Reviews (page 5 of 14)
All of it was good, no skips, I really enjoyed it, but man, when the album ended and the next song to come up was Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder, I perked up a bit. I like this, but I don't love it.
The title track is great- and I was expecting the rest of the songs to be like it - exciting and chaotic. Instead, each track seems to be more conventional than the last, leaving the record to feel a lot like a run-of-the-mill soul album. Which is good! But not that good. THREE STARS
Cloud Nine sounds different to what I expected from them. It is darker and a bit rougher, but I like that. It feels like they were trying something new and not playing it safe.
Edgier and grittier than previous stuff by The Temptations, but with the same brilliant vocals throughout. This album is lacking a main standout hit, although Cloud 9 to open is close.
Was okay, not sure if the right mood for the day
I've loved the Temptations since the biopic from the 90s/maybe early 2000s and this album was no different. Upbeat, funky and at only 35 minutes a pretty quick listen.
Cloud Nine voelde voor mij minder “warm” en toegankelijk dan bijvoorbeeld Fats Domino. Sommige tracks (zoals “Runaway Child, Running Wild”) zijn lang en gaan meer richting een soort psychedelische trip met monologen en herhaling, waardoor ik er juist wat onrustig van werd. Ik snap de artistieke intentie en het experiment, maar het klonk voor mij wat haperig en random, en ik merkte dat ik moeite had om erbij te blijven. Interessant om gehoord te hebben, maar niet iets dat ik snel opnieuw opzet.
fire
Oehh deze vibe staat me wel aan! Het heeft een goede flow en leuke sfeer. Er waren alleen niet echt memorabele momentjes, maar alsnog denk ik dat ik dit vier sterren geef!
Excellent. Sounds great, so joyful. Happy to return to any of these tracks in the future.
pretty similar vibe to the album i listen yesterday… it was pretty good overall, easy to listen to and enjoyable
Lovely
Enjoyed a lot good vibes
Very much what I expected from The Temptations. Good album, but not a lot of varied sound. Still a classic and beautiful harmonies
Fun to listen to, but didn't really stand out to me. I can see why some people would rate this fairly high but it's really not my usual taste. Refreshing after having to listen to the Beatles though (which I got yesterday)
So fun I love motown
Enjoyed the soul sound but repetitive themes in lyrics and in the musical style.
This album marks a bold shift for The Temptations into psychedelic soul, with gritty grooves and socially conscious lyrics. It’s historically significant and undeniably inventive, but the experimental edge sometimes overshadows the melodies that made their earlier work so timeless. I’m glad I experienced it for its place in music history, but it’s one I'm unlikely to lisyen to again.
6/10 Favourite: Cloud Nine Least Favourite: Hey Girl
more like cloud 3/5
I honestly wanted to like it more but many tracks fell flat. Might not help that the stereo mix is super wide
Damn solid album. Very funky. Great vibes. Really enjoyed this. I know the Temptations by reputation but never really listened to them. This is great. Reputation well earned.
I had some fears when the album started that this was going to be one of the lower rated albums so far, but I actually quite liked it as it went on. It's a nice soul/funk album, with some GREAT basslines on it. "Runaway Child, Running Wild" was the standout track and the big surprise to me. Solid album, kinda fire. 7 / 10.
This version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine is now my favorite cover. Great album besides that.
Never really been into this genre but we'll give it a go 🤷♀️ Genuinely really well written music, just makes me feel like I'm back in A level music lessons 🥲
I really enjoyed the most funk/soul vs the R&B, but still feel like this is a 4 star album.
really enjoyed this album!!! stand outs for me were cloud nine, hey girl, and runaway child, running wild . not many notes, not my usual style but i really enjoyed it
Honestly amazing album. Every song was very good
6 / 10
First few tracks were great, really enjoyed them..and then it descended into middle of the road background music.
This album was definitely not The Temptations I was expecting. A little more funky than their earlier music but the singing actually sounded flat and off key to me on some songs. I was looking forward to listening to this but overall I was disappointed.
A cool vibe rolls across this album with titles that are familiar 50+ years after they were recorded. Unlike some previous selections, the vocals take center stage on this album despite having some excellent R&B beats. The Temptations have a storied history and this record predates some of their huge sensations. A great listen for a group that had an important place in musical history.
The temptation here would be to overrate this album based on the famous band name. The truth, however, is that this is a far cry from the legendary songs we know The Temptations for. This is repetitive in most cases and the formula grows tiresome very quickly. There is no groove that lets a song stand apart from the rest. There are some hallmark elements but nothing comes together here at all. Mostly a forgettable wash of generic soulless soul.
