Reviews (page 9 of 13)
Rating: 3.5/5 | Favorite Track: Papa Was a Rolling Stone --- Papa Was a Rolling Stone is such a perfect song, I just wish the rest of the album held up as well. It wasn’t a bad listen, just a little forgettable at times.
Solid funk. Papa was a rolling stone was a standout. Not too shabby.
7/10. Wasn't expecting to love this as it's not really my genre but there were some good tracks tbh. 'Run Charlie Run' confronts a heavy topic head on and wastes no words in making it's points, contrasted with the whimsical funk in the background it makes for an uncomfortable yet profound experience. Also 'Love woke me up this morning' had such and ethereal quality to it, that was a great track. The rest was not as exciting for me but I think overall a 7 is fair score.
Much preferred this to Cloud Nine, probably because the funky Temptations suits me more than the psychedelic Temptations.
A lot better than their other inclusion, Cloud Nine - which I had just days ago. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” alone makes All Directions worth a listen; a bonafide classic.
The album first increases track by track ("Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On", "Run Charlie Run") and peakes with the great "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". But after that for me it again becomes lamer and lamer.
A nice surprise, not every song is a hit, but overall I liked it
custom_rating: 7
This is a classic album filled with the soulful vocals of Otis Redding and others that combines elements of funk, jazz, and R&B. They share their experiences of being black and how music influenced them. While not something I’d probably add to my playlists I can appreciate this music greatly.
I know and appreciate the band, but I'd never heard this album before. I wasn't alone based on the listen counts. Oddly, it opens with a live cut, "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On", (there is no studio version as it's an Edwin Starr track). Then it moves into the studio tracks, including the incredible (and long) "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" which is the key reason why this album made the T1001 list. There are a few clunkers on here ("Love Woke Me Up This Morning", "Mother Nature"). I respect the music, but the album is average beyond the one classic mega hit song.
Would listen again, but not the best Temptations songs
Well this isn’t My Girl? Funky not my favorite.
This was extremely groovy. I dug it.
Papa was a Rolling Stone is a great song. This album wanders around some but the skill and sound is undeniable. I feel like The Temptations are the type of band that has some really strong peaks and some valleys that are still pretty solid due to their skill.
This has some great music. Good instrumentation and vocals. Cohesive sound. The producer should probably be the face on the cover. Seems like they were really responsible for the build of this album.
This short set of tracks is decent but not quite as boogie-able as other temptations records. Love Woke Me Up This morning is truly gorgeous and is the standout by far.
Funky Music Sho Noff Turns Me On - 8/10 Run Charlie Run - 5.5/10 Papa Was A Rolling Stone 4/10 Love Woke Me Up This Morning 8.5/10 I Ain‘t Got Nothing 5.5/10 The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face 5/10 Mother Nature 9/10 Do Your Thing 5.5/10
Great tracks but seemed short for some reason.
Good pleasant listening
This is #day225 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here’s to some early 70s funky psychedelic soul. Like with many albums on the list, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to listen to this one on my own if it weren't for the challenge, but it was fine—pretty groovy, if you will. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone is definitely the album's centerpiece and its biggest gem. It kind of reminded me of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain, given its epicness. I’m giving it a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day226.
Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On - 3/5 Run Charlie Run - 4/5 Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - 5/5 Love Woke Me Up This Morning - 3/5 I Ain't Got Nothin' - 3/5 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - 3/5 Mother Nature - 3/5 Do Your Thing - 4/5 Total score: 3.5/5 (rounding down) started strong until they switched to more of a gentle, doo-woppy sound in the middle. not a bad album at all but i prefer the motown funk sound far more
Back half of the album hit better than the front half, but did we really need another version of papa was a rolling stone?
I wish I could give .5 reviews 3.5 I never knew funk could be trancey
Good album
I really do like the temptations.
This is not the My Girl Temptations it’s edgy with searing social commentary, however, slower songs such a s Love Woke Me Up This Morning were bland and lyrically simple. The gold nugget is Papa Was A Rollin' Stone. A song seared into my brain from the age of 14.
This was very beautiful and I will probably never listen to it again. But now I know how much range The Temptations have, so that's cool. Every single track here felt completely different genre-wise it's kind of insane. All Directions indeed.
концептуально, весь альбом вокруг одного длиннейшего трека. как обычно сон животворящий украл у меня все воспоминания, но в целом повторять не буду
Wasn’t a hard listen. It’s a decent album 1001 album worthy: Nah - 55/104
If i could give it a 2.5 i'd give it, but i'm more skewing towards a 3. It was definitely funky, but something was missing throughout the lines
The funk tracks massively overshadow all the rest
I'm surprised how funky this album started out. Really loved the first track (though I was worried it was about to be a live album, not my favorite). "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is an absolute tear of a song, but even my jamband-loving self was a little bored with the extended intro and overall length of the song. The album got a little less funky and a lot more soulful as it went on. Overall, it was fine, but I expected to like it more after the first few tracks.
3 - Fantastic motown band and album.
[3.5]
It’s good. But not memorable yet. Papa was rolling stone. Is that moment. The whole album is very 70s. It’s good. Not sure I would seek this one out.
More edgy than I had expected!
This wasn’t a soundtrack for sweet sweet lovemaking like I thought it would be. It has some substance to it. I was not overly impressed with it. There’s some low temple jams, the vocals are good and the band are clearly tight. This album just seems to lack anything that caught my attention. I had the ill fated mind wander while listening. Sometimes that’s good when the music seems to have that intention. This didn’t. I had a choice cut but I forgot what it was and now I’m listening to Blind Melon.
