All Directions

Not bad but a bit hit and miss

Nice grooves!

På grund av att vi fick ett album en dag förtidigt hinner jag inte skriva nåt riktigt. En stark trea, bra men saknar den riktiga udden och funken på det stora hela. Den långa albumversion av "Papa...“ är dock helt makalöst bra.

Omslaget andas svenskt 70-talsdansband. Vi slänger upp bandet i ett träd. Sen gör vi bilden lite oskarp och suddig i kanterna. Men musiken är långt från de svenska dansbanorna. Det sofistikerat och rått på samma gång. Det är inte längre Motown-fabrikens hitkavalkad. Nu är det fullt ut the Whitfield Singers. Norman Withfield såg till att hans namn kom med på framsidan av omslaget. Papa was a Rolling Stone är ett mästerverk. Basen och trummorna som bara maler på medan låten får utvecklas. Det är så bra. Övriga låtar når inte upp till samma höga nivå.

not my thing, but i respect it and i like the instruments.

Some nice songs, but I don't think this was their best album.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 is a strong slice of early-70s funky soul, full of tight grooves and polished production, but it lives in the shadow of its centerpiece. 𝘗𝘢𝘱𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯’ 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 towers over the record with its sweeping orchestral arrangement, hypnotic bassline, and brooding atmosphere, setting a standard that the rest of the album can’t quite reach. The other tracks are solid — well-played and enjoyable — but they feel more like supporting acts than equals. As a whole, the album shows The Temptations’ ambition and willingness to expand beyond Motown formulas, but its uneven impact makes it more memorable for one masterpiece than for the record itself.

Sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit

All Directions definitely has some killer tracks, but the pacing of the albums is a bit off in my opinion. All in all I was underwhelmed by this supposedly all time favourite funk record.

Papa was a Rolling Stone is still a banger, even though the album version is nearly 12 minutes long. The rest is a bit too corny.

I really liked that it’s smooth

Really enjoyed this!

Long form

This started off strong, and I really enjoyed the first three tracks - “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, in particular, is the standout, and a song I’ve always loved. However, it had no business being 12mins long - especially as the first 4mins were intro. From there, the album went downhill for me. The remaining tracks were snoozefests, and struggled keeping me engaged. This version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was just dull compared to Roberta Flack’s (what it did do, however, was send me to Wiki - I had no idea of the origins of that song!). You can see why the band feel that this was the last of their classics, as this album does feel a lot like that.

Absolutely loved side one, other than Papa Was a Rolling Stone being far far too long at 11 minutes 44 seconds - no vocals kick in until nearly 4 minutes have passed, during which time very little had happened. The single version, at 6 minutes 54 seconds is already long enough. It is one of my favourite songs with handclaps though, and the strings are perfection. A Side - beautiful voices all round, funky, made me want to dance (which given I listened to this the evening after I'd been awake most of the previous night, is high praise indeed). Side B was too slow and ballady for me to enjoy it anywhere as much as the upbeat funk of the previous tracks. Mind you, I think I might be a bit in love with Melvin Franklin's bass vocals. If I was just marking the A side it'd be a 5, but overall it's going to be a 3 3/5

funky

It was a fun album with some interesting lyrics

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Gets off to a strong start....loving that funky horn section. IMO Papa Was a Rollin' Stone was 3 minutes of awesome surrounded by 9 min of mediocrity. The album bogged down a bit from there , then picks up again w/ The cover of The First Time Ever (I saw Your Face). Overall enjoyed it but don't see myself going back to this album too often.

Few good songs great band tho

Unmemorable aside from Rolling Stone but that song does a lot of the heavy lifting

This one is fine. Really liked a few didn't like a couple. 3 stars.

Good vocals and harmonies! Just not the type of music I listen to very often.

decent enough

Papa Was a Rolling Stone is one of the very best songs of the 70's in my personal opinion and this version, while not the first release, was the best rendition. The rest of the album is fine, with some good tracks but nothing else that rises to that epic level.

I liked it, but not as much as I thought I would.

Best at their funkiest, worst at their slow jam-iest.

The 12 minute version of Papa Was a Rolling Stone might be the greatest funk song ever.

Soooo groovy, i really liked papa was a rolling stone

Smooth. Fav tracks - Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Mother Nature Added to library - Mother Nature

I never heard a "The Temptations" record, but it was a nice listening session this morning. The vocal harmonies are often times adorable. The same is true for the string and brass arrangements. I like the overall goldish glow that the record has from its original era, although it is a little bit too cozy for my taste in its entirety. Highlight: I immediately took "Love woke me up this morning" with me. The title itself is already amazingly romantic and the fairytale opening of the track makes it even better. Will be a great addition to any mixtape or playlist!

