The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul
Encyclopedia
The Temptations with a Lot 'o Soul is a 1967 album by The Temptations
for the Gordy (Motown) label. Featuring four hit singles, With a Lot o' Soul is the most successful Temptations album from their "classic 5" era, during which David Ruffin
, Eddie Kendricks
, Paul Williams
, Melvin Franklin
, and Otis Williams
constituted the Temptations' lineup.
produced most of the tracks here, supporting the Temptations' vocals with a hard-edged soul
sound with elements of the music of James Brown.
"(I Know) I'm Losing You
", already a nine-month-old hit by the time With a Lot o' Soul was released, opens the album. The rest of the album expands upon the template established by Norman Whitfield with "I'm Losing You". Whitfield and the other With a Lot o' Soul producers, including Ivy Jo Hunter
, Smokey Robinson
, and, on "All I Need
" (in which Ruffin portrays a man who admits to his lover he has been unfaithful and begs her forgiveness), Whitfield's protégé Frank Wilson
, supply the group a more modern sound than was present on preivous or contemporary Motown releases. Most of the tracks on side A of the album feature brass
-heavy, dramatic backing tracks with more prominent uses of electric guitar
lines (Whitfield's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and Ivy Jo Hunter's "Sorry is a Sorry Word" from side B) and shifts in dynamics (Whitfield's "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", the single "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need", and the Eddie Kendricks-led "Save My Love for a Rainy Day").
Paul Williams delivers a dramatic performance on the Smokey Robinson-produced "No More Water in the Well", an uptempo number regularly identified as one of his standout performances. Williams and the other Temptations constantly complained about Williams' not being able to sing lead on more album tracks, and on singles as well, but Motown paid their complaints no heed, and continued to rely on David Ruffin's (and occasionally Eddie Kendricks') leads for each single.
Side B begins with "Just One Last Look", written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland
, Motown's main songwriting and production team. The Temptations were one of the few major Motown acts never to release a single produced by the trio, because of Whitfield's (and previously, Robinson's) tight hold on the group. Brian Holland
and Lamont Dozier
had to in fact fight for the chance to produce "Just One Last Look" for the Temptations, and Whitfield successfully blocked its release as a single. "Just One Last Look" remains the only H-D-H produced track to appear on any Temptations studio album.
While David Ruffin takes most of the leads on the album and its singles, he shares the spotlight with Eddie Kendricks on the Norman Whitfield/Cornelius Grant
/Roger Penzabene
love ballad "You're My Everything". Penzabene wrote "You're My Everything" specifically with Kendricks in mind to sing it (Ruffin only sings lead during the bridge), and visualized the singer performing it to a "special girl" Kendricks would pick out of the audience ("You're the girl I sing about/in every love song I sing/You're my everything, girl.").
With a Lot o' Soul concludes with three more ballads: Smokey Robinson's "Now That You've Won Me" (led by Ruffin), Norman Whitfield's "Two Sides to Love" (led by Kendricks), and Robinson's "Don't Send Me Away" (a rare lead showcase for stalwart Temptation Otis Williams).
, (b) Eddie Kendricks
, (c) Paul Williams
, (d) Melvin Franklin
, (e) Otis Williams
, (f) Four-part harmony.
in 1994.
The following outtakes were included on the Temptations CD set Lost and Found: You've Got To Earn It (1962-1968)
in 1999.
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
for the Gordy (Motown) label. Featuring four hit singles, With a Lot o' Soul is the most successful Temptations album from their "classic 5" era, during which David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
, Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
, Paul Williams
Paul Williams (The Temptations)
Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
, Melvin Franklin
Melvin Franklin
David Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, was an American bass singer. Franklin is best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994....
, and Otis Williams
Otis Williams
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
constituted the Temptations' lineup.
Overview
The four singles from the album, all Top 20 pop/ Top 10 R&B hits, were "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "All I Need", "You're My Everything", and "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need". three of these four songs also reached the Billboard Pop Top 10 as well. Norman WhitfieldNorman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
produced most of the tracks here, supporting the Temptations' vocals with a hard-edged soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
sound with elements of the music of James Brown.