Outstanding, I grooved to this all day. So much better than I expected. I've always thought of the temptations as old school Motown, matching polyester suits and goofy coordinated dance routines. Nothing wrong with all that, but there is some serious soul and funk here. This here is the good stuff.
Good album, but not great
Mid Tier, I enjoyed it though
an album i finally haven’t listened to. this album just gives off just classic love since this is a 60s album. i could imagine myself listening to this if i was growing up in the 60s. honestly not too much to say except for this is the oldie love i like to hear. 8/10
Amazing bass lines in this.
Nice chill album very 60s
Enjoyable album Standout songs: Runaway child Love is a hurtin' thing
overall i was surprised with how much i liked this. it’s very up beat with all the harmonies the band creates makes it sounds like many more than one singer. i liked the story behind each song i felt like i could picture things while listenjng
I liked the vibe of this
was impressed by how timeless it sounds (though vocals can feel like they're from the 50's), loved the guitars and bass, child crying for their mum in Runaway Child freaked me out
Really enjoyed the album. Will be looking for this on vinyl.
Very good transitional album with psychedelic overtones
I had a steady groove going with this one.
This is good. Not the best Motown record I've heard, but with the Funk Brothers as the band, the instrumentation alone kept me engaged, even if the songwriting didn't. Some killer standouts here, but quite a few that feel like afterthoughts. 6/10
Fire
Love the sound of this era. A lot of songs sound the same and I think the first half is much stronger than the second.
4/5
this was okay, nothing special
Perfectly listenable album with some nice songs and performances but I really don't find it particularly impactful. The harmonies aren't really to my taste, a more soulful performance would add more depth to the songs. Sound is nice. I just wouldn't mind not hearing these songs again
This album was an easy listen and there wasn’t a single track that I skip, I can see myself playing this on a Sunday morning. However it did not totally blow me away, for me personally, I think the vocals needed something more, instead of the sort of acapella style cheesy harmonies. The music so much more funky (and better imo) than their classic “my girl” music era, it felt psychedelic at points and the production across the album was amazing, I think this album would rate higher for me if there were a few more songs that really stood out to me on it.
Not really my genre but an enjoyable enough listen. The production was first rate and the vocals as smooth as you’d expect.
very nice
I don't have much to say about this album. It sounds good. Lyrically, almost every song is about the same thing. Which was so tiring it swung back around to comical. Overall, it was unremarkably okay. Three stars. (Favorite track: Runaway Child, Running Wild.)
This was alright for me! Enjoyed "Cloud Nine" and "Runaway Child, Running Wild"
Interesting record: side one is like a 70s prog-soul and funk (Sly Stoney) and side two is back to the (very good) Motown sound. These guys in fringe and bell bottoms or tight high-stepping tuxedos?
Sometimes I find it difficult to really listen attentively to Motown doo-wop because it sounds like the landscape of life, literally the background. This has some of that quality, but also songs that make you sit up and take notice.
The funk on this album is soo oo good. Motown not that much for my taste
good vibes in r&b soul for remember the 70s
Lush Funk coming from Motown with so much soul. Yes fucking pleased Lush warm live orchestration that’s especially strong on funk leaning stuff and it GROOOVES. Insane vocals and loving period 70s super wide audio panning and production. Adore this. Second half is not as strong as it goes more back to Motown.
Thought I would like this more than I did. The lyrics and themes got tired really quickly and their older sounding songs didn't sound very interesting to me.
Na
starts out fabulous with "Cloud Nine". somehow they managed to botch the record for me on the second half with sub-par baby-baby songs, one after another...
Solid album! Nothing stuck out to me and grabbed my attention. But good album front to back, would be great as a record for the background.
mid
eeeeeeeh
Loved the singing. They sang their little hearts out. Favorite song: I Gotta Find A Way.
i cant lie pretty meh on this that one 10 minute song did not need to be that long and some songs have odd panning and feel weird to listen to then the 2nd half of the album has some romantic ahh songs that are pretty basic not a huge fan overall
It's groovy and pleasant, but the songs seemed unimaginative and repetitive especially in theme and lyrics wise. It faded into the background for me completely.
3/5 It's.... fine. Nothing outstanding. It's difficult to say much about it really. It's just a fun album, but there's nothing really that special about it.
fun but nothing crazy
It feels wrong that I'm about to give three stars to The Temptations, but I'm afraid that's how I feel about this one. The turn toward a funkier sound is brilliant, and the tracks that actually sound that way are really enjoyable. But much of the record is in the 60s Motown style... timeless when applied to the right material, but nothing particularly inspiring here. I suppose it's an album that matters more as a sign of where the group (and the whole culture) were heading, but I don't think it's one I'll return to for a complete listen.
es war schon sehr vibey aber hat mich leider auch nicht abgeholt :((
I don't know what it is about a bass laying down a nice groove in funk music, but I really like it. I enjoyed listening to this album quite a bit.