70s soul vibe, easy to listen to

Nice high 3

Oh they're legendary, I'm looking forward to this one! Good album, could be funkier for my tastes, but perfect balance for the era and I never knew Shaft started off life here.

Full of funk and soul, All Directions sends the Temptations sound in a different direction than some of their earlier albums. "Papa was a Rolling Stone" is the obvious stand out track, but other tracks like "Mother Nature" get buried under that 12 minute monster of a track. Overall a good album to chill out with.

Smooth but not my favorite thing.

soul oder r&B das intro von papa was a rolling stone!!! c ... War der Titel den ich auch kannte ;) ich kann noch sehr viel lernen bei diesem kanon :)

Classic album. Run Charlie run.

Some amazing vocals, great lyrics, important songs. Overall, it is not that interesting musically for my taste---such is the nature of different tastes. There were parts that dragged here for me, but overall this is, of course, some very good music.

They shoulda split papa was a rolling stone into like 2 songs. Its crazy how they just let that sit in the middle of an album that is nothing like that lol. Its fun otherwise (that song included i just didnt know the album version was that long of the same thing)

way wider range in genre for one album than i've heard on this so far, pretty rad

I feel pretty weird about this album. I mean... It's The Temptations! **The** Temptations! They're one of **the** vocal groups — not just from Motown, but of all time! I know I wasn't too big on the other album of theirs on this list (CLOUD NINE, which I gave a 3), but come on. They deserve that kind of praise, don't they? And this album should be an even bigger slam dunk than the last one I got. After all, it's the one with "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone"! That's one of the **songs** of all time! How could I not love this thing? Yet my weirdness about this album starts right at track one. And it has nothing to do with the song itself — to be frank, I hardly have an opinion on it. And if I don't, that's only because the mixing was so bizarrely terrible that I couldn't even begin to focus on it! Now, check it: I hardly mention mixing. It's a really important aspect of music, of course, but I hardly know enough about it to ever make comments. Why waste the time trying, y'know? So if a song has just mixing just **that** uniquely bad... Seriously, I had to check and make sure my headphones hadn't suddenly died on me. That's how bad the mixing on track one was. Following that, "Run Charlie Run" was... A fine kind of nothing, if I can be honest. But then we hit "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" — here we are! The song of the album! Maybe even the song of The Temptations' career, if you ignore "My Girl". If I'm gonna like — heck, **love** any song from this album, it's gonna be this one. I mean, back when my group got CLOUD NINE, I went and listened to "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" twice just because I knew what a legendary track it was. Listening to it in the context of the album, though... I'unno, it just didn't hit right this time. Like, seven minutes in, I realized that I'd been waiting for the song to **start** and kick up another level, but it never did. Have you ever heard Isaac Hayes's HOT-BUTTERED SOUL? I think I was expecting it to be like something off of that, and yet it just... Wasn't. It never really resolved the tension it was holding the entire time, and when it faded out, I honestly had to blink like, "That's it?" "Walk On By" faded out, too, and it felt way more conclusive than this did. And maybe the unresolved tension was the point, but I guess I'll never know for sure. And, y'know, I get it. It's an album that's trying to get by on these smooth, soulful vibes, and I get that. I'm not opposed to that whatsoever. I gotta tell you, side 2 generally hits that note a lot better than side one did. But I gotta agree with a fellow group member: if you're gonna rely on vibes this heavily, the instrumentation's gotta be a lot richer. The instrumentation felt like it was operating at a 6 or a 7 instead of a 10, y'know? The vocals are, of course. It just really throws everything off. And this is a Motown record! Why aren't the instruments that rich and lush? Goodness. Which is what leads me to feeling so weird about the album. I really wish I could like it more, truly. I know I shouldn't be holding The Temptations in such high regard for nothing; I should have something to point to besides "My Girl" and an impression of a general consensus. And it's not like me not really feeling this album convinced me otherwise, of course. Ultimately, it's a fine, good enough soul record. I'm not sitting here with my illusions shattered or anything. I might've had my expectations set too high... Or maybe The Temptations are more of a singles group than an albums one, I'unno. Either way, I just wish I coulda gotten a bit more out of this. Ah well.

Funky, pretty good, not great. 34 mins. 1st album. 5/10.

Some great grooves and pitchy-ass falsetto made this one fun but inessential. I had Isaac Hayes's Hot Buttered Soul just a couple of days ago, and that was a much better psych-R&B album from the same period.

