In A Mellow Mood
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| Release Date: |
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| Label: |
Mca Special Products |
| Rating: |
5.0 |
Description: With a couple of exceptions, the showroom- and talk-show-ready Temptations of
In a Mellow Mood (1967) are handed the most impersonal, clichéd sort of standards. "Hello Young Lovers," "Try to Remember," and too many others here go through the motions of connecting with listeners but are so haplessly written that the reined-in quintet is hard-pressed to fill them with more than a thimbleful of sweat. "Somewhere" is a foolproof melody that might have made a fine change of pace on a record like With a Lot o' Soul, but this version of "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" has none of the redeeming qualities of Dionne Warwick's. Paradoxically blessed with little of the class the group normally commanded,
Mellow Mood stands as an expression of Berry Gordy's worst aesthetic impulses.
--Rickey Wright
Tracklist of In A Mellow Mood
Reviews:
"In a mellow mood"-The Temptations
This is an album that shows the true depth and musicianship of `The Tempts`. From the very beginning of the album to the end,anyone with an appreciation for good music, will love this album. Every song is sung with passion and warmth. My favorites are: come to think of it, I love `em` all. If you love the Temptations ,you'll love this album.In terms of quality singing, it's the very best album by the orignal leads-period. I was only 13 years old when this album was released.I liked it then ,and I love it now. The singing and the orchestration,done here, is priceless. It is simply superb.Being a singer and musician myself,I can truly appreciate what marvelous singers and musicians the Temptations truly were.They were the greatest.
The "Must Have" Temptations recording
I was intorduced to the Temptations, (indeed Motown) by my older siblings when I was in elementary school. While I really liked the Temp' first "Greatest Hits", THIS was the album that they never quite matched. It made such an impression on me that when I began to convert my music collections to CD, this was among the first reissues I sought/found. (The other was Aretha's "Amazing Grace".) First, the song selection was right on, covering "mellow" from numerous angles. (Not even Streisand's 'Broadway' or 'Movies' albums click like this mix.) The flow from song to song is impeccable. And each song got exactly the right soloist. The orchestrations, the rhythms, the harmonies, all served to perfectly support the amazing solo efforts by the lead singers. I still measure other artists' work by the standard set for me by "In a Mellow Mood". It wasn't until "For Lover's Only", (the last project Melvin sang on), that the Temps even came close to matching "In a Mellow Mood". If you can only own 2 Temptations albums, the classic blue "Greatest Hits" and this one.
VERSATILITY AT I TS BEST/FULL ACCESS GRANTED
THIS ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN A TIME WHEN GROUPS HAD TO PROVE THEY HAD WHAT IT TOOK TO CROSS OVER INTO ANOTHER MARKET IN ORDER TO PLAY VENUES OF ANOTHER LEVEL. YOU COULD SELL ALL THE RECORDS IN THE WORLD BUT COULD YOU SING IN ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD? THIS WAS A PROJECT THAT TOOK THEM FROM THE CHITTLIN CIRCUIT TO OPERA HOUSES ALL OVER THE WORLD. TO SHOW THE WORLD THEY COULD SING AND DANCE BUT ALSO PERFORM 1ST CLASS SHOW TUNES AND SIGN THEIR SIGNATURE ON THEM, TOOK THE GROUP TO NEW HEIGHTS ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THEY EVER DREAMED. BECAUSE OF THIS ALBUM, CROSS OVER ACCESS WAS GRANTED TO THEM.THEY PAVED THE WAY FOR ALL OTHERS WHO TRAVELED THAT ROAD AFTER THEM. THEY WERE THE PIONEERS WHO PAID THE DUES FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS OF YOUNG BLACK GROUPS. AS MUSICIANS, THIS ALBUM WAS A TESTIMONY THAT THEIR BAND WHO READ AND PLAYED EVERY NOTE WERE THE BEST OF THE BEST. WE AT SIGMA SOUND AND PHILLY INTL STUDIOS TIP OUR HATS TO THE REAL MUSICIANS OF ALL TIME THE TEMPS AND THEIR BAND.
