''House Party'' is a
1975 album released by the American R&B vocal group,
the Temptations, on
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
' Gordy label.
Overview
This album is made up of vaulted songs recorded both prior to and following the sessions for ''
A Song for You
"A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album '' Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understandin ...
''. ''House Party'' contains the final sessions recorded by falsetto
Damon Harris as a member of the group, as well as the first for his replacement,
Glenn Leonard. The sessions featured a slew of producers and composers from both within and outside of the Motown stable. The completed project was overseen by
Jeffrey Bowen, who produced ''A Song for You'' and the subsequent album, ''
Wings of Love''.
The Temptations were not given creative input on the final release, to which
Otis Williams referred in his autobiography ''Temptations'' as a "mismatched collection of, pardon my French, shit." Despite Williams' reservations regarding the circumstances surrounding the compilation and release of these tracks, as well as the album's perceived lack of commercial appeal, fans of the group have given ''House Party'' favorable reviews in the years since its release.
Brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, collectively two-thirds of the
Holland–Dozier–Holland hit-making stable, worked on the first track and only single, "Keep Holdin' On", while
Stax Records stalwart
Steve Cropper
Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...
contributed to three songs as producer and/or writer. Vocal highlights include a rare lead performance by Otis Williams on his own composition, "Darling, Stand by Me (Song for My Woman)", the
Richard Street-led ballad, "If I Don't Love You This Way" (a cover of a song by
the Jackson 5 originally featured on their ''
Dancing Machine'' album and named by the family group's lead singer
Michael Jackson as one of his favourite songs
); Glenn Leonard's debut in the ensemble vocal of "What You Need Most (I Do Best of All)"; and fan-favorite bass singer
Melvin Franklin's lead vocals on "Ways of a Grown-Up Man."
Track listing
Personnel
;Performers
*
Dennis Edwards – vocals (
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
/
tenor)
*
Melvin Franklin – vocals (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*
Damon Harris – vocals (tenor/
falsetto
''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
)
*
Glenn Leonard – vocals (falsetto)
*
Richard Street – vocals (tenor)
*
Otis Williams – vocals (baritone)
;Producers
* James Anthony Carmichael and
Suzee Ikeda – "What You Need Most (I Do Best of All)", "Darling, Stand by Me" and "If I Don't Love You This Way"
*
Steve Cropper
Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...
– "World of You, Love, and Music", "Ways of a Grown-up Man" and "Johnny Porter"
*
Brian Holland – "Keep Holdin' On"
* Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford – "It's Just a Matter of Time" and "You Can't Stop a Man in Love"
* The Temptations – "What You Need Most (I Do Best of All)" and "Darling, Stand by Me"
Charts
Singles
References
External links
''House Party''at
Discogs
''House Party''at
Rate Your Music
{{Authority control
1975 albums
The Temptations albums
Gordy Records albums
Albums produced by Jeffrey Bowen
Albums produced by Brian Holland