The Temptations Appreciation Thread!

That would reveal quite a bit but the movie got that wrong sometimes too. Al never sang lead with the Tempts but in the movie, he did. Richard did all those leads that Al was shown doing. I totally get why they did it. Chazz has an incredible voice and they wanted to use it. He has a much better voice than any of 'em.

Ed

 

It's still a great movie and would give any novice insight to what was actually going on in their personal lives. I wouldn't have known about Paul's sickle cell anemia and suicide if it wasn't for that movie.
I rarely looked up info on band mates back then. That movie made me appreciate and understand the group on a personal level. That's what got me into their music.

 

yep. awesome

 

The movie got Paul's issues wrong. The movie made it seem like it was all alcohol and a "spot on his lung". They didn't mention sickle cell. Glad you looked it up so you could see what really got him. The movie made him appear to be an out-of-control drunk but there was more to it.

Having said that, I enjoyed the movie and have it on DVD. The best thing it did was bring more attention to the Tempts than they'd had in years. Totally worthwhile endeavor.

Ed

 

Here's a rare, decent Otis lead. There's a lot of comp'ing here but it's not bad at all. Dig his falsetto in the chorus. That's pretty good too.



Ed

 

@Nostaljack My favorite Otis lead.

 

I really like the tune. Always have. What bothers me is "please let me STAY". He goes horribly flat on "stay" and I cringe. LOL! The string arrangement is just stunning, though, and the lyric is cool. I just wish the lead had been better.

My favorite Otis lead is:



He stays in tune here and the song itself is just great.

Ed

 

Finally someone on here that knows there album tracks. It's always a fresh breath of air to see deep cuts posted. That's one of my favorite songs from "All Directions".
My number one is "Run Charlie Run". Dennis and Damon kill it! I love the horns. The subject matter is some deep stuff too.

 

Nosteljack has covered this admirably in his post # 149. It sounds like the eras you prefer are those where David Ruffin or Dennis Edwards were the main leads (their two best, in a lot of folks views, I guess). I think Dennis came in round about 68 for the period that included Cloud Nine, Puzzle People, Psychedelic Shack and onwards. Damon Harris and Richard Street replaced Eddie and Paul Williams around 71, Eddie having sung lead on Just My Imagination as pretty much his parting shot.

So by the time of the All Directions album (which included Papa was a Rolling Stone) in 72, and Masterpiece in 73, the band comprised Dennis Edwards, Damon Harris, Richard Street, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams. I think Dennis, Richard and Damon normally led or shared lead, depending on how fast/funky or slow/falsetto the track was.

 

good info,if I may make a point about Otis on lead, he had the least range of all the classic temps but when he got a lead he shined...I ain't got nothing...don't send me away...read between the lines...darling stand by me, the writers didn't have to write for Otis because the others had the big voices but make no mistake Otis could sing.

 

He could get away with it. Studio singing and live singing are different. Otis could do one but really suffer with the other. He could really only handle backgrounds in that setting. I've heard live stuff and you can tell it's not natural to him at all. In the studio, you can edit...and they did. If you listen to the tracks, you can hear the "comp'ing". The only place you don't hear it is "Don't Send Me Away" and that's because it wasn't really possible back then. They just made him sing it again and again until he got it. It has a range of about five notes so he got it done when he had to. "Darling..." sounds as it does because it's a totally "double tracked" performance. It's not a perfect one either but, again, he got away with it. All of Otis' leads are those he gets away with. His lead on "For Your Love/You Send Me" from "For Lovers Only" is particularly painful because the edits are so obvious. You can hear it on "Read Between the Lines" too. All of that said, I can't imagine anyone else doing "I Ain't Got Nothin'" He nails that one but, again, the edits are obvious - at least to my ears.

He was surrounded by great voices and he could harmonize. That's how he's lasted.

Ed

 

you guys are too technical, i've seen the classic temps and Otis took leads, and nothing was edited.

 

Of course not...it was live.

My point is that lead vocals weren't his strong suit. He's even said as much. He knows where his strengths lie and he plays to them. Again, though, he could sing.

Ed

 

my point being most folks don't care about a song being edited while in recording, we just care about how it sounds, unless you're a sound engineer then it's important.

 

LOL! I know, I know.... I'm am a sound engineer so I notice things I wish I didn't. Be glad you can just enjoy.

Ed

 

HaHa....I figured you were....you da man!!

 

Did the Temps ever record 'White Christmas'? And if so, is it OOP? Thanks

 

The one who never got the credit he should have is Richard Street. He had one heck of a voice but the fact that he was surrounded by some of the best to ever do it ensured that he'd be nearly forgotten about. Work with this for a minute:



Forgive the sound quality. It was taken from a DVD that's been circulating forever. Mine is only slightly better.

Ed

 

Does anybody know if there's a good Temptations Sessionography? I'm trying to compile much of the material into chronological order and it'd be nice to have something to go on.

 

Just found a original 1st pressing (I think) of 'Masterpiece' today. What a great sounding CD. There was a thread in the forum on this CD. Unfortunately it's locked. My CD times in at 42:30. John Matousek's Mastering is really clean. In the original thread that has been locked it talks about how this album was butchered on the "2 For" Motown CD's basically missing about 7 minutes of music. This Matousek Master is definitely the one to get if you can find it.

 

I love their songs Ball Of Confusion and Just My Imagination.

 

My website might be of use to you. I have a Temptations subsection where all albums are displayed chronologically. If it helps:

Vinyl Album Covers.com | Appreciating the visual art of music »

To zoom in most closely, I used a combination of wiki and the "Emperors of Soul" booklet. That booklet has exact dates of release for everything.

Ed

 

I wish later albums like "House Party" were on cd. I've only heard a bit of it but I liked what I heard.

 

You can find them on Pono (CD resolution) and on iTunes if you want them. There are a lot of gems in the stuff that didn't come out on CD.

Ed

 

Was The Temptations Show ever issued in true stereo or mono? Or are all official LP releases re-channeled stereo? And still no CD release anywhere?