Their sound is great for soul/funk, I just wish they wrote more interesting songs

Very Chill vibes and moody but a but African type

I love a bit of the temptations, even though not their best. I would still listen again and again

good

Not a bad album but weirdly produced in some areas, had some songs I enjoyed but overall ok

As tempted as I am to give this 5 stars, I have to admit, I was a little bored after the first half of this album. Not trying to take anything away from a legendary group, just admitting that The Temptations have never really been my bag.

Nice listening

This album feels like a big tonal shift for what I knew of them. Bet that was something culturally.

Not as good as the other Temptations album; not as fun.

Funky.

Pas mal mais pas exceptionnel non plus

Pretty good! First half was good, second half was alright. Papa Was A Rolling Stone was super cool, but part of me wishes there was a bigger buildup.

Fake live songs are a pet peeve of mine, so I didn’t like the first song as much as I might’ve. The second song just made me go “huh, that’s two days in a row with a pop/funk album that prominently uses the n-word in its second song”. “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” is a stone cold jam. It’s rare that an 11-minute song can fly by like that one does. The rest of the album has the same problem that Cloud 9 had. The group seemed to want to have one foot in the funk world and one foot in the “shoo bop, shoo bop” era and it makes for a really schizophrenic album. This was not a bad album but it dropped off hard on the second side. I love the Motown sound, but I wish the Temptations had just fully committed to their new funk style in the 70’s. Because their funk songs on both this and Cloud 9 sound great and the other songs just sound dated.

Might want to play track 2 with your headphones on

Discivering old song that longs for 11 minutes, very chill and ambient, big crush for papa was a rollin' stone

Was not expecting them of all bands to be dropping N-bombs. Really caught me off guard on the 2nd song.

I don't think this was nearly as enjoyable or notable as Cloud Nine. I quite enjoy this genre of music, but I think this was fairly forgettable. Nothing here quite stood out to me that was review-worthy. An enjoyable listen nevertheless.

Similar output to their previous album which I liked but didn't love. Unfortunately had some audio trouble with the copies I tried listening to which may have also affected my experience

Solid album. Was expecting a few more upbeat songs from the Temptations, but enjoyable none the less. 3.5⭐️

IMO, nothing too special here outside of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"

This definitely ain’t “My Girl” Temptations. In the current of political unrest during the Nixon Administration the Temptations obviously decided to join the fray. Run Charlie Run was a song that I had never heard on their Beat Of compilations, was not on it for reason: it was a huge social commentary on black soldiers being sent to Vietnam. I had to take a double-take when listening. Following it up Papa Was A Rolling Stone was once again a social commentary about black culture and poverty. The B-Sides like Do Your Thing and Mother Nature were good though lacking in the shock value of the first tracks. This album was a huge shift from even their Psychedelic Soul to politically charged soul. I imagine this was eye opening for many white listeners expecting Ain’t To Proud to Beg. This is pretty powerful even now.

Random thoughts: * outside of Papa was a Rolling Stone, this is a pretty generic 70s R&B album. It’s fine. * Rolling Stone is a great song and everyone should listen and know this song. * man I really hate some of these old ballads. First Time I Saw Your Face was a snoozer and almost ruined the whole album for me. * just play Rolling Stone, stay for the rest if you need more 70s R&B, skip the ballad.

Some classic tracks and seeds on here, if anything needed remastering it's this album (audio engineer's ears must have been painted on), maybe it's just Spotify and better quality audio versions exist out there, probably a 3.5 but going with ⭐⭐⭐

They really know how to groove and funk. The lyrics of Run Charlie Run caught me off guard, but it was a very groovy song. Papa Was A Rollin Stone was the only song I’ve heard before and I really enjoyed this funky version, reminded me of a Herbie Hancock song. Not a fan of more of their slow doowop stuff such as I Ain’t Got Nothin’.

Funky, bold, odd

Lite souligt, mysigt!

I'm not really familiar with The Temptations full catalog but I kind of feel like this was one of the first album where they delved into more an activist's tone. Solid album, but I kind feel like they should have leaned more into it instead of having several of the slower songs they mixed in.

pretty chill

3.5/5 Funky and groovy. Some excellent songs, some meh songs but overall enjoyable

Very pleasant for a morning sunrise drive

Aka Papa was a Rolling Stone and some other songs. At 12 min it takes up 1/3 of the 36 min playtime and it was the only thing memorable. Maybe Motown just doesn’t do it for me.

