''The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul'' is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

The Temptations 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 ...

for the Gordy (

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

) label released in 1967. Featuring four hit singles, ''With a Lot o' Soul'' is the most successful Temptations album from their "classic 5" era, during which

David Ruffin David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin;Ribowsky, p. 88 January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–68) during the group's "Clas ...

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptatio ...

, Paul Williams,

Melvin Franklin David Melvin English (October 12, 1942 – February 23, 1995) better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, or his nickname "Blue", was an American bass singer. Franklin was best known for his role as a founding member of Motown singing g ...

, and

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–9 He is o ...

constituted the Temptations' lineup.

Overview

The four singles from the album, all Top 20 pop/ Top 10 R&B hits, were "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "All I Need", "You're My Everything", and "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need". three of these four songs also reached the Billboard Pop Top 10 as well.

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...

produced most of the tracks here, supporting the Temptations' vocals with a hard-edged

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

sound with elements of the music of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. "

(I Know) I'm Losing You "(I Know) I'm Losing You" is a 1966 hit single recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, written by Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland and Norman Whitfield, and produced by Norman Whitfield. The group performed the song live on ...

", already a nine-month-old hit by the time ''With a Lot o' Soul'' was released, opens the album. The rest of the album expands upon the template established by Norman Whitfield with "I'm Losing You". Whitfield and the other ''With a Lot o' Soul'' producers, including

Ivy Jo Hunter George Ivy Hunter (August 28, 1940 – October 6, 2022), known as Ivy Jo Hunter, was an American R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for Motown in the 1960s. Life and career Raised in Detroit, Michigan ...

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

, and, on " All I Need" (in which Ruffin portrays a man who admits to his lover he has been unfaithful and begs her forgiveness), Whitfield's protégé Frank Wilson, supply the group a more modern sound than was present on previous or contemporary Motown releases. Most of the tracks on side A of the album feature

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

-heavy, dramatic backing tracks with more prominent uses of

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

lines (Whitfield's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and Ivy Jo Hunter's "Sorry is a Sorry Word" from side B) and shifts in dynamics (Whitfield's "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", the single "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need", and the Eddie Kendricks-led "Save My Love for a Rainy Day"). Paul Williams delivers a dramatic performance on the Smokey Robinson-produced "No More Water in the Well",(written by Robinson and fellow Miracles

Warren "Pete" Moore Warren Thomas "Pete" Moore (November 19, 1938 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and record producer, notable as the bass singer for Motown group the Miracles from 1955 onwards, and was one of the group's original members. ...

and

Bobby Rogers Robert Edward Rogers (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013) was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a member of Motown vocal group the Miracles from 1956 until his death. He was inducted, in 2012, as a member of the Miracles to t ...

, an uptempo number regularly identified as one of his standout performances. Williams and the other Temptations constantly complained about Williams' not being able to sing lead on more album tracks, and on singles as well, but Motown paid their complaints no heed, and continued to rely on David Ruffin's (and occasionally Eddie Kendricks') leads for each single. Side B begins with "Just One Last Look", written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, Motown's main songwriting and production team. The Temptations were one of the few major Motown acts never to release a single produced by the trio, because of Whitfield's (and previously, Robinson's) tight hold on the group.

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hit ...

and

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

had to in fact fight for the chance to produce "Just One Last Look" for the Temptations, and Whitfield successfully blocked its release as a single. "Just One Last Look" remains the only H-D-H produced track to appear on any Temptations studio album. While David Ruffin takes most of the leads on the album and its singles, he shares the spotlight with Eddie Kendricks on the Norman Whitfield/

Cornelius Grant Cornelius Grant (born April 27, 1943) is an American guitarist, composer, and band leader. He served as the musical director, guitar player, and live show arranger for Motown vocal group The Temptations from 1964 until 1982. Early life Grant was ...