OOOOOOOooooo very funky, love the sound - would be awesome to listen to on a sunny morning.
need this one on record
Good, not great. A nice change of pace from Slipknot but not making it to my heavy rotation.
For goodness sakes people! It's The Temptations! If you only listen to one R&B, funk, soul album, this is definitely in the top 10 of what you should consider to hear!
such a fun listen. i had a really good time and pretty much liked all the songs!! faves: why did she had to leave me, don’t let him take your love from me
Great album
I actually enjoyed this one. Fun album.
Not my favorite thing ever. Definitely not bad, but gets kind of boring to me. Some songs are much better than others on this album. Overall, pretty solid, but nothing that I'd really come back to.
This would be fun music to put on in the background at a party. Undeniably except although not terribly resonant with me specifically! I did like the "child" crying "I want my mommy" though,
I'm always pleasantly surprised by The Temptations. Best songs: cloud nine and runaway child, running wild
Vibes
Solid album, you could say they were very tempted to sing about love.
Nice easy Motown.
Great traditional rhythm and blues album, really enjoyable and chilled 7/10
Fan of this album, groovy tunes
Favorite Songs: Why Did She Have To Leave Me, Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing, I Need Your Lovin’ Least Favorite Song: I Heard It Through The Grapevine A consistently good record but nothing stands out to me. Fun though!
Enjoyable. Nothing life-changing but none are skip worthy. 4.25
It was so great and so romantic, listened to it on the way to a date
classic motown sound 3.40
Bland. Poor cover of grapevine. I like other temptations stuff but this wasn’t it
Nice funky slice of soul.
Sexy music
Solid stuff.
It's The Temptations doing Temptations stuff, which basically means, "This is cool".
Blown away by the wall of sound
LOVE
I always thought of the temptations as this old mowtown band but this is far more funky than I expected.
Psychedelic Temps I heard through the grapevine Run away child, running wild
just more grooving
So feel good - another one you can't help wiggling all the way through to
okay
Temptations at their best.
Vibing
Great singing throughout. A solid listen!
Cloud Nine is a whole mood. Such feel good music!
Giving this to my son as his first breakup album
A little too monotonously funky for me.
great sound but needs a few more killer apps. i like Runaway Child, Running Wild, but Hey Girl is probably my favorite
Rating: 5/10 Pretty alright as I probably listened to it in the best way possible, on the speaker while doing some Saturday morning kitchen chores. I think I might have actually liked the second half songs better.
Fun listen but a little forgettable 5.1/10
Ba da ba da ba dum. 6 wizards out of 10 lizads
Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Ganz okay.
Groovy and fun, for the most part. A couple of songs didn’t do it for me, but most I enjoyed. Cloud Nine and Gonna Keep On Tryin’ Till I Win Your Love are the perfect opener and closing song.
Great album, bringing their brand of hard soul. The opening track exudes social injustice and love their version of I heard it through the grapevine.
decepção. começou com a OBRA PRIMA cloud nine pra brochar total no resto do álbum :( por favor alguém avisa os criadores desse livro que existem outras décadas na música. não aguento mais os primórdios do rock, muito menos músicas românticas dessa época. e esse homem sofreu coitado. supera ela mano ela não te quer mais. pelo menos esse álbum tem mais molho que outros da época, tem músicas com camadas, muitos elementos, bem baixudas etc. queria reiterar o quanto AMEI a primeira música, mas o fato de só ter músicas de amor anos 60/70 no resto do álbum achei meio pah sou meio hater desse estilo. cloud nine (música) vc é 5 estrelas no meu coração.
Não me importo com o fato de 2/3 do álbum ser sobre o sofrimento do sujeito que perdeu a namorada. O que me incomoda é que esse sofrimento não é muito bem representado musicalmente. O álbum começa interessante, abrindo com a melhor música, e logo na sequência, uma interpretação legal da "I heard It Through The Grapevine". Depois o álbum dá uma caída em qualidade. Apesar de ser um álbum pequeno, termina já com uma sensação de cansaço. Talvez encaixaria em uma trilha sonora, mas como álbum próprio não se sustenta muito. Melhor do álbum: "Cloud Nine". Pior do álbum: "Love Is A Hurtin' Thing".
Meh.
Fun lil album. Bass grooves were awesome and I was definitely vibing with that the whole way through. It’s also funny listening to their previous albums and finding out that this one is just so different than the rest.
