Yeah it was ok, not really sure what the obsession with papa was a rolling stone is, but maybe I’ll have to give it another go Pretty certain this had another of the og tracks that was covered on American iv 3
I was not ready for Run Charlie Run! Papa was Rollin' Stone is a classic. This album is very different from the last Temptations album- Cloud Nine. They all have amazing voices!
Boring, but doesn't hurt the ear
Really groovy
funky music 7.5 run charlie run 8 papa was a rollin stone 8.5 love 7.25 7.5 i aint got nothin 7.5 or 8 even maybe idk i rlly liked it the first time 8 mother nature 7.5 do your thing 7.5 weak 8 4/5
Enjoyed this.
All Directions by The Temptations is a fantastic listen. It’s vibrant, energetic and packed with groove from start to finish. The Temptations have such a distinctive sound, and this album showcases exactly why they are regarded as one of the great vocal groups. The title All Directions feels very fitting because the album explores so many different styles. One moment you're listening to deep funk grooves, the next you're hearing soulful pop melodies, and somehow it all hangs together brilliantly. There’s a real sense of variety throughout the record, but it never feels disjointed. Instead, it keeps the album fresh and engaging from beginning to end. The musicianship is excellent, the vocals are superb, and there’s an effortless coolness running through the whole album. It’s the kind of record that’s easy to put on and enjoy, while still offering plenty of depth and quality. Favourite tracks: “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” is an absolutely brilliant song and the clear standout Least favourite tracks: Every song on the album earns its place Album artwork: Cool album cover
Nope, this doesn't do much for me - bit smooth, never really gets going as such.
Gets off to a slow start but hits a groove with Papa Was a Rollin' Stone's whopping 12 min stomp and some subsequent tender hooks.
Has one of the best opening, walk out sounding tunes with the most upsetting sounding production. Actually hurt me listening to it. The Temptations are a great band though through and through
Ah, beautiful. The Temptations have made lovely music through the decades, and while this album isn't my favorite it's a good one, especially with the classic Papa Was A Rolling Stone.
Good blues
The slower songs don't do as much for me as the funkier songs do but man does this have some incredible highlights. Papa Was A Rolling Stone is absolutely fantastic.
Groovy
Short, sweet and to the point! Has something to say, crazy groove, I mean papa was a rolling stone? Get out of here!
Really really enjoyed this. I loved "first time I ever saw your face" I'd only heard the James Blake version before. I might rate it 4.5 and be generous
Not for me. Lot of really slow moments.
Great R&B
Muy lindo. De fondo es precioso. Armonías hermosas. Un rock-blues muy setentoso afroamericano. Me hace acordar un poco a Jackson 5
3.5
Absolute heaven-sent music.
No. 203 Very nice. It's beautiful in the background. Beautiful harmonies.
This album featured solid vocals and musicians and one outstanding track. Liked Songs Added: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
It’s got some solid tracks. Doesn’t necessarily flow as a whole album but rolling stone is undeniably a hit
Decent background music tbh
It's not bad per say but too groovy for me? Kinda headachy
This is a great slow burn soul album. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "I Got Nothing," "Do your Thing" and "Mother Nature" are all like tihs. In this album they never dip into the sappiness that many soul artists sometimes do. And then there's some real funk, bringing the Temptations into the 70s. 4/5
Some amazing songs but several throw away tracks too.
Not a Motown fan
This album suffers from a lack of unity of thought. Obviously these songs were written by several Motown legends, and the songs by themselves are great. This album just feels like a collection of great songs performed excellently. Not to be overly negative though, the songs and the vocal performances are great.
I didn’t know The Temptations got this funky! Great album!
no me lo esperaba para nada la verdad, me gustó mucho y el 90% del album me lo agregué a mi playlist. Creo que mi tema fav es “Papa was a rollin’ stone” me resultó muy pegadiza y es re triste, pobre madre
3.5⭐️/5 [05.20.2026] 05.21.2026
awesome vibe of the 70s!
