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Masterpiece (The Temptations album)

December 07, 2023

Masterpiece is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced and written by Norman Whitfield.

Masterpiece
Studio album by
The Temptations
ReleasedFebruary 21, 1973
Recorded1972-73
GenreSoul, funk, psychedelic soul
Length42:08
LabelGordy
GS 965
ProducerNorman Whitfield
The Temptations chronology
All Directions
(1972) 		Masterpiece
(1973) 		The Temptations in Japan
(1973)
Alternative covers
An alternative re-edition cover

Overview edit

The title refers to the album being not the group's intended masterpiece, but Norman Whitfield's. Having already produced songs for the Temptations such as "Smiling Faces Sometimes" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" which emphasized his instrumental tracks over the group's vocals, Whitfield goes one step further here.

The title track, at nearly 14 minutes long, includes only three minutes of vocals from the group, who all share sections of the lead vocal. "Masterpiece" shares space on side one with "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)", a slow classic-styled ballad led by Richard Street which opens the album. Side two of the LP opens with "Ma", an ode to a hillbilly mother led by Street, Damon Harris, and Melvin Franklin, which was recorded as the title track of Rare Earth's 1973 Whitfield-produced LP. "Law of the Land", led by Dennis Edwards, Street, and Harris, was recorded the same year by The Undisputed Truth. The song is a message track in the tradition of "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down" from Puzzle People. "Plastic Man", with its lead vocal shared between Edwards, Harris, Franklin and Street, disparages "plastic people" who operate in backhanded ways, while the eight-minute album closer, "Hurry Tomorrow", is a solo spot for Harris, which explores a hallucinogenic drug trip.

Many critics, and the Temptations themselves, remarked that much of Masterpiece, and especially its title track, sounded like a Norman Whitfield/Funk Brothers solo recording featuring supporting vocals by the Temptations. Fans complained directly to the Temptations themselves, and some music journalists began snidely referring to the Temptations as "The Norman Whitfield Chorale Singers" and other such names. Masterpiece proved to be Whitfield's penultimate album with the Temptations; after producing their album 1990 later in 1973, he left Motown to form his own record label.

Despite the criticism directed towards the LP, "Masterpiece" became a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart, and a #7 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-up, the "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"-like "Plastic Man", hit #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)" also became a Top 40 hit in the late summer/early fall of 1973. "Law of the Land" was released as a UK-only single by Tamla Motown, and just missed out on the UK Top 40, peaking at #41 in late 1973.

Masterpiece was the final Temptations LP recorded in Detroit at Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. studio. By 1973, Motown Records had completed its migration to Hollywood, California, and beginning with the next release, 1990, the Temptations would record in Los Angeles-area studios.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [3]

Track listing edit

All selections written and produced by Norman Whitfield.

Side one edit

  1. "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)" – 4:36 (lead singer: Richard Street)
  2. "Masterpiece" – 13:49 (lead singers: Dennis Edwards, Otis Williams, Richard Street, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin)

Side two edit

  1. "Ma" – 4:46 (lead singers: Richard Street, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin)
  2. "Law of the Land" – 5:08 (lead singers: Dennis Edwards, Damon Harris, Richard Street)
  3. "Plastic Man" – 5:53 (lead singers: Dennis Edwards, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street)
  4. "Hurry Tomorrow" – 8:06 (lead singer: Damon Harris)

Personnel edit

Singles history edit

  • "Masterpiece" (Vocal)
    • Gordy single 7126, February 1, 1973; *B-side: "Masterpiece" (Instrumental)
  • "Plastic Man"
    • Gordy single 7129, May 10, 1973; B-side: "Hurry Tomorrow"
  • "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)"
    • Gordy single 7131, July 24, 1973; B-side: "Ma"
  • "Law of the Land"
    • Tamla-Motown single TMG-866, 1973 (UK only); B-side: "Run Charlie Run" (from All Directions)

