Reviews (page 11 of 13)
Seems like these guys are the original(?) writers of "Heard it Through the Grapevine" I do like me some Motown music so this is pretty good. It's passable music but doesn't really have as good of a vibe as like Jackson 5 or something like that. A strong 3/5
listened to it, it was good! 3 stars
Holy that one dude can hit those high notes. It was a fun album, not my wheelhouse but enjoyable enough.
Definitely a collection of songs without much relation, rather than being united by a cohesive theme. Starts off very strong with the lyrics track on there and the brilliant Grapevine.. cover, giving an idea of innovation that sadly wasn't fully met.
These late 60’s / 70’s early records from established R&B acts are always disappointing to me. Without fail, they go all in on the sound of the times - funk, psychedelic soul - for 2 or three tracks and then back to their established sound for the rest of the record… …Hold on… I’ve written this review before… Oh yeah…it was for another Temptations record, 1972’s “All Directions”. Maybe this is more of a Temptations thing, but I remember feeling the same way about The Isley Brothers “3+3”. My point remains; these records are kind of “half measures”, if you will. An attempt to be hip up front, then fan service in the back half. I don’t care for it. Some artists spend too much time worrying about alienating their fans. Take a chance, people aren’t as fickle as you think. Or, maybe they are. Who cares. Do what you want, not what you think will please the most people. As it stands, this sounds like a record made by two different bands. One foot in the present, one in the past and no one likes a fence sitter, especially when Sly & the Family Stone were out there in 1969 putting out funky soul music that couldn’t be topped.
Rating: 6/10
Top 3 Songs: 1 - I Heard it Through the Grapevine (2) 2 - Gonna Keep On Tryin Till I Win Your Love (10) 3 - I Gotta Find a Way (9)
Decent, not reallly my thing
I thought I’d enjoy much more than I did
Good grooves
Such a fun listen.
- an enjoyable listen but nothing I'd go back to - Great soul vibes, singer has a great voice
- Solid Motown - Runaway Child, Running Wild was a cool story - Feels like beach/boardwalk music
Super groovy, I liked it! This style of music is not something I'm super familiar with listening to (is it crazy of me to say it sounds like Jackson 5?), but I liked it! I saved only the title track from the album, but I wouldn't be mad at someone for playing this around me! This album just made me want to dance, I envy those who got to go to bars/clubs -- or wherever they played this kind of music -- in the 1960s because I wanna get jiggy with it
Fav: I need your lovin Least fav: runaway child running wild
3/5. There’s only a handful of songs that really stand out. The second half of the album is good, and there are some decent soul and r&b songs there but nothing for repeated listens. The first half is quite good, the first song being a classic. Wish they dug more into the longer, jamming songs that give off that funk. Best song: Cloud Nine, Runaway Child
Solid album, nothing that remarkable apart from the title track and the 9-minute Run Away Child.. epic. Three stars.
Decent. Wasn't really familiar with any of the songs but I enjoy this type of music well enough. 2.5/5
It was decent, not my genre though
This sounds like the start of their journey into psychedelic soul, rather than their final destination. Cloud Nine is a banger, but am not so keen on the version of Grapevine. A great album, if not a classic. One to revisit.
This is way more funky than I'll ever be. Fucking great.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, very smooth flowing and easy to enjoy Favourite song: Track 2 - I Heard it Through The Grapevine
3.5 stars. Soul with funk and motown feel. Easy-listening, nothing super special. Leadoff title track is the standout.
Loving the Motown. 3 stars
To say it's soul meets psychedelia or Motown goes to Woodstock feels reductive, even if true. Certainly the old-fashioned aspect is prominent, wtih the baritone vocal flourishes seeming almost sock-hoppy or barbershop quartet-y, or just plain square. Still, it's good to know the band exists. Obviously, they were major hitmakers and it's good to have a first-hand, deeper-dive relationship with parts of the culture that can be said to have gone stale for the contemporary hipster. The point being that for all that feels stale and show-bizzy, a pretty full dose of soul still gets across.
Expected
3.5
Not their best considering some of their hits. Listenable but not wonderful so 3*
Solid
Solid summer bbq album. The third track had a strange part about wanting his mama.
Solid and different style for The Temptations
Really like some of this. More interesting than what I think of from the temptations.
I have never listened to an entire temptations album. I enjoyed it, but nothing really jumps out at me. Pleasant driving music. Enjoy the one two punch of “don’t leave me for him” and “leave him for me”.
Something I have to be in the mood to listen to, but would very much hit if I were in the mood lol
Wasn’t really into it but it was kinda good. Certain songs caught my ears
First three songs were enjoyable. The rest was pretty boring.
Some good tracks, I enjoyed this record.
First Temptations album after David Ruffin left the group and the first "Psychedelic Soul" album by the Temps. I enjoyed the album but there was nothing really groundbreaking. The psychedelic soul sound actually sounds pretty dated to the late 60's early 70s. The Temps had better psychedelic songs later with Ball of Confusion and Papa was a Rolling Stone. So I guess this was the genesis album. Nice attempt at social commentary, but the kid screaming "I want my mama" in the middle of the 9 minute Runaway Child Running Wild was a bit much. I saw the Temptations broadway show last year and was not aware of all the drama and death that afflicted the group. Otis Williams was the only long term survivor of the original line up. Good but not great. 3.5 stars.
The first three songs are ok. Soul mixed with a little psychedelia, I kept getting TV cop theme song vibes. However, I’ve heard half a dozen covers of Heard It Through the Grapevine better than this, they miss the emotion of the song that Marvin Gaye delivers. The rest of the album is fine, amazing voices (I’d listen to them sing the Yellow Pages), but no songs jump out as memorable.