When I hear "the Temptations," I think of their classic ballad My Girl, specifically as a didactic example of the major pentatonic scale in use. That's about all I knew about them until now. I hadn't the faintest idea that they'd kept going into the 70s and had a progressive soul/funk phase. Actually, they never broke up! They're still playing to this day, though only one original member is still alive. I'm realizing, lately, that the 'repetitiveness' of progressive music is something of a backdoor to my normally... let's say dopamine-starved approach to musical appreciation. Hammering on a single idea for several minutes, even if it's relatively slow and contemplative, seems to make it much more likely to land for me. So I enjoyed this album. Admittedly, it being only a half hour long is probably biasing me in its favor. Also, the basslines on this are really good. But that's Motown for you, isn't it? Apparently, James Jamerson himself played on this record, but no one knows which songs he was on. Favorite tracks: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, Do Your Thing
You know what immediately strikes me, sitting down and listening to a full funk album for the first time in my life, is like... how to put this. From my british perspective, it immediately strikes me how my exposure to funk through Pop Culture has been very selective in terms of what got heard, you know what I mean? What I mean to say is that, what funk was 'big' enough to be known in The Monoculture over here was conspicuously less political. But the moment I listen to an influential album, I'm hit in the face with how overtly political it is. And I love that about it, to be clear. It's something where like, if you had asked me if funk music is often political or not, I would've said yes of course it is, because rationally I could've intuited that it was so. 'Intellectually', I knew it was true. But it was still a pleasant shock to hear it so immediately and consistently through this album, when the only funk I heard with any frequency at all in my life to date was what the powers of British popular culture from the time deemed safe and inoffensive enough to expose me to. A shorter album after the loooong sessions the last couple were is a nice break lol.
These guys are cool! It was a bit more slow than I expected but good overall
Joda, fungerer fint dette.
This album starts off 100% funk. 3 great funk tracks. And then the pace slows. Men in suits get involved? Either way, full marks from me.
Fun and funky. Wasn’t too keen at first but second half of album grew on me
Neat
Mmm hmmm. Ooohhh yeeaaahhh!!
🔥🔥🔥🔥
6/10 - decent funk, not the best but good to have un the background
Papa Was a Rolling Stone takes up 1/3 of the album, which makes this exactly 1/3 of an awesome album.
Papa was a rolling stone is a great song . Wish I could give 4.5 stars but they won’t let me
This is such a special album. While listening I felt wrapped in a warm, rich atmosphere that’s hard to describe — it just feels alive and deeply emotional from start to finish. The vocals are absolutely incredible (as expected from The Temptations), and the lyrics are strong and meaningful. This record contains some absolute masterpiece songs. “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” is a 12-minute epic that still gives me chills every time — the arrangement, the storytelling, the tension… it’s flawless. They also deliver a beautiful, heartwarming cover of Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and other standouts like “Mother Nature”, “Do Your Thing” and the funky energy on tracks like “Run Charlie Run.” What I love most is how powerfully they express feelings. You don’t just hear the songs — you feel them on your skin. The pain, the longing, the groove, the soul… it all hits so deep. This album is smooth, cinematic, and full of real emotion. All Directions is a true classic and one of The Temptations’ greatest achievements. Heartwarming, heavy, and timeless.
Cool
More funk than their earlier albums, this one had more orchestral elements and I'd say it's what I think of as "action noir" music.
interesting grooves, but not my type of tune
faves: do your thing, mother nature, love woke me up this morning least faves: papa was a rolling stone
Cool 70’s version of the group
groovy af. pero no me mató.
Some good stuff
Perfect
I mean, very chill, it s not bad, but nth special.
I enjoyed the album, particularly the 10 min version of Papa, I had to look up “The 1st time ever I saw your face”, so many excellent versions, and wondered who wrote the song? Surprised to find Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, ha, 🤩 amazing
7/10
4/5
3.5
The sort of dish that I gobble up and then ask for seconds This is ace
New to me but I find I know many of these tracks, as quality rises to attention. 1. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On 2. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone 3. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
Good, very Good
4.2
Amazing
That was the definition of average 😐. The highlight of this album was when they said the n word over and over again. It kinda took me by surprise and I was dying 🤣. Overall, I would give it a 2.8/5!
Papa Was a Rolling Stone is incredible. The rest of the album is fine, but that one song carries this one.
Not really my thing at all- vocals on point however throughout the album. It took a couple of songs for me to get going and to appreciate the album after the not great and dare I say it but it sounded slightly racist ‘run Charlie run’ I mean telling Charlie and Jonny as well I think it was to run away from the niggas would not be allowed these days! The storytelling in ‘papa was a rolling stone’ a highlight along with ‘the first time ever I saw your face’ Overall the album just was a lot meh though. Best song- ‘the fist time ever I saw your face’ Worst song- ‘mother nature’ Disappointing. 4/10
Temptations Starts so weakly for a supposed classic album. First two tracks I was totally indifferent to, but then what a stone cold classic in Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. Love Woke Me Up This Morning absolutely sored like a songbird and then it all slowly fell away again for me I'm afraid. Not one I will listen to again. Best Track - Papa... Worst track - Run Charlie Run 4.5/10
From the ppl who brought you My Girl
Songs felt like they went nowhere. Some pretty good musicianship on display though.
not overly familiar with the temptations outside of the singles. this was fine. kinda drags on the second half for me.
