Back to Basics (The Temptations album): Difference between revisions

Back to Basics
Back to Basics
Studio album by The Temptations
Released	October 1983
Recorded	1983
Studio	Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California, United States; Ritesonian Studio, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, United States ("Hollywood");
Genre	Soul
Length	41:27
Language	English
Label	Motown
Producer	Angelo Bond; Berry Gordy; Harvey Fuqua; Willie Hutch; Norman Whitfield;
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Back to Basics is the second of two studio albums released by American soul group The Temptations in 1983. The album saw the group reunited with former producer Norman Whitfield, and would also be the first to feature Ron Tyson as first tenor, who would eventually become the second-longest serving member in the group’s history. It would also be the last studio album with longtime frontman Dennis Edwards before his second departure and the first appearance of Edwards’ successor Ali-Ollie Woodson.

Recording[edit]

The Temptations had briefly left their long-time home of Motown for Atlantic Records in the late 1970s, but the two studio albums they released there were not successful and Atlantic released them from their contract. The band returned to Motown in the early 1980s and still struggled to be commercially viable, so they returned to record producer Norman Whitfield, who had recorded several of the band's hits in the 1960s for this album.^[1] The group performed at the Motown 25 anniversary concert and then immediately went to the studio for these sessions, but experienced problems with Dennis Edwards being unreliable due to partying and drug abuse and Glenn Leonard also growing uninterested in the band. To compensate, the group brought in Ali-Ollie Woodson (who only performs on one track) and Ron Tyson to replace Leonard.^[2]

Reception[edit]

Editors at AllMusic Guide scored this album 2.5 out of five stars, with reviewer Jason Elias writing that "what's here is worth listening to" for the Norman Whitfield-produced tracks.^[1]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Angelo Bond and Norman Whitfield, except where noted.

"Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)" – 4:48
"Sail Away" – 5:05
"Outlaw" – 4:36
"Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)" – 6:27
"The Battle Song (I'm the One)" (Berry Gordy, Jr., Willie Hutch) – 5:21
"Hollywood" (Victor Castarphen, David English, Ron Tyson, Otis Williams) – 3:59
"Isn't the Night Fantastic" (Dennis Edwards, English, Glenn Leonard, Richard Street, Williams) – 4:59
"Make Me Believe in Love Again" – 6:12

Personnel[edit]

The Temptations

Dennis Edwards – tenor/baritone vocals except for “Stop the World”
Melvin Franklin – bass vocals
Glenn Leonard – first tenor/falsetto vocals on “Isn’t the Night Fantastic”
Richard Street – second tenor vocals
Ron Tyson – first tenor/falsetto vocals
Otis Williams – baritone vocals
Ali-Ollie Woodson – tenor vocals on “Stop the World”

Additional musicians

Billy Bass – bass guitar on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Eddie "Bongo" Brown – percussion on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)" and "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Reginald "Sonny" Burke – keyboards on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Vic Carstarphen – piano on "Hollywood", Prophet 10 and Jupiter 6 synthesizers on "Hollywood"
David Stephen Cochrane – bass guitar on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Walter Downing – keyboards on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
The Four Tops – vocals on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
- Renaldo “Obie” Benson
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir
- Lawrence Payton
- Levi Stubbs
James Gadson – drums on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Paul M. Jackson, Jr. – guitar on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Norman Harris – guitar on "Hollywood"
Willie Hutch – electronic drums on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)", rhythm arrangement on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)", production on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
James Jamerson, Jr. – bass guitar on "Hollywood"
David Kitay – guitar on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
Richard Kosinski – keyboards on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
Marvin Marshall – guitar on "Hollywood"
Terral Santiel – percussion on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Gary "Funk Doctor" Thompson – guitar on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Jerry Blaze Thompson – drums on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Earl Van Dyke – keyboards on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
David T. Walker – guitar on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
"Ready" Freddie Washington – bass guitar on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)" and "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Norman Whitfield – electronic drums, rhythm arrangements, production, recording and mix on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Eddie Willis – guitar on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Benjamin F. Wright, Jr. – electronic drums on "Hollywood", vocal arrangement on "Hollywood", recording on "Hollywood"

Technical personnel

Angelo Bond – production on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
David Stephen Cochrane – synthesizer on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Andy Engel – design
Harvey Fuqua – production on "Hollywood"
Berry Gordy – production on "Isn't the Night Fantastic", executive production on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
McKinley Jackson – arrangement on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Leonard Jackson – engineering on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Robert Franklin Justice – vocoder on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
McKinley Jackson – rhythm arrangement on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Harry Kim – horn arrangement on "Hollywood"
Johnny Lee – art direction
John Matousek – mastering
Bruce Miller – orchestration on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Gene Page – string arrangement on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
Barney Perkins – recording on "Hollywood" and "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Paul Riser – horn arrangement on "Isn't the Night Fantastic", string arrangement on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Sylvester Rivers – synthesizer on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
Bob Robitaille – engineering on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"; recording on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
Steve Smith – engineering on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"; recording on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
Ralph Sutton – engineering on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Russ "The Mix King" Terrana – mixing
Philip Walters – recording on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
Ty Williams – recording on "Hollywood"
Benjamin F. Wright, Jr. – horn arrangement on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
Roxanna Gordy Wright – album coordination

Chart performance[edit]

Back to Basics spent nine weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at 152 on June 9, 1984,^[3] and spent 30 weeks on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums (then named the Black LP's) chart, peaking at 30th place on June 16, 1984.^[4]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Elias, Jason. "The Temptations – Back to Basics". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
^ Williams, Otis; Bashe, Patricia Romanowski (2002). Temptations. Cooper Square Press. pp. 207–208, 212. ISBN 9780815412182.
^ "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
^ "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.

