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70ts Soul, R 'n' B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
The Temptations are one of the truly great Motown gems and I suspect that their solo material is just as much a magnet for fans. So up steps this forgotten peach.
Part of the famous Soul label's "Anthology" series – and while Hip-O Select (of the USA) has subsequently reissued the complete Solo Motown output for lead vocalists David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks - the Dennis Edwards and Paul Williams entries on here are rare by comparison. Here are the groovy details...
UK released March 1996 - "One By One: The Best Of Their Solo Years" by THE TEMPTATIONS on Motown 530 615-2 (Barcode 731453061521) plays out as follows:
Disc 1 (77:33 minutes):
1. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) – DAVID RUFFIN
2. I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved – DAVID RUFFIN
3. I'm So Glad I Fell For You – DAVID RUFFIN
4. Which Way To My Baby – DENNIS EDWARDS
5. The Double Cross – DAVID RUFFIN
6. It's So Hard For Me To Say Good-Bye – EDDIE KENDRICKS
7. This Used To Be The Home Of Johnnie Mae – EDDIE KENDRICKS
8. Can I – EDDIE KENDRICKS
9. If You Let Me – EDDIE KENDRICKS
10. Girl You Need A Change Of Mind – EDDIE KENDRICKS
11. Date With The Rain – EDDIE KENDRICKS
12. Eddie's Love – EDDIE KENDRICKS
13. Feel Like Givin' Up – PAUL WILLIAMS
14. Once You Had A Heart – PAUL WILLIAMS
15. I Miss You – Pt. 1 – DAVID RUFFIN
16. Common Man – DAVID RUFFIN
17. Darling Come Back Home – EDDIE KENDRICKS
18. Keep On Truckin' – EDDIE KENDRICKS
19. Tell Her Love Has Felt The Need – EDDIE KENDRICKS
NOTES on CD1:
Tracks 1, 2 and 5 from the January 1969 US album "My Whole World Ended"
Track 3 is from the November 1969 US album "Feelin' Good"
Tracks 4 and 14 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks 6, 7 and 8 is from the April 1971 US album "All By Myself"
Tracks 9, 10, 11 and 12 from the May 1972 US album "People…Hold On"
Track 13 is from "Motown Year By Year: The Sound Of Young America 1973"
Tracks 15 and 16 from the February 1973 US album "David Ruffin"
Tracks 17 and 18 from the May 1973 US album "Eddie Kendricks"
Track 18 from Disc 1 and Track 1 from Disc 2 from the February 1974 US album "Boogie Down!"
Disc 2 (75:36 minutes):
1. Boogie Down – EDDIE KENDRICKS
2. Shoeshine Boy – EDDIE KENDRICKS
3. Happy – EDDIE KENDRICKS
4. Get The Cream Off The Top – EDDIE KENDRICKS
5. Walk Away From Love – DAVID RUFFIN
6. Heavy Love – DAVID RUFFIN
7. Statue Of A Fool – DAVID RUFFIN
8. He's A Friend – EDDIE KENDRICKS
9. When The Lights Come Down On Love – DENNIS EDWARDS
10. Everything's Coming Up Love – DAVID RUFFIN
11. Just Let Me Hold You For A Night – DAVID RUFFIN
12. You're My Peace Of Mind – DAVID RUFFIN
13. Don't Look Any Further – DENNIS EDWARDS feat SIEDAH GARRETT
14. (You're My) Aphrodisiac – DENNIS EDWARDS
15. Coolin' Out – DENNIS EDWARDS
16. Soulmate – DENNIS EDWARDS and THE TEMPTATIONS
NOTES on CD2:
Tracks 1 and 2 from the January 1975 US LP "For You"
Tracks 3 and 4 from the August 1975 US album "The Hit Man"
Tracks 5, 6 and 7 from the October 1975 US LP "Who I Am"
Track 8 from the January 1976 US LP "He's A Friend"
Track 9 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 10 is from the May 1976 US LP "Everything's Coming Up Love"
Tracks 11 and 12 from the December 1977 US LP "In My Stride"
Tracks 13 and 14 from the January 1984 US LP "Don't Look Any Further"
Track 15 from the August 1985 US LP "Coolin' Out"
Track 16 is an unreleased 1974 session released on the 1986 2LP set "The Temptations 25th Anniversary"
The 20-page booklet has liner notes by noted writer and music historian A. SCOTT GALLOWAY while the top class remastering is by one of Universal's most revered tape engineers ERICK LABSON (has over 1,250 credits to his name). The Sound quality is great – especially on the predominantly Seventies material.
Highlights are many as you can imagine - I especially love the Van McCoy written "Everything's Coming Up Love" with its irrepressible uptempo message and mid-Seventies strings and vibes (lyrics above). I've always loved the whole "People…Hold On" LP by Eddie Kendricks and its leadoff track "If You Let Me" is another gem. David Ruffin had such a Soulful way - whether he was getting his larynx around a 1969 pleader like "The Double Cross" or the 1977 Disco Dancer "You're My Peace Of Mind".
The duet with Siedah Garrett "Don't Look Any Further" was a huge hit for Dennis Edwards and even now I get a kick out of the sheer funk of Kendricks' "Keep On Truckin'". The Three Previously Unreleased tracks by a combo of Dennis Edwards and Paul Williams are surprisingly good too - especially "When The Lights Come Down On Love".
"One By One - The Best
Of Their Solo Years" has become something of a rarity across the years –
and at times very pricey indeed. But it's worth seeking out – and for Motown
fans – an absolute must buy…