Bardzo mi sie podobał. Melodia i beat są chwitliwe, dynamiczne i bardzo zróżnicowane. Ma wsyokie brzmienie. Bardzo fajny album tosłuchania w tle( jako komplement).
Enjoyable. Would be nice from a car radio.
Love, love, love, powerful rnb sound Favourite track: Mother Nature
6/10 Kind of like if funk and psychedelic rock had a baby named Motown. Some tracks are extremely groovy; others go in the opposite direction and drag on and on. I definitely prefer the first couple of tracks (the long psychedelic ones) more than the rest (ballads).
very good, lots of soul (9/10)
Two singles stand out on this record of course - papa was a rolling stone and the first time ever I saw your face, which frankly reminded me too much of will from the inbetweeners.
Strong album anchored around the behemoth Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Strong 4 suffers from the Motown habit of padding their albums with the artists take on a current hit. In this case Ewan Macoll’s First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, which had been a smash for Roberta Flack a few months before. It’s a fine recording but not especially original.
I had only superficial knowledge about The Temptations before being assigned this album. Listening to the album cold was not working for me, so I stopped, did some reading about the careers of the Temptations and Norman Whitfield, the recording and marketing of the album, and some of the particular songs, and then came back to listening. Papa Was A Rolling Stone was a focus for me. It's obviously a classic of soul, specifically psychedelic soul. But I was disappointed on listening to it, at how sparse the opening section sounded (bass guitar sound quite bare, hi hat pattern quite basic). After a quick browse, I realised my expectations of the song are derived from the Was (Not Was) version (recorded 20 years later) - the original leaves me waiting/wanting for more. (I noted that the 7 minute version released as a single added congas to the hi-hat line, hmm.) Other songs were only mildly interesting, didn't motivate me to give them a second listen. For me, it's only the presence of Papa Was A Rolling Stone that pulls the album as a whole up to Good, 7/10.
that funk music sho nuff turns me on
"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is so good — amazing that a track this long made it on an album. Even the single version was close to seven minutes.
Perus rythm and Blues veivausta funky twistillä. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Probably their best work of the 70s, plus a multiple Grammy winner. It's very much of its time period, and as such sounds more funky than what you might expect.
The start to this album is among the best I have heard. I didn’t know “Run, Charlie, Run” and it was both fantastic music and fantastically uncomfortable. Then 11 minutes of funk heaven with “Papa was a Rolling Stone”. The album then goes in all directions (see what I did there?) and doesn’t flow with this opening at all. Fine music but not where my head space was at. Great closing with “Do Your Thing.” Tough one to rate as it doesn’t make sense as an album. The parts are so good though, that I will go higher than I might otherwise.
Huh... well, I mean it's funky, but I don't think this is something I can sing out loud haha
Didn't float my boat.
one of the best albums ever, for sure, with one of the best rock/funk songs ever, "papa was a rolling stone". another gem i am happy to listen to again as part of this challenge
Feel good protest music
The first time I listened to this album I was underwhelmed. But on replay, I can say I don’t know what was wrong with my brain?!? This album is great. Not perfect, but great. The opening track is probably part of the problem cause despite liking the song, I HATE the production. It sounds like it was recorded live, and maybe it was I have no idea, but regardless is sounds noisy and cluttered, and it doesn’t feel smooth and buttery like the rest of the album. That song kinda put me in the wrong head space for the first listen, but going into it knowing the first track “sucks” really helped me appreciate it more. I will say as a pasty white guy, I really need there to be as few songs as possible that feature the n word in the chorus and is this catchy. I really don’t want to be walking around work singing to myself “run Charlie run! Look, the niggas is coming! The niggas is coming!” Yah I’m obviously gunna get in trouble in more ways than one. Jokes aside, run Charlie run might be the best song on the album followed closely by “papa was a rolling stone” and “I ain’t got nothin’”. I love the funk on this album! I also liked the song “do your thing”. Really the only songs that didn’t do anything for me were the slower songs between the ones I’ve already named. But still a quality album just a few skips for me personally.
