457. The Temptations: “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)”
A big, brassy, bouncy irresistible rush of a pop song. Whisper it, it’s actually better than The Way You Do The Things You Do. (9)
Category Archives: The Temptations
420. The Temptations: “The Girl’s Alright With Me”
Ultimately it isn’t as good a pop record as The Way You Do The Things You Do, and Whitfield and Holland weren’t quite finished with this concept yet – but it works a lot better than the topside, and would have made a stronger single. It’s certainly more of an indication of what lay ahead in the Tempts’ short-term future. (7)
419. The Temptations: “I’ll Be In Trouble”
Despite some rough edges, there’s plenty to like and enjoy here – it just doesn’t feel like the next step for this group, or indeed like any kind of step from The Way You Do The Things You Do at all. (6)
376. The Temptations: “Just Let Me Know”
The phrase “hidden gem” is overused, not least by me, but it certainly applies here. (7)
375. The Temptations: “The Way You Do The Things You Do”
A new start for everyone involved, a major step forward for the Motown Sound, and a damned fine pop record in its own right. Super. (8)
319. The Temptations: “May I Have This Dance”
It’s not awful, but nor is it hugely impressive; this single marks a sort of watershed for the Temptations, who were about to leave this sort of stuff behind forever. 4
318. The Temptations: “Farewell My Love”
This record represents the end of the Temptations’ first phase, though they didn’t know it at the time. When America next heard from the Temptations, everything would have changed. (5)
290. The Temptations: “The Further You Look, The Less You See”
A sneakily catchy number, which after a few listens actually gets its hooks much deeper into you than the A-side. (7)
289. The Temptations: “I Want A Love I Can See”
As a song, it’s okay; danceable, likeable, but rather flat and ultimately uninteresting. As an arrangement, a vocal showcase, a calling card for future greatness, it’s nothing short of remarkable. (6)
234. The Temptations: “Slow Down Heart”
Not for nothing would Smokey Robinson forge a reputation as the Temptations’ master craftsman: first time out, on a supposedly throwaway B-side, a frothy, fun little sketch that wasn’t going to pull up any trees, his ideas on how to best play to the group’s strengths were already years ahead of anyone else they had worked with up to this point. (7)
233. The Temptations: “Paradise”
A number 122 pop hit, and a reasonably faithful, largely-unimpressive Four Seasons tribute record, which is to say a pretty much complete waste of the Temptations. (4)
Motown Junkies 