A legendary act that I was highly anticipating listening to. I was a little disappointed overall but would give this one another listen. Also not my favorite version of “I heard it through the grapevine” that I’ve heard. Overall average album.
Overall a solid album. Some melodies are a little forgettable. I like it but I also think there are better examples of soul/motown. 3/5
Wel aardige vroege disco, maar verder niet heel boeiend of bijzonder. Wel een hele vage versie (en daardoor wel grappig) van I Heard it Trough the Grapevine, als je CCR of Marvin Gaye gewend bent.
Decent at best I'd say. The first side is very non-Temptations sounding and mostly quite bland. I think the vocals throughout also lack some emotion and soul which I would expect. 5/10
So side one was apparently more progressive than side two. And yes, I hear some of that funky soul that Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes would focus on a few years later. The title track and Runaway Child, Running Wild were quite good. Their rendition of I Heard it Through the Grapevine was not - didn't hear the progression, didn't hear any noteworthy updates (an inferior remake). Side two didn't sound progressive. It also didn't sound like their softer ballads of old. But all in all, side two wasn't bad. Solid really, especially the last two tracks. But then I don't see what all the fuss about to be on this list. A good or average album, but not much more.
Cloud Nine by the Temptations was an interesting listen. You can hear them trying to change their sound on side one with the title track and “Run Away Child, Running Wild” but side two seems like they were fighting that idea and stayed a little closer to what they used to sound like. I enjoyed the title track a lot but wasn’t a fan of their version of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” “Run away Child..” felt a little long and forced. Also, the vocal bit where he was crying for mama was just annoying. I enjoyed their classic sound on side two more. This is one of the few older albums that sound like it doesn’t actually belong on this list.
I wasn't expecting the cool 70s funk opening of Cloud Nine (particularly since it came out in 1969!). Very cool unusual track, but then the album settled down to more straightforward tunes. I liked most of it, but there were a few moments I didn't like, such as the "I WANT MY MAMA!!" part of Runaway Child Running Wild. Wut? Also didn't like the high singing in Love is a Hurtin' Thing (when he sang in his regularly range it sounded good). Generally a pleasant album, but nothing I plan to seek out again. Even I Heard It Through the Grapevine wasn't all that memorable (the quintessential Marvin Gaye version came out a year earlier, so it's not even part of the evolution of the song). Clear 3 to me. Tracks that I liked best: Cloud Nine, Why Did She Have to Leave Me, I Need Your Loving, I Gotta Find a Way, Gonna Keep On Tryin' Til I Win Your Love.
Fun, but something felt missing from this album. It kinda drags in the latter half.
Musta tuntuu, että multa puuttuu taito kuunnella tällaista musiikkia sivistyneesti ja valistuneesti, mutta tykkäsin kyllä.
En ole koskaan aikaisemmin kuullut puhuttavan psykedelisestä soulista, mutta mielestäni tämä oli lähempänä takaa-ajo funkkia kun psykedeliaa. Paikoitellen siellä oli aika kivaa kokeilun makua. Pääsääntöisesti tykkäsin! 3/5
Hyvä meno, tykkäsin. Puoli tuntia oli sopiva.
Kaipaan Motownilta vähän enemmän räjähtävää energiaa, joten ihan neloseen ei yllä. Hauskoja biisejä kyl.
What, *another* cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", after Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Slits??? And this without even counting Marvin Gaye's classic version ("In The Groove", the LP it's taken from, being excluded from Dimery's list, if I remember correctly). Well... This version is *alright*, I imagine, especially when the drum patterns suddenly stop and go (as in the great title track opening this Temptations LP right before "...Grapevine"). The thing is, as nice as this particular cover is, it's certainly less impressive than the three other versions listed here. So it's not worth the price of admission on its own. We need to look further here... What's left, then? Well, the centerpiece is definitely "Runaway Child, Running Wild", an incredible nine-minute example of what "psychedelic soul" should sound like. Lush instrumentation, epic build-up, soulful dirges... We're not in "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"-territory yet (this song is far less catchy), but we're certainly heading there. And this stuff is also worthy of Sly And The Family Stone, except that it's softer around the edges, and a little more seductive somehow... Those three songs (the title track, " I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Runaway Child, Running Wild") are half of the album, and I can understand why that first part of the record felt like a milestone at the time, especially when you realize where the band was coming from (this sort of thing couldn't be further apart from "My Girl"). Yet as interesting as that first side of the LP is, I have doubts that the second one can be listed as *essential* stuff. There we have more by-the-numbers ballads, which gives the feeling that we are dealing with yet another "transitional" album from The Temptations... The problem is that I'm a little confused about which album from that technically stellar vocal group should be considered as "transitional" and which should heralded as mainstays or "essential" ones--at least as far as I know about them (I'm certainly no expert, and they have a sprawling discography). My gut feeling tells me that The Temptations will always sound like a hodge-podge thing to me. They sing songs written by others (legendary Motown songwriting teams, covers of all sorts...). Their "identity" is flexible according to the times and current fashion, exemplified by key tracks that don't always fit with other tunes on their albums. And as far as LPs go, their propositions are a little daunting, not to say "messy", as expertly played, sung and produced as those albums are... I can't remember if I included *All Directions* in my group of potential candidates for my own 1001 list ("All Directions": what an apt title for a Temptations LP, by the way). I've listened to it again, and maybe it deserves to be included in my "ideal" list, and not only because of *Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and "I Ain't Got Nothin'". That said, I'm afraid I won't include more than *one* Temptations record This act made great tracks all along their lengthy and complex career. But I think they (or their producers) didn't have an identity and/or an artistic vision strong enough to make all their influences gather into a cohesive, meaningful whole. So, in that overall genre, I'd rather stick to Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sly And The Family Stone, etc. Sorry, Temptations fans... Number of albums left to review: 638 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 181 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 84 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 104 (including this one)
This is my second record from The Temptations in 3 days, both of which were post David Ruffin. It's a little much to get two records too close together and I think my enjoyment of this record likely suffered because of it. This record is just fine, nothing great or blowing me away, but I enjoyed listening to it enough.