A second Temptations record, also in the same funk oriented vein, and this is the stronger album. Papa Was A Rolling Stone is one of the greatest tracks ever. Good takes on The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face and Do Your Thing. Enjoyed it
Álbum chill de cojones, se puede escuchar pero tampoco es la gran cosa, muy mid level. 4/10
Me quedé en negro.
Borderline 3-4 but I do love a good funky album.
Wonderful album! My favorites are "I Ain't Got Nothin'", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Mother Nature"
Like not bad. Better than half the albums on here i guess. 4/5
Pretty good
meh, not for me 6/10.
It sounds nice but this era of me is not feeling this type of music at the moment.
36 minutes long. 12 of that was “Papa was a Rolling Stone” Pretty solid album
Bit perplexed by this album. Like the Temptations, Papa is a 5 star track, always has been since 1st timeheard many years gone by, the other tracks are fine, but the album didn't seem to gab me. Definitely agree with the less than sum of its parts feel. Maybe just was waiting for the raise in tempo that never came, don't quite know. So even though exceptionally played, sung and all songs interesting with 1 being superb, as an album I can only do 3 Stars
Five stars for the first three songs, two for the others. Run Charlie Run is incredible, I want a whole album like that
Solid but not a 5 for me.
Love! Good instrumentation, great composition, great music!
this album tastes like love
Pretty fun
Really really excellent. The vocals, the funk, the harmonies. Just an enjoyable record from beginning to end. I knew about them but this was just purely discovery and fun.
I was pleasantly surprised … much more funky than expected. It was great!
completely unskippable every song is fire, fav would be papa was a rollin stone though- makes 12 minutes feel like one probably first 70s soul album i’ve heard (there’s a reason i’m using this website, my taste is inexperienced lol) and will defo be getting into temptations one of those albums you put on in a bad mood for an immediate fix
Favorite Track: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
pure talent. love their voices and the groove!!
Great new experience this album. A lot more funky and soulful than expected which was a surprise and glad it was pop. With a coupe of big tunes on here. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 4.1/5.
So I know the hits, everybody knows the hits. But I did NOT know their hot takes on social issues, like "Run Charlie Run." Timeless sound, important messages, these guys are the GOATs.
3.5/5
I feel better as a person for having heard this album. Not a shoop de doowop ballady Temptations album but still some ahoop dewoop mixed in - whoooo hooooo!! A good example of a band breaking out in a new direction successfully. Some fine vocals, fine arse session musos, paychadelic soul, brief and to the point at 36 minutes. What’s not to like?
Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would... My guard was immediately up with the "live" production of the first track... weird decision, there... the second track hasn't aged well... and "Papa", while decent, is a disproportionately long monster... And then we have the high-pitched tracks on the B-side that are, frankly, terrible... I won't fail this, but I have to believe there's better material out there for a household name like The Temptations...
This was such a chore to get through.
This shits funky as hell. It definitely is gonna get listened to again
Favorite track(s): Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
Not a bad song on this record 4/5
First Listen; Really enjoy the funky and laidback mood of the album. I enjoy it more on the funkier/upbeat side, but the slower tracks have their place. Favorite Track: Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
This was.. okay. I wish I liked it more than I did. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” is obviously the album’s centerpiece, and possibly The Temptations’ magnum opus. Though, personally, I prefer the single version. The full version drags on a bit, in my opinion. “Run Charlie Run” was surprisingly socially conscious, and definitely a lyrical standout on this record. Now, side two is where I start having problems. I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of The Temptations’ ballads. And side two is packed with them. I was hoping to see more of their funky side with this album. “Love Woke Me Up This Morning” was decent, and I found myself really enjoying the more upbeat “Do Your Thing”. But the rest of side two is a pass for me. Favorite tracks: Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone, Do Your Thing
I don’t usually play older soul music. A lot of these songs sound good and I could see myself coming back to some of them. 7/10
I liked their version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
Sweet soul music
This one disappointed me. It started out boring and never went anywhere. It’s almost like the songs had no melody, and just relied of the good vocals. Favorite song: Run Charlie Run
Pretty good, but not much I'd revisit.
Really enjoyed it!!
Not my vibe.
The highlight of this album is clearly the full, long version of Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, but it has a few other tracks worth listening too as well. Faves: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, Love Woke Me Up This Morning, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Great! I really loved the long, extended funky Papa Was a Rolling Stone. Gold!
Some good conscious soul. Really like papa was a rolling stone but the rest of the album leaves a bit to be desired 6/10 Favourite: Papa Was a Rolling Stone Least Favourite: I Ain't Got Nothing
couple songs were alright
All Directions can spell all the letters in CLASSIC. Buuuuut, I think I would only play it because of that. As of respect.
