No Picture Yet

Gordy 994 – released April 18, 1980
—peak: #13 R&B, #45 Pop

The Temptations made their triumphant return to Motown with an aptly titled album. Dennis Edwards, gone during the group’s Atlantic run, came back better than ever. Berry Gordy offered the title track, which starred Dennis’ lightning-rod vocals, providing flashbacks of the message song days. Richard Street had a terrific cut with "Isn’t the Night Fantastic," which failed to catch on as a single and re-appeared, in a re-mixed version, in the 1983 Back to Basics LP. Some quiet storm moments are provided with "Shadow of Your Love" and "Can’t You See Sweet Thing."

Power

Shadow of Your Love

Struck by Lightning Twice

Can't You See Sweet Thing

Isn't the Night Fantastic

Go For It

How Can I Resist Your Love

I'm Coming Home

The Temptations

Gordy 1006 – released August 7, 1981
—peak: #36 R&B, #119 Pop

The group returned to Philadelphia to fulfill a long-standing promise to Thom Bell, a Gamble-Huff protégé, to record an album together. While Bell lived out his dream gig, the average material on the LP put a damper on the union. The only hit single here was "Aiming at Your Heart," starring Richard and Glenn in a shared lead.

Aiming at Your Heart

Oh, What a Night

Evil Woman (Gonna Take Your Love)

The Life of a Cowboy

The Best of Both Worlds

Just Ain't Havin' Fun

Ready, Willing, and Able

What Else

Open Their Eyes

Your Lovin' is Magic

Gordy 6008 – released April 7, 1982
—peak: #2 R&B, #37 Pop

David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks re-joined the five current Tempts, for a once-in-a-lifetime event—the long-awaited Reunion. Also joining the Tempts was punk-funk master Rick James, who wrote, produced, and lent his vocals to "Standing on the Top," the album’s hit single. (Rick’s female backup singers, the Mary Jane Girls, were also featured on the track.) The LP, at a whole, was disappointing. All of the leads went to Dennis, with the exception of one, "You Better Beware," which showed that David still had the skills. And for an album of such anticipation and magnitude, a wider selection of songs—including a medley of old Temptations hits—would have been more appropriate.

Standing on the Top
[featuring Rick James]

More on the Inside

You Better Beware

Money's Hard to Get

Lock it in the Pocket

*Like a Diamond in the Sky

I've Never Been to Me

*Don't Hold It In

Backstage

Surface Thrills

Gordy 6032 – released February 18, 1983
—peak: #19 R&B, #159 Pop

Another so-so album, but this one with a different sound—heavy on the synthesizers, electric guitars, and the other elements of ‘80s rock—not exactly your typical R&B album. The results were satisfactory, with the singles "Love on My Mind Tonight," and the title song among the best in the set. This was Glenn Leonard’s last record as a Temptation.

Surface Thrills

The Seeker

Love on My Mind Tonight

What a Way to Put It

One Man Woman

Bringyourbodyhere (Exercise Chant)

Show Me Your Love

Made in America

Gordy 6085 – released October 6, 1983
—peak: #30 R&B, #152 Pop

The title may have been Back to Basics, but a lot was different on this release. Dennis Edwards got himself fired, for a second time, midway through the recording of this album. He was replaced by Ali-Ollie Woodson, who made his debut on one song--the album track "Stop the World Right Here (I Wanna Get Off)." Ron Tyson, who replaced Glenn Leonard, made a spectacular first impression with "Sail Away," the breakaway hit. The previous two songs, along with three others, where produced and co-written by Norman Whitfield, who reunited with the Tempts after nine years. The Tempts also finally took their "rivalry" with the Four Tops to the round vinyl, as each group traded off lines in the enjoyable "Battle Song, " co-written by Berry and Willie Hutch ("Brothers Gonna Work it Out").