RnB/Soul is probably my favorite genre (either that or Jazz), but I surprisingly am not that much of a fan of The Temptations. I mean they make really solid bodies of work, but I just haven't really been crazy about their sound. Just sounds like ABCs of early 70s Funk/Soul. Good music, but not amazing. Definitely not remarkable in the sense that there's better Funk (P-Funk, Sly Stone) and Soul (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye) that was made at that time, but some rememberable moments here and there.

All Directions marks an interesting turning point for The Temptations. Known for smooth love ballads and tight harmonies, here they take on heavier and more experimental material. The standout is clearly “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” a nearly 12-minute masterpiece that still sounds fresh today. The long instrumental intro builds tension beautifully, and the vocal delivery is filled with quiet intensity. It remains one of their most iconic and forward-thinking tracks. The rest of the album, while solid, does not quite reach the same level. “Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On” brings some energy, and “Do Your Thing” taps into a cool psychedelic soul groove. But a few songs feel like they are just there to fill out the runtime. The album has ambition, and you can hear them pushing into new territory, but it lacks consistency.

Fine temptations album

When this album started, I thought I was going to love it. It came in hot with "Funky Music...", which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately my enthusiasm wasn't supported by the whole album. The funk stuff was great. Good grooves and fun to listen to. But I didn't really like the rest of the tracks that much. Not to say that it was overly bad, but I thought the non-funk tracks were much weaker than the funk songs. Having heard them nail plenty of pop/doo-wop/etc songs before, I felt unimpressed with their efforts on those types of tracks here. They just didn't have the resonating effect that I felt like the group is usually capable of. The group did show that they can cover some musical ground with the variety of tracks on the album. That said, I'm not sure that made the album better. I should note that I'm personally not that interested by vocal-led ballads and the like, so I'm sure that played a part in my evaluation. It often feels like the music itself gets neglected when the focus is on the vocals in that way. With the music being more "boring" on those tracks here, it was an uphill battle for me to enjoy them. In short, I didn't find this album bad, but disappointing. I felt like it could have been better in a number of ways. There were tracks I liked while the rest didn't do much for me. As a whole, I didn't think it was much better than OK. Overall: 2.75/5

This is a good Temps record. It kind of falls off after the first half, but I'm never going to rate a good middle-era Motown record low. 6/10.

Overall: 5/10 This one honestly just wasn't my thing. The vocals are awesome, don't get me wrong. The music itself just wasn't very interesting to me and I had a hard time focusing on what was going on. I'm sure this would be someone else's greatest album of all time but to me it was just meh and I don't have much to day about it. Fav Song: The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face Least Fav Song: Run Charlie Run

the temptations are often great but this felt pretty mild

Nice Temptations record. Papa was a Rolling Stone worth the price of admission alone. 3.5 stars

Not what I was expecting from The Temptations. Some songs I liked. Some I didn't. Glad to have listened to it

So, my second funk album, did I like it better than Mothership…no, no I did not. This album was certainly a weird one. I’ve heard the name of The Temptations before, but I’ve never actually listened to any of there stuff or knew the names to any of their songs, so this was a first time listen for me. The first song, Funky Music Sho Nuff Turn Me on, was a catchy funk jam, but then we got to Run Charlie Run. I’ll be honest, that song sounded kind of ridiculous. The whole time I was listening to it I thought it sounded like it would have a better home in an episode of Veggietales. I then got to Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone, which was the best song on the album, but I felt like it needed to build up to something, as it stayed the same for most of the song. After that it kind of just became a wash of R&B ballads that I never really got into. So, overall, I didn’t like too much of the album, but it wasn’t atrocious. I’m gonna roll my stone over to a better album if you don’t mind.

I expected a bit more from this one, given how much I love Papa Was A Rolling Stone. The only other songs that I found memorable were Run Charlie Run, and I Ain't Got Nothing. Overall pretty pleasant to listen to though.

Funk me this is good! Great couple of openers. But slowed down for the rest of the album and to be honest, preferred the funk and groove. Still a lot of heart and soul in the rest of the tracks but they do funk well and felt more engaged and impacted by that. But if a mix of an album because of that shift after the first 2 tracks. Maybe 3.5

The first track has almost got a hip-hop beat. Super soulful off the bat and a powerful message on Run Charlie Run. Some really nice instrumentation and great vocals throughout. The version of Papa Is a Rollin' Stone is a classic, but there also feels like there's a lot of filler on here. It's great-sounding filler, but it still feels a bit like filler.

Bit of a weird mix of songs. Why is Papa Was a Rollin' Stone eleven minutes long! Some really good songs but as an album it felt a bit all over the place. I preferred the slower songs (bit of a relief after how chaotic the first song felt). Favourite song: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Least: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On

Gets off to a strong start - saw myself giving this a 4 or 5 initially. Papa Was a Rollin Stone is an all-time great, but the album never really recovers after this one slows things down. Completely average overall.

