The Temptations – Cloud Nine
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Rarity - Sealed
Vocals (tenor, baritone) - Dennis Edwards
Vocals (tenor, falsetto) - Eddie Kendricks
Vocals (baritone) - Paul Williams
Vocals (bass) - Melvin Franklin
Vocals (second tenor) - Otis Williams
Written by Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield (A1-3, B3-5, B7), Dave Linden, Ben Raleigh (B1), Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Norman Whitfield (B2), Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland, Eddie Kendricks, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield (B6)
1LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : Black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Speakers Corner
Original Label : Tamla Motown
Recorded in 1968 – January 1969 at Studio Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit
Produced by Norman Whitfield
Remastered by Maarten De Boer at Emil Berliner Studios
Art Direction by Ken Kim
Liner Notes by Chester Higgins
Originally released in February 1969
Reissued in November 2009
Tracks :
Side A:
1. Cloud Nine
2. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
3. Run Away Child, Running Wild
Side B:
1. Love Is A Hurtin' Thing
2. Hey Girl
3. Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go)
4. I Need Your Lovin'
5. Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
6. I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back)
7. Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love
Awards :
1969 Grammy Award Winner: Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental for “Cloud Nine”
Reviews :
:
“Best known for their silky soul vocals and smooth-stepping routines, the Temptations were firmly entrenched as the undisputed kings of Barry Gordy's Motown stable when cutting-edge producer Norman Whitfield walked into the studio and announced that it was time to shake things up. The resulting freakout became the first half of the stellar Cloud Nine, an album that would become one of the defining early funk sets, with songs that not only took Motown in a new direction, but helped to shape a genre as well. On one side and across three jams, Whitfield and the Temptations would give '70s-era funk musicians a broad palette from which to draw inspiration. The title track, with its funky soul bordering on psychedelic frenzy, was an audacious album opener, and surely gave older fans a moment's pause. Only two more songs rounded out side one: an incredibly fresh take on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," which jazzed up the vocals, brought compelling percussion to the fore, and relegated the piano well into the wings, and "Run Away Child, Running Wild," an extravagant nine-minute groove where the sonics easily surpassed the vocals. After shaking up the record-buying public with these three masterpieces, the Temptations brought things back to form for side two. Here, their gorgeous vocals dominated slick arrangements across seven tracks which included "Hey Girl" and the masterful "I Need Your Lovin'." Funk continued to percolate -- albeit subtly -- but compared to side one, it was Temptations business as usual. It was this return to the classic sound, however, which ultimately gave Cloud Nine its odd dynamic. The dichotomy of form between old and new between sides doesn't allow for a continuous gel. But the brash experimentation away from traditional Motown on the three seminal tracks which open the disc shattered the doorway between past and present as surely as the decade itself imploded and smooth soul gave way to blistering funk.” AllMusic review by Amy Hanson
“By 1968 Berry Gordy's seemingly insurmountable empire was under attack. Psychedelia, the freeform antithesis of Hitsville's precise tempos and lyrically safe methodology, was now the hip currency of young America. More importantly, it effected all strata of society, even the less radical homeland that bought Motown's singles. In soul circles, only Sly Stone (who had the distinct advantage of being a San Franciscan DJ anyway) had heeded the call of the flower children. In Detroit it must have seemed like another universe to the suited and immaculate pop-by-numbers brigade. Initially the Temptations' producer (and, with Barrett Strong half of the band's song writing team), Norman Whitfield, had poured disdain on the love and peace offered by the Family Stone. Yet in a wise volte face he decided that, with Dennis Edwards replacing David Ruffin as the main voice of the group, he could offer Gordy a new vision of 'psychedelic soul' . What followed were four years of peerless social commentary, groundbreaking arrangements and far out funky soul.
The first foray, and arguably the album that saved Motown's increasingly outmoded ass, was Cloud Nine. In fact it was the band's Otis Williams who first put the seed of the idea into Whitfield's mind. But when he saw the light it was with spectacular results. The first three numbers broke the mold that had kept the band confined as a dance-routined and conformist vocal troupe. For starters the title track began with some of the most warped sounds ever to grace a Motown release up to that point. Their version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine signalled the old label morphing into the new. Then there was Runaway Child, Running Wild; a NINE-minute journey through contemporary issues, ghetto politics and studio mastery. Edwards vocals also had the grit and righteous indignation that was perfectly suited to more gritty, challenging numbers.
It wasn't all wigged-out stuff, though. On the original release's side two the band did return to more familiar, three-minute fare such as I Need You Lovin'. Thus, Cloud Nine was a halfway house in the Temptations' metamorphosis into true psychedelic pioneers. The final transformation was to follow on the next two albums, Psychedelic Shack and All Directions, where Whitfield's productions continued to stretch them in all kinds of new directions. But from Cloud Nine onwards, Motown were back at the forefront of American popular music.” BBC review by Chris Jones
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.38 / 5 ; Rolling Stone : 4 / 5