I can see how this was revolutionary for its time. Lots of songs sound like they would be great in movies. Lots of songs about love. Added 2 to the playlist, but not something I'd listen to daily.
Solid pick from the 60s but probably won’t ever listen again.
Me ald fella is a fan of these (I think). Thought the album was sound but it will not take a spot in my regular rotation. Got to be cut throat in this game.
хороший альбом он с первых секунд захватывает внимание. очень динамично, живо, стильно и со вкусом. общее ощущение, правда, просто норм. такую музыку хочется слушать в живом исполнении (потому что будет выступать невероятный бойсбенд). вряд ли порекомендую кому-то весь альбом, но отдельные треки шикарные
Вокал просто секси. Вообще очень хороший мужской соул и с удовольствием послушал их вживую. Особенно понравилось когда барабаны их начинают подгонять вперед и чувствуешь, что они кайфуют прям сами)
Интересный психодел-соул (так это наверное назвать можно?). Вообще интересно, я зацепился за название трека "...Grapevine" и вспомнил The Slits. Ну, их версия мне понравился больше. Опять блядское стерео. Не, ну иногда оно было интересно, но меня дико раздражало, что ритм-гитара играет только в левом канале, аааа... а в правом ударка. Ну я ж в наушниках слушаю, я ещё не обзавёлся мониторами, пожалейте мои уши. По вайбу мне напомнило музыку, которые играют группы из Late Night Show: лёгонько, слегка с выкрутасами, вокалом, который больше для атмосферности, а не для текста. Хороший альбом, чтобы поставить в качестве фона для романтического ужина, имхо. Честно говоря, ничем особенным не запомнился. Но слушабельный и лучше некоторых, которые были до этого.
Useful background music, but the songs all sounded very similar
6/10 un disco normal, no tiene mucho en donde profundizar y fijarse. Es algo aue se escucha en un manual de jazz o funk.
First listen
cloud nine didn't contain the kind of music the temptations are known for, but they're hard to pin down because throughout their long history, they have moved around genres often. i was surprised how funky and soulful this album was. the temptations' cover of "heard it through the grapevine" startled me, as someone who is so used to marvin gaye's own cover. i found it fascinating how the temptations created their version. while it was rather pleasant to listen to, it lacked that spark in other temptations' music. i couldn't get too excited, though i do enjoy the temptations a lot.
This funky, psychedelic offering from The Temptations was kind of interesting! I wasn't used to hearing them in quite this style. The album was certainly pleasant enough to listen to, but overall, I just wasn't that blown away by it. This probably comes in at a high 2.-something, so 3 it is!
Bill
Groovy soul tunes. Strong 3. Also, these guys wrote ”I Heard It Through The Grapevine”? I always though that the song just kind of existed.
A bit generic
Not really my style of music but i liked it, had some groovy songs that i enjoyed
Cloud Nine: 3,5/5 I Heard It Through The Grapevine: 3/5 Runaway Child, Running Wild: 3/5 Love Is A Hurtin' Thing: 3/5 Hey Girl: 2,5/5 Why Did She Have To Leave Me: 2,5/5 I Need Your Lovin': 2,5/5 Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me: 2,5/5 I Gotta Find A Way: 3/5 Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your ... : 2,5/5 Totaal: 2,8/5
Like where it’s heading … Great Funk Brothers backing Solid Motown
A short, groovy LP that has juuuust enough in the tank to sustain its brief runtime. Not overly wowed by this one, but it did get my toe tapping and I could see myself listening to it again.
Charming album by The Temptations and whilst there are few standout tracks nevertheless makes for a fine soulful listen. Fascinating to hear early Temptations and see where they later went.
Generally found this album to be good, easy listening music. But they seemed to stuck between Motown and funk, but never really excelling in either. Did not dislike, but felt they took a few shortcuts here and never hit their great sound. Again, I liked, but not one of my favorites. Maybe because I still have Velvet on the mind..... i'll give this a 2.5
Love the hits. Boring as a whole. Liked it more than the last one though. 3
Not for me
Idk
A solid soul album that didn't leave too much of an impact
Runaway child its too long, but the album it stills good. My favorite song its hey girl, and why did she have to leave me.
Very funky. Love the basslines. Falsettos stood out a bit too much.
Silky and smooth, like a person doused in oil sent down a slip'N'slide into a giant teflon pan only to get poured out onto a beauticians table and get a complete Brazilian. But smoothness can only get you so far as the tracks were nice but none were great, including a tepid cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine that meanders through the lyrics without much passion and contrasts with the other songs on the album. Would probably give this miss and listen to something else. Favourite track Cloud Nine.
Don't need to look it up. Pretty sure that's Jamerson on the bass, what an unique sound and style! The GOAT. Really like the sound, the production, the mixing with voices and guitars and drums hard panned to the sides. Some of the singing is a little... too much for my taste. But most of it is still great.
Personally not into Soul music, though obviously this is a classic, so cannae slate it
A bit frontloaded, with nothing reaching the heights of tracks 1 and 3 afterwards. But besides the unimpressive version of Grapevine, it stays enjoyable overall.
Short and sweet. Fun. Enjoyable. hehe
Nice, but had to give it an average rating because I've heard better versions of Heard it Through the Grapevine and a lot of the song titles/lyrics were along the lines of "baby I need you, don't do me wrong".