A bit florid for my palate, somehow
funky and i fw this
This challenge has given me a good introduction to Psychedelic Soul: a genre I was probably interested in all along and never got around to it. This is so much better than My Girl.
C'était pas mal comme bruit de fond, mais je suis pas mal saturé en 60s. J'ai passé plus de temps à essayer de comprendre c'était quoi un Cloud 9 et c'était quoi le lien avec l'album du même nom de George Harrison. J'ai pas trouvé la réponse à aucune des deux questions et je vais laisser planer le mystère.
Easy to listen to, but pretty generic sound. Fine as background noise.
Nice sound for background music, I was quite bored listening to this though
I liked it! Pretty groovey!
Love a bit of Motown
Not really my thing
Best Song: Runaway Child, Running Wild Musically they are fantastic and they are amazing performers. That being said, I am not a big R&B fan and, while this is good, I am stuck with a relistenability quality that this doesn't have for me. In other words, I will never listen to this again no matter how talented the musicians are. 3/5.
I mean, it sounds quite nice but ultimately kinda left me feeling nothing. It's soulful and warm, but not very memorable except for the first song and that cover of I Heard it Through the Grapevine doesn't do the original any justice.
Motown upbeat, childhood trauma, optimistic
A real mixed bag - starts off funky as hell, Runaway Child, Running Wild is ten minutes long and great. Then half of it is 3 minute pop songs, Motown smooth, which are also mighty fine. More than I expected and a nice listen.
Enjoyable, just weird to hear the Temptations get more into the funk side of late 60s R&B and it felt like the arrangements didn’t bring out their voices.
SO GOOD
Though without David Ruffin, arguably the best member of the Temptations, and most egotistical, this album slaps. It’s funky, but then has the tender love songs we know them to put out. Overall, probably a 3.8/5.
Started strong but didn’t really keep my attention. Great vocals and cool recordings, but not exactly the style that catches my ear. Still, was a fun listen.
-love the album cover -some of the songs were kind of long and weren’t good enough in my opinion to withstand the duration -I do like Cloud Nine
Fun!
Classic and soulful. What a way to relax and unwind on a Friday. Good album.
Really thown by the track arrangement here; was excited to see 10 songs, 35 minutes, awesome. Then, like 7 minutes into runaway child, running wild I realized my assumption that I'd be hearing something classic, digestible, wasn't going to pan out.
Those iconic temptations baselines - NAME ANY ARTIST TODAY THAT EVOKES THE SAME EMOTIONS???
can never go wrong with the temptations
Outstanding sound but lacks anything that makes it truly pop 3.5
First 3 songs lean to the funk side ( side 1 of the record I believe). The rest is standard Temptations fare. You can't argue with either
Decent enough, but nothing that really grabbed me - steady Motown
I love me a black soul album!!
The Temptations are my favorite Motown group. I love the style and the music. I hope they added their earlier album on this list because again, this isn’t necessarily the album that makes the most sense to me for this artist.
Bit of the same stuff throughout the album, I probably need to listen. Few more times?
Some great tracks on here, but a couple skippable ones too
Seems very influential for psychedelic funk afterwards without losing its own value. Decent songs that unfortunately feel surpassed by everything the genre has to offer after it.
great vibes, classic album.
oh ya coool
Not my taste.
love
Enjoyable but didn’t quite hit the heights I had expected.
This was better than I thought it would be; the opening title track was good, followed by a decent reworking of *I Heard It Through The Grapevine*, which means this song appears on the 1001 album challenge at least 3 times, although it’s no match for the CCR cover. The star of the show is undoubtedly the 9+ min ‘Runaway Child, Running Wild’, which is a funky, groovy track that surprised me, leaning far more into a long instrumental section, rather than the more renowned soul that dominates the rest of the album, which is what stops it scoring higher for my preferences. It’s good but I’m unsure when I’d return.
Amazing! 5/5
Dug it. 70s funk and Motown R&B. Not entirely a standout for me, but I enjoyed it. Didn't realize that The Temptations had some funk going on.
Tight pants soul cruise ship vibes.
i thought this was better than the other one but not really
I expected to absolutely love this, and for the most part I did really enjoy it. But boy does it take a dive about 4 songs in. We start with "Cloud Nine," and immediately know that we're in for a record with something to SAY. "Runaway Child, Running Wild" is the absolute winner of the album to me, no questions asked; it's gritty, powerful, and plain good music to boot. I figured the album would keep pushing it with more political commentary, but -- no! That's it! From then on, we just get happy-go-lucky radio hits. Now, don't get me wrong, I like them. The Temptations are hard to dislike, and they do the cheese very well. But they just don't grip me. Fave tracks: - Cloud Nine - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Runaway Child, Running Wild - Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me - I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back) - Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love
It's fine. I thought I'd enjoy it more.