I think this one of the better-quality psychedelic funk albums I've heard, although is a little mixed. It always rankles me a bit that there are never any originals on these types of albums, so the band is relying on selecting some, often hitherto lesser-known, tracks. In the case of 'Papa was a Rollin Stone', they didn't even want to record it, but for the insistence of Norman Whitfield. I always marvel at the intro for nearly 4 minutes, fundamentally based around a few repeating bass notes - and it still could go on for another three and not feel too long. The album feels an album of two halves with the Whitfield-led live funk sound for the first three tracks (but half of the album in terms of length); moving mainly into balladry for the second half, which I assume is a band-led decision. Aside from P-WARS I'm not sure I could term anything as superb. But quite an enjoyable listen nonetheless.
3.5/5
The entire album is only 34 minutes and almost 12 minutes is Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Not mad about it, though.
Pre-listening thoughts: I… guess… you… say… what. could. make. me. feel. this. way…? what’s that? Wrong album? Oops Post/during listening thoughts: okay temptations I didn’t know you could get funky like that! Run Charlie Run was pretty starkly different from that opener! Papa Was a Rolling Stone is good but too long for my taste (funny considering I just gave the Gershwin songbook a 5. I’m a hypocrite). This is good but I wish they leaned into that funk sound more. 5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Funky Music…, I Ain’t Got Nothin’, Mother Nature Least fav tracks: The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
Pas pire pantoute. Rien de trop négatif à dire. Plusieurs bons moments. P-ê un peu inégal.
C'est très bon mais c'est pas très bon.
I can definitely vibe to this, but not something I would want to listen to all the time
can not remember much
Strong theme throughout and some nice love ballada
Lots of fun instrumentals, I saved two of the songs. Not something I would listen to a ton but I had a good time.
Big groovin, need more funk
First time listener, a few standouts but not sure I’d come back.
Great Motown classic full of groovy and deep "dirty" funky and soulful tracks. Usually not my favorite type of music but this one I really enjoyed.
All I know of the Temptations in the '70s is the GREAT "Psychedelic Soul" 2 CD compilation, which has Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On and Papa Was a Rolling Stone from this album. Turns out those are the two best songs on this album, and of course "Papa" is the song that revitalized the Temps career. There's nothing wrong with the rest of the record (although I friggin hate "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" no matter who does it; side note: the same guy who wrote that also wrote "Dirty Old Town" by the Pogues, which is a trip), but none of it is incredibly compelling. The chilled funk of "Do your thing" is pretty bad-ass I have to admit. One other note on "Papa": as a young music snob I used to dismiss "simple" music that only had a couple of chords. I've since learned better. A song having only two or three (or even one!) chords isn't bad simply BECAUSE it only has a couple chords. "Papa" essentially rides on one chord for 11 minutes, but it GROOVES. It's propelled forward by something other than chordal development. The single edit of the song is seven minutes, but even the 11 minute version doesn't seem long, somehow. I think the initial lyrics kick you between the eyes a little bit and make you want to know more about the narrator(s) and what the deal was with papa. They give you just enough and don't wrap it in a bow. It's a velvet box lined with coarse sandpaper and we're lucky to have it.
I never knew Papa was a Rolling Stine was such a long song.
Classic, loved it.
interesting socially aware songs in amongst. the standard soul. The 12 minute version of Papa was a rolling stone' needs editing.
Pretty fun most of the time. Will I listen to again: 25%
I have an issue with albums like this. I liked it, but its significance isn't immediately apparent to me, so I read the Wikipedia article. When albums have basically no information in the article like this one, I still don't know why it's on the list. So the only place left to look is the book, and the book never says either... Anyway, this was OK. We'll call it a 3
Papa was a rollin' stone made me want to walk down the road and pretend to be in a spy movie. The lyrics to Run Charlie Run nearly made me spit out my coffee. Otherwise a pleasant but entirely forgettable funky album
There’s some good hard funk in the beginning, but I don’t really know where to fully categorize this—half groove, half something else.
Pretty good...social commentary, but I prefer ballads on my Temptations.
Pretty groovy, sufficiently soulful and and a fun enough listen. Plus, it's interesting to see the influence of psychedelia on R&B, which was getting grittier and rockier, but a bit too soft, broad and commercial for one's tastes.
Papa was a rollin stone is one of the GOAT but the rest is a bit of a generic mixed bag.......
nice enough
Some songs I liked, some I didn’t. Not much flow to the album. I’ve never been a huge Motown type fan, but I recognize the talent and quality of music. Great vocals and bass.
Well this album was a decision. Clearly trying to find something different and unexpected. Don't really know if it works, but a for effort.
Funk, soul, pop. I like the funk. I can believe deserves more than 3 stars but it’s all I have right now.
The first few tracks on the album were very funky and energetic but the tempo slowed as the album went on but still kept up the funk and soul sound
Some bangers!
‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’ rules
2.8 3x
I have enjoyed the Temptations for most of my life but I must confess that I’ve always heard the greatest hits. Listening to this album reduced my enthusiasm. This is all over the place, no coherence… there are of course some classic songs on here especially Papa was a rolling stone - 11 minute version… that in itself is worthy of listening to the whole album.
It's ok. Feet in two camps, but luckily I like both. I could do with a single direction instead of all of them though. It's not all killer, but Papa was a Rolling Stone is a classic. Three stars.
Felt like I was watching a 70s cop show in the background at times haha. “Papa’s a Rolling Stone” especially sounded like the score to something like Starsky and Hutch. The opening track definitely was my favourite, straight funky jam
Very pleasant for a morning sunrise drive
good album, a little different from what I normally listen to
I'm not big on R&B in general. But hearing Pappa was a treat.
