ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER The Temptations [click here to see more vinyl featuring The Temptation]: Dennis Edwards – vocals (tenor/baritone) Eddie Kendricks – vocals (tenor/falsetto) Paul Williams – vocals (baritone) Melvin Franklin – vocals (bass) Otis Williams – vocals (second tenor) Written by Norman Whitfield (A1-3, B3-5, B7), Barrett Strong (A1-3, B3-5, B7), Ben Raleigh (B1), David Linden (B1), Carol King (B2), Gerry Goffin (B2), C. Grant (B6), E. Kendricks (B6), E. Holland (B6), N. Whitfield (B6) 1LP, Standard sleeve Limited edition Original analog Master tape : YES Heavy Press : 140g Virgin Vinyl Record color : Black Speed : 33RPM Size : 12'’ Stereo Studio Record Press : GZ Media (Czech Republic) Label : Elemental Music Original Label : Gordy Records Recorded in 1968-January 1969 at Hitsville Studio, Detroit Original session produced by Norman Whitfield Reissue produced by Jordi Soley Art Direction by Ken Kim Sleeve Notes by Chester Higgins Originally released in 1969 Reissued in July 2024 Tracks : Side A: Cloud Nine I Heart It Through the Grapevine Run Away Child, Running Wild Side B: Love Is a Hurtin' Thing Hey Girl Why Did She Have to Leave (Why Did She Have to Go) I Need Your Lovin' Don't Let Him Take Your Love from Me I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back) Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love Awards: "Cloud Nine" : 1969 Grammy Award Winner: Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental Reviews : “Best known for their silky soul vocals and smooth-stepping routines, the Temptations were firmly entrenched as the undisputed kings of Barry Gordy's Motown stable when cutting-edge producer Norman Whitfield walked into the studio and announced that it was time to shake things up. The resulting freakout became the first half of the stellar Cloud Nine, an album that would become one of the defining early funk sets, with songs that not only took Motown in a new direction, but helped to shape a genre as well. On one side and across three jams, Whitfield and the Temptations would give '70s-era funk musicians a broad palette from which to draw inspiration. The title track, with its funky soul bordering on psychedelic frenzy, was an audacious album opener, and surely gave older fans a moment's pause. Only two more songs rounded out side one: an incredibly fresh take on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," which jazzed up the vocals, brought compelling percussion to the fore, and relegated the piano well into the wings, and "Run Away Child, Running Wild," an extravagant nine-minute groove where the sonics easily surpassed the vocals. After shaking up the record-buying public with these three masterpieces, the Temptations brought things back to form for side two. Here, their gorgeous vocals dominated slick arrangements across seven tracks which included "Hey Girl" and the masterful "I Need Your Lovin'." Funk continued to percolate -- albeit subtly -- but compared to side one, it was Temptations business as usual. It was this return to the classic sound, however, which ultimately gave Cloud Nine its odd dynamic. The dichotomy of form between old and new between sides doesn't allow for a continuous gel. But the brash experimentation away from traditional Motown on the three seminal tracks which open the disc shattered the doorway between past and present as surely as the decade itself imploded and smooth soul gave way to blistering funk.” AllMusic Review by Amy Hanson Rating: AllMusic: 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.24 / 5