Funkkky
I love them. This isn't them at their best but some cool base and great soulful pop vibes.
that one was surprising, actually awsum :D
I enjoyed this, The Temptations you always know that there will be at least 1 song you like a high 3
7/10
Vocal group goes psychedelic! I actually love when established groups try to shoehorn their way into trends, if only because it’s interesting to hear how they fall short. In the case of this record, ‘Cloud Nine’ and the epic ‘Runaway Child, Running Wild’ seem to be the ‘psychedelic’ entries, and both are not that fun to me (or particularly psychedelic, for that matter). Someone wailing ‘I want my mama’ during ‘Runaway Child…’ definitely made my family’s ears perk up, but not in a good way. As the album progresses, the songs become more standard Temptations fare, and is better for it, but this group in general never quite resonated with me, despite my deep love of Motown. Favorite song: "I Need Your Lovin'"
Hey if it works it works right? They don't stray too far off the path of what works, and it just works well for this album.
They sure know how to sing a song about sadness/happiness/power of love. Whether that’s chasing, waiting for, or losing it.
Really solid psychedelic soul
Solid soul. Proof that boy bands are pointless - this is the real deal. One or two unnecessary vocal theatrics just to include all the singers but WOW the band was working hard. The Funk Brothers doing tgheir thing!
Vibes: 4/5 Instruments: 4/5 Production: 4/5 Emotional Value: 4/5 Storytelling: 3/5 Album Cover: +0 Stand Outs: Cloud Nine, I Need Your Lovin' Overall Rating: 3.8
#197/1001. Well, i don't think this shot was just as a oassing phase, and thank God the producer Norman Whitfield changed this opinion in a few months in '68. But I have my doubts that cloud nine is about a state of mind. Come on, it is 1968! The times were hip and people turned on, tuned in and dropped out. This is psychedelic soul / funk, and according to ai, The term psychedelic comes from two Greek roots: • psyche (ψυχή) — mind, soul, spirit • delos (δηλος) — to make visible, to reveal, to manifest So psychedelic literally means “mind-manifesting” or “revealing the soul.” What better way to manifest the concept than a gospel / motown / rnb band turing in to a funkier, urban, new dimensions seeking sound. Album retrrats to old manners at some point though, but it was a bold move for an old band, and it has stood the test of time.
I like the Temptations, but this wasn't their strongest offering. There was a couple good songs, but the rest were nothing to get excited about.
Great album
Oh yeah, The Temptations so mi bli zmer všeč. In prvi komad ("Cloud Nine") se že začne odlično. Hiter, mal funky komad. Spomnim se, da so skozi leta šli skoz več sprememb med člani & wiki pravi, da je kle Dennis Edwards zamenjal David Ruffina, ki je bil glavni vokalist na verjetno njihovem najbl znanem komadu, "My Girl". Ok, zanimiva verzija "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - hitrejša kot sem navajena. Ok, a veš kva pa ne sede? Poslušat kul, funky komad, po se pa v komadu začne otrok jokat, da hoče svojo mamo ("Runaway Child, Running Wild"). To me je mal ven vrglo. Ok, druga polovica je bolj motowni, k funky. Vsi so mi fajni. Se mi pa zdi psychedelic soul oznaka na wiki smešna, ker this ain't psychedelic, ampak očitno so to res začetki psihadelike? Anyway,
More like cloud 4.5 or 5.
4/5
A classic sounding 60s records with a lot of sonic qualities that I love. I was surprised to notice some of the fidelity of the room sounds present on one of the vocal takes early on in the record; a very noticeable "room tone" that sounded...pretty rugged. A couple of covers, no notably huge ear-worms for me. Enjoyable listen
Motown at its finest. Some good hidden gems
I really liked the bass, drums, Fender Rhodes, organ, etc. because I love the "swing" element in the rhythm section of music, and knowing that rock drummers incorporated these elements into their own music; the vocals had an acapella-like feel with each singer singing a different note on the scale; I thought that the lyrics/song themes needed more thematic variation than just being about love
REALLY GOOD VIBES
Un album des Temptations, c'est jamais mauvais. Mais celui là n'est pas particulièrement bon. Une des pires vbersions de I heard through the Grapevine.
Ça fit ben avec beaucoups d'albums dans cette liste : agréable et oubliable.
Good soul or whatever.
I was expecting more from this one.
The first three songs are wildy different than the rest of the album. More funk driven, early in the era for it. Side 2 is much more classic soul.
Worth it just to hear The Funk Brothers, the backing band of choice for most Motown recordings across the 60’s.