Not a bad album, but I honestly think I'd have enjoyed it a lot more if the whole thing had been instrumentals. It's crazy that a 34 minute album (nearly 12 minutes of which is one song that is mainly just 70's heist music) could feel drawn out and slow. Some of the songs are okay, and instrumentally I enjoyed the music a lot more. The vocals weren't bad on every song, but some of the song writing seemed literally retarded. (We're allowed to say that word again now that Big Daddy Donald is back in the Oval Office). The song I refer to mainly as an example in this case, is "I Ain't Got Nothin", which is a double negative anyway.. a bit like how I'm about to be with the review of this particular track. If you sit and read the lyrics, it quickly starts to turn into a song written by one of those hapless autists from the undateables. You know, the one who writes poems and wears a big ruffled white blouse like he's a playwright from the middle ages. I'm not knocking him or his determination, but lyrics like "Every stove has a fire, every car has a tire... every fish has a bowl, every shoe has a sole"... it's borderline retarded. And for that, this album only gets an average of 3 big gold stars.
Surprising album in some ways. It has a monster hit on it, but besides that it's a very 70s version of the Tempations. Some doo wop, but a lot of R&B and more social commentary than I expect from them. Not in the classic five period. Interesting find!
Funky Motown soul, fair bit of this in the list. Reminded me of the Curtis Mayfield albums we've had most I think as there were some social themes but I preferred Curtis, the music worked better as a movie soundtrack id say. Not a favourite genre but listenable, 2.5.
This was considerably better than I was expecting it to be. Had some bite to it, some funk. Bits of it reminded me of hip hop, has it been sampled a lot? Then there were other bits which sounded more like I thought it would and not quite my thing. Overall though I was pleasantly surprised. Going to say 3.5
It’s ok.
Good stuff. Not amazing. But I dig it.
It's ok
A good album, but not a great one. 3 out of 5 at best. Highlights: `Papa Was A Rollin' Stone` ; `I Ain't Got Nothin'` ; `Do Your Thing` ; the interlude section of `Mother Nature`. Skippable: `Love Woke Me Up This Morning` ; `The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face` 1. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On - 3:06 I dislike the mixing decision of having such a wide stereo image and a lot of hard panning in such a way it “feels” like there is a lot of channel decorrelation, similar to the effect of listening to out-of-phase speakers. I liked the electric guitar tones and the shredding spitting fire on the distant background, along the brass section. To be honest it was kinda hard to pay attention to the song itself, I’d say this wasn’t a remarkable way of starting the album, had to give it another listen to be able to provide more review and I think there’s way too much going on specially towards the end of the song. could be better. 2. Run Charlie Run - 3:00 quite dynamic and groovy, interesting concept and good delivery. I probably liked it more right off the bat due to the great relief from listening to the “weird phasing mix” of the first track, so maybe I’m rating a little better than I would otherwise, but who knows, maybe I’d have to revisit the record in the future to say for sure. 3. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - 11:44 great mixing! very nice intro, super nice arrangements, loved this track. a lot of textures and cool sounds, specially the ambient brass section contrasting over the delicate distant strings. loved the groovy nature of the band, a lot of call & response and stereo interest built with many layers of instruments carefully organized. interesting concept for the lyrics, very creative instrumental, I'd say this is the best song of the album. 4. Love Woke Me Up This Morning - 2:21 wide mixing has proven a frequent choice made in this record, and at this point I already embraced the aesthetic. great bass tone, big strings and nice piano. The drums + piano panned all the way to the left definitely distracted me and maybe I’d say bothered me right away. At least there is enough going on to keep the interest going, but it also made the song sounds like too much and I kinda wanted to move on after a little while. 5. I Ain't Got Nothin' - 3:33 I’ve been talking about mix and stereo image a lot, so here’s a new fresh thing that got my attention instantly on this one: the stereo image begins much more closed and as soon as the guitar and vocals come in it explodes sideways and the strings flip sides (actually what happens is that the cellos are panned left and higher strings panned right and they seldomly overlap) giving the track a back-and-forth motion that kinda makes you float amidst the whole arrangement. Very very nice bass tone, keys are sitting nicely without overpowering anything but also not so far back, vocal clarity is superb. lyrics are quite mopey but I guess this was the right moment in the record to do so. 6. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - 4:10 hated the vocals, it feels kinda disconnected from the song, the delivery didn’t convince me and the tune is kinda too loose for my taste (can’t help but feel like it’s out of tune, even if just a bit). I don’t mind a slow song, but this one sounded kinda boring overall, probably the first bass line that disappointed me in the record. I don’t dig the tone on this one, probably because of the “reverse power-chords” (4ths) ringing in a weird way during several moments. not very creative lyrics. Overall this one sounds quite repetitive and I just wanted it to finish so I could move on to the next. 7. Mother Nature - 3:08 awesome brass returns, contrasting nicely with strings that definitely were the stars of this one. nice touch of percussion (floor toms?) at specific moments of the arrangement. nice bass line. weird lyrics, maybe I just don’t get it, but I was so focused on the instrumental that I kinda took the vocals as just the melody, not minding what the words really were. That being said, the vocal performance was great anyway, specially after the previous track. I gotta highlight the short interlude that happens at 1:42 up until 2:03, definitely the peak moment of the track. 8. Do Your Thing - 3:31 cool intro, friggin’ cool bass line, awesomely sounding piano (specially the low note hits followed by those high-voiced descending/arpeggiated chords. really like the reverb on this one. I’d guess drums panned to the right would bother me right from the start, but I was so entertained with the arrangement that it took me a while to notice. The percussion thing (vibraslap? I don’t know the name for sure) quickly became annoying though, forgiven by the fact that it sits nicely in the mix contrasting with the other elements. Very groovy and one of the highlights of the record.