# Album Name: All Directions # Artist: The Temptations # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Papa was a rolling stone is an absolute beast. Amazing tune. The wah, the vocals, the brass used. Its just top notch. 12 minutes of bliss. There a couple of other decent songs on here. The rest of the album is pretty mid. # Top Tunes: Run Charlie Run / Papa Was a rolling stone / first time i saw your face # Would I listen to it again? Maybe

Very funky, but not my jam

Papa Was A Rollin' Stone is truly a masterpiece but the rest of the album doesn't hit the same tbh.

Great 70ties vibe

Good songs but they were just really bland Couldn't get into it but it was alright as background music 3 ⭐️

Second listen was crucial!

lovely!

Groovy but a bit repetitive at times. Felt great listening to this in the background without it feeling like elevator music.

Fine nothing to write home about

What a decade did to the Temptations. Or maybe they were always this funky and cool, and I just know the hits that weren't. Don't get me wrong - I love "My Girl" (it played at my wedding, after all). But man was this a great, funky time. Nothing like what I expected. Right from the get go, you've got the funk hitting you in the face with "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On." I mean come ON. No way someone could hate that. And then the white flight/Black Power anthem in "Run Charlie, Run"? Let's go. And let's not forget "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," a song I didn't even know was there's until recently. But I sure heard it a lot as a kid. I read that they thought this would flop. I can see why, especially if it's as big a departure from their old sound as I suspect it is. But the sheer talent on display here from literally everyone involved is amazing. From the Temptations themselves, to the production, to the backing band, it's a great listen throughout. I could've done without "Love Woke Me Up This Morning," or at least I could say that I won't listen to it again. It, "I Ain't Got Nothin'," and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" all should not have been sequenced together. It slows down the album immensely in the second half and it's only redeemed at the very end by "Do Your Thing." I've always had a hard time understanding why some albums have such a clear divide between sides - a funky side and a ballad side, in this case. I guess it's to give the listener the option, base which side they listen to on their mood. Maybe it was intentional - they thought maybe people wouldn't like the new funky sound so they gave them another side of stuff more similar to what made them famous in the first place. I dunno, but it didn't work for me. In the end, it could've been a four or even five-star venture. But as it is, it's three. Standout Tracks: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Run Charlie Run, Papa Was a Rolling Stone

Gains a point for the 11 minute Papa Was a Rolling Stone, loses a point for First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. I have not heard a version of that song that I like.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone is a classic, otherwise everything else was okay

"Papa was a rolling stone" sounds like it is used as a musical motif for 70s crime dramas

Decent. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a great song but if, like me you've ever heard the Roberta Flack version this pales in comparison to that. The rest of it is pretty good slow jams, but nothing to really write home about.

It's ok. Better than the last one. Dad funk.

Easy listening, good background music.

Good moments but reading about how the group didn’t even want to do some of the songs made the songs less impactful.

All Directions isn't the most amazing album ever but it at least left an impression on me unlike the last Temptations album. I found that everything here is just way more memorable probably due to being played much louder than i remember Cloud Nine being played at. A lot of the actual music is pretty good with a lot of it being able to invoke an incredibly relaxing feel. One other thing i can note is that in the second song, the n-slur is used. I always get caught off guard when these kinds of slurs are used in old R&B music since i always consider it a hip-hop thing. Regardless, I enjoyed this album a fair bit and i definitely like it more than Cloud Nine. Best Song: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone Worst Song: Run Charlie Run

There's some great stuff in here, though not all of it works that well for me.

I mean, I did feel like I was being thrown in all directions. Some of it was funkin’ great. Other times it was just a bit bleagh.

There were a couple of standout songs on this, but other things weighed the album down. Some of the falsetto vocals were a little much for me, and some of the material was just drab. I wasn’t able to focus entirely on the album, but I don’t know that my impression would have improved had I given it more attention.

6/10 Frustrating because the highs were high here, where they pushed out into full-on soul. But large stretches were king of gloopy R&B that didn’t do much for me. Best: Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone

The cover of this album was actually a recreation of the Houmous family Christmas Card from 1968. Len was with his 8th wife, Lucinda and their 4 rather hyperactive kids. He doesn’t see the kids these days. Most of them are in jail to be fair. 3.0 6/8 The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" certainly stands on its own, and I had no idea the Temptations version was a cover until now. The rest of the album didn't match that vibe at all though, which I was a little disappointed by. Side one is the funky side and side two is the sentimental soul side, so we've got a noticeable split here. Not bad and sure, the Temptations got popular for their soul sound, but I was expecting more of an artistic evolution especially after "Cloud Nine" from a few years prior. "Papa" does a lot of heavy lifting here.

