Description:
In Motown hierarchies, the Temptations occupied pretty much the same exalted place at the legendary label as the Lincoln division did at Ford; both had a marquee reputation for class and quality that endured time and trend for decades. The group was also a tribute to the glorious possibilities of an erstwhile assembly line: the early hits here (including the signature song that gives this 36-track, double-disc anthology its name) were penned by fellow legend Smokey Robinson, supervised by label founder Berry Gordy, and backed by one of music's greatest house bands. But even as Robinson's role segued into Norman Whitfiel
In Motown hierarchies, the Temptations occupied pretty much the same exalted place at the legendary label as the Lincoln division did at Ford; both had a marquee reputation for class and quality that endured time and trend for decades. The group was also a tribute to the glorious possibilities of an erstwhile assembly line: the early hits here (including the signature song that gives this 36-track, double-disc anthology its name) were penned by fellow legend Smokey Robinson, supervised by label founder Berry Gordy, and backed by one of music's greatest house bands. But even as Robinson's role segued into Norman Whitfield's as the 1960s rolled into the '70s, and as David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks left the group for solo careers--echoing the splintering of their superstar label counterparts the Supremes--the Temptations' juggernaut rolled on through a rich series of hits that were by turns traditional ("Just My Imagination"), timely ("Ball of Confusion"), and hard-edged ("Papa Was a Rolling Stone"). But if the hit Motown sound they so long personified became displaced by waves of funk and middle-of-the-road music on the R&B charts, the Tempts adapted remarkably well, scoring hits like the P-Funk collaboration "Shakey Ground," 1984's "Treat Her Like a Lady," and 1998's million-seller "Stay," the last cut nearly 40 years after the band's first Motown session. This collection chronicles their journey across several disparate epochs of soul music history, and includes a concise historical note for each song, as well as track-by-track commentary from founding Temptations member Otis Williams. --Jerry McCulley
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Manufacturer: Motown
Release date: 16 April 2002
Number of discs: 2
EAN: 0044001729829 UPC: 044001729829
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