Considerando a época que saiu e veio em disco de vinil, é nítida a diferença entre lado A e B. A primeira parte é muito groovada, desde a primeira música, com arranjos maravilhosos e letras bem interessantes (e cheia de críticas ácidas). Uma pena que dura apenas 3 músicas, mas vale demais pelos 11m44 de "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". Inclusive a música é muito interessante por ser uma conversa entre uma mãe e seu filho. A segunda parte, no entanto, perde muito do groove e expectativa criada. As músicas se tornam mais românticas, embora haja uma dualidade de entre "sou amado" e "estou sozinho". "I Ain't Got Nothin'" tem uma arranjo bem interessante, principalmente o contraste quando você espera um acorde em tom menor e ele sai maior. Pra mim a segunda parte brilhou em "Mother Nature". Foi a música mais consistente e coesa da segunda parte, embora a minha favorita tenha sido "Do Your Thing" pela retomada do groove que foi bem presente na primeira parte do disco. A quebra muito grande de expectativas entre lado A e B me desanimou, mas algo que vale ser levantado é que o instrumental, principalmente o contrabaixo com seus arranjos e "firulas", é destaque em praticamente todas as músicas, e é justamente isso que me fez fechar a nota em 3. Se eu fosse analisar cada lado individualmente, o A sairia com 5 estrelas, e o B com 2 estrelas.
2.5 Stars, rounded up because of Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. Pretty underwhelming. No bad songs, but only one song that is really remarkable. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On: Never been a fan of this particular type of self-referential music (Tower of Power's Soul with a Capital S being the exception). This one is not it. Run Charlie Run: Love the lyrics! ♡ Papa Was a Rollin' Stone: Holy fucking shit, this song is amazing. Every second of the 4 minute intro is delicious. Love Woke Me Up This Morning: Lovely harmonies, but not my thing I Ain't Got Nothin': If cachorro triste miseravel fodido was a song. The bass goes hard on this one. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: Really didn't dig this one. Mother Nature: Whatever Do Your Thing: Nasty groove, Really liked it.
Some enjoyable album tracks, some filler, but “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” will always be the far and away star.
It was okay. Well made with good social commentary. Funk and R&B just is not my jam and it just fades to background noise when I have it on.
Happy to see this one come up - I love me some Temptations, although I'm not super familiar with most of their catalogue. Something felt really off about the stereo mix on the first track - I felt like my left ear was plugged. Good listen, but as energetic and catchy to me as Meet The Temptations.
Good music
I thought I would enjoy this more than I did. The talent was there but something about the tracks just didn’t resonate with me as much as other Temptations songs have. Middle of the road 3/5
First three tracks are awesome. The rest is just meh. “The first time I saw your face” was straight up bad. Worth it for the start of the album though.
I thought it was okay.
Enjoyed some funk
One classic song, for sure, but a strange collection of songs for a single album.
Kind of a roller coaster, a few enjoyable songs, some were overly groovy, and the slower songs were pretty boring.
Decent
This is my New Year’s Resolution. Let’s begin. I appreciate the talent and artistry put into this album and I have no trouble recognizing it. Field notes for the day are that I already realize that these songs were made in a much different time, as will be the case for many albums going forward. That being said, I think I would appreciate this album much more in a time when every song I could ever want is at the tap of a finger. I would love to hear this in certain situations, such as from a street performer or in a movie, but I don’t know if I’ll ever willingly search up this album and listen to it in my headphones. Run Charlie run is fun, and Mother Nature I kind of liked, so I’ll mark it. Other than that, this album is good, just doesn’t stick out to me.
3.5
Nie jestem chyba odpowiednim targetem dla tej płyty. Nie przeszkadza mi, ale nie porusza żadnych czułych strun. Gdzieś tam drapie mózg w przyjemny sposób, ale ja to jednak wolę być przeorana niż rozbujana. Plus brakuje mi jakiegoś WIELKIEGO HITU. 6/10
has such groove and funk but unfortunately majority of the album weren’t for me. the album started off so strong which i loved. my highlights of the album were: ‘funky music sho nuff turns me on’ ‘run charlie run’ ‘papa was a rollin stone’ (phenomenal track) ‘do your thing’
Нормальный альбом, примерно как и остальные от этой группы
For some reason I thought this was some Motown pop group (I think I was thinking of the Supremes) but this goes pretty hard. Proper funky, hard Motown sound. Lots of wah guitar and phat bass. Into it. Lost focus towards the end (me, not the album) as the darts came on. But enjoyed it nonetheless, some of this goes hard. Best tracks: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Papa Was a Rolling Stone
Great vocalists (of course). The 12 minute album version of Papa Was a Rolling Stone is absolutely worth the price of admission. Everything else left me a little cold, but that whole first side was great.
A lot of good stuff here, but the second half of the album drags a bit.
Good.
didn't rly do much for me if i'm being honest.
Okay album. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is a well known classic. Kind of lacks anything else that is really notable. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again
One more funky record on the list. I would guess this is the last one but couldn't tell. its good.
Funky, yra standout gabalų, laikas neprailgo. 3/5
Nice chill r&b album. I really enjoy the side 2, not so much the first one; it’s organised in a weird way… 3 ⭐️ for me
Pretty good, pretty groovy. 3/5
I don’t like live songs on albums so knocking it down a point, and I like it Ruffin so minus another point, but still pretty damn good in the GRAND scheme of things
The full version of “Papa was a rollin’ stone” is glorious, but the rest of the album is patchy
Nice album, enjoyed the beats. Not sure I'd listen again.
Mixed bag, a handful of bangers but otherwise unremarkable
I think this must be in here because Papa Was A Rolling Stone is such a stone cold soul anthem. I found the rest of the album pretty unremarkable. "Do your thing" was pretty cool. The one that was ripping off The Flamingos' version of I've only got eyes for you just made me pine for that track instead. Still, listening to the full version of Papa was a joy as always.
The temps meets Isaac Hayes meets Marvin Gaye. Better than I thought it would be. I love Motown and I love 60s temptations but this was a pretty soulful album.