Easy listening. Fave track is Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love
-"Cloud Nine" is a great, catchy tune. Great drums, cool keyboard, and the low voice parts are fun as well -"Running Child, Running Wild" is a cool jam that I like for the same reasons as "Cloud Nine," but it is a 10 minute jam with lots of keyboard, drum, and bass jamming. The kid crying about "I want my mama" is kind of sus tho -Rest of the tracks didn't stand out too strong
Easy funky listen, good covers of some classic tracks
3.5/.5 This was good, a little above average for me. It went by pretty fast after that 9 minute song. Nothing amazing going on here, but it's enjoyable.
Bra soul som man blir på gott humör av att höra.
Heilt greit, men litt høg Temptations-frekvens her no
Pretty good feel good album. Liked every song except Runaway Child, Running Wild. Although I may never listen to the album again, it was an enjoyable listen
Sem opção para ouvir completo
i dig it
Best lekkere vrolijke muziek. Beetje poppy rock met wat klassiekeinstrumenten erbij. Oh blijkbaar heb ik een verzamelalbum geluisterd, cloud 9 staat niet op spotify.. Wat ik van cloud 9 heb geluisterd valt dan toch erg tegen, beetje psychedelisch met orgels en koortjes enzo.. 3*
Du bon soul
Motown gotta Motown
The recording sounds great and the vocal harmonies are as good as they get but I find the lyricism and songcraft lacking.
A bit motown, a bit funky, a great typical example of the sound of the era. I actually preferred the more standard Temptations stuff on the back half of the album from the slightly more funky and progressive stuff. I found the quality of the recording and mix varied wildly throughout the record, the highs particularly at points seem to get quite grating. A pleasant listen but not remarkable enough for me to put it up with the great motown albums
Truly the beginning of a new chapter for The Temptations were they really began to explore new and interesting sonic palettes that would pave the way for other artists like Stevie Wonder and Funkadelic down the line. 3.5/5
The lyrics were very powerful.
A good album over all and really good bass. It just is all deep cuts and not really anything too special. I like the Temptations, but there are other albums that belong on here over this.
Funky
Clued in in this one being a good’un. A good listen, but doesn’t do grapevine justice.
Kinda annoying faffing between spoti-tube. The funk ones are the best, particularly Runaway Child, 9 minute banger. The Motown stuff is still good though, particularly towards the end (don't let him...)
Not fully available on Spotify
I enjoyed it. It was nice to hear the old songs again. I was confused why the album cover didn’t have raisins on it though.
3/4
Du bon motown, la 1ere pourrait jouer dans un film de Tarantino! La 2e, disons que les covers sont meilleurs que l'original. Dans la 3e il y a Isaac Hayes je crois, dur de pas penser à South Park! Dans l'ensemble un bon album. mais qui finit très abruptement.
An enjoyable listen, for the most part with some good songs here. Their "psychedelic soul" sound is interesting, it works at times, it's different and it funks it up a bit more. I haven't listened to much of The Temptations, maybe I should listen to more... :)
Couple good songs but sounds like I expected. Kinda drags on
Starts really good and funky. The soul songs are less interesting to me
One of the great Motown groups. Uncomplicated songs
Niet alles auf Spotify
Passable
The distributed singing parts must have hit different back then, but today it is hard for me to listen to a full album of it – it's like they smuggled in some a cappella behind their instruments. Anyway... uhm... that's a lot of falsetto. Is it called falsetto because it's wrong to use it so much? The interplay of guitar and bass in Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me is super neat. I have consumed so much a cappella that I now use expressions like "super neat". My slacks have turned beige. I now own 10 identical polo shirts and salmon shorts. This is white people kryptonite. I have been born in the wrong environment to be cool for enjoying this. Because make no mistake, this album is cool as fuck.
This was a nice listen but not super memorable overall, although I might revisit a few of the standout tracks in the future.
An interesting album by the Temptations. I read about this album being the transition album from Motown to the funk of later years. I would therefore expect that there would be a lot of songs with a combination of styles, but strangely enough the songs are either Motown or funk. The funk, mainly on the A side, appeals to me a lot more than the Motown, especially on the B-side. The cover of 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine' should not have been necessary and is quite poor. All in all, I don't think this is a bad album at all, but for me it's not the masterpiece some people are talking about.
Nice production. Drums are bit too low in the mix.
Old music is so repetitive Did they have a limit on the number of unique words per song? My Girl is a banger but isn't on this album so
Really enjoyed it but there was only three songs on Spotify so had to give it three stars.
Was good, nothing special but easy to listen to 7/10
Funk 4 Motown 3
Good but not great.
This is after their "Classic Five" period, meaning it's missing something. That something is one David Ruffin, the David Ruffin with lead vocals on "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "I Wish It Would Rain". So in a way, this is like having a Commodores album without Lionel Richie. But the Commodores weren't quite the Temptations, of course. Even without Ruffin, the Temptations had another good run in them. But that's after this album. This one is really good, just not quite great.
Drifted into background noise as the album went on. Highs were high but the lows were low. Some really great songs in the mix though. Great voices and instrumentals. My mood might just not have been right in the moment for this to really stand out.
this was a very fun and upbeat album! i really enjoyed the vibe i thought it was very fun. definitely 7/10 hmmm
This starts off perfectly - right from the first note of the title track "Cloud Nine." Sounds fantastic, great soulful groove - this mostly continues for the first 3 songs (especially in the long/weird "Runaway Child, Running Wild"). After that the genre changes a bit; the band almost feels like they're going back in time a bit starting with "Love Is A Hurtin' Thing" - it's not bad, just occasionally more slow-paced, a bit of doo-wop influence; just a little more straight-forward and less experimental. It approached being a little boring for me. I'm definitely far more partial to the more psychedelic songs but overall it's a good listen. 7/10 3 stars.
Not any better or worse than I expected, but not my thing.