Decent, but i'm not coming back for more.
Good stuff
Es un album muy tranqui, diferente a Cloud Nine. Este es para escuchar mas a la noche tranquilo o trabajando. El otro es mas disco. Igual me gustó
This album feels like someone doing a parody of 70s music. It’s ok, but very basic. Track 2 is weird.
First song, last song and Rolling Stone are the standouts here.
Mix of funk, RnB, and doo-wop. Love the funky socially conscious songs - Run Charlie Run, Mother Nature, Papa was a Rolling Stone. The doo-wop songs aren't my thing. But the funk is top-class!
That full length instrumental intro for Papa Was a Rolling Stone is SO exciting.
3.5
“Papa Was a Rolling Stone” was so long, but generally I like Motown Playlist add: "Love Woke Me Up This Morning"
great entry but i was expecting more funk
kings
Normally this is my kind of music but this was really underwhelming.
Decent. I don’t really get much out of listening to the Temptations, but I definitely don’t dislike them either. Favorite Track: Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone
Muy bueno, bastante diferenciado de coud nine, mejoraron su sonido. Mejores temas papa was a rollin stone, run charlie run, the first time ever i saw your face, etc
This album was a bit more funk than I expected, pleasantly surprised
I had a fun time listening to this one, a bit of a surprise. Good production and much better than the day before's.
One okay song and a bunch of filler.
Odd decision for the production on the first song with the fake live sound. Album is all over the place really. Papa is the clear standout and takes up nearly 12 of the 34 mins. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
Morning album with coffee - superb
I love "My Girl" but that's as much as I know about the Temptations. Let's see what we got. Starts out ok, Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On is mostly music. Run Charlie Run is pretty funny, if a little, well....dated. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone was nice, but it did not have to be near 12 minutes long. The rest of the album was fairly chill and moved along nicely. Solid album. Best song: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
I love the first song. There's nothing wrong with the rest of it, just can't give it higher than a 3
If it was a Single (Papa Was A Rollin' Stone) this would be a 5/5
Genuinely funky.Papa Was a Rolling Stone and Do your Thing are standouts. However, do I like it overall? Not sure.
Not what I remember from this group, a bit disappointed.
It was ok. Obviously great tunes, but I found the audio quality bad and it bugged me, sounded under water at times. Just ok overall.
Another artist I'm very familiar with, but I haven't gone much deeper than the greatest hits previously. Love the opening track here. I'm surprised by the edginess of Run Charlie Run! The ballads are not to my personal taste, but I appreciate the artistry. Papa Was A Rolling Stone is epic. I am more likely to include some of the songs here on a playlist than I am to revisit this in its entirety very often. But the highlights here are really high!
Estuvo bien, no lo volvería a colocar, pero bueno Puntaje: 4/10
Lo escuché anoche de una pasada mientras leía y me gustó perooooo tampoco me di cuenta de mucho, la melodía es muy repetitiva y no note mucho más. Guarde un par de temas, pero tengo que escuchar el album de nuevo.
Number: 94 Date: 04/06/2026 Artist: The Temptations Album: All Directions Year: 1972 Genre: Soul Funk Rating: 4 Notes: Before: ======= I don't think I've ever listened to this whole album before. During: ======= Cool, I do like 70's funk. 3 Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On 5 Run Charlie Run 4 Papa Was A Rollin' Stone 4 Love Woke Me Up This Morning 4 I Ain't Got Nothin' 3 The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) 3 Mother Nature 5 Do Your Thing ----------------------------------------------------- E 3.88 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= 4 my personal rating 5 suitability for this list 4 impact ----------------------------------------------- 4.3 composite rating
felt like my granddaddy listening to this lol
The funk of "Funk Music Sho Nuff (etc)" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is revelatory. Great stuff. The rest is a mixed bag of pretty good soul pop or whatever. The quality varies. The strings don't go with the funk. I was ready to be blown away as I listened to Papa, but it was largely disappointing after that. That said, good album overall. There's something for everyone, and therefore few will be fully happy with it.
Enjoyed this. Some songs a bit too long for me .. Eleven minutes! 😬
I was hoping to enjoy this more since I have positive feelings about this band but it turned out this album just went in one ear and out the other. Nothing unpleasant, but aside from one or two tracks, nothing memorable for me. I feel bad admitting that.
Incredible voices, groovy and very enjoyable listen.
