The Temptations was one of those groups that I heard my mother listen to when I was a child. I am not sure which album, but it was not Cloud Nine. I think it was the albums before this one when they had David Ruffin as the lead singer. This is different than the 60s version. This group is heading into the 70s.
“Cloud Nine” opens the album with the sounds of “psychedelic soul” and we are made aware that The Temptations are different. It sounds like they are singing about getting high, but they have stated that it is not about drug use. I have to agree. It is a song about the struggles in life,
“Listen, my father didn’t know the meaning of work
He disrespected mama, and treated us like dirt
I left home, seekin’ a job that I never did find
Depressed and downhearted I took to cloud nine”,
and the person wants to escape to a better place. Cloud Nine is a euphoric place that can be reached in many ways, even with exercise.
Unfortunately, they made a huge error in recording “I Heard It Through the Grapevine“. One should never try to outdo Gladys Knight & the Pips nor Marvin Gaye in soul arena. There has been a friendly debate about which one is best, but it does not include The Temptations.
Which is your favourite?
“Runaway Child, Running Wild” had the potential to be a great song, but suddenly a baby starts crying in the middle of the song. Who thought that was a good idea? The music is great, even though a bit long.
I think Side two is much better. It grooves and moves. It has the emotions. My favourite songs are “Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)“, “I Need Your Lovin’” and “I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back)“.
This is a solid album from The Temptations. I was worried that Motown was being excluded from this list. I think Motown had great singles. It was all about the singles, except this album is about great music. The album is on Spotify. 8/10.
hey it's osh 