Liked the first song, felt it was best when doing it's own thing rather than the covers. Liked it but not blown away.
As I listen to more Temptations I get more appreciation for the song-writing team of Whitfield and Strong, who wrote so many massive hits, including "Heard it Through the Grape Vine" and "Papa was a Rolling Stone". Some of their tracks on this LP have a more interesting sound, what I would call a Blaxploitation sound, and socially conscious lyrics, like the title track or "Runaway Child Running Wild." The rest of the more traditional love songs I could do without, but the Temptations delivery is superb.
This album marks their evolution towards psychedelic soul which would later result in their monster song Papa was a rollin' stone. The second side leans towards their traditional Motown side and is pretty ok. I really tried to like this so I listened to it 3 times and found that this album is pleasant enough but nothing to knock your socks off either.
Truthfully, this was just alright. Maybe I need to spend more time listening to it but this was just alright. 7/10.
Heard It Through The Grapevine is given an upbeat cover and I don't hate it! meh on the whole album.
Many tracks missing on Spotify, but what I heard was decent.
Kolmella biisillä arvioituna ihan lepposaa rallattelua. En jaksanut etsiä youtubesta tms. spottarista löytymättömiä kipaleita...
This is a good listen. Have a go and enjoy
After losing original lead vocalist David Ruffin (watch his performance of "My Girl" in "Summer of Soul" to see what they were missing) the Temptations recruited Dennis Edwards and supposedly moved towards a more psychedelic-influenced sound to suit the changing musical landscape of the time. "Sly and the Family Stone" was a key influence in this, which made me very excited to hear how the band would approach a new direction (only being familiar with their biggest hits from earlier in the 60s). Honestly, perhaps listening to it fifty years on reduces the impact of this change in direction. "Cloud Nine" is a really promising start, with a propulsive bass-line, funky wah-guitar and an instantly memorable hook "I'm doing fine… on Cloud Nine". References to a "dog-eat-dog world" and escape from reality hint at some social commentary and exploration of interesting themes… but we then diverge into a fairly rudimentary cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". The third track, "Runaway Child… Running Wild" is a fun, groovy jam clocking in at nine minutes. It's hypnotic and holds some interest, even though the screams of "I want my mama" are a little grating. From then on, the second side is more standard fare, without the "psychedelic soul" left-turn feel I'd been expecting from this album. The songs feel much more like standard Temptations pop tracks, with a Motown influence and a tight three-minute pop structure. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this: it's all music to bop and sway to, with lush string production (see stand-out "I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back)") and stabs of brass and horns livening things up. The magic of the group as performers is also without question: vocally they are, of course, excellent. Eddie Kendricks sports a beautiful falsetto in "I Need Your Lovin'", and Melvin Franklin's bass parts add some lovely decoration. The soft, lilting "Why Did She Have To Leave Me" and "Gonna Keep On Tryin' till I Win Your Love" are my other standouts here. It's not at all bad, but I'd just hoped for a bolder approach after reading up on the background of "Cloud Nine". This album maybe pushes Cloud Six-and-a-Half.
This was fine. Not helped by Spotify hiding half the tracks but what was there was alright.
Lots of well known songs. It is good music. I am not sure I would listen to the whole album again, but if it was playing I wouldn't object.
Pretty cool; funkier than expected
This is a really nice album through and through, so groovy and the band really puts their voices into the performances. They also put some strange additions into "Runaway Child, Running Wild" that then upended what had been a solid, and positive experience. The wish that such a strange addition of a crying child made better sense than it did here is not granted, and it really puts an itch on one's head that no scratch will alleviate.
Decent without being amazing.
Not bad
The cover places the album solidly in the late 60's. And the title track Cloud Nine is a drug song, right? Great stuff; love hearing the voices individually and together. Great version of Grapevine. Runaway Child has great parts and also completely off-putting sections. Not a fan of Love is a Hurtin' Thing. Overall this album is a fun listen I'm glad I took the time to hunt it up on YouTube. Trying to find it also schooled me on how extensive the Temptations oeuvre really is. Impressive.
Un disquito de soul bonito, agradable, pero sin más brillo. No había ninguna de las que conocía antes de los Temptations y la única conocida (Heard It Through The Grapevine) la verdad es que me gustan más otras versiones. Sin pena ni gloria junta sus 3 estrellas.
Perfect singing, nice arrangements but ultimately it didn't grab me as much as I hoped.
easygoing funk that floats on by. a pleasant but forgettable pit stop
First point is that half of tracks are "greyed"out on spotify so can't be heard. What's left is tight and funky. It also has that lovely dry production that you yearn for. The Temptations go into a funky-psychedelic phase with this album ...lots of intermittent effects laden guitar. Solid 3.5
great to hear some of the origins of psychedelic soul
First three tracks are really great examples of early funk, very fun to listen to, they've got a great groove. The rest are standard soul for the time, nothing super groundbreaking, but a good album nonetheless. 3.5 👍
A bit annoying only half the album is on Spotify, so I used Youtube. I have never heard more than the few super iconic songs of this group, and this isn't a genre I typically listen to so I was quite excited to give this album a go! 1. Cloud Nine - Quite funky, I liked it a lot. 8/10 2. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Nice song. Google says it is a cover, but it's a good one. 7/10 3. Runaway Child, Running Wild - Really liked this one, intense theme. 8/10 4. Love is A Hurtin' Thing - A lot calmer. 8/10 5. Hey Girl - Very sedate compared to the other songs so far. I quite liked the more relaxed tune. 7/10 6. Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go) - Lovely vocals. 8/10 7. I Need Your Lovin' - More of the same, not as good. 6/10 8. Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me - I liked this one, I really liked the drums and horns. 7/10 9. I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back) - The repetitiveness of this album is getting to me. It's still a good song but dampened by everything that's come before it in the album. 7/10 10. Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love - I liked the tune, it's a rather sweet song. I really like the instrumental at 2:15. 7/10 Objectively excellent music, but not my style - didn't save anything and doubt I will ever listen again, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Rather repetitive at times, but a good album. 3/5 is my initial thought
Pleasant all the way through, outstanding vocals.