Really enjoyed Rollin Stone and the first track, the rest of the album was ok.
This was so so good
Classic Temptations music here, with “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” as the highlight. There are some covers which are fine but not memorable. I thought it was interesting that the group didn’t want to record “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, at least that’s what Wikipedia claims.
This is a very funny album cover. It looks like an old clipart. Also the white fade makes it seem like it's snowy, and these guys are not dressed for winter! Is this a live album?? The mix is super weird to me; the instruments are way louder than the vocals. Unexpected slur count = 20 on 'Run Charlie Run', although Wiki says they fought "tooth and nail" not to record that song. Fought who?? I don't understand how albums work. Concerning. 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' is cool because the Magnetic Fields' 'Papa was a Rodeo' is surely a play off of it, unbeknownst to me. On the other hand, it is 12 minutes long. On the other other hand, despite having no musical similarity (but some lyrical ones) to the Mags, it is a good ("groovy") song. I like the she-bop she-bops in 'I Ain't Got Nothin'', although I have some bones to pick with the lyrics (see below). This is our second go at 'The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)', after Johnny Cash. Still boring, and the addition of those parentheses makes the word order way less interesting (though I do feel like they're singing "The First Time [Ever I Saw Your Face]", anyway; maybe it was just a rogue Wikipedian who decided to punctuate it (wrongly))! - - - Bonus lexical semantic content aka why we shouldn't trust the media: "Every house has a door and every room has a floor" = T "Every fence has a gate and every beast has a mate" = F "Every stove has a fire and every car has a tire" = F "Every fish has a bowl and every shoe has a sole" = F "Every lion has a den and every little pig has its pen" = F (but cute) "Every road has a way and (they tell me) every dog has its day" = T (arguably)
This started off SO strong! And what a great album. But lost it slightly at some point, for me. So 4.9
5 stars for one of my favorite songs of all time. Album was good but Papa Was a Rollin' Stone alone earned a perfect score from me.
Fun as hell, not sure what I got into here... Best Song: Run Charlie Run Rating: 7.0/10 Stars: 4
Fueron parte del influjo del cambio: Marvin Gaye , What's Going On, en 1971, Sly Stone (escuchen Funky Music Sho' de este disco), y ellos mismos con Cloud 9 en el 69 y un par de años después con Puzzle People. Atrás dejaron los Temptaions melódicos y bailones de Ruffin y junto a los Funk Brothers hicieron algo excepcional: fueron la voz de su generación. Dos versiones son dos de los mejores temas de este fundamental álbum: Funky Music Sho' 'Nuff Turns Me On de Edwin Star y Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, una versión, todo un viaje de doce minutos de un sencillo de Undisputed Truth producido por Whitfield y con excelso un Wah Wah Watson a la guitarra (se nota mucho la influencia de Hayes-Shaft en la guitarra, la orquestación y en general en el tono) . Mother Nature fue el primer sencillo, no tuvo apenas repercusión que hacía presagiar el fracaso del disco, pero con Papa todo cambió. Run Charlie Run fue toda una declaración de principios en aquella época. Con estos 3 temas se acabala cara A, pero menuda cara! La B abre con un tema de Ashford y Simpson: Love Woke Me Up This Morning, la única junto a la siguiente I Ain't Got Nothin (popularizada por Marvin Gaye), en la que no canta Edwards. Otra versión más, esta del clásico folk que había sido un éxtio en manos de Roberta Flack: The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face), cantada magistralmente por Street. Cierran con Do Your Thing otro clásico de Isaac Hayes.
Classic band. Kings of soul and funk.
Not my favorye
No way to review this - these are the tracks of my pre-Beatle, middle school days and I never liked MoTown a lot - Supremes were an exception.
Decent
Not really my type of Music but I liked it
Man, this album album comes out swinging. One of the best side As I've heard. Dies down on the back end, but still a really solid album.
10/10
It had its moments, but lacked the directions for more stars. ★★★
Funky, smooth and soulful. An album you need to be in the mood for. Good, but not great.
Some nice funk here, but nothing that really stands out to me either.
Saw the cover and the logo and knew instantly this has to be at least a three-star record. I wasn't wrong.
Vocally this is good, but it’s very boring, and for a thirty-some minute album it seems to go on forever.
Fav- papa was a rolling stone 3/5
decent one
I typically put on the Motown era Temptations when I want to hear something classic. God damn, this was so sick. I didn’t even know psychedelic funk was a genre? 8 songs, 36 minutes? Chefs kiss, no notes.
