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Temptations Albums -
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Temptations albums offer only one portion of what the classic lineup served up on stage: expressive vocals, brisk dance moves, and, of course, bright-colored suits. But what a portion that is!
The Temptations possessed a diverse range of pipes that blended expertly across sensitive odes and forceful tirades. Gliding falsetto. Anguished baritone. Gruff tenor. Cozy bass. No surprise that the members traded lead vocals on so many songs, especially on the funky Norman Whitfield-produced albums.
Once upon a time, I didn't know the difference between the Temptations and Motown's other powerhouse male group, the Four Tops. As the Tempts' individual talents got clearer to my ears, so did my preference for that ensemble's collective energy and flair.
The Temptations discography below stops with Reunion. Sure, it goes beyond what you'd call their Motown oldies. But that recorded gathering at least recognizes the classic members, if not the songs. Consider everything after 1976 my bonus tracks. :)
Or, if you wish, browse Temptations CDs
Oh, Mother of Mine (1961; a single by Stevenson/Williams)
Meet the Temptations (Mar. 1964)
1. The Way You Do the Things You Do (Robinson/Rogers)
2. I Want a Love I Can See (Robinson)
3. (You're My) Dream Come True (Gordy)
4. Paradise (Gordy)
5. May I Have This Dance (Bradford/Whitfield)
6. Isn't She Pretty (Gordy/Kendricks/Williams)
7. Just Let Me Know (Gordy)
8. Your Wonderful Love (Gordy)
9. The Further You Look, the Less You See (Robinson/Whitfield)
10. Check Yourself (Bryant/English/Gordy/Williams)
11. Slow Down Heart (Robinson)
12. Farewell My Love (Gordy)
The Temptations Sing Smokey (Feb. 1965)
1. The Way You Do the Things You Do (Robinson/Rogers)
2. Baby, Baby I Need You (Robinson)
3. My Girl (Robinson/White)
4. What Love Has Joined Together (Robinson/Rogers)
5. You'll Lose a Precious Love (Robinson)
6. It's Growing (Moore/Robinson)
7. Who's Lovin' You (Robinson)
8. What's So Good About Goodbye (Robinson)
9. You Beat Me to the Punch (Robinson/White)
10. Way Over There (Gordy/Robinson)
11. You've Really Got a Hold on Me (Robinson)
12. (You Can) Depend on Me (Gordy/Robinson)
Temptin' Temptations (Nov. 1965)
1. Since I Lost My Baby (Moore/Robinson)
2. The Girl's Alright With Me (Holland/Kendricks/Whitfield)
3. Just Another Lonely Night (Hunter/Stevenson)
4. My Baby (Moore/Robinson/Rogers)
5. You've Got to Earn It (Grant/Robinson)
6. Everybody Needs Love (Holland/Whitfield)
7. Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) (Holland/Whitfield)
8. Don't Look Back (Robinson/White)
9. I Gotta Know Now (Holland/Whitfield)
10. Born to Love You (Hunter/Stevenson)
11. I'll Be in Trouble (Robinson)
12. You're the One I Need (Robinson)
Gettin' Ready (June 1966)
1. Say You (Dobyne/Jones/Staunton)
2. Little Miss Sweetness (Robinson)
3. Ain't Too Proud to Beg (Holland/Whitfield)/You'll Lose a Good Thing
4. Get Ready (Robinson)
5. Lonely Lonely Man Am I (Holland/Kendricks/Whitfield)
6. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby (Bradford/Strong/Whitfield)
7. I've Been Good to You (Robinson)
8. It's a Lonely World Without Your Love (Hunter/Stevenson)
9. Fading Away (Moore/Robinson/Rogers)
10. Who You Gonna Run To (Robinson)
11. You're Not an Ordinary Girl (Moore/Robinson/Rogers/Tarplin/White)
12. Not Now (I'll Tell You Later) (Robinson/Williams)
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Nov. 1966)
Temptations Live! (Mar. 1967; recorded Oct. 3, 1966-Mar. 6, 1967)
1. Introduction
2. Medley: Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) (Holland/Whitfield)/The Girl's Alright With Me (Holland/Kendricks/Whitfield)/I'll Be in Trouble (Robinson)/I Want a Love I Can See (Robinson)
3. What Love Has Joined Together (Robinson/Rogers)
4. My Girl (Robinson/White)
5. Yesterday (Lennon/McCartney)/What Now, My Love (Becaud/Delanoe/Sigman)
6. Beauty is Only Skin Deep (Holland/Whitfield)
7. Group Introduction