Smooth like butter
Papa was a rolling stone is great
Svängigt. Helt ok album.
I was expecting more. It was fine and smoothe, but when I see a bunch of black dudes in sick 70's clothes with afros as the album photo I (correctly) assume the album will be a 4 or 5.
Pappa was a rolling stone. Pretty good soul. I listened to this while mowing the lawn
Good
This was alright. I like their non-funk stuff more than the funk stuff.
Some solid songs
Motown Michigan significance and stuff. Temps have better albums though and this one was kind of boring. I will be smited for saying that.
pretty good smooth soul music
beautiful production & orchestration
After much consideration, these are my thoughts about "All Direction": (Shoo-wop shoo-wop) Lions don't have dens (Shoo-wop shoo-wop) they inhabit open plains and you long to be? (a goldfish in captivity?)
This album represents the Temptations' shift from the classic Motown sound to a funkier sound, and is obviously supported by "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", a massive song in terms of cultural legacy and sonically, clocking in at nearly 12 minutes. This song is a masterpiece. Their version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is lovely and does justice to a beautiful, perfect song. Unfortunately, the rest of this album falls a bit flat for me. It's not unenjoyable, and there are moments like the opening of "Mother Nature" that I quite like. But if you dropped most of these songs on a tapestry of all the early 70s Detroit soul recordings, they would blend into the fabric so thoroughly as to be lost. 7/10, mostly for "Papa ...".
For me this is a 2 star album with one 5 star song, leaving meat three stars or C as a rating.
Incredible high points. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone is one of the top ten tracks of the 20th Century IMO. But the album? It's just too eclectic to qualify as a classic. So like so many others - it's that album that that song was on.
The inclusion of this album obviously hinges on the song "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone". The rest of the album was enjoyable enough though. 3/5
Fantastisk A side, lidt meh B side
Shubab shubab! I didn't like the ballads as much as the "faster" songs. But overall great.
Strangely restrained for being so funky, which I found really interesting even if I couldn’t get into the album fullt. Need to give this some more closer listens as I didn’t give it the best of circumstances to impress even if I listened to it twice though. Still liked it.
Es un buen disco de funky, los temas arriba son muy buenos pero después tiene otros muy planchados. La calidad del audio es muy mala, se nota grabado con 2 mangos.
It's fine.
Some great classic songs interspersed amongh some listenable songs. I would listen again
beim ersten track beinahe abgebrochen (live-bootleg? miserabel selbst für die 70er), beim zweiten ebenso. dann der bekannte hit „Papa Was A Rollin‘ Stone“ - gerettet.
Fuck sake. Two Temptations albums in three days. It's fine. Probably even good, but I don't need two Temptations albums in three days.
A reasonable album containing an absolute belter, Papa is a rolling stone stands out like a mountain in a field here. What a song, one of the best ever possibly and for that alone this album gets 3 stars.
Alright
Pretty good!
Solid. Lush. Obviously Papa is a masterpiece but perhaps outshines. Funky Music, First Time is sublime and also Do Your Thing is actually stronger than one might think at first. Want to push it to 4 but can't quite get there but a completely deserved 3*
I know nothing about soul, so this is a nice little intro. It's short, it's both emotional and moody but also very animated and cool, I think I wound up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would even if it IS pretty understated.
The Temptations covered a large amount of musical ground and have some excellent songs. But from an album standpoint, they tended to pick up on trends and styles but not be the creators or inventors of the sounds.
I liked this album. I was surprised to hear Papa was a Rolling stone and others on here. Overall, a great album, but not my favorite of the Temptations'
There are parts of this that I really liked, and parts I liked less but respected. It made me want to learn more about the Temptations' catalog, but didn't really hold up for me as an album. More specifically, the first three songs were muscular and awesome. The back half of the album was obviously skilled, but too slow and downbeat for my taste.
There are some great songs on here, and the album as a whole was certainly pleasant background music while working. There are some other tracks that didn’t really catch my attention. I should probably give this one another listen when I’m able to pay more attention.
Good songs - the first three were amazing, but a fair amount of smooth R&B filler at the end (Do Your Thing was fun too). Wish they’d re sequenced this one so it wasn’t so lop sided up tempo to slow stuff
Like bread & butter. Just a solid part of life.
Why'd the funk stop so soon?
3 - they’re decent
6, beetje saai, opzich prima voor achtergrond.
Pretty funky fun, but the back half lost me a bit.
A perfectly reasonable motown album. Im a fan of motown and papa was a rolling stone is a classic. The rest is serviceable without being top drawer. Enjoyed it but not going to make a big impression.
Cool 70s record. Not my thing, but I understand why they were so famous.
Solid, but not amazing.
Started out pretty funky and full of color, only to shift to a slower, less rich type of ballads that simply are not as enjoyable
Very funky vibes which I really liked Run Charlie run was a banger and I feel weird about that haha Favorite song: love woke me up this morning Not my typical vibe but overall pretty good
I enjoyed it! Good background music while I worked haha
The early funky numbers were far better thank the later songs. Evened each other out a bit.
Good and funky. More enjoyable than I was expecting.
Some good stuff here, enjoyed it thoroughly!
Not my fave
Funké Fav Track - Papa was a Rollin' stone
nice sound, quite a short album, crazy that one song takes up about a third of the run time.
Love the funk, could have done with more.
Classic game of two halves. The Temptations, who haven’t won a game for a few weeks, come out with a new game plan from the start, ‘fuck it lads, let’s try something new’. Go 2-0 up quickly with a couple of bangin out of type funk numbers. Then get a bit carried away with the new style, showboating, not doing much for an extended period but the crowd’s happy. Get in at half time and the gaffer gives them a bollocking ‘get your bloody heads together lads, there’s 3 points to be had here’. The Temptations, confused and scared to lose come out for the second half and revert to type with some lacklustre defensive Motown soul. Match probably ended a draw. Shame really.
