The Temptations "Psychedelic Shack" C or D?

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I just picked it up this evening and am seriously loving it. I accidentally started it at 45 rpm, so the opening 30 seconds or so BLEW MY FUCKING MIND (i.e. this is the fucking temptations??), but even after playing it at the right speed I was pretty happy with it's psych-ness.

I know there are a few other threads dedicated to the psychedelic-style soul Motown put out, but I hadn't noticed anything specific to this record.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 11 June 2006 06:33 (nineteen years ago)

Classic.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Sunday, 11 June 2006 09:32 (nineteen years ago)

"Cloud Nine" is better.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Sunday, 11 June 2006 10:28 (nineteen years ago)

There's a comp called "Psychedelic Soul" that's about all you ever need of this.

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Sunday, 11 June 2006 11:04 (nineteen years ago)

i know but anyway here

― molly (bulbs), Sunday, 11 June 2006 11:15 (nineteen years ago)

I definitely prefer "Cloud Nine"'s title track to Shack's, but as an album I think I like Shack better.

And yeah, I've actually been taking notes over that Psych Motown thread for a few days now.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 11 June 2006 15:32 (nineteen years ago)

I just heard this album a couple of days ago, and I loved it. My only qualm is with Whitfield's tendency to be a bit long-winded...he would definitely trip out and turn a 4 minute song into an 8 minute one. Sometimes it would work, but not usually. What is Whitfield up to these days? Besides tax evasion, that is.

― musically (musically), Sunday, 11 June 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

It's a great album. I've got that reissue that combines it (somewhat annoyingly) on the same disc as "All Directions," which provides for an interesting juxtaposition. Why they didn't package it with "Cloud 9" instead, I don't know.

― vartman (novaheat), Sunday, 11 June 2006 17:37 (nineteen years ago)

"Cloud 9" was actually my first exposure to the whole psych-Motown thing.

I heard it on the soundtrack to the documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," where Meshell Ndegeocello covers it with The Funk Brothers. I was putting it on mixtapes for weeks afterward, like "have you people heard this? This is Motown!"

I'm upset it took me this long to pick up Shack, though, because I definitely prefer it to the C9 album.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 11 June 2006 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

You might want to check out the album Masterpiece, too. Especially the track Hurry Tomorrow, which is druggy/tripped out in far more of a disillusioned/nightmarish manner (I guess harder drugs were more of an inspiration, it being 1973).

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Sunday, 11 June 2006 21:16 (nineteen years ago)

I spotted Masterpiece at the shop and opted not to pick it up, but maybe I oughta go back.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 11 June 2006 23:01 (nineteen years ago)

"You can have your function towed" - well, shit, where do I sign up?

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Monday, 12 June 2006 02:00 (nineteen years ago)

If you see Masterpiece, just make sure it isn't the two-fer w/ Song For You -- it cuts a bunch of the tracks. Last I checked, it was the OLD Motown issue you wanted, not the current one...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 12 June 2006 03:17 (nineteen years ago)

I'd add: only get Masterpiece if you see it dead cheap. It's not all great. The title track is a 14-minute job, BTW... but doesn't really go anywhere musically in the way you might hope.

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Monday, 12 June 2006 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

Kinda gimmicky, but then so was 75% of all psychedelic pop-chart hits of the day. And kinda dated too; but that is decidedly NOT a dis in my book. (Anyways, I mean it was already dated when it was new.) On the whole, tho, it's my least favourite of their '69-70 psychedelic psoul psingles. I'd rather hear "Ball Of Confusion" or the full-length "Runaway Child, Running Wild".

It'd still sound absolutely smashing on the FM right about now, of course.

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Monday, 12 June 2006 14:04 (nineteen years ago)

mega-classic. I listen to this album all the time.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 12 June 2006 15:08 (nineteen years ago)

I love the Temps between 69 and 73. I don't find Whitfields arrangments long winded at all either. Though I do realize it's quite a controversal period for some though (check Wilson and Alroy's Record Reviews, they can't stand this period ,mind you not much seems to impress them)
Can anybody suggest some other bands in this vein?
P.s sos 'bout the spelling!