Good jams, good vibes. Nothing crazy special about this one, though!

This has a live concert mashup vibe. I would have loved to be in the crowd for that show. Funky and chill. Best served with bourbon. They are a classic with clear talent. I’m pegging this an “average” for the best album journey.

live concert on first track with heavy bass funk...mix a little light on the horn section. The album felt a bit disconnected and felt like it was pulled from different places in time.

Good album but didn't fire me up in quite the same way as Sly & the Family Stone "Stand!" did yesterday

Run Charlie Run is a real tough track to get through. Good lord. But with Papa Was a Rolling Stone immediately following it, I was about able to get right back into the groove

Definitely some grooves on this album. I had heard of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" but I didn't realize it was a 12-minute epic. Not too bad. Favorite tracks: Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, Do Your Thing

I liked "Mother Nature."

Good solid funky album

Yeah, it's got, "Poppa was a rolling stone" on it. But... nothing too much outside of that. Some not so good, and a few just okay. I don't see myself playing this one again anytime soon.

Good, lush, groovy, not sure if it’s something I would listen to regularly. Best songs: Papa was a rollin stone, love woke me up this morning, I ain’t got nothin, Mother Nature.

Several very sparse songs which featured their voices as the main instrument. I enjoyed

Papa was a rolling stone has about the longest intro I know

easy listening, very groovy. had good drumbeats, good harmonies, nice trumpet

not bad at all, i do really like R&B, but that opening track made me expect a much different album that i didn't get. easily my favourite track, but Mother Nature and Do Your Thing are up there too.

My dad used to listen to the Temptations, I was familiar with a few songs but impressed at the others. Good album

Enjoyed the first half alot. Standout songs: Funky music sho nuff turns me on Papa was a rollin' stone Do your thing

'Papa Was A Rollin' Stone' dominates and even stretched to 11 minutes the full version is fantastic. Apart from that it's patchy, but I really like the closer 'Do Your Thing'. They had a magnificent sound, no doubt.

Made pretty good background music for a Saturday night dinner but I wouldn’t bother listening again.

I actually learned something from this album. For me, The Temptations actually got better over time for MY tastes. I was OK with this album but it was not quite what I expected; which was to be moved, blown away, listening to a genre icon. But it was... all right. I liked how it was a fusion of jazz, soul, nearing funk at times... but never really stuck anywhere. Right after this played my youtube randomizer sent me a more recent album of theirs and TBH I liked it a lot more. It may be just me, a lot of old school music types love to lament at this very evolution I am exalting. But this IS my reflection and I will not be swayed.

Very different A side vs B side. The funky A side was a 4 for me, but the early 60s style love song B side was a 2.

2.9 Papa is a rolling stone, is a classic. Was surprised by da funk in the first few songs.

Perfectly good stuff. "Run Charlie Run" is a Song With A Message, but at least it presents that message with humor, so it's actually not annoying.

Nice, bit of a departure from the norm.

Not at all bad. Liked it but didn’t love it. I love the social commentary and the deep, gold soul these guys have. I wasn’t put off by the funk aspect because it sounds quite cool. I think I like this better than their smooth soul. I like the grittier edge. However, I didn’t really like the jazzy kind of vibe that’s on there. It seems a bit out of place somehow. Overall though, it was well worth a listen and I will listen again because I think it’s a slow burn grower.

Funky, very nice, don't have much else

3/5

lite småtråkigt men ändå rätt så go känsla emellanåt.

06/2025 Hotel, Gili Asahan, Indonesien. I liked it quite well.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesn't live up to it, but isn't bad.

Funky, jazzy and electric album fitting quite well for a sunny evening at the balcony. ***

Another solid album by the Temptations high 3/5

Slower than expected but was enjoyable. More funk than I expected as well.

Mother Nature and I Ain't Got Nothin were the highlights for me, two of the lesser listened to according to Spotify. Motown isn't usually in my rotation but it was ok.

propa funky and good covers

An album which can’t live up to its first three songs. Such a rapid and shocking nosedive for the remainder!

Expected more upbeat structured songs but this album is filled with funky R&B.