впервые услышал этот альбом когда мне было 5 минут, сейчас мне уже 999 лет, но я все равно его слушаю каждый день.
Pleasantly surprised by this album. I read up on it and says it was the first psychedelic R&B album. A lot more sounds than you'd figure for The Temptations. Cool of them to step out of their box and make a classic.
It’s pretty good! 3
Liked this. Voices work well together. Main thing is I felt something
I honestly don't know how this is on this list. Very poor output from them. How can you take a song as soulful as Heard It Through The Grapevine and render it elevator ready. Whomever is attempting the falsetto on this album, please stop. The Temptations have some iconic songs but none of them (or their essence) is here. This is sad. Like when a classic band is touring 30 years later with just the original bass player carrying the name from casino to casino.
Good, but not great.
Very good, as always, can listen to them no matter my mood
3.0 - Ok
The first album I ever bought with my own money was the Temptations' All the Million Sellers on tape. My dad said that as long as it had "My Girl" on it, it was probably good. I don't remember how old I was, but I do remember listening to that tape as I played with tinker toys and getting super freaked out by the tales of a lost runaway begging for his mom on "Runaway Child" and a father dying and leaving his family destitute on "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." Cloud Nine is a classic psychedelic soul album, a transitional form of the genre, as some of the tracks still sit in the old-school Motown/Tamla vein. And look at that smokin' late sixties album art! This record cover wouldn't look out of place if it were shown behind a classic Velvet Underground performance at an art installation. Even though the Temptations were pushing the boundaries of their classic soul sound here, the record is remarkably easy to listen to, both for better and for worse. Except for the extended "Run Away Child, Running Wild" jam at nine and a half minutes, no song goes over three and a half minutes, and the album clocks in at less than forty overall. That makes the record easy to digest, but it also belies the safety of the Temptations branching out in their experiments. This observation is not meant as a criticism. I happily listened to this record three times today. Every listen was enjoyable, but nothing really gripped me except for the killer title track. The only misstep here is the performance of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." The Temptations' version isn't bad by any means, but Marvin Gaye had a massive hit with the tune just one year prior, and time has only deepened the perception that it is his song. I know there were a couple of Motown versions before Gaye's, so maybe it was considered a semi-standard in the late sixties, but it sounds like an unnecessary cover today. Overall, I enjoyed this record and will be looking to pick it up on vinyl or CD if the opportunity arises. Four stars.
not their best work but could be a lot worse
This was a comforting album. The Temptations span generations and this particular outing seems like a hipper one. Something laid back and cool about begging your lady to stay. Maybe it’s the humility of it all.
I enjoyed it, The Temptations are cool, but nothing really grabbed me.
Funky, catchy. Great vocals and exceptional background vocals.
Wonderful vibe
Did not disappoint. Very easy album to listen to.
Good stuff
Classic soul album by one of the best , has Mrs Fitz favourite song on there top album
The title track “Cloud Nine” is the stand out
Some really solid old motown but a bit uneven.
Wikipedia says this is "psychedelic soul". It's basically smooth Motown soul with some flourishes of psychedelia. That means it's slick, well produced music with great singing. Granted, I have no idea why a Motown vocal group stuffed a 9-minute epic in the middle of their album which includes a child crying "I want my mama!". After said epic, it was just a string of 3-minute ballads that were excellent. This is a good album, but it falls short of masterpiece status.
Yo this was good but the little kid crying for his mom threw me for a loop
This was much more colourful than I expected it to be. I only knew "My girl" by them and that is such a sweet song. Those are here aswell. "Love is a hurtin' thing" for instance. But there is much more. The vocalists had such vastly different voices. Melvin Franklin's bass vocals were so soulful. It's wonderful. Paul Williams on their wonderful cover of "Hey girl" is fantastic aswell and honestly he is more fitting for the radio. But most of all the versatility within the group that's shown especially on the title track is brilliant. I also enjoyed that it is an obvious drug song but anyway. A very good album.
Nice - Detroit legends
Love it. Own it.
In the sweet spot of R&B right when everyone was getting all weird and experimental. Made some of the worst rock music, and some of the best R&B. Cool stuff.
This was a short listen. Easy breezy. I enjoyed it although nothing stuck with me.
