All Directions

that first track was awesome. the rest was whatever. papa was a rolling stone more like papa was waiting for the grass to be grown, so loonggggggg. ended stronger. 3.25/5

Bangers. Run Charlie Run, Papa Was a Rolling Stone. Fire.

Pretty good songs , but I know they have better tracks and albums.

meh

Classic funk/RnB type shih. Second song a lil political. (Run Charlie run) Overall, there’s definitely some smooth tunes on this album, but as a whole most of these tracks don’t stand out among some of the great RnB tracks. It kind of seems like half filler to me. Not the first album I’d turned to if I wanted to listen to the temptations, but not bad either. Fav tracks: Funky Music, Run Charlie Run, Love Woke Me Up

On the short list of greatest harmonies, The Temptations leaned into the funk aesthetic with this album. The highlight is the 12-minute magnum opus “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, but they also touch on white flight, personal empowerment, and nature, and a cover of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. It’s a different sound than the David Ruffin-led earlier years, yet a milestone in their discography nonetheless.

This is so annoying. David Ruffin is another abuser of women. I like this record, but I like accountability more. It’s so hard to know how to approach this list with its lack of women (still not a single female artist yet) and with so many of the men being documented abusers. Rating is purely on the album and in the hopes that the rest of the band and people involved were kinder, more enlightened people who didn’t hit women with motorcycle helmets. Musically, this is fantastic. Crisp funk.

i don’t really have a strong opinion on this. this was fine.

It’s a really complete and well produced album, even though it’s not usually my thing. I felt that some of the production elements didn’t really click, but, and especially for the time, it’s really impressive. The basslines, diverse instrumentation, and expressive vocal performances were the highlights for me.

Mother Nature is a banger. Loved it. Liked most of the other songs but nothing else got above a 3, so it is alas a 3 album.

Classic funk with a very groovy soul to back it up. There is so much to latch onto for this album even if the slower middle section loses some steam the pure emotion that comes through is enough to resonate with me. Rolling Stone is a stone cold hall of famer for sure and the rest will slot nicely on my highlights to get familiar with in the coming years.

The album feels like the amalgamation of what funk and R&B was in 1972. With the distinct orchestral feel of papa was a rolling stone and the live sound of funky music sho nuff turns me on, it’s very powerful how well made this album is. One thing that surprised me was a lot of the social commentary throughout the album which I thought was done tastefully for the time. Dope album. Fav tracks: funky music sho nuff turns me on, run Charlie run, papa was a rolling stone, love woke me up this morning, I ain’t got nothin, and Mother Nature

Didn't expext to like this album based on the genres, but it was fun

The first song is "Funky Music Sho' 'Nuff Turns Me On" and this album is very early 70s Funk. I was excited to see The Temptations come through but sad that this wasn't an album with "My Girl" on it. A few of the tracks, particularly 'Love woke me up' seem like Kanye would've sampled them in the early 2000s. Overall, not really my style here. I respect it but it doesn't do much for me. 3/5.

My papa was not a rollin stone, he was a man

I'm a big funk guy. Haven't peeped this full record. Most of these funk records are in compilations anywho. The version of 'papa was a rolling stone' on here is so long hahaha. Prefer the radio version on a lot of funk tracks. The opener is real quiet or maybe thtas just me. Funky stuff. It is tempting me!!

Didn’t expect it to be as groovy as it was, genuine fun listen!

Great album from a legendary band. 8.1/10

NOT the Temptations I expected, what a trip! By 72 they were exploring soul, identity and what they could do to push the boundaries. I am here for it!

Eclectic for it's time, unfortunately comes across messy today.

Papa Was a Rollin Stone is incredible. The funk is really good. The rest is a bit boring. 3.5

Solid album for sure. I gotta say my knowledge of The Temptations was limited to only 3-4 songs. Imagine my surprise when “Run, Charlie, Run” came on… But seriously, you can’t beat the vocals, the lyrics and the melodies they created.

pretty funky but not super memorable

Classic but not quite a 5 to me. 4/5

I really like this kind of soul, both the old bands like The Temptations but also the newer ones like Thee Sacred Souls etc. Still I don't think this album is as good as others by The Temptations (once again I have the question "why was this album chosen to be on the list"). Papa Was A Rollin' Stone is of course the highlight, a classic take and in my opinion the best version of this song ever to be made. But the other songs are partly not so convincing. Whatever - still a good album but not great.

