All Directions
Album by The Temptations
Released	July 27, 1972
Recorded	1972
Genre	Soul/Funk/Psychedelic soul
Length	33:33
Label	Gordy GS 962
Producer(s)	Norman Whitfield
Professional reviews
All Music Guide (4.5/5) link
The Temptations chronology
Solid Rock (1972) All Directions (1972) Masterpiece (1973)

All Directions is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. The Cover of The Temptations 1972 LP, All Directions This is an album cover. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks, released together commercially in an audio format to the public. ... The Temptations (also abbreviated as The Tempts or The Temps) are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Soul music is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel which began in the late 1950s in the United States. ... Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e. ... Psychedelic soul is a subgenre of soul music that thrived during the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in producing, manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and sometimes video recordings (especially music videos), on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (born in Harlem, New York in 1943) was a songwriter and producer for Berry Gordys Motown label during the 1960s. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... The Temptations (also abbreviated as The Tempts or The Temps) are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary. ... Solid Rock is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Masterpiece is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, entirely written and produced by Norman Whitfield. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Temptations (also abbreviated as The Tempts or The Temps) are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (born in Harlem, New York in 1943) was a songwriter and producer for Berry Gordys Motown label during the 1960s. ...

Overview and background

The LP features the #1 hit "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", a twelve-minute cover of a Whitfield-produced Undisputed Truth single. "Papa" won three Grammy Awards in 1973: Best R&B Performance by a Group for the Temptations, Best R&B Instrumental Performance for Whitfield and arranger/conductor Paul Riser's instrumental version of "Papa" on the single's b-side, and Best R&B Song for Whitfield and lyricist Barrett Strong. All Directions was Strong's final LP as the Temptations' lyricist; Strong in fact had no direct involvement in the album as both of his compositions for it -- "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" and "Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On", were both covers (originally by The Undisputed Truth and Edwin Starr, respectively). Strong left Motown to re-start his career as a recording artist. Papa Was a Rollin Stone is a soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. ... The Undisputed Truth, on the cover of their first LP, 1971s The Undisputed Truth, which contains their only hit single, Smiling Faces Sometimes. The Undisputed Truth was a 1970s Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1970. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance was awarded from 1970 to 1990 and in 1993. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriters Award) has been awarded since 1969. ... Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941 in West Point, Mississippi) is an African-American singer and songwriter. ... The Undisputed Truth, on the cover of their first LP, 1971s The Undisputed Truth, which contains their only hit single, Smiling Faces Sometimes. The Undisputed Truth was a 1970s Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic... Edwin Starr (January 21, 1942 – April 3, 2003) was a soul music singer. ...

According to group leader Otis Williams, the Temptations fought "tooth and nail" not to record "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" or "Run Charlie Run", a socially conscious Black power track (dealing primarily with the phenomenon of white flight) that called for them to repeatedly call out, in an affected Caucasian accent, "the niggers are comin'!" The group was certain that "Papa" and All Directions would flop, and that they would be back to singing ballads like "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" again. Although the first single, "Mother Nature", charted at number 92 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart, "Papa" was a number-one hit and is today one of the Temptations' signature songs. Otis Williams (second from right), with the Temptations in 1967. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... White flight is a colloquial term for the demographic trend of white people, generally but not always upper and middle class, moving from increasingly and predominantly non-white areas, often from urban cores to nearby suburbs or even to new locales entirely, e. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The word nigger is a highly controversial term used in many English-speaking countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, and Australia to refer to individuals with dark skin, especially those of African descent who previously were racially classified by the now outdated term Negro. ... My Girl My Girl, released December 21, 1964, is a 1965 number-one single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown label. ... Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg is also the name of a 1991 TLC single. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

Also included on All Directions are the Edwin Starr cover "Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On" (the b-side to "Mother Nature", a Top 30 R&B hit), the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell cover "Love Woke Me Up Early This Morning", and "I Ain't Got Nothin'", a rare lead showcase for Otis Williams. Edwin Starr (January 21, 1942 – April 3, 2003) was a soul music singer. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Montgomery) (April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970) was an African American Motown singer in the 1960s, best known for her duets with Marvin Gaye. ...

Track listing

All songs produced by Norman Whitfield. Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (born in Harlem, New York in 1943) was a songwriter and producer for Berry Gordys Motown label during the 1960s. ...

Side A

Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941 in West Point, Mississippi) is an African-American singer and songwriter. ... Dennis Edwards performs Papa Was a Rollin Stone with The Temptations, on the December 2, 1972 episode of Soul Train. ... Richard Street (top right corner) on the cover of the 1984 Temptations LP Truly for You. ... Damon Harris (born Otis Robert Harris, Jr. ... Otis Williams (second from right), with the Temptations in 1967. ... Melvin Franklin (far left), with the Temptations in 1967. ... Papa Was a Rollin Stone is a soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. ...

Side B

Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield, South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in The Bronx, New York) are a successful songwriting/production team, as well as being recording artists in their own right. ... Ewan MacColl (25 January 1915 - 22 October 1989) was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. ... Isaac Hayes performs at the International Amphitheater in Chicago as part of the annual PUSH `Black Expo`, October 1973 Isaac Lee Hayes (born August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee, United States) is an actor, and influential soul singer, songwriter, musician and arranger. ...

Personnel

• Dennis Edwards: vocals
• Damon Harris: vocals
• Richard Street: vocals
• Melvin Franklin: vocals
• Otis Williams: vocals
• Norman Whitfield: producer
• The Funk Brothers: instrumentation

Dennis Edwards performs Papa Was a Rollin Stone with The Temptations, on the December 2, 1972 episode of Soul Train. ... Damon Harris (born Otis Robert Harris, Jr. ... Richard Street (top right corner) on the cover of the 1984 Temptations LP Truly for You. ... Melvin Franklin (far left), with the Temptations in 1967. ... Otis Williams (second from right), with the Temptations in 1967. ... Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (born in Harlem, New York in 1943) was a songwriter and producer for Berry Gordys Motown label during the 1960s. ... The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit musicians who played club gigs and were the house band at Detroits Motown Records from 1959 to 1972, when the company moved to Los Angeles. ...

Chart and singles history

The Billboard 200 is a listing of the 200 highest selling music albums in the United States, published weekly in Billboard magazine. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, formerly known as Top Soul Singles, Top Black Singles, and Top R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... Papa Was a Rollin Stone is a soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (272nd in leap years). ... The 15th Grammy Awards were held in 1973, and were broadcast live on American television. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1970. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance was awarded from 1970 to 1990 and in 1993. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriters Award) has been awarded since 1969. ...

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