Just didn't nab my attention

De la soul, un peu de funk, assez agréable à écouter, plutôt facile. Des moments assez originaux qui m’ont fait m’arrêter dessus (papa was a rolling stone, longue intro plutôt chouette) et d’autres qui m’ont ennuyée. Instruments chouettes (petits moments de trompette qui m’ont fait du bien)w Plutôt cool de façon globale mais ça n’a pas changé ma vie. À réécouter quand

Det ar glimt af noget godt. Et rigtigt al i som udnytter formatet ved at have korte hit agtige numre, men også lige smide 2 langspillere ind. Jeg var underholdt bedre end forventet.

"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" is, of course, awesome. The rest is okay.

It weird to read about songs being included at the label's request, and seeing that The Temptations were the vocalists, surrounded by studio musicians. Obviously they're not alone in this, but it may be fair to draw a line from this to Backstreet and NSYNC. Obviously this is better, but I think the marketing forces are the same.

Funky start - fitting for a sunny day but missing the vocals I associate with them Run Charlie Run - got more real than expected - got to appreciate the honesty Papa was a rolling stone - long version - much groovier Wow, I think I preferred the second half of the album. It's interesting I was expecting more of a Motown with the vocal stylings of My Girl whereas this was much more about the instruments and that kind of groovy, funky sound - I wish I had a better way to describe it.

1972. Soulful and funky

Papa was a rollin' stone is amazing, the rest is not that special to me.

Cava, maar meer dan Papa Was A Rollin' Stone staat er hier eigenlijk niet op. 2.6

This was pretty solid, but nothing stood out too much to me.

Aight

Can't exactly sing along with all the songs - particularly Run Charlie Run.

Enjoyed the album and was a nice switch up after a lot of rock. Will revisit a few songs but probably not album from start to finish. Switched genres a lot which I didn’t love. First song was favorite

Some good ole classics in there. Enjoyed most of the album. Good stuff

Sorti en 1972, "All Directions" qui représente un moment charnière dans la discographie des Temptations, s'inscrit dans une période de profonde mutation pour le groupe et pour la musique soul américaine. Le début des années 70 est marqué par l'apogée de la soul psychédélique, un courant musical né à la fin des années 60 qui fusionne la soul, le R&B, le funk naissant et les expérimentations sonores du rock psychédélique et c'est dans ce bouillonnement créatif que le producteur Norman Whitfield qui est fasciné par les textures sonores complexes, les longs formats instrumentaux et les thématiques sociales, enregistre "All Directions". Norman Whitfield va utiliser abondamment les techniques de studio de l'époque (guitares wah-wah omniprésentes, effets de phasing, multipistes pour les batteries) afin de créer des rythmes complexes et syncopés, et de longs passages instrumentaux. Influencé par l'approche "cinématographique" d'Isaac Hayes, Whitfield conçoit des morceaux comme de véritables paysages sonores, où les instruments (basse proéminente, claviers électriques, cuivres incisifs, cordes dramatiques, percussions latines) jouent un rôle aussi crucial que les voix. Cette prédominance instrumentale, marque de fabrique de Whitfield à cette époque, sera d'ailleurs une source majeure de friction avec les Temptations, qui se sentent parfois relégués au second plan. Sur le plan thématique, "All Directions" s'éloigne des chansons d'amour légères qui ont fait la gloire initiale de Motown pour aborder des sujets plus sombres et socialement pertinents. L'album reflète les préoccupations de l'époque : les tensions raciales, la pauvreté, la désintégration de la figure paternelle, les critiques sociales et politiques. Cette orientation vers des paroles plus engagées s'inscrit dans la lignée du mouvement des droits civiques et de l'influence croissante de la contre-culture. "All Directions" est une œuvre emblématique de la soul psychédélique, caractérisée par une fusion audacieuse de styles et une production innovante. Norman Whitfield, en maître d'œuvre, sculpte un son riche et expansif, qui se distingue nettement du "Motown Sound" classique des années 60. L'album explore une palette sonore large, allant du funk brut et hypnotique aux ballades soul plus traditionnelles, en passant par des arrangements orchestraux luxuriants et des expérimentations psychédéliques. "All Directions" a dominé les classements dès sa sortie en juillet 1972. Il a atteint la deuxième place du Billboard 200 aux États-Unis. Son succès ne s'est pas limité aux États-Unis, l'album figurant également dans les classements internationaux, notamment au Royaume-Uni, en France, en Allemagne, au Canada et en Espagne. Le succès de l'album fut largement porté par le single "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". Sorti en septembre 1972 dans une version éditée de près de 7 minutes, il a atteint la première place du Billboard Hot 100 et la cinquième place du classement R&B. Le triomphe d'un single aussi long et complexe témoignait d'une évolution des goûts du public et de la programmation radio, s'éloignant du format strict de la pop de 3 minutes. Le couronnement de ce succès fut la triple victoire de "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" aux Grammy Awards en 1973. La chanson remporta les prix de la Meilleure Performance Vocale R&B, de la Meilleure Chanson R&B, et de la Meilleure Performance Instrumentale R&B pour la face B du single. "All Directions" est un album complexe avec une fusion réussie et audacieuse de soul, funk, psychédélisme et d'éléments cinématographiques. La production de Norman Whitfield est magistrale : arrangements ambitieux, utilisation experte des techniques de studio et des talents des Funk Brothers, créant ainsi un son riche, atmosphérique et multi-couches. Malgré les changements de personnel, la performance vocale du groupe reste exceptionnelle. Les Temptations s'adaptent avec brio au nouveau matériel, offrant des voix lead puissantes et variées (la hargne d'Edwards, le fausset de Harris, la douceur de Street, les interjections basses de Franklin) et des harmonies toujours impeccables. La présence de "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", un chef-d'œuvre incontestable et un succès planétaire, ancre solidement l'album. Enfin, la profondeur thématique, abordant des questions sociales complexes et des récits émotionnels allant au-delà de la romance, confère à l'album une résonance particulière. "All Directions" est un disque audacieux, ambitieux et extrêmement réussie. Il s'en sort avec un 3/5 car malgré toutes ses qualités il a tendance à manquer de cohésion entre funk psychédélique intense et ballades traditionnelles.