Miss Busy Body (Get Your Body Busy)

The Battle Song (I'm the One)
[featuring the Four Tops]

Sail Away

Hollywood

Outlaw

Isn't the Night Fantastic [re-mix]

Stop the World Right Here
(I Wanna Get Off)

Make Me Believe in Love Again

Truly for You

Gordy 6119 – released October 15, 1984
—peak: #3 R&B, #55 Pop

This LP marks the official debut of Ollie Woodson as the Tempts’ lead singer. Along with Otis Williams, he co-wrote "Treat Her Like a Lady," quite arguably the best Tempts song of the ‘80s. Also ranking up with the best is "My Love is True (Truly for You)," which Ron Tyson co-wrote and sang lead on. Also worth checking out are "Just to Keep You in My Life," "How Can You Say That It's Over," and "Set Your Love Right."

Running

Memories

Treat Her Like a Lady

Just to Keep You in My Life

How Can You Say That It's Over

Set Your Love Right

My Love is True (Truly For You)

I'll Keep a Light in My Window

Gordy 6164 – released November 12, 1985
—peak: #20 R&B, #146 Pop

The formula that made Truly for You successful returned on the follow-up. The LP leads off with "Magic," another wonderful Ollie Woodson song; and moves on to "Deeper Than Love," Richard Street's best lead since "Isn’t the Night Fantastic"; and "Don't Break Your Promise to Me," a duet featuring Ron and Alfie Silas. "Do You Really Love Your Baby" was co-written by Tempts fan Luther Vandross, who can also be heard offering background vocals. But perhaps the best song in the set is the title track, which was co-written and co-sung by Ollie and Otis.

Magic

Don't Break Your Promise to Me
[featuring Alfie Silas]

Givehersomeattention

She Got Tired of Loving Me

Deeper Than Love

Do You Really Love Your Baby

I'm Fascinated

Oh Lover

Touch Me

To Be Continued…

Gordy 6207 – released June 17, 1986
—peak: #4 R&B, #74 Pop

On their 25^th anniversary, the group released one of their best albums of the decade. The hit single, "Lady Soul," along with "A Fine Mess" (taken from a movie of the same title), were also two of Ollie Woodson's best Tempts songs. Other highlights include Ron Tyson's "More Love, Your Love," Melvin Franklin's "You're the One," "Someone," which has the group backed by a gospel choir; and the title song itself.

Lady Soul

Girls (They Like It)

Message to the World

More Love, Your Love

To be Continued

A Fine Mess

Put Us Together Again

You're the One

Someone

Love Me Right

Motown 6246 – released September 11, 1987
—peak: #12 R&B, #112 Pop

Dennis Edwards returned for the third—and final—time, as Ollie Woodson was sent packing because of differences with Otis earlier in 1987. Dennis gets all but three of the leads here, and he sounds especially good on the album's singles—"Look What You Started," "Do You Wanna Go with Me," and "I Wonder Who She's Seeing Now," which featured harmonica from Stevie Wonder himself. We can't tell whether it's Richard or Otis singing lead, but "Every Time I Close My Eyes" is another good song.

Look What You Started

I Got Your Number

I Wonder Who She's Seeing Now

Every Time I Close My Eyes

10 X 10

Lucky

Do You Wanna Go with Me

Put Your Foot Down

Little Things

Special

Motown 6275 – released August 16, 1989
—peak: #25 R&B

Ollie Woodson returned from his brief exile on this album, and the results are as though he never missed a beat. He shines on "Special," and "Soul to Soul," the album's two big singles. Ollie also shares a lead with Richard on the pretty good "Go Ahead."

Friends

Fill Me Up

Special

Go Ahead

All I Want From You

Loveline

She's Better Than Money

Soul to Soul

One Step at a Time

O.A.O. Lover

Motown 6331 – released November 19, 1991
—peak: #88 R&B

On their thirtieth anniversary, and with their fiftieth album, the Tempts stepped into the ‘90s with an upbeat LP, including a new, revamped version of the classic "Get Ready," with Ron Tyson taking Eddie Kendricks’ place on the vocals. Melvin gets a nice album cut with "Do it Easy," and Ali-Ollie Woodson shined in "Hoops of Fire." Richard Street, who joined the Tempts as Paul Williams’ understudy in 1970 and replaced him on stage in ’71, departed from the group following this album. In the album's sleeve, a mention is made of the demise of David Ruffin, who died in June 1991 of a cocaine overdose, at the age of fifty. Milestone was dedicated to his memory, and to Paul Williams' as well.