Bem legal, sinto que já conhecia a maioria das músicas. Melhor música: Why did she have to leave me,
6/10 Best song - Hey Girl
Sun-kissed Lots of desperate breakup songs set to jaunty soul-funk instrumentals It's good, nothing to write home about Full vocal ranges "Runaway child, running wild, better go back home where you belong" "Girl (girl come home, so I can dry my weeping eyes) why don't you come on home" Where is home? Where you feel loved.
Pretty album - some parts are a little close to Sly Stone for comfort
Hits like Will Smith at the Oscars
I really like The Temptations, I absolutely love the '60s era classic Motown pop Temptations and I can fuck with the Sly Stone inspired '70s era Temptations (there's an album called Psychedelic Shack, what's not to love?!). I'm pretty surprised this album made the list though. It's not one I have listened to much before, it's a halfway house album really. It is still peppered with moments of '60s style soul (moments that are less good than what they had done before) and there are some very clear hints of the more experimental direction the band were heading in, but at this point the ideas still seem only half formed. Hopefully Temptin' Temptations and All Directions are on this list, they are albums that far better represent the two sides of The Temptations.
Nice
why not on spotify :(
Some really superb vocals and vocal harmonies here. Yes, that's what they are known for, but it's justified. Reading the Wiki entry I learned this is the album when they departed from their original sound and started embracing psychedelic music. Good for them for their creative exploration. Not sure I'll come back to this one, but I appreciate what they were doing.
Idk anything about it but I kinda feel that Motown is always hard to beat.
Ach, ich weiß nicht. Das ist alles irgendwie gut, will bei mir aber nicht so recht zünden. Ganz schlechte 3.
Standard 60's poppy soul music. No real standouts here as nearly every song sounds like the every other. Plus, this contains probably the worst version of Heard It Through the Grapevine I've ever heard. Altogether, this album is not terrible, but nothing special either. Thus, 3/5.
Some really great songs pack this gem. 3/5.
It was good, but I expected to enjoy it more based solely on the fact that in general I like the Temprations. Not convinced that this so called psychedelic soul suits them so well.
Cloud Nine is a standout track. I wish there were more tracks like it on the album. Runaway Child stands out too, but not in a good way - some of the production choices kinda irk me. The rest of the album is pleasant and all but it literally put me to sleep.
Smooth, but just okay for me. Nothing offensive, unfortunately I have nothing to say on this. It's fine?
Smooth. Almost a little too smooth
2/1/22 Not really my style of music, but enjoyed it for what it was. Favorite Song: Cloud Nine
first listen great motown sound
A new era for The Temptations as they dive into the freethinking, freewheeling psychedelic era of the late Sixties. They tackle far more serious topics like abuse and estrangement from families, alongside the standard love songs that put them on the map. This album is not an overt embrace of psychedelia, though (that comes later) and it can prove frustrating after the first three songs, but the love songs are top notch as well. Good stuff all around. Favorites: Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Running Wild, Hey Girl, I Need Your Lovin'.
Only 4 of the songs are on Spotify, which is far from handy, but I found versions of the rest on other albums or compilations though. Side 1 very different to side 2, and much better, but neither is really up my street. Title track and heard it through the grapevine are my favourite songs
Real nice album, great grooves to get you through the morning! (Since that's when I listened to it). I got very excited that Heard it through the grapevine was on here but turns out this is a different version. Cloud Nine was probably my favorite song of the bunch, none were terribly memorable but as a whole this was a fun album.
Pretty good. Nothing too memorable unfortunately. I imagine the Temptations have bigger hits, but I'm drawing a blank right now. Favorite tracks: Cloud Nine, Love is a Hurtin' Thing, I Need Your Lovin'. Album art: Groovy. Only half-committed to the psychedelic experience, but I'll allow it. 3/5
Slowly moving towards proper "psychadelic soul", but not there yet.
I've never heard any tracks off of this album. After I had, I realized that the Temptation are as great as I thought. This was an awesome listen.
Their best tracks are not in this album, but it's alright
Good detective and porn music from the 60s-70s (in the beginning of the album). It was okay... Standard soul album about love and charming babes. 2.6/5
Solid slab of soul
Full album not on spotify
Liked it but didn't love it. This is another style that I prefer in tiny doses and don't enjoy one after another as it becomes tedious and a tad annoying
Quick and to the point. Is it something I'd listen to regularly? No, but I still liked hearing more from The Temptations than just the hits I'm used to.
This album was fine. Some solid doo op sound then throw in a less than mediocre cover of Heard it Through the Grapevine. This album was also lacking in some of their all time hits which is a disappointment.
Hard to find but worth it, some catchy numbers and great crooning
They are not breaking any ground, but they do not annoy in any way either. It is good sounding music but I just don’t see how this album showcases them as vocalists as the instrumentation is the highlight. Flat from beginning to end, no single moment better or worse than another.
The temptations going psychodelic, interesting concept but fails to fullz convince after a few songs
171225 16:36 3
This is pretty hard to argue with. I don't know that I walked away with anything that I can't live without, but Love is a Hurtin' Thing I thought was pretty great and everything on here is very tight.
Yeah, I dig this. The very definition of a three and a half star album for me. It's got a couple of points that are superior - and, in the case of the title track, one of my favourite soul numbers, period - but too much filler creeps in to give it that replay factor. But it's better than average, for sure.
