Edited "Masterpiece" Songs Mar This CD

The lack of shame exhibited by major record companies knows no boundaries. When I saw the 2 for 1 CD compilation at such a nice price, I thought it seemed too good to be true. It was. Most of the songs on the "Masterpiece" portion of the CD are edited from the original 1973 CD. Why Motown would do this baffles me. I can understand the reasoning for placing edited versions of songs on Greatest Hits and Anthology compilations (although I personally disagree with the reasoning), but what music listener buys original albums to hear edited song versions? For me, I buy the original album to hear it the way it was *originally constructed*. To add insult to injury, the reproduced artwork and liner notes inside the package display the "Masterpiece" track listing and running times from the unabridged version!

So why does this CD merit three stars? Because the "Song For You" portion of the CD *is* the unedited version, and, given the price of this compilation, and the scarcity of the original stand-alone CD, buying this combined set is still a decent value, even if it's only for the "Song For You" portion.

Just be aware of what you're purchasing.

Edited Masterpieces

I saw this and thought, "Great!", two-on-one and a great price. Well, they neglected to tell anyone that their "ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED" versions are edits on the Masterpiece portion. Granted, A Song For You is complete but I ALREADY HAD this CD and I wanted Masterpiece as it was originally released. Talk about shady advertising. The Tempts sound great, but this is not the Masterpiece it should be.

The Temptations Masterpiece, Indeed!

MASTERPIECE was indeed their greatest triumph in my book as a total "urban" album. The lead track, "Masterpice" is a lament, but a lyrical and hypnotic one, and the infectious rhythm of this tune will haunt you forever. It is powerful lyrically, and strangely beautiful! Every song, from Plastic Man to Hurry Tomorrow is heart wrenching and yet will have your fingers snapping... HOWEVER... this album, though well engineered has nearly every song on the Masterpiece album cut... and this is inexcusable. "A Song for You" is nearly all forgettable.... so why bother putting that album all on the CD intact? Masterpiece was a masterpiece and should have been the spotlight here!!