External links[edit]

Back to Basics at Discogs (list of releases)
Back to Basics at MusicBrainz (list of releases)

[amg-1] Elias, Jason. "The Temptations – Back to Basics". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 5, 2023.

[temp-2] Williams, Otis; Bashe, Patricia Romanowski (2002). Temptations. Cooper Square Press. pp. 207–208, 212. ISBN 9780815412182.

[bb200-3] "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.

[bbhhrb-4] "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | recorded = 1983
 | studio =
-*[[Hitsville U.S.A.]] Recording Studios, Detroit, Michigan, United&nbsp;States
+*[[Hitsville U.S.A.]] Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California, United&nbsp;States
 *Ritesonian Studio, [[Van&nbsp;Nuys]], Los&nbsp;Angeles, California, United&nbsp;States ("Hollywood")
 | genre = [[Soul music|Soul]]
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 }}
+'''''Back to Basics''''' is the second of two studio albums released by American [[soul music|soul]] group [[The Temptations]] in 1983. The album saw the group reunited with former producer [[Norman Whitfield]], and would also be the first to feature Ron Tyson as first tenor, who would eventually become the second-longest serving member in the group’s history. It would also be the last studio album with longtime frontman [[Dennis Edwards]] before his second departure and the first appearance of Edwards’ successor [[Ali-Ollie Woodson]].
-'''''Back to Basics''''' is a 1983 studio album from American [[soul music|soul]] group [[The Temptations]].
 ==Recording==
-The Temptations had briefly left their long-time home of [[Motown]] for [[Atlantic Records]] in the late 1970s, but the two studio albums they released there were not successful and Atlantic released them from their contract. The band returned to Motown in the early 1980s and still struggled to be commercially viable, so they returned to [[record producer]] [[Norman Whitfield]], who had recorded several of the band's hits in the 1960s for this album.<ref name="amg" /> The group performed at the [[Motown&nbsp;25]] anniversary concert and then immediately went to the studio for these sessions, but experienced problems with [[Dennis Edwards]] being unreliable due to partying and drug abuse and [[Glenn Leonard]] also growing disinterested in the band. To compensate, the group brought in [[Ali-Ollie Woodson]] (who only performs on one track) and [[Ron Tyson]] to replace Leonard.<ref name="temp" />
+The Temptations had briefly left their long-time home of [[Motown]] for [[Atlantic Records]] in the late 1970s, but the two studio albums they released there were not successful and Atlantic released them from their contract. The band returned to Motown in the early 1980s and still struggled to be commercially viable, so they returned to [[record producer]] [[Norman Whitfield]], who had recorded several of the band's hits in the 1960s for this album.<ref name="amg" /> The group performed at the [[Motown&nbsp;25]] anniversary concert and then immediately went to the studio for these sessions, but experienced problems with [[Dennis Edwards]] being unreliable due to partying and drug abuse and [[Glenn Leonard]] also growing uninterested in the band. To compensate, the group brought in [[Ali-Ollie Woodson]] (who only performs on one track) and [[Ron Tyson]] to replace Leonard.<ref name="temp" />
 ==Reception==
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ==Track listing==
-#"Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)" ([[Angelo Bond]] and [[Norman Whitfield]])&nbsp;– 4:48
+*All songs written by Angelo Bond and Norman Whitfield, except where noted.
-#"Sail Away" (Bond and Whitfield)&nbsp;– 5:05
+#"Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)"&nbsp;– 4:48
-#"Outlaw" (Bond and Whitfield)&nbsp;– 4:36
+#"Sail Away"&nbsp;– 5:05
+#"Outlaw"&nbsp;– 4:36
-#"Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)" (Bond and Whitfield)&nbsp;– 6:27
-#"The Battle Song (I'm the One)" ([[Berry Gordy, Jr.]] and [[Willie Hutch]])&nbsp;– 5:21
+#"Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)"&nbsp;– 6:27
-#"Hollywood" (Victor Castarphen, [[Melvin Franklin|David English]], [[Ron Tyson]] and [[Otis Williams]])&nbsp;– 3:59
+#"The Battle Song (I'm the One)" ([[Berry Gordy, Jr.]], [[Willie Hutch]])&nbsp;– 5:21
-#"Isn't the Night Fantastic " ([[Dennis Edwards]], English, [[Glenn Leonard]], Richard Street and Williams)&nbsp;– 4:59
+#"Hollywood" (Victor Castarphen, [[Melvin Franklin|David English]], [[Ron Tyson]], [[Otis Williams]])&nbsp;– 3:59
+#"Isn't the Night Fantastic" ([[Dennis Edwards]], English, [[Glenn Leonard]], Richard Street, Williams)&nbsp;– 4:59
-#"Make Me Believe in Love Again" (Bond and Whitfield)&nbsp;– 6:12
+#"Make Me Believe in Love Again"&nbsp;– 6:12
 ==Personnel==
@@ Line 51: / Line 52: @@
 *[[Dennis Edwards]]&nbsp;– tenor/baritone vocals except for “Stop the World”
 *[[Melvin Franklin]]&nbsp;– bass vocals
-*[[Richard Street]]&nbsp;– tenor vocals
+*[[Glenn Leonard]]&nbsp;– first tenor/falsetto vocals on “Isn’t the Night Fantastic”
+*[[Richard Street]]&nbsp;– second tenor vocals
 *[[Ron Tyson]]&nbsp;– first tenor/falsetto vocals
 *[[Otis Williams]]&nbsp;– baritone vocals
-*[[Ali-Ollie Woodson]]&nbsp;– tenor vocals only on “Stop the World”
+*[[Ali-Ollie Woodson]]&nbsp;– tenor vocals on “Stop the World”
 '''Additional musicians'''
@@ Line 63: / Line 65: @@
 *David Stephen Cochrane&nbsp;– bass guitar on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
 *Walter Downing&nbsp;– keyboards on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
-*The Four Tops&nbsp;– vocals on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
+*[[The Four Tops]]&nbsp;– vocals on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)"
 ** [[Renaldo Benson|Renaldo “Obie” Benson]]
 ** [[Abdul "Duke" Fakir]]
@@ Line 82: / Line 84: @@
 *David T. Walker&nbsp;– guitar on "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
 *"Ready" Freddie Washington&nbsp;– bass guitar on "The Battle Song (I'm the One)" and "Isn't the Night Fantastic"
-*[[Norman Whitfield]]&nbsp;– electronic drums on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"; rhythm arrangement on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"; recording on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"; mixing on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"; production on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
+*[[Norman Whitfield]]&nbsp;– electronic drums, rhythm arrangements, production, recording and mix on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
 *Eddie Willis&nbsp;– guitar on "Miss Busy Body (Get Our Body Busy)", "Sail Away", "Outlaw", "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)", and "Make Me Believe in Love Again"
 *Benjamin F. Wright, Jr.&nbsp;– electronic drums on "Hollywood", vocal arrangement on "Hollywood", recording on "Hollywood"

