- Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations
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Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations Studio album by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations Released November 8, 1968 Recorded May 3, 1968 - September 13, 1968 Genre Pop
R&B
soulLength N/A Label Motown
MS 679Producer Frank Wilson
Smokey Robinson
Al Cleveland
Henry Cosby
Terry "Buzzy" Johnson
Nickolas Ashford
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(1968)Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic [1] Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations is, as the title implies, a collaborative album combining Motown's two best selling groups, Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations. Issued by Motown in late 1968 to coincide with the broadcast of the Supremes/Temptations TCB television special, the album was a success, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200. Originally the lead single was to have been "The Impossible Dream" as featured in the climax to the TV spectacular TCB. However, it was decided to release "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" as a single instead even though it wasn't featured on TCB. This became a number-two hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts, and the follow-up, "I'll Try Something New", was a Top 30 hit. A third single, "I Second That Emotion", was released exclusively in the United Kingdom, where it became a Top 20 hit.
Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations marks the first on-record appearance of new Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards, who was brought in as David Ruffin's replacement in July 1968.
Contents
Album notes
All of the tracks on the album are covers of songs for other artists. Both "I Second That Emotion" and "I'll Try Something New" were originally recorded by Motown's Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, while "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" was an outside hit for Dee Dee Warwick before it became a hit for the Supremes and Temptations. Motown's Marvin Gaye had previously had hits with "Try It Baby" and, as a duet with Tammi Terrell, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". "This Guy's in Love with You" was a hit for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, while "Funky Broadway" had been recorded as a hit for Wilson Pickett. The Sweet Inspirations' signature song, "Sweet Inspirations", is also covered here, as is Stevie Wonder's "A Place in the Sun", The Four Tops' "Then", and the show tune "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha.
Frank Wilson served as executive producer of the project. Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations, joint-recorded at both the main Hitsville USA studio in Detroit, Michigan, the Golden World studio in Detroit, and satellite studios in Los Angeles, primarily features leads by Diana Ross of the Supremes and Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations, with additional leads by Temptations Dennis Edwards, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, and Melvin Franklin.
Track listing
Diana Ross shares lead vocals on each track with one or more of the Temptations, identified by superscripts: (a) Eddie Kendricks, (b) Dennis Edwards, (c) Paul Williams, (d) Melvin Franklin, and/or (e) Otis Williams.
Side one
- "Try It Baby" (Berry Gordy) d, c – 3:42
- "I Second That Emotion" (Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) a – 2:19
- "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) b – 2:16
- "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Jerry Ross) a, e – 3:06
- "This Guy's in Love With You" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) e – 3:48
- "Funky Broadway" (Lester Christian) b – 2:32
Side two
- "I'll Try Something New" (Robinson) a – 2:20
- "A Place in the Sun" (Ron Miller, Bryan Wells) c – 3:29
- "Sweet Inspiration" (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) a – 2:55
- "Then" (Robinson, Ronald White, Warren Moore) c – 2:12
- "The Impossible Dream" (Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh) c – 4:47
Known outtakes
All of the following songs were recorded for this album, but not included for the final tracklisting. These tracks can be found on Joined Together: The Complete Studio Duets, a 2004 Motown CD set combining this LP and its follow-up, Together.
- Opening Medley (Holland–Dozier–Holland) (on the intro: a, b, c, d, e)
- "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"
- "Come See About Me"
- "Stop! In the Name of Love"
- "Love Is Like an Itching In My Heart"
- "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
- "Got to Get You into My Life" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) *
- "You Gave Me Something (and Everything's Alright)" (William Garrett, Albert Hamilton, Ronnie Savoy, Norma Toney) c
- "A House is Not a Home" (Bacharach, David) a, c*
- "If You Should Walk Away" (Frank Wilson, Gordy)
- "Amen" (Johnny Pate, Curtis Mayfield) a, b, c**
(*) Supremes member Mary Wilson shares a lead on this track. (**) Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong also have leads on this track.
Personnel
- Frank Wilson, producer (H.B. Barnum, arranger): "Try It Baby", "The Impossible Dream"
- Frank Wilson and Nickolas Ashford, producers (Paul Riser, arranger): "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "A Place in the Sun", and "Sweet Inspirations"
- Frank Wilson and Deke Richards, producers (Gene Page, arranger): "This Guy's in Love with You", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Try Something New"
- Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, producers (Paul Riser, arranger): "I Second That Emotion", "Then"
- Henry Cosby, producer (Paul Riser, arranger): "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
- Background vocals by Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams.
Instrumentation on "Try It Baby", "This Guy's in Love With You", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Try Something New", and "The Impossible Dream" is performed by Los Angeles area session musicians. On all other tracks, the instrumentation is provided by Motown's studio band, The Funk Brothers, with strings and horns by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Singles history
- "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" b/w "A Place in the Sun" (Motown 1137, November 21, 1968)
- "I'll Try Something New" b/w "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (b-side taken from TCB) (Motown 1142, February 20, 1969)
- "I Second That Emotion" b/w "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (b-side taken from TCB) (Tamla-Motown 709, United Kingdom only, September 1969)
Chart history
Album
Name Chart (1968) Peak
positionDiana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations U.S. Billboard 200 2 U.S. Billboard R&B Albums Chart 1 UK Albums Chart[2] 1 Preceded by
The Best of The Seekers by The SeekersUK Albums Chart number-one album
15 February 1969 - 15 March 1969Succeeded by
Goodbye by CreamSingles
Name Chart (1968–1969) Peak
position"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2 U.S. Billboard R&B Singles 2 UK Singles Chart 3 "I'll Try Something New" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 25 U.S. Billboard R&B Singles 8 "I Second That Emotion" UK Singles Chart 19 References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Number 1 Albums – 1960s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080415082641/www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_albums.php?show=2. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
The Temptations Joe Herndon · Ron Tyson · Terry Weeks · Otis Williams · Bruce Williamson
Elbridge Bryant · G. C. Cameron · Ray Davis · Dennis Edwards · Melvin Franklin · Damon Harris · Barrington "Bo" Henderson · Eddie Kendricks · Glenn Leonard · Harry McGilberry · Ricky Owens · Theo Peoples · Louis Price · David Ruffin · Richard Street · Paul Williams · Ali-Ollie Woodson
Pre-Temptations: Kel Osbourne · Wiley Waller · James "Pee-Wee" Crawford · Vernon Plain · Arthur Walton · Albert "Mooch" HarrellProduction 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 · Bare Back · Hear to Tempt You · 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 HereCover albums Live albums 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 · My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations · Psychedelic SoulSingles
(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" · "When You're Young and in Love" · "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" · "The Motown Song" · "My Girl" (reissue)Filmography Videography The Temptations: Live in Concert · 20th Century Masters: The Best of the Temptations · Get Ready: The Definitive Live Performances - 1965-1972 · The Temptations: Live in LondonDiscography Albums · SongsRelated persons See also Categories:- 1968 albums
- The Supremes albums
- The Temptations albums
- Covers albums
- Motown albums
- Albums produced by Smokey Robinson
- Albums produced by Frank Wilson (musician)
- Albums produced by Henry Cosby
- Albums produced by Al Cleveland
- Albums produced by Deke Richards
- Albums recorded at Hitsville U.S.A.
- Albums produced by Nickolas Ashford
- Albums produced by Terry "Buzzy" Johnson
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