Who knew the Temptations had such a deep/ long-running catalogue, or such a diversity of styles? (this one’s funkier than the patented smooth Motown style of their earlier phase.)

4/5

FUNKY E CHE DUE MARONKY. SARÀ STATO IL VELENO CHE PERVADE LA MIA TESTA IL LUNEDÌ MATTINA, QUANDO DECISI DI DEDICARE 34 MINUTI A QUEST’ESPERIENZA DI ASCOLTO. 2/5.

vibe boa

não bastassem terem gerado uma das melhores piadas da história do cinema (em Walk Hard) ainda fazem ótimas músicas.

Like a jolly happy family, just so happy to be there and make music while loving each other. And Papa Was A Rollin' Stone being 12 minutes long, absolutely yes!

Good moments. Papa is the best by far.

3.3/5 funky stuff n ballads got it all

Considering that the first song was an ode to funky music, this wasn't really that funky, front to back. The vocals were good, but I was pretty bored, frankly. The vibes raise it to a 3, but barely.

Loved this album. Very funky 70s “sesame street pinball”… one track was super political, Run Charlie Run rides a line between super intense and schoolhouse rock. Overall, very tasty album.

Not really my thing at all. A few covers that just don't hit for me either.

No está mal pero simplemente no es un tipo de musica que me guste. Lo volvería a escuchar? no

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

2.5

Light 3 it was decent but not my favourite. May listen again at some point

5/10

good

Good good

muy cerca de las 5 eh

I enjoyed the soul in this album and it was energetic with a good length. It wasn’t a dynamite of an album though, missing that extra element of epic-ness

Have enjoyed some of The Temptations over the years but never listened to a full album. Delightful vibes, absolutely iconic tracks. Can't ask for more.

C'est frais, je suis tres fatiguee ajd mais ecouter l'album est agreable.

Papa was a rolling stones 5/5 le reste 2/5 -> 3/5 J'en connais une qui pourra pas dire "gnagnagna" c'est du rock encore

My second album from The Temptations and, much like Cloud Nine, this started really strong before falling away a bit. The vocals are brilliant at times though. Top Track - Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone

JL : 3, Mother Nature

smooth

What I find most interesting here is the seeming abandonment of strict songwriting form, especially coming from a group so synonymous with the Motown assembly line. Gone for the most part are the tight pop compositions of Holland-Dozier-Holland et al.; instead the songs just sort of extend for as long as they're going to, then stop or trail off. This gives the proceedings both an air of honesty and a hint of danger - I catch myself groping in the smoky haze of the album for something for my ear to hold onto, some landmark I can use to navigate. And so often I don't find it; "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" just keeps rollin', the attempts to resolve the pain of abandonment failing over and over. And that's the real mood here - numbness, or perhaps a desire to be numb to the trauma of experience. In that way this is a companion piece to *There's a Riot Goin' On*, released several months earlier. While it lacks the angry edge of that album, it shares the same sense of stagnation. "Everybody's got something but me," Otis Williams sings on "I Ain't Got Nothin'," summing up the problem. Even the attempt to make a classic love ballad falls flat, seemingly on purpose; "The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)" doesn't even have any momentum to run out of. I think I respect this album more than I love it, but I respect it an awful lot.

King of funky

Socially conscious funk. The kind of funk that has oversize pointy collars and good hair. I dug it.

Some good soul. Nothing to mind blowing.

Decent enough - didn’t massively grab me though

I don't know what I expected coming into this, but this wasn't it. It was good, great music and vocals throughout.

Good r and b album

I like this album. 3.5

man i love rnb pop

It’s okay, some of the songs would make a good soundtrack for a movie. One song felt like it went on forever.

