The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 10 hit single "Cloud Nine" in October 1968, pioneered psychedelic soul, and was significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music. The band members are known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are among the most successful groups in popular music.
Links to Peel[]
The earliest airplay of the group's music on a Peel presented programme from the tracklistings on this site was in 1967 when Peel and Tommy Vance, who both co-hosted the show, played their track, '(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need' on their programme on 19th November of that year.
In 1972 he reviewed their single, 'Take A Look Around ', in Singles, describing it as a lot easier to come to terms with. Couple years later in 1974, when reviewing their single, 'I Need You' for Singles Reviews, Peel praised their album, '1990', calling it the best Temptations album in years.
He also played band member, Eddie Kendricks solo music material on his shows, including nominating his track, 'Boogie Down', as one of his 1974 Top Fifty One Singles.
A copy of the group's 'Cloud Nine' from Peel's Record Collection, was displayed as part of Record Collection: V&A LPs in an exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum between 2016 and 2017.
Shows Played[]
- 15 October 1967: Sorry Is A Sorry Word (album - The Temptations With A Lot O' Soul) Tamla Motown TML 11057
- 19 November 1967: (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need (LP - With A Lot O' Soul) Tamla Motown
- 07 March 1974: Ain't No Justice (LP - 1990) Tamla Motown
- 28 November 1979: My Girl (7") Gordy (JP: "A strange situation that I can listen to records like that now and really like them. People think this is naked opportunism because it's become fashionable to like those early Tamla things. Frankly, I don't blame people for thinking like that in the slightest. I think the same thing myself, but at the time they came out the first time, they were always regarded as being like, Tony Blackburn music, because Tony has always been a great Tamla Motown buff. I think actually, basically he was right. But at the same time as he was listening to things like that, I was listening to Country Joe & The Fish, Grateful Dead and liking all of those things very much indeed. But you couldn't like both of them, which is very stupid. In the same way, I missed out on all the Ska and Bluebeat of the late 1960s as well. It's only now because of the (so called) Mod revival, and the various things attached to it, that I'm getting to hear these records - sometimes for the first time - and thoroughly enjoying them. So I'm grateful to the Mods for that, if they've done nothing else. I must have been a berk. I must have been such a twerp in the 1960s. Still a twerp, but a different kind of twerp.")
- 23 June 1980: Papa Was A Rolling Stone (7") Tamla Motown
- 19 April 1982: Walk And Don't Look Back
- 07 July 1991: Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer (LP-The Temptations' Christmas Card)' (Motown)
- 16 December 1997: I'll Be In Trouble (album - Greatest Hits) Tamla Motown
- 14 June 2001: The Way You Do The Things You Do
- 04 March 2004: Little Miss Sweetness (Album: Gettin' Ready) Tamla Motown
- 15 September 2004: Cloud Nine (as part of Jeff Mills live DJ set mix)
- 15 September 2004: Papa Was A Rolling Stone (as part of Jeff Mills live DJ set mix)
- Eddie Kendricks
- 21 February 1974: unknown