Roger Penzabene Rodger Penzabene (1945 – December 31, 1967) was an American songwriter for the Motown label. Among his most notable compositions as a lyricist are "Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me" by Gladys Knight & the Pips; "The End of Our Road" by Gla ...

love ballad "You're My Everything". Penzabene wrote "You're My Everything" specifically with Kendricks in mind to sing it (Ruffin only sings lead during the bridge), and visualized the singer performing it to a "special girl" Kendricks would pick out of the audience (''"You're the girl I sing about/in every love song I sing/You're my everything, girl."''). ''With a Lot o' Soul'' concludes with three more ballads: Smokey Robinson's "Now That You've Won Me" (led by Ruffin), Norman Whitfield's "Two Sides to Love" (led by Kendricks), and Robinson's "Don't Send Me Away" (a rare lead showcase for stalwart Temptation Otis Williams).

Track listing

All lead vocals by

except where noted

Side one

" (

Edward Holland, Jr. Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", ...

) 2:26 #"Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone" (Grant,

Sylvia Moy Sylvia Rose Moy (September 15, 1938 – April 15, 2017) was an American songwriter and record producer, formerly associated with the Motown Records group. The first woman at the Detroit-based music label to write and produce for Motown acts, she ...

, Whitfield) 2:59 #" All I Need" ( Frank Wilson, E. Holland,

R. Dean Taylor Richard Dean Taylor (May 11, 1939 – January 7, 2022) was a Canadian musician, most notable as a singer, songwriter, and record producer for Motown during the 1960s and 1970s. According to Jason Ankeny, Taylor was "one of the most underra ...

) 3:07 #"

(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" is a 1963 song that became a 1967 hit single recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced and co-written by Norman Whitfield. ''Billboard'' described the single as a "groovy ...

" (E. Holland, Whitfield) (lead singer: David Ruffin; last verse vocals:

, Paul Williams,

) 2:35 #"No More Water in the Well" (

Warren Moore A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Anglo ...

) (lead singer: Paul Williams) 2:59 #"Save My Love for a Rainy Day" (

, Whitfield) (lead singer: Eddie Kendricks) 2:56

Side two

#" Just One Last Look" (

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. During ...

) 2:43 #"Sorry is a Sorry Word" (E. Holland,

) 2:27 #" You're My Everything" (Grant, Penzabene, Whitfield) (lead singer: Eddie Kendricks; bridge vocals: David Ruffin) 2:57 #"Now That You've Won Me" (Robinson) 3:09 #"Two Sides to Love" (Moy, Whitfield) (lead singer: Eddie Kendricks) 2:46 #"Don't Send Me Away" (

, Robinson) (lead singers: Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin) 2:56

Known outtakes

The following outtakes were included on the Temptations box set ''

Emperors of Soul ''Emperors of Soul'' is a 1994 box set compilation for The Temptations, released by Motown Records. The five-disc collection covers the Temptations' entire four-decade history, from the first recording of The Distants in 1959 ("Come On") to fou ...

'' in 1994. *"I Got Heaven Right Here on Earth" (Kendricks, E. Holland, Whitfield) **Produced by Norman Whitfield, led by David Ruffin *"I'm Doing It All" (Robinson, Grant) **Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Eddie Kendricks *"Angel Doll" (

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Clarence Paul Clarence Otto Pauling (March 19, 1928 – May 6, 1995) better known and pen name, published as Clarence Paul, was an American songwriter, record producer and singer who was best known for his career with Detroit's Motown Records. Early life and ...