Song #2?!?!?!?
not my cup of tea, but Papa Was A Rolling Stone is so so fire, the build up is everything
I’m here for the 12-minute version of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”.
A decent listen but that is about it.
The kind of record I could happily lounge around to, though constantly having to get up to skip every other track would eventually cause the blood to come rushing from my head and make me dizzy. Their reasons for not wanting to record “Papa was a Rolling Stone” are also dumb (since it’s the best song on this album). On the whole, pleasant. But my head hurts.
It was ok
The vinyl sides seem to be complete opposites. The first side is more upbeat, has a sense of funk and elements of social conscious lyrics. The second side is pretty much ballads and not necessarily the most amazing ballads they could’ve done. I like “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” but the 11-minute album version isn’t my preferred version. Some moments drag a bit. I was a bit let down by this album, I thought it would have hit me harder. Highlight: “Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On”. 3.5 stars
3.5
First side is cool, second side is kind of sappy.
The first half is good because Papa Was A Rolling Stone is such a classic and takes up a good 75% of the runtime and lyrical theme of Run Charlie, Run is quite loaded let’s say. Second half is really not memorable at all so it lands somewhere between high 3 and low 3.5.
That's some funky shit right here!
It's good, and the best song on the album being roughly a third of the run time definitely helps. It's missing something that really makes it feel impactful, though, despite being pretty excellent musically. Maybe I'm the one that missing something, but the album really never goes past, "Yup, that's good" for me.
A few good songs but I won't listen to it again
Unsurprisingly, great singing and melodies. It's the Temptations after all!
Doesn't really do much to break above other early 70's soul albums, but sits comfortably along others.
Real range on this album of funk and slower songs. Some of it a bit slow for me, but a good record nonetheless.
Basically get's a 3 for "papa was a rolling stone." Overall solidly produced funk/soul record by a great group. The album itself also, imo, picks up from there. You can arguably find better records in this genre from Isaac Hayes or Sly and the Family Stone but this is a solid one for sure.
I usually like older R&B, but this didn’t meet my expectations
Papa--- and a bunch of nuggets and good covers! nice - surprising political songs, too.
All Directions has a moody, introspective feel. The music blends funk and soul with an edge that feels a bit darker. The instrumentation is tight, but it can feel a little repetitive at times. Some moments shine, but others just sit there without much change. It’s solid, but not every track hits hard.
прикольна фанкова тєма
I like the temptations but this isn’t their best
Classic, a little slow but they have beautiful voices and harmonies. I didn't love the first 8 minutes of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," ha
I've probably heard more soul albums than most people, but among all of the things I've listened to, it's definitely one of my less listened-to genres. The inclusion of 'Papa Was A Rollin' Stone' alone makes this album a classic. A touchstone of psychedelic soul, with a considerable amount of funk. The other psych/funk infused songs on this album are great, and I especially liked the softer, more smooth soul-ish tracks.
so good i listened to the whole thing twice. lovely
It was certainly good but didn’t hold my attention
Pretty good 3.5.
nice dose of funk this morning. papa, who was a Rolling Stone Died on September 3. I wonder if that’s why this album was generated on September 3 coincidence?
No private session used for Spotify. Some classic songs here, but don't see this going into the regular rotation.
Very smooth, atmospheric even. Pretty good. Key tracks: Papa Was a Rolling Stone The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Much darker and funkier than I anticipated before listening. Great vocal harmonies and falsetto. Very live quality to the sound of the recording. The strings give the album a definite and obvious 70’s feel.
Volt 1-2 jó szám a lemezen, erős közepes.
3.5
Started strong, with a bunch of funky numbers. Then transitioned to fairly forgettable soul for most of the rest of the album. The last track felt like a bit of a recovery.
Buttery vocals and harmonies across this entire album, but that's what you get with the Temptations. Great arrangements and production too. Side note, I don't think I ever heard the album version of Papa Was A Rollin' Stone and didn't realize it's almost 12 minutes long! Over all it's a fine album, albeit fairly forgettable as it sounds like most of their catalog and just going of the numbers it would appear most Spotify listeners only listen to 2 songs off this album seeing a play count drop off 75% between the 2nd and 3rd most played tracks and then another 50% between the 3rd and 4th with the latter getting just shy of 155k at time of this writing and half of this album not even that much. Ultimately, it's a Temptations album so you'll get exactly what you expect from a Temptations album. Listen to Run Charlie Run, Mother Nature, and Do Your Thing 3/5
3+
Solid funk and the Temptations are music royalty, but this didn't really do anything for me.
As smooth as your Grandad's crushed purple velvet jacket.
3 Good background music
Cool
👍
What one would expect from MoTown
Any parent has kids who fixate on a particular movie, and you end up watching it hundreds of times (our movies of the summer for 2024 were "Migration" and "Zootopia"). Same apparently with teens; the decade I worked at the "Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility for Troubled Youth", I half-watched The Temptations mini-series countless times. I didn't realize I heard a shortened version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." The album showcases a 12 minute version; the first 4 minutes is an instrumental intro, odd for a vocal group that doesn't play an instrument. They do a good job of "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," a song I sang to my newborn first-born while trying to lull him to sleep at night. The original is surprisingly hokey, but Roberta Flack's version is so re-defining that anyone covering the song thereafter always cover her version instead of the original. I liked hearing The Temptations version, but they didn't bring anything new to the table. The Temptations are a legendary vocal group who didn't write most of their songs, and they didn't write any of them on All Directions; as such I suppose I can't weigh in the instrumentation, musical performance, lyrics, or songwriting. Left with just vocals alone, sure they sing and harmonize well, but I'm saddened by how manufactured this is. This isn't even the original lineup, begging the question if any individual even mattered or if they were just a Motown brand. If the Temptations all died, these session musicians would still lay down the tracks written by the same songwriters and they would plug in another group for the singing duties. Believe it or not, I enjoyed the album, but I can't give too much credit to the Temptations for it.