"(I Know) I'm Losing You
(I Know) I'm Losing You
" I'm Losing You" is a 1966 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label and produced by Norman Whitfield.- History :...
", already a nine-month-old hit by the time With a Lot o' Soul was released, opens the album. The rest of the album expands upon the template established by Norman Whitfield with "I'm Losing You". Whitfield and the other With a Lot o' Soul producers, including Ivy Jo Hunter
Ivy Jo Hunter
Ivy Jo Hunter, born George Ivy Hunter and sometimes credited as Ivy Hunter, is a former R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for the Motown label in the 1960s....
, Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, and, on "All I Need
All I Need (The Temptations song)
"All I Need" is a 1967 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label. It is the group's first single to be produced by Norman Whitfield's protégé Frank Wilson. Written by Wilson, Edward Holland, Jr. and R...
" (in which Ruffin portrays a man who admits to his lover he has been unfaithful and begs her forgiveness), Whitfield's protégé Frank Wilson
Frank Wilson (musician)
Frank Wilson is an African American former songwriter and record producer for Motown Records.-Biography:He was born to James Wilson and Samantha Gibbs...
, supply the group a more modern sound than was present on preivous or contemporary Motown releases. Most of the tracks on side A of the album feature brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
-heavy, dramatic backing tracks with more prominent uses of electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
lines (Whitfield's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and Ivy Jo Hunter's "Sorry is a Sorry Word" from side B) and shifts in dynamics (Whitfield's "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", the single "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need", and the Eddie Kendricks-led "Save My Love for a Rainy Day").
Paul Williams delivers a dramatic performance on the Smokey Robinson-produced "No More Water in the Well", an uptempo number regularly identified as one of his standout performances. Williams and the other Temptations constantly complained about Williams' not being able to sing lead on more album tracks, and on singles as well, but Motown paid their complaints no heed, and continued to rely on David Ruffin's (and occasionally Eddie Kendricks') leads for each single.
Side B begins with "Just One Last Look", written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
, Motown's main songwriting and production team. The Temptations were one of the few major Motown acts never to release a single produced by the trio, because of Whitfield's (and previously, Robinson's) tight hold on the group. Brian Holland
Brian Holland
Brian Holland is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland. That songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound and numerous hit records by artists such as Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops,...
and Lamont Dozier
Lamont Dozier
Lamont Herbert Dozier is an American songwriter and record producer, born in Detroit, Michigan. Dozier has either co-written or produced several US Billboard #1 hits.-Career:...
had to in fact fight for the chance to produce "Just One Last Look" for the Temptations, and Whitfield successfully blocked its release as a single. "Just One Last Look" remains the only H-D-H produced track to appear on any Temptations studio album.
While David Ruffin takes most of the leads on the album and its singles, he shares the spotlight with Eddie Kendricks on the Norman Whitfield/Cornelius Grant
Cornelius Grant
Cornelius Grant was born April 27, 1943 in Fairfield, Texas, a small town 80 miles south of Dallas. Raised by his grandmother, who he adored, he taught himself how to play guitar at the age of nine. When he was 13, his family moved to Detroit....
/Roger Penzabene
Roger Penzabene
Roger Penzabene was a songwriter for the Motown label. Among his most notable compositions are "The End of Our Road" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye, and a trilogy of hits for the Temptations: "You're My Everything", "I Wish It Would Rain", and "I Could Never Love Another ".The...
love ballad "You're My Everything". Penzabene wrote "You're My Everything" specifically with Kendricks in mind to sing it (Ruffin only sings lead during the bridge), and visualized the singer performing it to a "special girl" Kendricks would pick out of the audience ("You're the girl I sing about/in every love song I sing/You're my everything, girl.").
With a Lot o' Soul concludes with three more ballads: Smokey Robinson's "Now That You've Won Me" (led by Ruffin), Norman Whitfield's "Two Sides to Love" (led by Kendricks), and Robinson's "Don't Send Me Away" (a rare lead showcase for stalwart Temptation Otis Williams).
Track listing
Superscripts denote lead singers for each track: (a) David RuffinDavid Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
, (b) Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
, (c) Paul Williams
Paul Williams (The Temptations)
Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
, (d) Melvin Franklin
Melvin Franklin
David Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, was an American bass singer. Franklin is best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994....
