The Temptations (1981 album)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Temptations
Gordy
ProducerThom Bell
The Temptations chronology
Give Love at Christmas
(1980)
The Temptations
(1981)
Reunion
(1982)
Singles from The Temptations
  1. "Aiming at Your Heart" / "The Life of a Cowboy"
    Released: July 17, 1981
  2. "Oh, What A Night" / "Isn't The Night Fantastic?"
    Released: October 9, 1981

The Temptations is a studio album by American

Gordy Records on August 7, 1981. The album is the group's third album upon their return to Gordy Records after their brief stint at Atlantic Records
.

Background

The album is the result of the Temptations' collaboration with the critically acclaimed record producer

Glenn Leonard
.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The album leans more toward pop, which alienated them from their R&B audience.

According to Craig Lytle of AllMusic, the reason why the album wasn't a huge success was that it wasn't marketed to a crossover audience.[4]

Chart performance

The album peaked at No. 119 on the

uptempo R&B groove "Aiming at Your Heart" featuring Street and Leonard on lead vocals. The single peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was more successful on the Hot Soul Singles chart, reaching No. 36.[7]

Track listing

All tracks are arranged by Thom Bell, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranged byLength
1."Aiming at Your Heart"Charles B. Simmons, Joseph B. Jefferson, Richard RoebuckBill Neale5:58
2."Evil Woman (Gonna Take Your Love)"Leroy M. Bell, Casey James 3:20
3."The Best Of Both Worlds"Thom Bell, Linda Creed 3:41
4."Ready Willing And Able"Alan Glass, Preston Glass, T. Bell 3:25
5."Open Their Eyes"T. Bell, Creed 4:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranged byLength
6."Oh, What A Night"T. Bell, Creed 4:03
7."The Life of a Cowboy"Jefferson, Roebuck 3:33
8."Just Ain't Havin' Fun"T. Bell, Creed 4:06
9."What Else"Simmons, Jefferson, Roebuck 4:11
10."Your Lovin' Is Magic"A. Glass, P. Glass, T. BellNeale4:05

Personnel

Musicians:

Production:

  • Thom Bell – arrangements, conductor
  • Bill Neale – arrangements, conductor (tracks: "Aiming At Your Heart", "Your Lovin' Is Magic")
  • Dirk Dalvin – chief engineer
  • Bruce Bluestein, Rob Perkins, Rick Fisher – assistant engineer
  • Tammara Bell – production coordinator
  • Johnny Lee – art direction
  • Terry Taylor – design
  • Francesco Alexander – photography

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 119
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 36

References

  1. ^ The Temptations – The Temptations Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved August 13, 2022
  2. AllMusic
    . Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  3. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 697.
  4. ^ The Temptations – The Temptations Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved August 13, 2022
  5. ^ "The Temptations' Chart History on Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "The Temptations' Chart History on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Aiming at Your Heart by The Temptations – Track Info | AllMusic, retrieved August 13, 2022
  8. ^ "The Temptations Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Temptations Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2022.

External links

  1. The Temptations on Discogs