I guess I'm more familiar with the "My Girl" era of this band, but this was a pretty good mix of funk, soul, and R&B that exemplified the direction that music was heading in the early '70s. I never knew "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" was almost 12 minutes long. That was probably the standout for me here. The intro reminded me of French duo Air.
Some really good musicianship on this album. 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone' is a masterpiece. I feel though that the second half of this album loses some momentum. Still, overall good performances.
It was really good, I thoroughly enjoyed it throughout listening. However, it’s just not my favourite 🤷♀️. I’ll probably listen to it from time to time.
Perfect to listen with a watermellon and good ol KFC.
Opening track "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" slaps. "Run Charlie Run"'s chorus is uh, a bit problematic so I don't have much to say about it. The remainder of the album has beautiful harmonies and has some great funk to it. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is classic.
solid album, nice sounding funky tracks
Decently funky and soulful. Good but couple of average songs lower the score somewhat. 7/10.
Very musical softish pop rock made by a very talented songwriter. Songs are solid with good arrangements that give instruments space but also work together. Piano is featured often and serves the songs well without ever being over the top or virtuosic. Similar for bass…that seems to be the theme here- well written, arranged, and played songs where everything serves its purpose.
This was a bit of funky old fun. Starting with the big groove of Papa Was A Rolling Stone is a ballsy move, and it doesn't quite live up to that peak, but definitely a lot of fun to hear.
didn’t realise papa was a rolling stone was 12 minutes long
After listening to "Cloud Nine" on the 1001 list some time ago, I was excited for the next Temptations. Expectations are born to die, and that's the cruel truth. This album is not bad; it started with some very funky songs, but then it suddenly became a generic soul/Motown album with no personality, which is fairly disappointing, especially when compared with "Cloud Nine." It probably deserves its spot on the list, but it's not something I'll remember.
3/5
Some classics but ultimately didn't grab me.
Very funky
Midd
Papa was a rolling stone is the stand out on this album. But as expected by the temptations stong harmony and we'll crafted songs
Cool
It was alright. I've never listened to anything like that before! Didn't really super resonate with me.
some bops
It was okay.
It's fine 3.4
The funk was good. The none funk did not belong. Low 3.
A smooth and funky listen. A few recognizable hits here. I enjoyed Cloud nine much more.
I was expecting this to be much higher than it was. I love brevity when delivering a musical point. Eight songs coming in under 40 minutes is great. But when 12+ minutes of that are taken up by one overly long song? No thanks. Papa shoulda stopped that stone from rolling about six minutes in. The rest of the songs are ok. But overall this one went in too many directions for me.
A good listen but not enough meat here to go higher than 3. Some of this drags out without much payoff at the end of the build up.
Went into this album thinking it was a surefire 4* and the first two songs def had that feel. Not to mention Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On being an all-time great song title. Kinda grinds to a halt with Papa Was a Rollin' stone. I mean, I like a few minutes of the song but do we really need 1/3 of the album tied up in one song. The other songs don't hit as good as the first two and I'm having a hard time putting it in the same category as other 4* albums. So I shan't. 3.5/5
Funky bluesy but not really the wall of sound I expected.
An enjoyable 70s funky listen
This album should be on this list just for the epic 'Papa was a Rollin' Stone'. The only issue is the album starts off with 3 absolute bangers but then falls into too much cheesy soul/r&b and all the power and funk just gets ditched at the side of the road. Talk about a disappointing back end. Best Tracks: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On; Run Charlie Run; Papa was a Rollin' Stone
Yep
Nothing to write home about
Good vibes. But a 34 minute album with one song that is 12 minutes long. Can’t help but feel short changed. Simpsons: Yes
"Run El Grande Run". Enjoyed the vibes, gave it a quick 2nd listen and decided it's probably not something I'd listen to again though.
'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' is a sure-fire winner all day long, but the rest of the album stands up pretty well even in the shadow of its magnificence. Starts to flag a little on side 2 though.
A lovely little album. It's a bit soppy but there's some gems such as "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
Not what I was expecting at all, it's quite the rollercoaster... it's got the usual funk/soul tracks, then it would hit an outlier ballsy track, and then drops down to some lacklustre track! Overall I liked it, but feels an odd album. 2.5
The N word is offensive
Super groovey and enjoyable. 3.5 stars
That first song was so worth it. I don't know what happened after that...
This was decent but I didn’t focus on it too much.
Good and perfectly professional, but not my favorite era of the band, and not my favorite sound in general. 3.5/5
Some standouts. Didn't fully click for me but clearly it's a classic for a reason.
The point that soul started to become disco, with a tight rhythm section and repetitive songs. Funkier than I had expected, but pretty forgettable. A very short album, but still with a couple of very long songs. All sound similar, although with a few different voices popping up. Run Charlie run has some lyrics you would not expect to see in a pop record nowadays! The First time ever I saw your face is my favourite of these songs
Didn't realize Papa Was A Rollin' Stone was so long!
Good background music
easy listening, nothing special
#16 - I found myself vibing to the funk but even after listening to the album 4 times I could not make any of the tunes stick! Not keeping any for a playlist. Still a good listen.
I hear the Temptations and I think upbeat tunes like My Girl and Heard It Through the Grapevine. This album is grittier more soulful Temptations. Songs that focus on social issues, loneliness. So I didn’t get what was expected but am glad I heard. As far as rating it as an album musically, pretty average for me.