Best Track - "Why Did She Have To Leave Me"
This is just too smooth to be great. Cloud nine is undeniably funky and soulful, but just doesn’t quite grab me. Unfortunately the same is true of Heard it through the grapevine, which like the grit of Otis and other versions. Runaway child continues the theme, but feels really long, in part because it is. I enjoyed the contrast in vocals of Love is a hurtin thing. Hey girl has a great opening bass line, but soon descends into schmaltz with the arrival of the strings. The drum intro for the next too as do similar i have to check i haven’t hit back on my phone. Don’t let him take your love from me is the point i finally realise i generally prefer the songs with a deeper bass vocal taking the lead
Anything by The Temptations is perfectly acceptable to listen to. I liked the title track, but this version of “Grapevine” was just dull in comparison to Marvin Gaye’s. The rest of the tracks were just background noise, albeit perfectly acceptable, mostly standard soul background noise. Why Motown groups also feel the need for a 9min song goes beyond my understanding - it’s just the opposite of what they’re good at, which is a tight 3mins.
You know when you expect you'll love something, and then its just fine? Yeah, that. The voices are obviously incredible - just the most emotive, gravely, beautiful voices. That version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine is definitely not for me though. And I could definitely do without the crying child in Runaway Child, Running Wild. I guess I like my soul less psychedelic. Should be a 2.5 but I think I'm going to round down. 2/5
Echt nett.
Not an all time great album at all
Nice blend of soul and funk. Not really what I think of when I think of this group.
2/2 Temptations Albums down. Having listened to the album All Directions previously, I had extremely high expectations for Cloud Nine. I added virtually the entire album after listening to it last time. So, how does this one compare? Well, in my honest opinion… This one isn’t nearly as good, sadly. The good news is that all the singers sound amazing, especially the guy with the immensely deep voice. Love that guy especially. The bad news is that as a whole, these songs are all just barely passable, maybe slightly boring, and I didn’t love the rendition of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” nearly as much as the CCR Version, so that kind of disappointed me even more. I think what held this album back compared to the other one is the level of Funk. It was easier getting down with All Directions because every song made me want to get down and dance, but this one felt like more traditional Motown and did not make me want to get down and dance. Not a bad thing, just not as good. It was a high pedestal to put the album on admittedly, and it did not pass my expectations. All that being said, it’s a slightly above middle of the road 3. Let’s go with a 3.68/5. My favorite song on this album was the opener, “Cloud Nine”. It teased me right away with a banger of a song and then went downhill rather quickly after that. Still, now that I’m done with these guys as far as this project is concerned, I’m free to check out their entire discography, which I absolutely will. That’s a huge compliment.
really solid but not something I'd listen to on my own time, 3.5
See, musical history matters. It wasn't a bunch of animated raisins that sang it first!
Fine but didn't feel like anything particularly special.
nice soul but heard better
Good album, Love the Temptations.
no
Es musica de l'epoca jazz/blues. No esta mal, pero no es lo meu.
Funky and groovy all at the same time.
Fairly middle of the road album. Cloud Nine is the standout track, which is a shame as it's the opener. Overall quite enjoyable, helps that it's nice and short 35 minutes.
not bad, jazzy
"Cloud Nine" by The Temptations is a nice album but I'm nevertheless surprised to find it on this list. I like The Temptations' sound and vibe - so I enjoyed listening to this record yesterday - but I cannot say that something outstanding on it has caught my mind. So, for me it was nice and solid but if you're not into the Motown stuff, it's a waste of time.
Love it.Favourite track is Cloud Nine 4/5
The title track is great, but most of the rest falls short and is pretty generic, even though the musicianship and voices are top notch.
Good funky music
I really like some of the songs. Some were just mid. I think I'm giving this one 3 stars.
Started off strong but not really a fan of their heard it through the grapevine. Started peetering out as the album progressed
This album is so good, especially the opening half. Starts with a very classic funk intro, ripping you straight into the era, with Cloud Nine. A solid cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, folloeed by the masterpiece of the album Runaway Child, Running Wild. The story told is great and the funk is at its best here. The back half are a bunch of love songs about trying to get your girl back or to stop her from leaving, and some of the funk drops off, but that doesn't mean there isn't great stuff here. My favorite here is Hey Girl, which was almost enough to be my favorite from this quick album.
upbeat and very easy to vibe along!
Classic banger. Best version of the song "I heard it through the grapevine"
Love the jazz-psychadelic instrumentals and very good voices
An album of two halves, which is one of the few things to count against it. If they’d carried on in the groove of Side A it’s a solid 5/5, but seems weird they returned to the old playbook on Side B. Not that there was anything wrong with the old playbook - but it does end up feeling like they lost their nerve.
Really cool soul music that is completely new to me. smooth songs and good singing. Might have to listen to a few of the songs again today now that I got in to the groove.
3,5
Probably one of the best transition albums.