8. I Wish You Love (Beach/Trenet)
9. Ain't Too Proud to Beg (Holland/Whitfield)
10. Ol' Man River (Hammerstein/Kern)
11. Get Ready (Robinson)
12. Fading Away (Moore/Robinson/Rogers)
13. My Baby (Moore/Robinson/Rogers)
14. You'll Lose a Precious Love (Robinson)
15. Baby, Baby I Need You (Robinson)
16. Don't Look Back (Robinson/White)
17. The Way You Do the Things You Do (Robinson/Rogers)
With a Lot o' Soul (July 1967)
1. (I Know) I'm Losing You (Grant/Holland/Whitfield)
2. Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone (Grant/Moy/Whitfield)
3. All I Need (Holland/Taylor/Wilson)
4. (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need (Holland/Whitfield)
5. No More Water in the Well (Moore/Robinson/Rogers)
6. Save My Love for a Rainy Day (Penzabene/Whitfield)
7. Just One Last Look (Dozier/Holland/Holland)
8. Sorry is a Sorry Word (Holland/Hunter)
9. You're My Everything (Grant/Penzabene/Whitfield)
10. Now That You've Won Me (Robinson)
11. Two Sides to Love (Moy/Whitfield)
12. Don't Send Me Away (Kendricks/Robinson)
In a Mellow Mood (1967)
1. Hello, Young Lovers (Hammerstein/Rodgers)
2. A Taste of Honey (Marlow/Scott)
3. For Once in My Life (Miller/Murden)
4. Somewhere (Bernstein/Sondheim)
5. Ol' Man River (Hammerstein/Kern)
6. I'm Ready for Love (Dozier/Holland/Holland)
7. Try to Remember (Dozier/Holland/Jones/Schmidt)
8. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) (Bricusse/Newley)
9. What Now, My Love (Becaud/Delanoe/Sigman)
10. That's Life (Gordon/Kay)
11. With These Hands (Davis/Silver)
12. The Impossible Dream (Darion/Leigh)
TV Show (1967)
The Temptations Wish It Would Rain (Apr. 1968)
1. I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You) (Penzabene/Strong/Whitfield)
2. Cindy (Robinson)
3. I Wish It Would Rain (Penzabene/Strong/Whitfield)
4. Please Return Your Love to Me (Strong/Whitfield)
5. Fan the Flame (Cleveland/Johnson/Robinson)
6. He Who Picks a Rose (Holland/Smiley/Whitfield)
7. Why Did You Leave Me Darling (Dean/Richards)
8. I Truly, Truly Believe (Gordy/Gordy/Story)
9. This is My Beloved (Ashford/Simpson)
10. Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got (Strong/Whitfield)
11. I've Passed This Way Before (Dean/Weatherspoon)
12. No Man Can Love Her Like I Do (Holland/Kendricks/Whitfield)
The Supremes Join the Temptations (Nov. 1968)
1. Try It Baby (Gordy)
2. I Second That Emotion (Cleveland/Robinson)
3. Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Ashford/Simpson)
4. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Gamble/Ross/Williams)
5. This Guy's in Love With You (Bacharach/David)
6. Funky Broadway (Christian)
7. I'll Try Something New (Robinson)
8. A Place in the Sun (Miller/Wells)
9. Sweet Inspiration (Oldham/Penn)
10. Then (Moore/Robinson/Rogers)
11. The Impossible Dream (Darion/Leigh)
Live at the Copa (Dec. 1968)
1. Introduction
2. Get Ready (Robinson)
3. You're My Everything (Grant/Penzabene/Whitfield)
4. I Truly, Truly Believe (Gordy/Gordy/Story)
5. I Wish It Would Rain (Penzabene/Strong/Whitfield)
6. For Once in My Life (Miller/Murden)
7. I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You) (Penzabene/Strong/Whitfield)
8. Introduction of Band and Group
9. Hello, Young Lovers (Hammerstein/Rodgers)
10. With These Hands (Davis/Silver)
11. Swanee (Caesar/Gershwin)
12. The Impossible Dream (Darion/Leigh)
13. Please Return Your Love to Me (Strong/Whitfield)
14. (I Know) I'm Losing You (Grant/Holland/Whitfield)
Cloud Nine (Feb. 1969)
1. Cloud Nine (Strong/Whitfield)
2. I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Strong/Whitfield)
3. Runaway Child, Running Wild (Strong/Whitfield)
4. Love is a Hurtin' Thing (Linden/Raleigh)
5. Hey Girl (I Like Your Style) (Whitfield)
6. Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go) (Strong/Whitfield)
7. I Need Your Lovin' (Strong/Whitfield)
8. Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me (Strong/Whitfield)
9. I Gotta Find a Way (to Get You Back) (Grant/Holland/Kendricks/Strong/Whitfield)
10. Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love (Strong/Whitfield)
