All Directions

1972 studio album by The Temptations

All Directions

Studio album by

The Temptations

Released| July 27, 1972
Recorded| March – June 1972
Studio| Hitsville USA, Detroit
Genre| Soul, funk, psychedelic soul
Length| 33:33
Label| Gordy
GS 962
Producer| Norman Whitfield
The Temptations chronology
| Solid Rock
(1972)  | All Directions
(1972)  | Masterpiece
(1973)

|
|

Singles from  All Directions

1. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
Released: September 28, 1972

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Christgau's Record Guide| B+[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [3]

All Directions is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. It reached number two on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most successful non-collaborative album on the chart, and became their twelfth album to reach number one on the Top R&B Albums chart.

## Overview and background

[edit]

The LP features the #1 hit "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", a twelve-minute cover of a Whitfield-produced Undisputed Truth single. "Papa" won three Grammy Awards in 1973: Best R&B Performance by a Group for the Temptations, Best R&B Instrumental Performance for Whitfield and arranger/conductor Paul Riser's instrumental version of "Papa" on the single's b-side, and Best R&B Song for Whitfield and lyricist Barrett Strong. All Directions was Strong's final LP as the Temptations' lyricist; Strong in fact had no direct involvement in the album as both of his compositions for it – "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" and "Funky Music Sho' 'Nuff Turns Me On" were covers (originally by The Undisputed Truth and Edwin Starr, respectively). Strong left Motown to restart his career as a recording artist.

According to group leader Otis Williams, the Temptations fought "tooth and nail" not to record "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" or "Run Charlie Run", a socially conscious Black power track (dealing primarily with the phenomenon of white flight) that called for them to repeatedly call out, in an affected Caucasian accent, "the niggers are comin'!" According to legend, lead singer Dennis Edwards didn't want to sing "Papa's" opening lines, because his own father had died on the third of September, but in actuality, Edwards' father had died on the third of October. In addition, his father was a minister, "a good, steady, religious man", not a "rolling stone".[4]

The group was certain that "Papa" and All Directions would flop, and that they would be back to singing ballads like "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". Although the first single, "Mother Nature", charted at number 92 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart, "Papa" was a number one hit and is today one of the Temptations' signature songs.

Also included on All Directions are the Edwin Starr cover "Funky Music Sho' 'Nuff Turns Me On" (the b-side to "Mother Nature", a Top 30 R&B hit), the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell cover "Love Woke Me Up This Morning", and "I Ain't Got Nothin'", a rare lead showcase for Otis Williams.

## Legacy

[edit]

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[5]

## Track listing

[edit]

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocalist(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On"| Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield| Dennis Edwards, Richard Street, Damon Harris, Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin| 3:05
2.| "Run Charlie Run"| C. Maurice King, Jan Forman| Edwards, Street, Harris, Williams, Franklin| 3:01
3.| "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"| Strong, Whitfield| Edwards, Street, Harris, Franklin| 11:44

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

4.| "Love Woke Me Up This Morning"| Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson| Harris| 2:22
5.| "I Ain't Got Nothin'"| C. Maurice King, Evans King| Williams, Franklin| 3:33
6.| "The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)"| Ewan MacColl| Street| 4:11
7.| "Mother Nature"| Nick Zesses, Dino Fekaris| Edwards| 3:08
8.| "Do Your Thing"| Isaac Hayes| Street, Harris, Franklin| 3:30

## Personnel

[edit]

* Dennis Edwards – vocals (tenor/baritone)
* Damon Harris – vocals (tenor/falsetto)
* Richard Street – vocals (third tenor)
* Melvin Franklin – vocals (bass)
* Otis Williams – vocals (second tenor)
* The Andantes – additional background vocals on "Love Woke Me Up This Morning"
* Norman Whitfield – producer
* The Funk Brothers – instrumentation
* Billy Cooper, Joe Messina, Melvin Ragin (aka Wah Wah Watson), Robert Ward, Paul Warren, Robert White, Eddie Willis – guitar
* Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones, Aaron Smith, Andrew Smith – drums
* Earl Van Dyke – piano
* Johnny Griffith – organ
* Bob Babbitt, James Jamerson, Leroy Taylor – bass guitar
* Jack Ashford – tambourine, maracas, sticks, etc.
* Jack Brokensha – timpani, vibes, bells, gourd
* Eddie "Bongo" Brown – bongo, conga
* Maurice Davis – trumpet