Good! I like that it splits the funkier stuff on the first half and the slower stuff on the second.
It was aight
Great stuff. I have always loved 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone's and it's great put it into context. Really enjoyed it and will listen again!
Good soul music. Surprisingly political. I was particularly interested to hear the 11 minute version of Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, it hit pretty decently. Wouldn't give it a repeat spin but would be happy to hear more Temptations.
I've been getting a lot of artists that use the N-word lately (outside of rap/hip-hop). At least this time it's from black artists. Although, I didn't expect it from the group that wrote 'My Girl'. Times are different. This record was quite enjoyable. Easy listening. Funky and groovy. One song on this album called 'I Ain't Got Nothing' reminded me of Irma Thomas' 'Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)' - for those unfamiliar... It's the recurring song in the show Black Mirror. Great song. I Ain't Got Nothing is my favorite song on the album. I don't know if I need to listen to this record again. But I did enjoy it.
songs had a good beat to them but didn’t resonate too strongly with it as a whole. really liked “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” for the beautiful lyricism
Pretty good I liked the vibe. A bit outdated and sinilar tracks bit still you can tell its just awesome musicians in their confort zone.
Groovy, but also eccentric and all over the place. I enjoyed the ride regardless though.
Boy band with funky backing musicians. The longer instrumental funky parts are the best parts here.
Good music I like the instrumentals and the vibe especially together as an album
While I love the hits, the lesser known songs definitely seemed dated, lacked ability to generate excitement.
Man, it has been a while since I got some classic soul music. I think the last one I got was that Ray Charles album I listened to all the way back in February, meaning that it's been nearly 3 months! And you know, I've kind of missed it. Because of this project, I have a newfound appreciation for music like this, and this album is a good representation of it. The sound is nice. I enjoy the singing, and the multiple members of the Temptations allows for more variety in each song. The instrumentation is also great. I think the highlight of the sound in this album is probably this album's biggest hit, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." Needless to say, that song is great, and the rest are quite good as well. The writing is solid as well. With only 8 songs and a few repeat themes, there isn't much ground that gets covered, but what they do sing about fits perfectly in an album like this. Overall, this is a solid album that I enjoyed. It's not the best soul album I've gotten, but it's still quite good. High 3/5.
They ight 5/10
Not many great temps albums but thisbis solid
С этими старичками я уже знаком. В прошлый раз они дали жаришки. В этот раз не так танцевально, но интереснее по музыке. В принципе, я к такому хорошу. Только за 11минутный опус по классике сниму балл))))
Good album would listen too again
Cool sound, but a little too laid back for an afternoon. Maybe better for a chill out evening in a bar with some friends.
I liked the album overall. It definitely took me by surprise a few times with the direction it went in, but it was enjoyable. I felt like I went on a journey when I was listening to it and I didn't know where it would take me next.
Good albums run of albums this week
Dynamic band, I can see why they had such an influence. It's not all bubblegum and sunshine with this group either- they talk about real deep subjects too. Overall great, but I doubt I'll be throwing their music on too often.
Fun to hear the Temptations get weird with it, but not exactly my thing.
Weird
Great music!!!
This is nice, smooth, funky, and a good listen. There's not much to really grab you (other than Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and even that goes on too long!), but it oozes good vibes the whole way through. Definitely loses a bit when it leans to R&B rather than funk, but a solid 3/5.
Quite enjoyable
Really great, really enjoyable Will revisit High 3/ low 4
Favorite Tracks: Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Good Motown sound. The well known track is "Papa was a Rolling Stone". Interesting that the band was against including that song, but then it became their big hit. It was strange to listen to "Run Charlie Run" with its lyrics "the N's are coming" (and if it's unsettling now, I can't imagine how it sounded in the early 70's).
12 minutes of this 34inute album are "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and that's exactly how it feels.
Who doesn't enjoy 'Papa was a Rollin' Stone'? Surprised to enjoy 'Love Woke Me Up This Morning,' and just straight surprised by the lyrics of 'Run Charlie Run.' The rest was schmaltzy or forgettable or both.
Rolling stone was great vibes but otherwise it didn't get there imo
A pretty cool album. Probably my longest song so far with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" which was also probably my favourite of the album. A nice smooth listen for my afternoon commute.
Funny that they thought this album would flop in retrospect. A big stepping stone for the Temptations to branch out to share the variety of music with the world. Motown and R&B expanded into rock, jam, and beyond. Wish there was a remastered version
I really like papa was a rolling stone but that’s really it
Bien, bonito. Pero no tiene mis canciones favoritas de ellos.
It's good but a little inconsistent. Their funk is great but the R&B dragged a bit
Good funk project. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure that I would go back to it.
Solid album, soulful and funky
Wow, this is a tough album to rank! Most of the album struk me as kind of, “meh,” compared to the hits and style of some earlier records, like My Girl. Having never really listened to a full original album by them, only radio hits and maybe a “Best of Album” or compilation, I'm realizing now that is probably an unfair comparison. The full version of Papa Was a Rolling Stone presented here is flat out incredible though! I must have only heard a radio edit or snippets in the background of movies, because while it's iconic, I had no clue it clocked in at 12 min long and is that powerful—so many elements of that track are revisited later in the disco sounds of the 70s in a generic and fun (and often annoying and silly) way, but here in this primordial experience it is just an amazing experiment, creates a stunning atmosphere that drowns out the rest of the world, bellows out possibility some of the funkiest funk that ever funked, all while staying dead serious the entire time. That track itself is absolutely five stars. I think Mother Nature and Do Your Thing are a nice capstone to the whole package, but the feeling of many other tracks just seem the go in many directions: it doesn't feel like a cohesive set to me, and because of that, as an album, I have a difficult time ranking it very high. The aforementioned tracks are definitely going to get some more play time, though.