Puzzle People
| Puzzle People | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:37 | |||
| Label | Gordy GS 949 | |||
| Producer | Norman Whitfield | |||
| The Temptations chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (favourable)[2] |
Puzzle People is the eleventh
James Brown-derived proto-funk tracks such as the lead single "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down", and the number-one Billboard Pop hit "I Can't Get Next to You
".
Puzzle People was released simultaneously with Diana Ross & the Supremes. It peaked into the Top 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and spent fifteen weeks at number one on the R&B Albums chart.
Track listing
All selections produced by Norman Whitfield.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Leads(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | " O'Kelly Isley, Rudolph Isley | Edwards, P. Williams | 3:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Leads(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | " That's the Way Love Is " | Whitfield, Strong | Edwards, P. Williams | 3:20 |
| 6. | "Slave" | Whitfield, Strong | Edwards, Kendricks, Franklin | 7:30 |
Personnel
- The Temptations
- Dennis Edwards - tenor/baritone vocals
- Eddie Kendricks - first tenor/falsetto vocals
- Paul Williams- baritone vocals
- Melvin Franklin - bass vocals
- Otis Williams - second tenor vocals
with:
- Norman Whitfield - producer, songwriter
- Barrett Strong - lyricist
- The Funk Brothers - instrumentation
Charts
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (RPM)[3] | 17 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[4] | 82 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[5] | 20 |
| US Billboard 200[6] | 5 |
See also
- List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of the 1960s
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1970 (U.S.)
References
- ^ "Puzzle People - the Temptations | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ Bangs, Lester (7 February 1970). "Records". Rolling Stone. No. 40. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.
- ^ "RPM: The Temptations (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "The Temptations Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "The Temptations US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