I don't have a whole lot to say about this album, it is clearly very competently made and full of talent. That said, it's just not really my thing. I did like some of the more atmospheric instrumentals. 3.5 -> 3/5
Every Man, Every Man Is Free 1001 Albums Generator 153 (11/03/2025) I am only aware of The Temptations through their classic song "My Girl", but Cloud Nine is something totally different. It is a deep funk style, especially on the first side, which is super strong. The title track is fantastic and energetic, and the nearly 10 minute Runaway Child, Running Wild is really fantastic. It flies by and does not feel like 9 minutes at all. The second half of the album is more forgettable and is just unfortunately not nearly as strong. It's not bad, but some of the vocals, especially the lower register vocals, are pretty cringe. Not a bad album at all, but I don't think I would come back to it in its entirety. 3/5. Favs: Cloud Nine Runaway Child, Running Wild I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back) Least Fav: Love Is A Hurtin' Thing
This album is just NOT the "real" Temptations.
Super interesting hearing the first 3 tracks taking on a psychedelic sound, and the rest going back to that classic temptations soul/funk sound.
Yeah it’s the temptations
Oh, it went a bit long since I listened to when I reviewed. IIRC pretty weak even though it was cozy.
It makes me feel like i'm in a movie
Mediocre, back half picks up
Pretty good.
RANKING 1) Love Is A Hurtin' Thing - 9.55 2) Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go) - 9.31 3) I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back) - 9.3 4) Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love - 9.23 5) Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me - 9.22 6) I Need Your Lovin' - 9.1 7) Hey Girl - 8.8 8) Cloud Nine - 8.4 9) I Heard It Through The Grapevine - 8.35 10) Runaway Child, Running Wild - 7.7 AVG RATING - 8.90 PERSONAL RATING - 9 2/3 Spot are Interchangeable - Distinct but both very good, same with 4/5. Vocals, Instrumentation, Catchiness, Everything sounds distinct and amazing. All songs stand out, and they are all certified bops.
Alright.
I expected a lot from this, and I feel kinda meh. Couple of nice ideas, but especially the first half is convoluted, a bit too jammy, and then side B goes all repetitive. Meh.
Great opening track. The rest of the album felt a bit same-y, but was brought back by the closing track. Nothing stood out to me in particular, but I did enjoy listening to this album on the whole! 7/10
Really enjoyable album. Incredible for its time
Pretty good album. Some of the songs are classic Motown, but there are a few darker sounding, more psychedelic sounding songs like Cloud Nine. Notables tracks include Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Love is a Hurtin Thing, Hey Girl, I Need Your Lovin. Enjoyable listen, all the songs are listenable.
Good old Motown album. A couple of different sounding signs but overall had that Motown feel.
I was slightly disappointed by this - I guess I’m used to their 70’s stuff and was expecting more OOMF in their works - not to say it wasn’t bad at all - they had hits esp in the 2nd half that kinda redeemed the album.
Great artist, they all have so much talent, and it was well produced. Just felt a little bit lacklustre and that they couldn't mesh out the brilliance that they have.
3.5
Motown, soulful, funky. Nice vocals.
B-sides were better than the hits. Good ole’ Mo-Town.
Not my sort of thing
No standouts but a solid background album
What you'd expect from a mid-60s Motown record: well-produced, pleasant vocals and swooning lyrics in an attractive package. But it never quite grabbed your attention
Good but not really my kind of thing. Their version of heard it on the grapevine is good.
7.5
its a bit better than other soul albums i have listened to but its still not my thing 3/5
nah
cloud nine- 5 i heard it through the grapevine- 5 runwaway child running wild- 5 love is a hurting thing- 5 hey girl- 5 why did she have to leave me- 5 i need your loving- 5 dont let him take your love from me- 5 i gotta find a way- 5 gonna keep on trying til i win your love- 5
Not sure I had any of these Temptations songs before - love some soul deep cuts. The I want my mommy parts were def unexpected. I feel like I should learn all the bass parts on this album.
Fun lots of pizzazz
Great MoTown stuff.
👍
Groove e tranquilo.
Can hear the Sly influence. Quality of course.
Slick soul, tight and groovy - half funk jamming, and half motown crooning. Mega bass!
This was a fun little number
Love a bit of Motown ❤️ Good album, very easy to listen to
Not my vibe
I love this band. I had never heard an entire album before - only compilations. I would buy a copy of this.
Good funk but nowhere near their best.
2/5
I really enjoyed the laid back funky vibes of this record. The first half seemed stronger than the second if I am being honest. Good though.
Loved the vibes, favorite song was Cloud 9
Enjoyed this in my Sunday walk… saved a couple songs. Fun to listen to
I love this album with its early funk influences and classic soul that made them one of the best. Cloud 9 sits up there as one of my favorite songs by them and the rest of the songs do not disappoint wituer
3/5