I need more Temptations in my life. I liked the deep cuts most of all. Which I guess is most of the album.

Good album here that would maybe sneak into my list. I like the songwritting going on here and the grooves. Put a little boogie in my pasty white morning :)

Love this album, perfect nostalgia!

This was a great album from a talented group, it just wasn't for me and felt a bit monotonous to listen to.

It's fine. Papa was a rolling stone is great but it doesn't really come together.

This album is wowed because when you hear the temptations you think of funky harmonies and smoother grooves. This has a lot of that but there are also a lot of individual parts in here, like trains if solo voices, which oddly don’t stack up to the whole of the group. Like “the first time I saw your face” is very not in the style I expect. I guess it’s a good thing and shows their range. Overall decent enough. Papa Was A Rollin Stone is still great, even in this extended length cut.

Buen álbum

Such a classic by The Temptations

Decent. Not a fan of live albums in general though.

The first three tracks are electric and just great snapshots of the Detroit funk scene in the early 70s. It definitely tapers out as it goes on but the vocal performances alone warrant some praise.

Great voices. Really like the longer grooves and the psychedelic feel.

Very solid soul album, second half is a bit stronger than the first

Really good but not great.

Little slower than I had hoped for

Un gran disco para bailar

8/10

It's good, a nice funk

Papa Was a Rolling Stone is amazing, perfect even. The rest of this just felt underwhelming.

Super solid record from start to finish.

LOVED IT. Echt mijn smaak en snap waarom het album in deze lijst zit.

Good stuff

Was ok. Couple of tunes but that was it

it was good, but not anything more than a 3

Some cool soul songs. An agreable record. Favorite Songs: Papa was a Rolling Stone ; Do your Thing

The first 2 songs were pretty good, but "run charlie run" is obviously problematic. "Papa was a rolling stone" was a little long, but not bad. Nothing in this album really stood out, nt even the best and worst songs. Nevertheless, Best song: Funky music sho nuff turns me on. worst song: I aint got nothin'.

This album brings the listener to a time when things were groovy. I’m temped to say, I Ain’t got Nothing and Do your Thing are the stand-out songs! Peace and Love!!

All Directions by The Temptations is the average Motown record, a smooth and psychedelic soul experience. The introductory track is magnificently done, capturing the funk essence. The following songs largely, although not entirely, keep up this quality while being more soulful. Each song is well thought out and the time is proportioned masterfully — except for in the gruelingly lengthy “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” which seems to drag.

3,5

Has one of the best intros ever on this album Papa was a rolling stone

Damn, this was FONKY. And how fucking cool do these guys look on the album cover? Wasn't expecting the n-word on track 2.

I freaking loved this. My parents were 60s people, so I think of the Tempts as more of a Motown act. I love hearing this version of them though. So good.

09/08 Meh

4 Better than last week's temptations album I thought. Again the longest song was the best

Loved it.

Groooovyyyy

All Directions. There's probably an argument for suggesting that their follow up album be called "Pick a Lane". To say that this veers wildly is probably an understatement. From the angry, racially confrontational, white flight sneer of "Run Charlie Run" at one extreme to the perfectly and sweetly sung "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is quite the range. You can't record "Run Charlie Run" and "I Ain't Got Nothing" (I don't care about politics, I just care about love) and claim to have a cohesive vision. But who cares about cohesion, when you record "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"?What an amazing 12 minutes it is. And if nothing else on the album is quite as good, what of it?

excellent 4.5/5

Listan är dålig på att leverera funk som verkligen stinker på riktigt. Oftare är det soul-gäng som hoppade på funk-tåget, som i det här fallet. Och dom gör det ju såpass bra under första halvan att de förtjänar en stark 3a eller rak 4a, men nu behöver jag mer funkideologisk renlärighet av typen sly & the family Stone, George Clinton eller James Brown

Lite kluven i Smör/FUNK/SOUL-diskussionen. Tycker Temptations är bättre när dom gör smör, men man kanske är bränd. Det här blev lite bjäring ibland, men ah, man längtar ju efter Sly eller James Brown!