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Chart (1972)  | Peak
position

|

Canadian Albums (RPM)[6] | 26
French Albums (SNEP)[7] | 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 20
Spanish Albums (AFE)[9] | 9
UK Albums (OCC)[10] | 19
US Billboard 200[11] | 2
US R&B Albums[12] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Chart (1973)  | Peak
position

|

US R&B Albums[13] | 19

### Singles

[edit]

"Mother Nature"  |

* Gordy single 7119, June 1, 1972
* B-side: "Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On"
* US Pop Singles #92
* US R&B Singles #27

|

"Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On"  |

* B-side of "Mother Nature"
* US R&B Singles #27

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone [Vocal]"  |

* Gordy single 7121, September 28, 1972
* B-side: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone [Instrumental]"
* US Pop Singles #1
* US R&B Singles #5
* 1973 Grammy Award Winner
* Best R&B Performance by a Group
* Best R&B Instrumental Performance
* Best R&B Song

## References

[edit]

1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19786
2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 15, 2019 - via robertchristgau.com.
3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698.
4. ^ "Temptations lead singer recalls Motown's heyday". ashevilledailyplanet.com. September 16, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
5. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (February 7, 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
6. ^ "RPM: The Temptations (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
7. ^ "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Temptations – All Directions" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
9. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
10. ^ "The Temptations Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
11. ^ "The Temptations US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
12. ^ "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
13. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2021.

## See also

[edit]

* List of number-one R&B albums of 1972 (U.S.)

* v
* t
* e

The Temptations

* Otis Williams
* Ron Tyson
* Terry Weeks
* Tony Grant
* Jawan Jackson

* Melvin Franklin
* Eddie Kendricks
* Paul Williams
* David Ruffin
* Dennis Edwards
* Ricky Owens
* Richard Street
* Damon Harris
* Louis Price
* Ali-Ollie Woodson
* Theo Peoples
* Harry McGilberry
* Barrington "Bo" Henderson
* Ray Davis
* G. C. Cameron
* Joe Herndon
* Bruce Williamson

Studio albums|

* Meet the Temptations
* The Temptations Sing Smokey
* The Temptin' Temptations
* Gettin' Ready
* The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul
* The Temptations Wish It Would Rain
* Cloud Nine
* Puzzle People
* Psychedelic Shack
* Sky's the Limit
* Solid Rock
* All Directions
* Masterpiece
* 1990
* A Song for You
* House Party
* Wings of Love
* The Temptations Do the Temptations
* Hear to Tempt You
* Bare Back
* Power
* The Temptations
* Reunion
* Surface Thrills
* Back to Basics
* Truly for You
* Touch Me
* To Be Continued...
* Together Again
* Special
* Milestone
* Phoenix Rising
* Ear-Resistible
* Awesome
* Legacy
* Still Here
* Temptations 60

Cover albums|

* The Temptations in a Mellow Mood
* For Lovers Only
* Reflections
* Back to Front
* All the Time

Live albums|

* Temptations Live!
* Live at the Copa
* Live at London's Talk of the Town
* The Temptations in Japan

Other albums|

* Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations
* TCB
* The Temptations Show
* Together
* On Broadway
* The Temptations Christmas Card
* Give Love at Christmas
* Lost and Found: You've Got to Earn It (1962–1968)

Compilations|

* Greatest Hits
* Greatest Hits II
* Anthology
* Emperors of Soul
* The Ultimate Collection

Singles
(US/UK Top 10)|

* "My Girl"
* "Get Ready"
* "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
* "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep"
* "(I Know) I'm Losing You"
* "All I Need"
* "You're My Everything"
* "I Wish It Would Rain"
* "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)"
* "Cloud Nine"
* "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"
* "Run Away Child, Running Wild"
* "I Can't Get Next to You"
* "Psychedelic Shack"
* "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)"
* "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"
* "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
* "Masterpiece"
* "Let Your Hair Down"
* "Happy People"
* "Shakey Ground"
* "Treat Her Like a Lady"
* "The Motown Song"
* "My Girl" (reissue)

Related|

* Band members
* The Temptations (miniseries)
* Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations
* Discography
* The Supremes
* The Undisputed Truth
* Smokey Robinson
* Norman Whitfield
* Barrett Strong
* Sly Stone
* George Clinton

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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