― G D Henderson (babysquid), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 19:12 (nineteen years ago)

the psych-period Temps have kind of a unique combination of big studio-gloss, multi-layered vocals, and psych-fuzz that I don't think was really consistently replicated anywhere else. There's other bands that occasionally cross similar territory (early Funkadelic, Bo Diddley's funk records, Howlin Wolf/Muddy Waters' psych experiments, various other Whitfield Motown productions of the time) but nothing really nails that combo. No one was as slick as the Temps.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 19:16 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe Isley Brothers or Chambers Brothers?

― nickn (nickn), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 19:44 (nineteen years ago)

been meaning to look into those two myself - there's a big '67-'73 gap in my Isley Bros collection. (Chambers Bros I've never really heard apart from the hits - tho Chuck Eddy's labelling of "Time Has Come Today" as "dub metal" never fails to amuse.)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 19:46 (nineteen years ago)

I don't have any LP recommendations, (I've only heard "THCT" from the Chambers also).

― nickn (nickn), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 20:38 (nineteen years ago)

There's a comp called "Psychedelic Soul" that's about all you ever need of this.

I just bought this, thanks to this thread.

― It's Rodney, pimp! (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 21:54 (nineteen years ago)

Mo, you mention a gap in your Isley collection 67-73. Does that mean you have The Heat Is On? Side A on that record totally does it for me.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 02:36 (nineteen years ago)

"Sings Smokey" is a lot better.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 07:57 (nineteen years ago)

Ooh, The Heat Is On, that's a good'un! I'll take the Isleys' "Fight The Power" over Public Enemy's.

― Myonga Von Booty (Monty Von Byonga), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 09:49 (nineteen years ago)

I like The Heat Is On's material - but I dunno if I would call it psych per se, its pretty far from the style's late-60s heyday.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

Right right, not so Psych, but enough kickass phased guitar solos for me to consider it firmly outside the realm of commercial funk and more inside funk-rock.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 18:34 (nineteen years ago)

Anyone ever heard that '70s Tempts album with Eddie Hazel? 1990, I believe it's called.

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Friday, 16 June 2006 03:42 (nineteen years ago)

Eddie Hazel (and Billy Bass Nelson) are on two Temps' albums from the 70s - "Wings of Love" and "Shakey Ground". Both are about halfway great albums (I say halfway because the respective halves that are dedicated to syrupy ballads bore me)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 16 June 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

(there's some Sly Stone alumni on "Wings of Love" too, but I forget who exactly, Freddie Stone maybe...?)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 16 June 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

I cant believe that Geir thinks 'Sings Smokey' is better than 'Shack' It's like drowning in syrup!

― babysquid (babysquid), Thursday, 22 June 2006 14:12 (nineteen years ago)

OK so it doesn't sound like the Temptations but my favourite did-they-really-make-this? record from that whole Sly Stone/Whitfield/early Funkadelic period is the four-part song by Chairmen of the Board: Morning Glory - Life and Death (Pt 1) - White Rose - Life and Death (Pt 2). The label hired the nascent Funkadelic to make the track, much to the annoyance of the Chairmen themselves, and it's astonishing - always evolving, always surprising. I've never heard anything like it, before or since. If you can find a compilation called Really Heavy Soul, it has this on it plus the Chi-Lites, Swamp Dogg, Curtis Mayfield, Parliament etc.

― Dorian Lynskey (Dorianlynskey), Thursday, 22 June 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

sounds cool

― babysquid (babysquid), Thursday, 22 June 2006 14:37 (nineteen years ago)

whoah wtf? never heard of that! must track down.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 June 2006 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

a little googlin reveals that those tracks are on the "Skin I'm In" album (Invictus 1974)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 June 2006 14:52 (nineteen years ago)

(uh "Shakey Ground" should be "A Song For You" up there - my copy has the title worn off. Haven't heard the "Zoom" album, looks like it was reissued as "1999"...?)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 24 June 2006 13:46 (nineteen years ago)

er typos galore! "1990"

http://www.dustygroove.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dga/search.cgi?usersrch=Temptations+%22Zoom%22&issearch=yes&GO.x=0&GO.y=0

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 24 June 2006 13:46 (nineteen years ago)

that 'life & death' suite by chairmen of the board is amazing - especially in the third track, where it breaks down to the percussion tracks. did sly ever record 'life & death'?

'skin i'm in' can be found in full on the 3cd 'Invictus Anthology' box set, which is usually pretty cheap, and full of good stuff...

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Saturday, 24 June 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

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