Temptations – The Surface Thrills

Description

Temptations – The Surface Thrills

The Temptations are an American vocal group, known for their successes in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s at Motown Records. The group’s repertoire has included, during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music. Known for their recognizable choreography, distinct harmonies and flashy onstage suits, the Temptations have been said to be as influential to soul as The Beatles are to pop and rock.

Over the course of their career, the Temptations have released four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 14 Billboard R&B number-one singles. Their material has earned them three Grammy Awards, while two more awards were conferred upon the songwriters and producers who crafted their 1972 hit “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”. The Temptations were the first Motown act to earn a Grammy Award. Six Temptations (Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Otis Williams and Paul Williams) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Three classic Temptations songs, “My Girl”, “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, are among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

Their album Surface Thrills released in 1983 featured a sharp departure in the group’s sound by incorporating elements of then-current rock. Following its release, Glenn Leonard was let go and replaced by Ron Tyson who was with the Philadelphia groups The Etics and Love Committee. Tyson had been a staff songwriter at Atlantic.

By this time, the Temptations’ releases were no longer performing well on the pop charts, though some singles did very well in the R&B charts just like the single “Love on My Mind Tonight” from Surface Thrills, it charted at number 17.

The Temptations still exist. There have been many changes taken place in the lineup. Dennis Edwards has his own group called “Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Revue”. In 1991, David Ruffin died of a cocaine overdose. In 1992, Eddie Kendricks died of lung cancer. In 1995, Melvin Franklin died of diabetes after having been in a coma.

But Otis Williams is the only living original member of the group The Temptations.

01. SURFACE THRILLS (4:30)
02. LOVE ON MY MIND TONIGHT (4:57)
03. ONE MAN WOMAN (5:13)
04. SHOW ME YOUR LOVE (4:02)
05. THE SEEKER (4:30)
06. WHAT A WAY TO PUT IT (4:57)
07. BRING YOUR BODY HERE (Exercise Chant) (5:13)
08. MADE IN AMERICA (3:58)

Additional information