Zack: The Temptations are one of those bands that
everyone has heard of, but I’m not really sure who has really delved into their
discography. I don’t know who out there is a raging Temptations fan, but I
would like to meet this person and study them for science. I have personally
never really listened to them, so the possibility was I want to say alluring.
But I found Cloud Nine to be underwhelming. I didn’t really have any
preconceived expectations going in, so I wouldn’t say that I was upset that it
didn’t live up to what I wanted from it. And I wouldn’t say that it was
repetitive – the mix of psychedelic influences with more traditional soul
sounds was interesting. But it left me wanting more. I would have liked to have
seen them delve more into the psychedelic side, instead it feels like they just
dipped their toes in the water. I can’t say I would have preferred if this
album was entirely psychedelic soul; I liked both halves about equally.
Honestly, I don’t even know what I want. All I know is that I left this
listening experience thinking the album was good, but wishing I thought it was
great.
Favorite Tracks: Cloud Nine; I Gotta Find a Way; Love Is a
Hurtin’ Thing
Emily: I tend to agree with Zack on this one. Cloud Nine simply underwhelmed me. I enjoyed the soul sound, and especially the psychedelic instrumental interludes on Runaway Child, Run Wild. For the most part, though, it was meh. I was expecting to hear some late '50s/early '60s Temptations here - you know, the songs I've actually heard before. Everything was new, but not in an exciting new way. The psychedelic sound was an interesting mix, but the soul felt like what I'd heard from them before but not as good. I don't know if we'll be listening to more Temptations as the list goes forward, but if so I hope we can rewind the musical clock on them about 10 years.
Favorite Tracks: Runaway Child, Run Wild; Don't Let Him Take Your Love from Me; Cloud Nine
As a "raging Temptations fan" (and no, you're not taking me anyplace for analysis), it should be pointed out that the "Cloud Nine", like most Motown LPs, sucks a bit by design. The music industry in America was primarily a singles-based field until the rise of "The Beatles" with "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in 1966/67.
ReplyDeleteThe Black music industry in America didn't begin a definitive switch from singles to albums until 1969, with "Stand!" by Sly & the Family Stone and "Hot Buttered Soul" by Isaac Hayes. "Cloud Nine" was released a few months before either. So "Cloud Nine" is primarily interesting for its A sides (title track and "Run Away Child"), its B sides ("Why Did She have to Leave Me" and "I Need Your Lovin'") and whatever is salvageable from the filler produced to make a full LP (I've always bee partial to "I've Gotta Find a Way (To Get you Back)", since Dennis Edwards is so closely linked with the Tempts; psychedelic and funk records that you rarely get to hear him sing old-fashioned Motown like that).
The best Temptations albums are "The Temptations with a Lot of Soul" (1967), "A Song for You" (1975), and anything that's live or a compilation. If you really want to hear a whole album of psychedelic Temptations, their aptly-named 1970 LP "Psychedelic Shack" is for you.
Also, the Temptations didn't exist in the late 1950s. They formed in 1960, signed their deal in '61, and had no hits until "The Way You Do the Things You Do" in '64 and "My Girl" a year later.