Charts edit

Album edit

Chart (1973) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[4] 6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] 17
Spanish Albums (AFE)[6] 13
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 28
US Billboard 200[8] 7
US Top R&B Albums[9] 1

Year-end charts edit

Chart (1973) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[10] 51
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 47
US Top R&B Albums[12] 15
US Billboard 200[13] 56

Singles edit

Year Name US US

R&B

UK
1973 Masterpiece (Vocal) 7 1 -
Plastic Man 40 8 -
Hey Girl (I Like Your Style) 35 2 -
Law of the Land - - 41

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19822
  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. ^ "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  5. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Temptations – Masterpiece" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  6. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  7. ^ "The Temptations Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Temptations US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  10. ^ . 2016-01-10. Archived from the original on 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  11. ^ (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1973. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  13. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-10.

December 07, 2023
masterpiece, temptations, album, masterpiece, 1973, album, temptations, gordy, motown, label, produced, written, norman, whitfield, masterpiecestudio, album, temptationsreleasedfebruary, 1973recorded1972, 73genresoul, funk, psychedelic, soullength42, 08labelgo. Masterpiece is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy Motown label produced and written by Norman Whitfield MasterpieceStudio album by The TemptationsReleasedFebruary 21 1973Recorded1972 73GenreSoul funk psychedelic soulLength42 08LabelGordyGS 965ProducerNorman WhitfieldThe Temptations chronologyAll Directions 1972 Masterpiece 1973 The Temptations in Japan 1973 Alternative coversAn alternative re edition cover Contents 1 Overview 2 Track listing 2 1 Side one 2 2 Side two 3 Personnel 4 Singles history 5 Charts 5 1 Album 5 1 1 Year end charts 5 2 Singles 6 See also 7 ReferencesOverview editThe title refers to the album being not the group s intended masterpiece but Norman Whitfield s Having already produced songs for the Temptations such as Smiling Faces Sometimes and Papa Was a Rollin Stone which emphasized his instrumental tracks over the group s vocals Whitfield goes one step further here The title track at nearly 14 minutes long includes only three minutes of vocals from the group who all share sections of the lead vocal Masterpiece shares space on side one with Hey Girl I Like Your Style a slow classic styled ballad led by Richard Street which opens the album Side two of the LP opens with Ma an ode to a hillbilly mother led by Street Damon Harris and Melvin Franklin which was recorded as the title track of Rare Earth s 1973 Whitfield produced LP Law of the Land led by Dennis Edwards Street and Harris was recorded the same year by The Undisputed Truth The song is a message track in the tradition of Don t Let the Joneses Get You Down from Puzzle People Plastic Man with its lead vocal shared between Edwards Harris Franklin and Street disparages plastic people who operate in backhanded ways while the eight minute album closer Hurry Tomorrow is a solo spot for Harris which explores a hallucinogenic drug trip Many critics and the Temptations themselves remarked that much of Masterpiece and especially its title track sounded like a Norman Whitfield Funk Brothers solo recording featuring supporting vocals by the Temptations Fans complained directly to the Temptations themselves and some music journalists began snidely referring to the Temptations as The Norman Whitfield Chorale Singers and other such names Masterpiece proved to be Whitfield s penultimate album with the Temptations after producing their album 1990 later in 1973 he left Motown to form his own record label Despite the criticism directed towards the LP Masterpiece became a 1 hit on the Billboard R amp B singles chart and a 7 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Its follow up the Papa Was a Rolling Stone like Plastic Man hit 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 