, (e) Otis Williams
Otis Williams
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
, (f) Four-part harmony.
Side one
- "(I Know) I'm Losing You(I Know) I'm Losing You" I'm Losing You" is a 1966 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label and produced by Norman Whitfield.- History :...
" (Cornelius GrantCornelius GrantCornelius Grant was born April 27, 1943 in Fairfield, Texas, a small town 80 miles south of Dallas. Raised by his grandmother, who he adored, he taught himself how to play guitar at the age of nine. When he was 13, his family moved to Detroit....
, Edward Holland, Jr.Edward Holland, Jr.Edward Holland, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter and record producer....
, Norman WhitfieldNorman WhitfieldNorman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
) a - "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone" (Grant, Sylvia MoySylvia MoySylvia Moy is a songwriter and record producer, formerly associated with the Motown Records group. The first woman at the Detroit-based music label to write and produce for Motown acts, she is probably best known for her songs written for Stevie Wonder....
, Whitfield) a - "All I NeedAll I Need (The Temptations song)"All I Need" is a 1967 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label. It is the group's first single to be produced by Norman Whitfield's protégé Frank Wilson. Written by Wilson, Edward Holland, Jr. and R...
" (Frank WilsonFrank Wilson (musician)Frank Wilson is an African American former songwriter and record producer for Motown Records.-Biography:He was born to James Wilson and Samantha Gibbs...
, E. Holland, R. Dean TaylorR. Dean TaylorR. Dean Taylor is a Canadian singer, most famous as a recording artist, songwriter and record producer for Motown Records company during the 1960s and 1970s...
) a - "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" It's You That I Need" is a 1967 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label and produced by Norman Whitfield. This is one of the small handful of pre-psychedelic era songs the group recorded that had more than two members singing lead at one point, and the only one that charted...
" (E. Holland, Whitfield) a, f - "No More Water in the Well" (Warren MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
, Smokey RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, Robert RogersBobby RogersBobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
) c, f - "Save My Love for a Rainy Day" (Roger PenzabeneRoger PenzabeneRoger Penzabene was a songwriter for the Motown label. Among his most notable compositions are "The End of Our Road" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye, and a trilogy of hits for the Temptations: "You're My Everything", "I Wish It Would Rain", and "I Could Never Love Another ".The...
, Whitfield) b
Side two
- "Just One Last Look" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) a
- "Sorry is a Sorry Word" (E. Holland, Ivy Jo HunterIvy Jo HunterIvy Jo Hunter, born George Ivy Hunter and sometimes credited as Ivy Hunter, is a former R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for the Motown label in the 1960s....
) a - "You're My EverythingYou're My Everything (The Temptations song)"You're My Everything" is a 1967 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label. It is the first of three singles to be co-written for the group by Motown songwriter Roger Penzabene. It reached number three on the U.S. R&B chart and number six on the U.S. Pop chart...
" (Grant, Penzabene, Whitfield) b, a - "Now That You've Won Me" (Robinson) a
- "Two Sides to Love" (Moy, Whitfield) b
- "Don't Send Me Away" (Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
, Robinson) e, d
Known outtakes
The following outtakes were included on the Temptations box set Emperors of SoulEmperors of Soul
Emperors of Soul is a 1994 box set compilation for The Temptations, released by Motown Records. The five-disc collection covers the Temptations' entire four-decade history, from the first recording of The Distants in 1959 to four new recordings by the then-current Temptations lineup of Ali-Ollie...
in 1994.
- "I Got Heaven Right Here on Earth" (Kendricks, E. Holland, Whitfield)
- Produced by Norman Whitfield, led by David Ruffin
- "I'm Doing It All" (Robinson, Grant)
- Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Eddie Kendricks
- "Angel Doll" (Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Clarence PaulClarence PaulClarence Otto Pauling , better known as Clarence Paul, was a songwriter and record producer for Detroit's Motown Records....