първата беше окей, останалото е няква бар музика
very good i didn’t know that got down like that
anfang war etwas Komisch, dann gefiel es mir aber
A strong and bold move away from being another Motown studio band.
Really enjoyed this. Standout track is obviously Papa Was A Rollin' Stone.
Wow what a joy to listen to! Funky blues with a good beat from start to finish. I think i saved most of the songs from this quick listen album. Would definitely listen again. Would definitely listen to more of this bands albums!
I love when members are worried that a record wont workout and then it turns out to be a #1 on some famous list. Tracks 4 5 and 8 were on repeat for me.
Grate, grate, grate disco. Really love it. I have already listenes to LCD but I think it was not the adecuate. I have already added some songs to my playlists
a well rounded beautiful album all the way through. could easily be a 10/10
Not bad but very far from my taste.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone is about as good as sex. the sappier ballads on the B side get a lot of flack but they're not that bad. just a little disappointing. ok maybe they do slam the momentum to a halt. deserves to be one of the 1001? i think The Temptations warrant a spot, and this is about a good a choice as any. sure.
I couldn't help thinking they sounded like Veggie Tales characters on Run Charlie Run and couldn't stop thinking about the Kirkinator, killer funk instrumentals otherwise. Love the genre but this album just wasn't for me.
cool funky vibe. nothing added to playlist
Solid soul/funk album that I feel gets better with repeat listens. Very understated, but carries a strong energy. I do feel like the album has a decent amount of bloat for being a shorter album which is unfortunate, and I feel I personally enjoyed the B side more. Top tracks: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, Love Woke Me Up This Morning, I Ain't Got Nothin'
Hyvä levy, tiukkaa soitantaa ja kappaleet suurimmalta osin sujuvan kuunneltavia, jotkut slovarit vähän ankeita
#317/1001. Starts up with a (fake?) live song, suddenly jumps to Papa, then done now slower and ghetto funk. Or psychedelic / cinematic soul. A bit ago directions, also turns out most of the songs were picked from other artists, I guess common for this era / style, as our is often mentioned how the band was a vehicle for the producer's ideas. But what a vehicle! Must be a smoochy Cadillac with a big enough back seat to show some heaven to the ladies in.
Pioneros del r&b
Really like this. Funky and fun, and although I know a couple of their songs, I've never intentionally listened to The Temptations. 7/10
I don't like funk or soul, but this album was pretty nice! Papa was a rolling stone was excellent and there were a lot of chill, laidback songs that made the experience pleasurable.
Funky, fun, fresh
щювап щювап
Disco let's go!
Notable tunes: - Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone - Good LORD the funk on that one
Hyfsat bra motown, men har hört bättre.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone didnt need to be almost 12 minutes long but other than that the album is pretty inoffensive.
One of the best funk albums I've heard. Did not expect The Temptations to switch up this hard.
The Temptations rock. I have nothing bad to say, enjoyable the whole way through. I love a quick concise album with no skips
Sounds pretty good
The music was more of a feeling and immersive. The themes were heavy and definitely an album when needing to just feel.
Kind of a scattered album. The first track being a live track (or sounded that way) was an interesting choice. "Run Charlie Run"... did not expect the n-word from a Temptations album. The 12-minute "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" was incredible...which is saying something for me, because I generally find these extended versions get tiresome after a while, but not this one. The rest of the album didn't do much for me. I'll give it a 3 star rating, but mostly on the strength of "Papa"
Papa Was a Rolling Stone is, IMO, one of the greatest recordings ever. The other track that stands out is The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. It’s a fine rendition, but mostly I just have a soft spot for the song itself. The rest of the album is not super memorable, but good enough.
Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Not sure why, might need a relisted and reappraisal down the road
Really enjoyed this. Some easy listening.
Probably deserves higher, but meh
Apart from the classic Papa was a rolling stone, some really cheesy music but also some funky highlights so ambiguous.
I love this genre and it always leaves me wanting to listen to it more, so it really cannot score very low here for me. However it just misses the final bit of oomph to put it in the highest category. 4/5
too many ballads. but papa was a rolling stone. this is a low 3 for me boss
Awesome album, soul and funky records. Juste great. Song I like: Papa was a rolling stone, love woke me up this morning,
This is excellent! Papa Was A Rollin' Stone is fantastic but so is everything else.
Really liked it. This quick album breezed by.
Groovy.