Hey Girl I Like Your Style also became a Top 40 hit in the late summer early fall of 1973 Law of the Land was released as a UK only single by Tamla Motown and just missed out on the UK Top 40 peaking at 41 in late 1973 Masterpiece was the final Temptations LP recorded in Detroit at Motown s Hitsville U S A studio By 1973 Motown Records had completed its migration to Hollywood California and beginning with the next release 1990 the Temptations would record in Los Angeles area studios Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 1 Christgau s Record GuideC 2 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 3 Track listing editAll selections written and produced by Norman Whitfield Side one edit Hey Girl I Like Your Style 4 36 lead singer Richard Street Masterpiece 13 49 lead singers Dennis Edwards Otis Williams Richard Street Damon Harris Melvin Franklin Side two edit Ma 4 46 lead singers Richard Street Damon Harris Melvin Franklin Law of the Land 5 08 lead singers Dennis Edwards Damon Harris Richard Street Plastic Man 5 53 lead singers Dennis Edwards Damon Harris Melvin Franklin Richard Street Hurry Tomorrow 8 06 lead singer Damon Harris Personnel editDennis Edwards vocals tenor Damon Harris vocals high tenor falsetto Richard Street vocals tenor Melvin Franklin vocals bass Otis Williams vocals tenor baritone Norman Whitfield producer composer Paul Riser arranger Orson Lewis engineer Asari Ghraham creative assistant to Norman Whitfield Des Strobel design Parvis Sadighian sculpture for album cover image Jim Britt liner photo Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers Earl Van Dyke piano organ Johnny Griffith organ Robert Ward guitar Melvin Wah Wah Watson Ragin guitar Joe Messina guitar Paul Warren guitar Robert White guitar Eddie Willis guitar Aaron Smith drums Richard Pistol Allen drums Uriel Jones drums Andrew Smith drums Leroy Taylor bass guitar Bob Babbitt bass guitar Eddie Watkins Jr bass guitar Eddie Bongo Brown bongos congas Jack Ashford tambourine maracas sticks Jack Brokensha timpani vibes bells gourd Maurice Davis trumpet Ted Lucas harmonicaSingles history edit Masterpiece Vocal Gordy single 7126 February 1 1973 B side Masterpiece Instrumental Plastic Man Gordy single 7129 May 10 1973 B side Hurry Tomorrow Hey Girl I Like Your Style Gordy single 7131 July 24 1973 B side Ma Law of the Land Tamla Motown single TMG 866 1973 UK only B side Run Charlie Run from All Directions Charts editAlbum edit Chart 1973 Peak positionFrench Albums SNEP 4 6German Albums Offizielle Top 100 5 17Spanish Albums AFE 6 13UK Albums OCC 7 28US Billboard 200 8 7US Top R amp B Albums 9 1Year end charts edit Chart 1973 Peak positionFrench Albums SNEP 10 51German Albums Offizielle Top 100 11 47US Top R amp B Albums 12 15US Billboard 200 13 56Singles edit Year Name US US R amp B UK1973 Masterpiece Vocal 7 1 Plastic Man 40 8 Hey Girl I Like Your Style 35 2 Law of the Land 41See also editList of number one R amp B albums of 1973 U S References edit https www allmusic com album r19822 Christgau Robert 1981 Consumer Guide 70s T Christgau s Record Guide Rock Albums of the Seventies Ticknor amp Fields ISBN 089919026X Retrieved March 15 2019 via robertchristgau com Brackett Nathan Hoard Christian David 2004 The New Rolling Stone Album Guide Simon and Schuster ISBN 9780743201698 Tous les Albums de l Artiste choisi InfoDisc Retrieved April 14 2017 Offiziellecharts de The Temptations Masterpiece in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved April 14 2017 Salaverri Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 1st ed Spain Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 The Temptations Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved April 14 2017 The Temptations US Chart History Billboard Retrieved April 14 2017 The Temptations Billboard Retrieved 2021 09 10 InfoDisc Les Albums CD de 1973 par InfoDisc 2016 01 10 Archived from the original on 2016 01 10 Retrieved 2021 09 10 Top 100 Album Jahrescharts in German GfK Entertainment Charts 1973 Archived from the original on 23 May 2021 Retrieved 2 April 2022 Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Year End Billboard Retrieved 2021 09 10 Billboard 200 Albums Year End Billboard Retrieved 2021 09 10 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Masterpiece The Temptations album amp oldid 1171037626, wikipedia, 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