, Morris Broadnax)- Produced by Clarence Paul, led by David Ruffin
The following outtakes were included on the Temptations CD set Lost and Found: You've Got To Earn It (1962-1968)
Lost and Found: You've Got To Earn It (1962-1968)
Lost and Found: You've Got To Earn It is a compilation album by The Temptations. Released by Motown Records in 1999, it includes twenty unreleased Temptations records alongside unreleased mixes of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "You've Got to Earn It"...
in 1999.
- "What Am I Gonna Do Without You" (Hunter, Wonder)
- Produced by Ivy Jo Hunter, led by David Ruffin
- "Love Is What You Make It" (Robinson)
- Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by David Ruffin
- "No Time" (Robinson, Moore)
- Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Eddie Kendricks
- "Last One Out Is Brokenhearted" (William "Mickey" Stevenson, Hunter)
- Produced by Ivy Jo Hunter, led by Paul Williams
- " I Can't Think of a Thing At All" (Robinson)
- Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by David Ruffin
- "Forever in My Heart" (Robinson, Rogers)
- Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Paul Williams
- "I Now See You Clear Through My Eyes" (Robinson)
- Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Paul Williams
- "Camouflage" [Version 2] (Berry Gordy, Jr.)
- Produced by Berry Gordy, Jr., led by Eddie Kendricks & David Ruffin
- "We'll Be Satisfied" (F. Wilson, Marc Gordon)
- Produced by Frank Wilson, led by David Ruffin, Paul Williams & Eddie Kendricks
Personnel
- David RuffinDavid RuffinDavis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
: vocals (baritone/tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
/falsettoFalsettoFalsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
) - Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
: vocals (tenor/falsetto) - Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (The Temptations)Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
: vocals (tenor/baritone) - Melvin FranklinMelvin FranklinDavid Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, was an American bass singer. Franklin is best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994....
: vocals (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
) - Otis WilliamsOtis WilliamsOtis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
: vocals (tenor/baritone)
Producers
- Norman WhitfieldNorman WhitfieldNorman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
: "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need", "Save My Love for a Rainy Day", "You're My Everything", "Two Sides to Love", Executive Producer (Album) - Smokey RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
: "No More Water in the Well", "Now That You've Won Me", "Don't Send Me Away" - Frank WilsonFrank Wilson (musician)Frank Wilson is an African American former songwriter and record producer for Motown Records.-Biography:He was born to James Wilson and Samantha Gibbs...
: "All I Need" - Brian HollandBrian HollandBrian Holland is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland. That songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound and numerous hit records by artists such as Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops,...
and Lamont DozierLamont DozierLamont Herbert Dozier is an American songwriter and record producer, born in Detroit, Michigan. Dozier has either co-written or produced several US Billboard #1 hits.-Career:...
: "Just One Last Look" - Ivy Jo HunterIvy Jo HunterIvy Jo Hunter, born George Ivy Hunter and sometimes credited as Ivy Hunter, is a former R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for the Motown label in the 1960s....
: "Sorry is a Sorry Word"
Singles history
- "(I Know) I'm Losing You"
- Gordy single 7057, November 2, 1966; b-side: "I Couldn't Cry If I Wanted To" (non-album, recorded 1963)
- "All I Need"
- Gordy single 7061, April 13, 1967; b-side: "Sorry is a Sorry Word"
- "You're My Everything"
- Gordy single 7063, June 13, 1967; b-side: "I've Been Good to You" (from Gettin' ReadyGettin' ReadyGettin' Ready is a 1966 album by The Temptations for the label. It marks the transition of the group from having Smokey Robinson as its main producer, with new producer Norman Whitfield taking over Robinson's position...
, US Pop #124)
- Gordy single 7063, June 13, 1967; b-side: "I've Been Good to You" (from Gettin' Ready
- "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need"
- Gordy single 7065, September 26, 1967; b-side: "Don't Send Me Away"
Chart history
| Name | Chart (1966–1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul | U.S. Billboard Pop Albums | 7 |
| The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul | U.S. Top R&B Albums | 1 |
| "(I Know) I'm Losing You" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 8 |
| "(I Know) I'm Losing You" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 1 |
| "All I Need" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 8 |
| "All I Need" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 2 |
| "You're My Everything" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 6 |
| You're My Everything" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 3 |
| "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" | U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 14 |
| "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 3 |