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Meet the Temptations

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Untitled

Meet the Temptations is the 1964 debut album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. It includes most of the group's early singles except for the first, "Oh Mother of Mine", and its b-side, "Romance Without Finance" (later included on a CD reissue of the LP); as well as the single "Mind Over Matter" (and its b-side "I'll Love You Till I Die"), in which the group is credited as The Pirates. Also included is the first Temptations hit single, "The Way You Do the Things You Do".

The lineup on the cover features Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, and newest Temptation Davis (later David) Ruffin. Ruffin had just joined the act three months before this album was released, and actually only appears on "The Way You Do The Things You Do". The other tracks all feature original Temptation Elbridge "Al" Bryant, who was fired from the group in December 1963.

Again, excepting the hit single, these tracks all date from the Temptations' slow-selling starting period (during which some Motown staffers referred to them as the "hitless Temptations"). Despite local success in Detroit and the midwest, the Temptations released six noncharting singles, and one, "Dream Come True", which made it to #22 on the R&B singles chart. Most of these songs feature Paul Williams as (main) lead, while Kendricks, Bryant, Franklin, and Otis Williams were given plenty of lead lines, ad-libs and harmony vocals heard thoughout the album. Kendricks was also given a small handful of songs to lead as well, including the two charting singles.

Track listing

  1. "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers)
  2. "I Want a Love I Can See" (Robinson)
  3. "Dream Come True" (Berry Gordy, Jr.)
  4. "Paradise " (Gordy)
  5. "May I Have This Dance" (Janie Bradford, Norman Whitfield)
  6. "Isn't She Pretty" (Gordy, Eddie Kendricks, Otis 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" (Elbridge Bryant, David English, Gordy, Williams)
  11. "Slow Down Heart" (Robinson)
  12. "Farewell My Love" (Gordy)
  13. "Oh, Mother of Mine" (William "Mickey" Stevenson, Williams)*
  14. Romance Without Finance (Stevenson, Kendricks) *

(*) bonus tracks for 1999 compact disc re-release

Recording Session

Technically there wasn't a recording session for this album as it was basically a collection of the group's singles and b-sides up to that point. Other tracks that were recorded along the same timeline that could have been included on the album were:

  • "My Pillow", featuring Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals with the other members singing the chorus in a four part vocal harmony*
  • "Camouflage [Version 1]", featuring Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals*
  • "Tear Stained Letter", featuring Paul Williams on lead vocals*
  • "I Couldn't Cry If I Wanted To", featuring Paul Williams on lead vocals**
  • "(Talking 'Bout) Nobody But My Baby", featuring Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals**
  • "Witchcraft (For Your Love)", features Paul Williams as lead**
  • "A Tear From A Woman's Eyes", featuring Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals**
  • All of the above tracks have subsequently been released
  • Four other tracks were released as tracks/bonus tracks on other albums


There have also been some reports (including Otis Williams’ Temptations autobiography) that some of the then-current group members were not available at the time of recording some songs. However, this cannot be substantiated by official Motown studio records. The tracks with supposedly missing group members (and the missing member/s) are:

  • "Check Yourself" (Eddie Kendricks and/or Al Bryant)
  • "May I Have This Dance" (Al Bryant)
  • "I Couldn't Cry If I Wanted To" (Al Bryant)
  • "I Want A Love I Can See" (Melvin Franklin)
  • "The Further You Look, the Less You See" (Melvin Franklin)
  • "Farewell My Love" (Al Bryant)


"A Tear From A Woman's Eyes", an H-D-H production, competed with "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (and "Just Let Me Know", "Not Now (I'll Tell You Later)", and "Give It Up") for the a-side of the group’s seventh single. It was recorded just three days before the hit song.


(*) released on Lost and Found: You've Got To Earn It (1962-1968) (**) released on the Emperors of Soul box set


Personnel

Singles history

The main lead vocalists on each track are identified by superscripts: (a) Paul Williams, (b) Eddie Kendricks, (c) Al Bryant, (d) Otis Williams, (e) Melvin Franklin.

  • "Oh Mother of Mine" a, b
    • Miracle single 5 (originally a non-album single; CD bonus track), July 24, 1961; b-side: "Romance Without Finance" a, b
  • "Check Yourself" a, (intro: d, e)
  • "(You're My) Dream Come True" b
    • Gordy single 7001, March 16, 1962; b-side: "Isn't She Pretty" (recorded 1961) c, a, b, e, d
  • "Paradise" b, e
  • "Mind Over Matter (I'm Gonna Make You Mine)" b (credited as The Pirates)
    • Mel-O-Dy single 105 (non-album single), September 29, 1962; b-side: "I'll Love You Till I Die" a (The Pirates)
  • "I Want A Love I Can See" a
    • Gordy single 7015, March 18, 1963; b-side: "The Further You Look, the Less You See" a
  • "Farewell My Love"* a, b, e
    • Gordy single 7020, June 25, 1963; b-side: "May I Have This Dance"* (recorded 1962) b, e
  • "The Way You Do the Things You Do" b
    • Gordy single 7028, January 23, 1964; b-side: "Just Let Me Know" (recorded 1963) a, c


(*) Elbridge "Al" Bryant was originaly credited as the lead on "May I Have This Dance", and one of the leads (with Paul Williams, Kendricks, and Franklin) on "Farewell My Love". In fact the first tenor leads on both songs were actually performed by Eddie Kendricks singing in his natural tenor, as well as his falsetto on the latter. Other songs with Kendricks’ natural signing voice are "My Pillow", "Camouflage [Version 1]", and "Way Over There" (from The Temptations Sing Smokey).

Chart history

Name Chart (1962 - 1964) Peak
position
Meet The Temptations U.S. Billboard Pop Albums 95
Meet The Temptations U.S. R&B Albums -
"(You're My) Dream Come True" U.S. Billlboard Pop Singles -
"(You're My) Dream Come True" U.S. Billboard R&B Singles 22
"Paradise" U.S. Billlboard Pop Singles 122
"The Way You Do the Things You Do" U.S. Billlboard Pop Singles 11
"The Way You Do the Things You Do" U.S. Cashbox R&B Singles 1
"Just Let Me Know" U.S. Cashbox R&B Singles ?

Sample

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