Eenie, Meenie, Miinie, Moe

Corner of My Heart

Any Old Lovin' (Just Won't Do)

Whenever You're Ready

Hoops of Fire

Do It Easy

We Should be Makin' Love

Wait a Minute

The Jones'

*Celebrate

Get Ready

**The Jones' [re-mix]

Emperors of Soul

Released spring 1994

A five-CD/tape, 110-track set serving as the definitive Temptations collection. Includes all of the big hits, from "The Way You Do the Things You Do," to "My Girl," to "Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone," and all the rest. Also included were the pre-hit singles, such as "I Want a Love I Can See," "Check Yourself," and "Dream Come True," and "Come On," recorded in 1959 by Otis’ first group, the Distants. There are seven never-before-released tracks here (including alternate versions of "Ol’ Man River" and "Law of the Land"), as well as four new songs—three of which feature Theo Peoples, who replaced Richard Street in 1993.

Unreleased songs:

New Recordings—1994

Witchcraft (For Your Love)—1963

Error of Our Ways

I Got Heaven Right Here on Earth—1966

Givin' U the Best

I'm Doing it All—1966

Elevator Eyes

Angel Doll—1967

Blueprint for Love

My Kind of Woman [featuring Ice-T]—1989

Released September 26, 1995 (if anyone knows chart position, please let us know)

A terrific album, albeit a bittersweet one for the group. This album was completed shortly after the tragic death of Melvin Franklin, who passed in February of a brain seizure, at the young age of fifty-two. Melvin would sing on only one song here—the beautiful "Life is But a Dream." (Veteran singer Ray Davis replaced Melvin, but only for a year; following his departure, the Temptations spent the next two years performing as a quartet.) This was also Ollie Woodson’s final Tempts record; he left the group in 1997. Nevertheless the album, a collection of classic standard romantic ballads, is a standout effort that was largely overlooked by the trendy public.

Some Enchanted Evening

Life is But a Dream

I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face

What a Difference a Day Makes

At Last

I'm Glad There is You

Night and Day

South Shell Interlude

Time After Time

That's Why (I Love You So)

Melvin's Interlude

For Your Love/You Send Me [medley]

Phoenix Rising

Released August 18, 1998 (if anyone knows chart position, please let us know)

The title is a very appropriate one for this album. A fresh Tempts sound is showcased here, as Otis and Ron are joined by three newcomers: Barrington Henderson, Harry McGilberry Jr., and Terry Weeks. The new-look Temptations made their debut in January, in front of a worldwide audience at the Super Bowl XXXII halftime show in San Diego. Eight months later, the single "Stay," which featured a sample of "My Girl," hit the airwaves and resurrected the Tempts to the ears of fans, both old and new. That song, along with the second single "This is My Promise," was co-written by Theo Peoples, who sang lead on both. By November, when the NBC mini-series, based from Otis' book and viewpoint aired, Theo had left the group and was replaced by Henderson. The mini-series received excellent reviews and just-as-excellent ratings. Living up to the title of the album, the "Stay"-ing power of the Temptations was proven in 1998. The phoenix is flying as high as ever.

Here After (interlude)

Tempt Me

Stay

If I Give You My Heart

False Faces

Take Me in Your Arms

How Could He Hurt You

That's What Friends Are For

I'm Calling You (interlude)

Just Like I Told You

This is My Promise

Stay [re-mix]

My Love

Released May 16, 2000

Review Coming Soon. We promise!! Soon, we tell you, SOON!!!

I'll Just Go Crazy (intro)

It's Alright to Be Wrong

I'm Here

Proven and True

Your Love

Got to Get on the Road

Elevator Eyes

I'll Just Go Crazy

Selfish Reasons

A Little Bit Lonely

Kiss Me Like You Miss Me

One Love One World

Party

Error of Our Ways