, Morris Broadnax) **Produced by Clarence Paul, led by David Ruffin The following outtakes were included on the Temptations CD set '' Lost and Found: You've Got to Earn It (1962–1968)'' in 1999. *"What Am I Gonna Do Without You" (Hunter, Wonder) **Produced by Ivy Jo Hunter, led by David Ruffin *"Love Is What You Make It" (Robinson) **Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by David Ruffin *"No Time" (Robinson, Moore) **Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Eddie Kendricks *"Last One Out Is Brokenhearted" (

William "Mickey" Stevenson William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

, Hunter) **Produced by Ivy Jo Hunter, led by Paul Williams *" I Can't Think of a Thing At All" (Robinson) **Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Paul Williams *"Forever in My Heart" (Robinson, Rogers) **Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Paul Williams *"I Now See You Clear Through My Eyes" (Robinson) **Produced by Smokey Robinson, led by Paul Williams *"Camouflage" ersion 2(

Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

) **Produced by Berry Gordy, Jr., led by Eddie Kendricks & David Ruffin *"We'll Be Satisfied" (F. Wilson, Marc Gordon) **Produced by Frank Wilson, led by David Ruffin, Paul Williams & Eddie Kendricks *"Only A Lonely Man Would Know" (Hunter, Beatrice Verdi) **Produced by Ivy Jo Hunter, led by David Ruffin

Personnel

;The Temptations *

– vocals (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

) *

– vocals (tenor/falsetto) * Paul Williams – vocals (baritone) *

– 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 ...

) *

– vocals (tenor/baritone) with: *

The Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Mar ...

– additional backing vocals on "All I Need" *

– guitar on "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "All I Need" and "You're My Everything" *

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

– instrumentation: **

Earl Van Dyke Earl Van Dyke (July 8, 1930 – September 18, 1992) was an American soul musician, most notable as the main keyboardist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Career Van Dyke, who was born in Detr ...

– keyboards on "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "All I Need" and "Sorry is a Sorry Word" **

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases u ...

– bass on "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "All I Need" and "Sorry is a Sorry Word" **

Uriel Jones Uriel Jones (June 13, 1934 – March 24, 2009) was an American musician. Jones was a recording session drummer for Motown's in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, during the 1960s and early 1970s. Biography Jones was first hired by Motown as a ...

– drums on "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and "All I Need" **

Benny Benjamin William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969), nicknamed Papa Zita, was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall o ...

– drums on "Sorry is a Sorry Word" **

Eddie "Bongo" Brown Eddie "Bongo" Brown (September 13, 1932 – December 28, 1984) was an American musician born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Brown played congas, Bongo drum, bongos, the gourd and claves for Motown Records' in-house ...

– percussion on "(I Know) I'm Losing You" **

Bobbye Hall Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early career, work for Motown and move to ...

– percussion on "Sorry is a Sorry Word" "...such as Bobbye Hall whose insistent bongos can be heard..." **

Jack Ashford Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934), known to his friends as Jashford, is an American musician widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the ...

– tambourine on "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and "Sorry is a Sorry Word", percussion on "All I Need" ** Robert White – guitar on "Sorry is a Sorry Word" **

Joe Messina Joseph Lucian Messina (December 13, 1928 – April 4, 2022) was an American guitarist. Dubbed the "white brother with soul", he was one of the most prolific guitarists in Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers. Early life Mes ...

– guitar on "Sorry is a Sorry Word" **

Eddie Willis Eddie "Chank" Willis (June 3, 1936 – August 20, 2018) was an American soul musician. Willis played electric guitar and occasional electric sitar for Motown's in-house studio band, The Funk Brothers, during the 1960s and early 1970s. Career Bo ...

– guitar on "Sorry is a Sorry Word" Production *

– "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need", "Save My Love for a Rainy Day", "You're My Everything" and "Two Sides to Love", Executive Producer *

– "No More Water in the Well", "Now That You've Won Me" and "Don't Send Me Away" * Frank Wilson – "All I Need" *

and

– "Just One Last Look" *

– "Sorry is a Sorry Word"

Charts

Weekly charts

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Temptations With A Lot O' Soul, The 1967 albums The Temptations albums Gordy Records albums Albums produced by Norman Whitfield Albums produced by Smokey Robinson Albums produced by Frank Wilson (musician) Albums produced by Ivy Jo Hunter Albums produced by Brian Holland Albums produced by Lamont Dozier Albums recorded at Hitsville U.S.A.