v t e The Temptations
Otis Williams Ron Tyson Terry Weeks Tony Grant Jawan Jackson Melvin Franklin Eddie Kendricks Paul Williams Elbridge Bryant David Ruffin Dennis Edwards Ricky Owens Richard Street Damon Harris Glenn Leonard Louis Price Ali-Ollie Woodson Theo Peoples Harry McGilberry Barrington "Bo" Henderson Ray Davis G. C. Cameron Joe Herndon Bruce Williamson Larry Braggs Willie Green Mario Corbino
Studio albums	Meet the Temptations The Temptations Sing Smokey The Temptin' Temptations Gettin' Ready The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul The Temptations Wish It Would Rain Cloud Nine Puzzle People Psychedelic Shack Sky's the Limit Solid Rock All Directions Masterpiece 1990 A Song for You House Party Wings of Love The Temptations Do the Temptations Hear to Tempt You Bare Back Power The Temptations Reunion Surface Thrills Back to Basics Truly for You Touch Me To Be Continued... Together Again Special Milestone Phoenix Rising Ear-Resistible Awesome Legacy Still Here Temptations 60
Cover albums	The Temptations in a Mellow Mood For Lovers Only Reflections Back to Front All the Time
Live albums	Temptations Live! Live at the Copa Live at London's Talk of the Town The Temptations in Japan
Other albums	Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations TCB The Temptations Show Together On Broadway The Temptations Christmas Card Give Love at Christmas Lost and Found: You've Got to Earn It (1962–1968)
Compilations	Greatest Hits Greatest Hits II Anthology Emperors of Soul The Ultimate Collection My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations Psychedelic Soul
Singles (US/UK Top 10)	"My Girl" "Get Ready" "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" "(I Know) I'm Losing You" "All I Need" "You're My Everything" "I Wish It Would Rain" "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" "Cloud Nine" "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" "Run Away Child, Running Wild" "I Can't Get Next to You" "Psychedelic Shack" "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" "Masterpiece" "Let Your Hair Down" "Happy People" "Shakey Ground" "Treat Her Like a Lady" "The Motown Song" "My Girl" (reissue)
Related	Band members The Temptations (miniseries) Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations Discography The Supremes The Undisputed Truth Smokey Robinson Norman Whitfield Barrett Strong Sly Stone George Clinton
Category