6/10
3.66
I love the Temptations, but this album was just fine.
its alright
Ret funky album, men var i så psycadelic, som jeg troede.
det svänger rätt gött om det här
Àlbum incomplet a spotify. Pel poc que he pogut escoltar, interessant barreja de soul i psicodèlia
didn't grab me, but okay.
Album intéressant, très porté sur la voix assez funk
Classy, great vocals throughout. Feels like good music for lovin.
Si un día me apetece escuchar un buen álbum de música funk esta seria una de mis opciones a escuchar. Buen álbum :)
3.7 - Fun and funky but I'm not getting the touted "watershed" in "psychedelic soul." "Runaway Child, Running Wild" is the closest to a mind-bending surrealist track, and I love the "momma momma" breakdown. Otherwise, to me it sounds like standard Motown.
Nice soul album
motown tunes - heard it through the grapevine; no others i really knew. Really nice though
Blues, voces sureñas, percusión. Estilo de otra época
So-so. Inoffensive, a little dull. The wikipedia entry for the album was more entertaining. (i.e. didn't know that Gladys Knight and the Pips were first on the slate with I Heard It Through the Grapevine. As for the performance shenanigans of the Dennis Edwards era...life is sometimes more scandalous that fiction.)
Tof hoor, lekkere vibe!
Best aardig, maar zal het niet snel nog eens draaien.
Ik kan dat wel waarderen, die 70's groovy shizzle 😎
It was ok
Spotify wouldn't let me play the whole album but had a couple bangers (Heard It Through The Grapevine). Love a bit of motown, Dave Dew would play it when I was a kid. 3/5
3.5
Moving away from standard Motown fare, they begin making more jammed out funk and soul tracks. Great fun. Best Tracks: Cloud Nine; Runaway Child, Running Wild; Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go)
'Runaway child, running wild' is an interesting song. It centres around a headstrong kid that wants to run away but when he realises what the street is really like he's desperate to get home again but can't make it. The song closes with a haunting repeated plea of 'momma'. It reminded me of the Van Morrison song 'Beside you', where 'little jimmy' s gone' and Dylan's 'Visions of Johanna' where 'little boy lost, takes himself so seriously'. All three songs come from 1968, and the image of the lost child seems to be a common trope (based purely on these three songs but I could research the shit out of it if you push me). It was only a few years after the Moors murders but I doubt these had the required cultural impact in America as they did in England (though I'm sure there were equivalent travesties) but with increased forms of news media and means of communication along with increased urbanisation, perhaps there was more of a collective awareness / fear of the archetype of the lost child. Or perhaps the lost child was just the most aappropriate symbol for the turmoil of the social and political context of 1968 (assassinations of Marton Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Vietnam protests etc.) I always thought the temptations were a bit throwaway and by the book but there are some delicious numbers on this album.
Not bad. Groovy at first then seemed to go back to trad Motown
Really awkward to listen to as most of the songs were blanked out on Spotify. Had to keep jumping between there and YouTube to compete the album in sequence.
Pretty decent album filled with love motown and funk.
Not all on spotify
All songs were pretty decent but none that really stood out to me.
Starts out strong, really liked the first three songs (except for the crying child in Run Away Child, which was a bit off-putting. That song was too long, as well). The rest of the album is decent, but nothing really amazing.
The Temps breaking from their familiar Motown Sound to get funkier including a 9+ minute near-masterpiece in Runaway Child. With a little traditional late 60s soul style thrown in, this is a good Temptations album.
No se puede escuchar entero en Spotify España.
Definitely a more far out sound than I expected from The Temptations. Classic harmonies, one wild 9 minute track, and funky grooves throughout. Nothing super memorable but nothing outright bad either.
Good vibes
Enjoyable. Something I wouldn't normally have gone for. A couple of very strong tracks but not a complete stand out for me.
Alright. "Cloud Nine" and "Runaway Child, running wild" set my expectations a bit high so I didn't expect the rest to be generic Motown tracks about lost love.
Evil Woman is great
Could not access the full album anywhere but the one song I could find was a banger! Will rate it average
Good shit. I'd totally listen to this again.
3.5
Cool album and probably ground breaking at the time but not one I'd come back to often.
Heard about this band in one of the courses I'm taking. Surprisingly stylish even to the modern ear(which is practically me). Enjoyed the experience, especially the bass being prominent.
Good album from what I heard but all tracks weren’t available on Spotify.
An enjoyable listen but not much on here that will warrant a revisit. Opening track is wonderful, Runaway child is also fantastic but most of the rest is daily forgettable. Even their version of Grapevine is underwhelming
Depth and glorious sound. Could wish for less on unrequited love. The lyrics at times let down the talent of the vocals.
Some bops, some boring stuff. There are better albums out there.
Liked this a lot
I liked a lot of songs, but I wouldn't say that I loved any. They all had a very similar feel.
I understand it was significant to pop culture but I’m unimpressed. There’s so many more albums that are better than this. Both from the same era and genre. This seems less based on musicality than significance in pop culture. Kendricks has an annoying voice and I’ve just never been impressed with the temptations. That style is so bad. A lot of good qualities but used poorly.
It was Ok. Not my thing. Just like the last two albums, it felt less like an album and more like a collection of songs. Please don't let the next one be a mediocre late 60's album.
Surprisingly good
Niets buitengewoons.
