The Temptin' Temptations
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| The Temptin' Temptations | ||
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| Studio album by The Temptations | ||
| Released | November 1, 1965 | |
| Recorded | 1965 | |
| Genre | Soul/doo wop | |
| Length | 31:33 | |
| Label | Gordy GS 914 |
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| Producer(s) | Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| The Temptations chronology | ||
| The Temptations Sing Smokey (1965) |
The Temptin' Temptations (1965) |
Gettin' Ready (1966) |
The Temptin' Temptations is a 1965 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. The album includes several of the group's hits from 1965, and also includes a handful of single from 1964 that were not included on the Temptations' first 1965 album, The Temptations Sing Smokey. Among these are the 1964 singles "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)", "I'll Be in Trouble", and "The Girl's Alright With Me", and 1965 singles "Since I Lost My Baby", "My Baby", and "Don't Look Back".
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[edit] Overview
The three pre-"My Girl" singles all feature Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals. "I'll Be in Trouble" was written and produced by Smokey Robinson, while "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" was a Norman Whitfield production. Both songs were Top 40 hits for the group immediately following the success of their first hit, "The Way You Do the Things You Do". "The Girl's All Right With Me", "I'll Be in Trouble's" b-side, charted on its own at number 102, and was written by Kendricks, Whitfield, and Eddie Holland, but produced by Smokey Robinson.
"Since I Lost My Baby", a heartbroken ballad exemplary of Smokey Robinson's work, features David Ruffin on lead vocals, pining away for a lost lover even though the world around him is a relative nirvana. Longing and melancholy, "Since I Lost My Baby" tells a story about the pain of losing a lover. Temptations lead singer David Ruffin paints a picture as the song's narrator of an idyllic world where he has everything anyone could ask for, except for love. Contemporary R&B singer Luther Vandross would later cover the song on his 1982 album Forever, For Always, For Love.
"My Baby", an extension of the theme from "My Girl", features Ruffin and the Temptations bragging about the qualities of a special lady. Unusually for Temptations singles, "My Baby's" b-side, the Paul Williams-led "Don’t Look Back", was a minor hit in its own right, becoming a top 20 R&B hit and serving for several years as the Temptations' live-show closing number.
Considered one of original lead singer Paul Williams' showcases, "Don't Look Back" was regularly employed as the closing number for Temptations live performances. "Don't Look Back" is Paul Williams' reassurance to the tentative that finding true love is worth the heartbreak and failed relationships it takes to reach it. Although Williams had been the group's original lead singer during its formative years, his role had by 1965 been eclipsed by David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks. Although the Temptations retired "Don't Look Back" from their reperoire following WIlliams' 1971 departure from the group, several cover versions have been recorded, including a collaboration between Peter Tosh, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards for Tosh's 1978 album Bush Doctor.
[edit] Track listing
- "Since I Lost My Baby"
- "The Girl's Alright With Me"
- "Just Another Lonely Night"
- "My Baby"
- "You've Got to Earn It"
- "Everybody Needs Love"
- "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)"
- "Don't Look Back"
- "I Gotta Know Now"
- "Born to Love You"
- "I'll Be in Trouble"
- "You're the One I Need"
[edit] Personnel
- David Ruffin: vocals
- Eddie Kendricks: vocals
- Paul Williams: vocals
- Melvin Franklin: vocals
- Otis Williams: vocals
- Smokey Robinson: producer, executive producer
- Norman Whitfield: producer
[edit] Chart and singles history
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| "I'll Be in Trouble" | |
| "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" |
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| "Since I Lost My Baby" | |
| "My Baby" |
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| Name | Chart (1964-1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| The Temptin' Temptations | U.S. Billboard Pop Albums | 11 |
| The Temptin' Temptations | U.S. Top R&B Albums | 1 |
| "I'll Be in Trouble" | U.S. Billlboard Pop Singles | 33 |
| "The Girl's Alright With Me" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 102 |
| "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 26 |
| "Since I Lost My Baby" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 17 |
| "Since I Lost My Baby" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 4 |
| "You've Got to Earn It" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 123 |
| "You've Got to Earn It" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 22 |
| "My Baby" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 13 |
| "My Baby" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 4 |
| "Don't Look Back" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 83 |
| "Don't Look Back" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 15 |
[edit] References
- Williams, Otis and Romanowski, Patricia (1988, updated 2002). Temptations. Lanham, MD: Cooper Square. ISBN 081-541218-5.
- Williams, Otis and Weigner, Harry (2002). My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations (Compact disc liner notes). New York: Motown/Universal Records.