A little funk, a little soul, a little R&B, a little do-wap. This album was all over the place. The Temptations definitely led the way for those who followed. Not their best album, but a few gems here.

it wasn’t my favorite temptations album. No huge complaints though.

I was surprised that I liked parts of this more than I expected to. Maybe an album a day is making it just a bit easier to listen to stuff out of my comfort zone. This is still not my favorite genre but overall I think this would be a great addition to a movie soundtrack and wouldn’t mind having it playing in the background of the right setting. Not sure how much is standard for the time they wrote this, but I heard a lot of familiar sounds which may mean this album had a lot of influence on things I’m hearing 50 years later.

Real funky funky 🕺 A couple of bangers in pappa was a rolling stone and my namesake. Powerful story telling around racial equality etc

This was ok. The Temptations have some good moments among their diverse catalogue and I enjoy their voices (particularly the fella singing bass), but there’s a lot of indifferent stuff too, and I’m usually wary of albums that lean so heavily on cover versions. 2.5 / 3

Will listen to more. 3.5

Feels like it is paving the way for 70s vocal soul. Not really me but I still enjoyed

This album seems like it was pretty innovative when it came out, especially for its experimental side. I can see its value, but this genre has never really clicked with me, and I found the album to be average. The more mellow, laid-back tracks were the ones I liked best.

Funky af. Favorite song is Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On

funky music sho nuff turns me on- 5 run Charlie run- 5 or 6 papa was a Rollin stone- 5 love woke me up this morning- 5 I ain't got nothing- 5 the first time ever i saw your face- 5 mother nature- 5 do your thing- 5

Classic.

3/4

North; Northeast; East; Southeast; South; Southwest; West; Northwest.

Temptations albums always throw me for a loop.

Ik begin maar gewoon met zeggen dat ik een klein hekeltje heb aan het bekendste nummer van dit album en dat nummer neemt ook nog netto een derde van het album in beslag. Vroeger keek ik steevast Idols en dan was er in de liverondes altijd wel iemand die dit nummer deed en daar is eigenlijk de haat ontstaan. Zoek maar 'Boris Idols Papa Rolling Stone' op de Joeptoeps. Waarom heb ik dit soort dingen onthouden, verdomme. Ik snap wel dat het in deze lijst staat, maar zelf haal ik er geen gigantische voldoening uit. Maar natuurlijk kan ik het de muzikaliteit wel gewoon waarderen. Ik vind de B-side ook nog niet zo vervelend, hoewel er wel een kleine stijlshift in zit. Het is absoluut geen ramp om dit album een keer uit te zitten. Een keurige 3 sterren.

"Every room has a floor." Find this and other revelations in All Directions.

Tbh I prefer the shorter version of Papa Was A Rolling Stone. B side is pleasant soul but not my favorite of this era

I liked the first half of the album a lot but it kind of fizzled out in the back end for me.

some real classics but the ones in between were of variable quality

Didn’t know they sounded like this. Best part of the album: instrumental bits in papa was a rolling stone. Felt like i was in a 70s spy movie. Worst part of the album: 2nd song (i think I am too white to listen to this)

3 estrellas, buen soul

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