It's The Temptations, doing what The Temptations do best, Temptationing all over the place. Always a nice listen.
old prog rock? not my cup of tea, but can see appeal
pretty cool - had to skip the "crying child" and to be honest I dont particularly like the falsetto in parts, but I know it was a time and place. some great stuff
Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 11/20 Innovation: 11/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 11/20 =51 Perfectly pleasant
6
Kolejny albumik ktorego niestety nie ma na spotifaju, niestety bo unikalne brzmienie ten murzynski band potrafil wyciagnac, historie zycia i smutku rodem z soulu, funkowe brzemia z nutka psychodelii, nie brzmi to zbyt komercyjnie, a jednak albumik spopularyzowal wyrazenie cloud nine i to jakim trakiem openingowym, nie spodziewalem sie uslyszec tylu barw glosow na jednym traku, dodatkowo w akompanjamencie murzynskiego bembnienia, na uwage zasluguje tez wyjatkowo wyrozniajacy sie tamburymi, o ile zazwyczaj ten instrument gdzies ginie wsrod gitarek czy drumsow, tak tutaj skupia na sobie uwage, trzeba sie bedzie rozejrzec za flakami tego albumiku, bo jednak jutubowa jakosc to nie jest wystarczajacy poziom dla takiego materialu, na plejke nie leci nic bo brak spotifaja, po raz drugi w historii listowania
Was alright. Didn't blow me away like. Lot of these classic albums suffer from a bad case of the samesies
Me ha gustado. En Spotify solo hay 3 canciones ¿por qué?, pero en Youtube está completo. El sonido de la Motown que uno imagina o recuerda está claro que es éste. Aunque no es de mi gusto suenan muy bien.
J’adore the temptations c’est un artiste que je vais reecouter mais l’album est moyen. 3*
Power soul. Se puede escuchar!
A short little album with some inoffensive sounds on it, but there's absolutely nothing memorable about it.
Helt bängeri nog. Skön soul
Enjoyable! Classic music. Recognised a couple. Sometimes not sure what to say about this music
Niet alles stond op spotify.
Title track is amazing. Rest is fine. 6/10
Motown love song vibes. Classic temptation feel. Stronger and longer rhymed heaps. Liked it but didn’t super vibe with it
Está buenísimo para un lunes de estar haciendo otras cosas con esta musiquita de fondo. Y nomás.
A gusssssto
Pleasant to listen to - 3.5
Pretty smooth, but nothing extra special. Nice funky sound.
Good, might return. Not all songs on spotify
Good fun!
Always like Motown music but find it can be similar and hard to stand out. Enjoyed it though.
Okayisch, not amazing
3/4 of the album is copyrighted
Very good feel. Not my favorite of this era but a good album nonetheless
I thought I would have liked it more. Some good songs.
Enjoyed, will listen to this more
Not bad but not really my style. Mildly enjoyable.
Spotify only had 3 of the songs on this available, thankfully i've heard most of it before over the years anyway. Another example of an album that I don't mind at all going for 35min, while Kanye West and Arcade Fire albums go for over an hour. 3/5.
It’s good stuff just not my stuff
261. ok
They say this was a turning point in the career of this legendary group, but only the first few tracks are psychedelic. Also, they did this as a reaction to the "There's a Riot Going On" release, seeing their contemporaries' success forced them to make the change. About 2/3 of the album is their typical style of music, which to me doesn't make this a required listen. They have better albums. I think this one is somewhere between a 2 and a 3 out of 5. While the song about the runaway kid is pretty neat, I don't think I'll be going back to this one.
I thought I would like this one more.
Didn’t enjoy this. Boring
It's fine. No where near as good as thier other album on this list. I think at this point I'm running out of things to write about for albums/artists I'm not too familiar with, but that probably says more about the album than it says about me. I liked the psychedelic feel though.
честно говоря слабовато, хотя по всем параметром должно было бы зайти
2.5 no way that’s there best album
This is a weird one to me. The music is fine but the songs selected are strange for a Temptations album. Quite a few seem to focus on a single singer opposed to the quartet’s usual harmony-forward approach. This could have been a bold choice but I think the result bears it out to be misguided. I even dislike the way the vocals are recorded in most songs such that the sit on top of it next to the mix without meshing into it.
Nice album not sure its a critical one
just ok
Meh. I was expecting much more. Barely rates a mention
4.5
Second album proposé après 'All Directions' que je n'avais pas vraiment apprécié (noté 2/5 - bon grooves funk, mais ... pas assez de funk). Ce 2eme album me semble contenir plus de soul et encore moins de funk. Je n'ai pas accroché, sauf peut être sur la partie instrumentale de ' Runaway Child, Running Wild' (+1). Pas de seconde écoute envisagée. =>2/5
I expected to like this more than I did. Even the version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
This album was pretty mid. Not really much to enjoy about it
2/5. It had no standouts for me. I did listen through the end though.
Spun it twice for kicks, familiar with a few tunes. Some good playing.
I liked hearing the growth and tone shift from Grapevine’s older doo-wop/soul sounds to grittier funk odyssey on Runaway Child. The rest felt like generic love songs
A band with the odd good track but a whole album's worth
Not my favourite album ever! But Runaway child, Running Wild was a fantastic Mo-Town leaning less traditional and more into socially conscious psychedelic soul. Cautionary tale about the danger of running away from home - inspired by real life articles of child runaways.
Enjoyable, but not my thing really
Too late to appear on this album but "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and other singles they did - especially when they teamed up with the Supremes - were good to hear on the radio at the time. Never interested me enough to buy any though and this album would have not persuaded me either. Interesting to hear but plenty of other Motown releases were much better. What would have been side 2 was nearer the mark.
Meh. 2/5
Sunny day ripping my heart out music, generic sounding for my naive pleb palette but not because of the wonderful music compositions or the singer's voices.
Psychedelic soul. Hard to go wrong in a way. Very solid and groovy instruments. Well actually I do like this it just isn't really doing anything for me. It's just music kinda. Nothing special. Ok I kind've don't like this. It's just kinda a little annoying. What are you whining so much about. Get up. Favourite: I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back) Least favourite: Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
Not bad but no song 'clicked'