The Temptations Show (July 1969)
Puzzle People (Sept. 1969)
1. I Can't Get Next to You (Strong/Whitfield)
2. Hey Jude (Lennon/McCartney)
3. Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down (Strong/Whitfield)
4. Message From a Black Man (Strong/Whitfield)
5. It's Your Thing (Isley/Isley/Isley)
6. Little Green Apples (Russell)
7. You Don't Love Me No More (Penzabene/Strong/Whitfield)
8. Since I've Lost You (Strong/Whitfield)
9. Running Away (Ain't Gonna Help You) (Strong/Whitfield)
10. That's the Way Love Is (Strong/Whitfield)
11. Slave (Strong/Whitfield)
On Broadway (Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations, Nov. 1969)
1. G.I.T. on Broadway (Barnes/Brown)
2. Broadway Medley
3. Malteds Over Manhattan
4. Leading Lady Medley
5. Fiddler on the Roof Medley (Bock/Harnick)
6. Student Mountie
7. The Rhythm of Life (Coleman/Fields)
8. Finale: Let the Sunshine In (MacDermot/Rado/Ragni)
9. Funky Broadway (Christian)
10. G.I.T. on Broadway (reprise) (Barnes/Brown)
Psychedelic Shack (Mar. 6, 1970; all composed by Strong/Whitfield)
1. Psychedelic Shack
2. You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth
3. Hum Along and Dance
4. Take a Stroll Through Your Mind
5. It's Summer
6. War
7. You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)
8. Friendship Train
Live at London's Talk of the Town (July 24, 1970)
1. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Gamble/Ross/Williams)
2. The Impossible Dream (Darion/Leigh)
3. Runaway Child, Running Wild (Strong/Whitfield)
4. Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down (Strong/Whitfield)
5. A Time for Us (Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet) (Kusik/Rota/Snyder)
6. I Can't Get Next to You (Strong/Whitfield)
7. This Guy's in Love With You (Bacharach/David)
8. I've Got to Be Me
9. (I Know) I'm Losing You (Grant/Holland/Whitfield)
10. Cloud Nine (Strong/Whitfield)
11. Everything is Going to Be Alright
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (Sept. 1970)
The Temptations' Christmas Card (Oct. 30, 1970)
1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Marks)
2. My Christmas Tree (Webb)
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Coots/Gillespie)
4. Silent Night (Gruber/Mohr)
5. Someday at Christmas (Miller/Wells)
6. White Christmas (Berlin)
7. Let It Snow (Cahn/Styne)
8. Silver Bells (Evans/Livingston)
9. The Christmas Song (Torme/Wells)
10. The Little Drummer Boy (Davis/Onorati/Simeone)
Together (Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations, Sept. 1969)
1. Stubborn Kind of Fellow (Gaye/Gordy/Stevenson)
2. I'll Be Doggone (Moore/Robinson/Tarplin)
3. The Weight (Robertson)
4. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing (Ashford/Simpson)
5. Uptight (Everything's Alright) (Cosby/Moy/Wonder)
6. Sing a Simple Song (Stewart)
7. My Guy (Robinson)/My Girl (Robinson/White)
8. For Better or Worse (Hinton/Sawyer)
9. Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (Crewe/Gaudio)
10. Why (Must We Fall in Love) (Matthews/Richards)
Sky's the Limit (Apr. 22, 1971)
1. Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love (Strong/Whitfield)
2. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (Strong/Whitfield)
3. I'm the Exception to the Rule (Strong/Whitfield)
4. Smiling Faces Sometimes (Strong/Whitfield)
5. Man (Strong/Whitfield)
6. Throw a Farewell Kiss (Holland/Whitfield)
7. Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World) (Strong/Whitfield)
8. Love Can Be Anything (Strong/Whitfield)
Solid Rock (Jan. 7, 1972)
1. Take a Look Around (Strong/Whitfield)
2. Ain't No Sunshine
3. Stop the War Now (Strong/Whitfield)
4. What It Is (Strong/Whitfield)
5. Smooth Sailing From Now On
6. Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are) (Strong/Whitfield)
7. It's Summer (remix) (Strong/Whitfield)
8. The End of Our Road (Penzabene/Strong/Whitfield)
All Directions (July 27, 1972)
1. Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On (Strong/Whitfield)
2. Run Charlie Run (Foreman/King)
3. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (Strong/Whitfield)
