![]() “You can’t expect to last if you don’t make some changes with the times,” declared Otis.“We had never taken on such a monumental task.” By the fall, their attention turned to recording with producer Norman Whitfield, to shape the group’s sound and personality with Edwards in the mix. The workload “scared” them, confessed Otis Williams. Many of the latter duties were done in Los Angeles in August. The Temptations’ schedule during the first half of 1968 was already packed, including sessions with Diana Ross & the Supremes (for their duets album, released in November) and the TCB network television special, showcasing both groups. A new lead singer meant starting from scratch with new music.“We watched from the wings,” recalled Otis in his autobiography, Temptations, “as he sang lead on Lou Rawls’ hit, ‘Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing.’ Dennis not only had a stirring, soulful voice, but he was a showman with real command of the audience.” The pair made mental notes of this talent, returning to them when the axe fell on Ruffin mid-year. He was performing with the Contours at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., when he caught the ears of Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams. Ruffin’s successor was Dennis Edwards, a 25-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, who was living in Detroit and already signed to Motown.Martin Luther King, the ongoing conflict in Vietnam, and a divisive general election. This is psychedelic soul, influenced by the provocative rock ’n’ R&B fusion of Sly & the Family Stone, and set against America’s social and political turbulence: the April assassination of civil rights leader Rev. So what makes Cloud Nine so significant? Because it was the Temptations’ first LP to follow the shock departure of revered lead singer David Ruffin in the summer of ’68, and it arrived soon after the title track – recorded in October – had redefined their sound and their promise. ![]() Their stage choreography was peerless, a standard to which so many others aspired. ![]() They reigned in concert, too, annually attracting tens of thousands of fans to their shows, whether in top-drawer theaters, funky nightclubs or sophisticated cabaret spots. Truly, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin were the emperors of soul. ![]() From early 1964 to mid-1968, the Temptations had delivered a remarkable 13 Top 20 pop hits, including four consecutive Top 10 titles, while eight – count ’em, eight – of their albums reached No. The Cloud Nine album stands as a milestone for one of the most successful and consistently popular acts at Motown Records – or anywhere, for that matter. ![]()
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