TEMPTATIONS,THE TEMPTIN' TEMPTATIONS

Producers: Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Ivory Joe Hunter.
Originally released on Gordy (914).
Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Suha Gur (Polygram Studios).
In 1965 the Temptations were gaining serious momentum as one of Motown's most popular acts. Thanks partly to the assistance of Smokey Robinson, who contributed six songs, TEMPTIN' TEMPTATIONS kept that momentum rolling. In many ways, in fact, TEMPTIN' TEMPTATIONS, the group's third album for Motown, is a showcase for Robinson. He wrote and produced some bright, melodically spot-on tunes-- the elegantly sad "Since I Lost My Baby," the charming "My Baby," and the infectious "You've Got to Earn It" (with its ever-escalating key changes).
Most of the album's other cuts were written by Edward Holland, Jr. and Norman Whitfield. (The production is by Whitfield, a man whose studio smarts would prove crucial to the Temps' late-'60s and early-'70s success.) Notable among these are the swinging "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue), and the coolly grooving "I Gotta Know Now." The performances by the group--still in their original line-up here--are dominated by the fantastic tenor voices of Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffins, with typically excellent harmonies from the others.

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B