Highlights: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Run Charlie Run, Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, I Ain't Got Nothin', The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face I like the Temptations, but I never went through a record of theirs in its entirety. The stereo mix of this record that I was listening to was a bit weird on my headphones. It felt a bit uneven in the frist two tracks, but it could be just my imagination (no pun intended). There's a noticeable difference in tone between side A and side B. I guess the first side was a bit more experimental for the group, since they are better known for romantic R&B/soul which is closer to what sibe B was. That being said, I find side A to be the stronger of the two. Overall I don't feel like the record is worth revisiting. If the rest of their discography is like this then I guess they were more focused on the quality of their singles.
This album starts a 3 but ends a 4. Yeah.
Love The Temptations, but maybe slightly underwhelmed by the album. Tempo was a bit slow. Seems like it was their transition from Motown to funk maybe?
Álbum com ênfase vocal mas também com muito Groove. Bem legal mesmo. QoA Adonis New.
3.5
Very enjoyable listen.
good.
This was a more politically conscious version of The Temptations than I had ever heard and I'm not disappointed about that. I enjoyed a couple of songs that were new to me but overall this album is also pretty forgettable.
Great psychedelic soul album
Funky and cool - but it gets repetitive at some points. I really enjoy the short funky songs the most. I could have lived without the rest of the album
This album is not just about the epic Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone … it’s high energy funk at its finest
A Motown power album, seventies funk sensibility with the good ol’ R&B of the past make this a classic
Nice jam, but nothing stood out to me.
Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone // I Ain’t Got Nothin’ // 3.5/5
this was a very pleasant way to start my day :) the first three tracks weren’t really doing it for me, but the everything after
Favorite songs: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Do Your Thing
Not what I was expecting. Still good though.
This is not what I thought The Temptations sounded like. It was ok but nothing really stuck out to me as a great song.
This album feels pretty damn legendary. I liked the slower songs and also the lyricism in general. The grooves slap. Mother Nature was my favorite track. I appreciate the culture behind it too.
While this might have been “classic” Temptations it wasn’t an all time album. It had one big hit, “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”.
Some good songs
Great album with some generational bangers. Couple of great things I learned. The lead singer didn't want to do Papa was a Rollin Stone cause his papa was a Minister. He said he was raised right and his dad was a stand up guy, so didn't seem right, but glad they did! Also, heard talking about today's hiphop "40 guys... 40 mikes... back in the day... 5 Temptations... 1 mike!"
Partially known. Aside from Papa..., sort of disjointed.
Wish I could give another half star. Enjoyed the funk.
Track 1 was insane. Blew me away, so funky! I just wish the rest of the record followed suit.
Excellent
My favourite era of Temptations.
I really liked the long song. The others were pretty good too
Mmmmmshebop shebop
More sly than Temps Papa was a rolling stone
“Papa” destroys everything else on this record that ends up being quite mediocre all things considered.
I really liked the high funk tunes but didn’t care as much for the slow ones
Excellent album; little funky, very soulful. Will be listening to again!
3,5 stars
Amazing intro track. Probably one of the best albums recommended in a while!
70s psychedelic soul is my jam.
Classic. Takes me back to being a little kid.
I had never heard them before. I dig and will definitely be checking out more.
cool et funky, des standards de la soul "collective"
First foray into The Temptations. Usually not a fan of funk but it’s was ok
3.25 - Not wholly what I expected from a Temptations album. It's good though.
Typical old school Funky soul. No hits. Blah blah . Whatever. I won't boo them off stage but......I realy hope the next album is better
soulful and smooth.
#34 i must've already stumbled upon The Temptations, cause im a big fan of funk, blues soul from the 70s, but i really dont remember a single song from them. Let's see if this makes a lasting impression. Another band that likes to mess with the stereo directions of the instruments. This made me think i had some problem with my headphones. It's full of finesse, sexyness (if thats a thing, im illiterate), love inducing. Very positive experience, the thing is that it's mostly similar to all the funk coming out at the time aside from Papa Was a Rolling Stone, but it's good nevertheless.
4/5. A great R&B album that makes for pleasant passive or active listening. Excellent instrumentation, vocals, and composition the whole way through. If you enjoy R&B, this'll be a treat.
I may not have given this album the time it deserved, but it was enjoyable all the same.
classic, but dated
Enjoyed this classic soul LP. Great musical harmonies backed up by a kick ass band.
Funky and enjoyable
Decent Motown album. Kinda funky at the start. 3/5
Funky I would listen to this again.
A half hour of soul funk beauty
Album maravilho de disco/soul music
Finde 60er Temptations besser :( 2