4. Love Woke Me Up This Morning (Ashford/Simpson)
5. I Ain't Got Nothin' (King/King)
6. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) (Maccoll)
7. Mother Nature (Fekaris/Zesses)
8. Do Your Thing (Hayes)
Masterpiece (Feb. 21, 1973; all composed by Whitfield)
1. Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)
2. Masterpiece
3. Ma
4. Law of the Land
5. Plastic Man
6. Hurry Tomorrow
Zoom (Dec. 1973; all composed by Whitfield--his last Motown collaboration with Temptations)
1990 (Dec. 7, 1973)
1. Let Your Hair Down
2. I Need You
3. Heavenly
4. You've Got My Soul on Fire (Whitfield)
5. Ain't No Justice (Brown/de Passe/Long/Wilson)
6. 1990
7. Zoom
Anthology (1973)
A Song for You (Jan. 16, 1975)
1. Happy People (Baldwin/Bowen/Richie)
2. Glasshouse (Carmichael/Gordy/Miller/Wakefield)
3. Shakey Ground (Bowen/Boyd/Hazel)
4. The Prophet (Bowen/Duncan/Wakefield)
5. Happy People (instrumental) (Baldwin/Bowen/Richie)
6. A Song for You (Russell)
7. Memories (Batteau/Freeman)
8. I'm a Bachelor (Edwards/English/Harris/Street/Williams)
9. Firefly
House Party (Nov. 4, 1975)
1. Keep Holding On
2. It's Just a Matter of Time
3. You Can't Stop a Man in Love
4. World of You, Love and Music
5. What You Need Most (I Do Best of All)
6. Ways of a Grown-Up Man
7. Johnny Porter
8. Darling, Stand by Me (Song for My Woman)
9. If I Don't Love You This Way
Wings of Love (Mar. 10, 1976)
1. Sweet Gypsy Jane
2. Sweetness in the Dark
3. Up the Creek (Without a Paddle)
4. China Doll
5. Mary Ann (Charles)
6. Dream World (Wings of Love)
7. Paradise (Gordy)
The Temptations Do the Temptations (with new falsetto lead Glenn Leonard and returning Dennis Edwards, Aug. 16, 1976; last Motown album)
1. Why Can't You and Me Get Together
2. Who Are You (and What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life)
3. I'm on Fire (Body Song)
4. Put Your Trust in Me Baby
5. There's No Stoppin' (Till We Set the Whole World Rockin')
6. Let Me Count the Ways (I Love You)
7. Is There Anybody Else
8. I'll Take You In
Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 (1977)
Hear to Tempt You (Nov. 10, 1977)
1. Think for Yourself
2. In a Lifetime
3. Can We Come and Share in Love
4. She's All I've Got
5. Snake in the Grass
6. It's Time for Love
7. Let's Live in Peace
8. Read Between the Lines
9. I Could Never Stop Loving You
Bare Back (Sept. 20, 1978)
1. Mystic Woman (Love Me Over)
2. I Just Don't Know How to Let You Go
3. That's When You Need Love
4. Bare Back
5. Ever Ready Love
6. Wake Up to Me
7. You're So Easy to Love
8. I See My Child
9. Touch Me Again
20 Golden Greats (1980)
Power (Apr. 1980; a return to Motown)
1. Power (Bond/Gordy/Mayer-Dailey)
2. Struck by Lightning Twice
3. Isn't the Night Fantastic (Edwards/English/Leonard/Street/Williams)
4. How Can I Resist Your Love
5. Shadow of Your Love
6. Can't You See Sweet Thing
7. Go for It
8. I'm Coming Home (Gordy)
The Temptations Give Love at Christmas (Aug. 1980)
1. Give Love on Christmas Day (Gordy/Mizell/Perren/Richards/Yarian)
2. The Christmas Song (Torme/Wells)
3. Love Comes With Christmas (Johnson/Johnson)
4. The Little Drummer Boy (Davis/Onorati/Simeone)
5. This Christmas (Hathaway/McKinnor)
6. Everything for Christmas (Gordy/Randazzo)
7. Christmas Everyday (Robinson)
8. Silent Night (Gruber/Mohr)
The Temptations (Aug. 1981)
1. Aiming at Your Heart (Jefferson/Roebuck/Simmons)
2. Evil Woman (Bell/James)
3. The Best of Both Worlds (Bell/Creed)
4. Ready, Willing and Able (Bell/Glass/Glass)
5. Open Their Eyes (Bell/Creed)
6. Oh, What a Night (Bell/Creed)
7. The Life of a Cowboy (Jefferson/Roebuck)
8. Just Ain't Havin' Fun (Bell/Creed)
9. What Else (Jefferson/Roebuck/Simmons)
10. Your Lovin' is Magic (Bell/Glass/Glass)
Reunion (Apr. 1982)
1. Standing on the Top, Pts. 1 and 2 (James)
2. You Better Beware
3. Lock It in the Pocket
4. I've Never Been to Me (Hirsch/Miller)
5. Backstage
6. More on the Inside
7. Money's Hard to Get
8. Like a Diamond in the Sky
9. Don't Hold It In
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