Temptations Live!

Gordy 921 – released March 6, 1967
—peak: # 1 R&B, # 10 Pop

The first of three concert albums, this one was recorded during a "Motown Monday" at Detroit's Roostertail Club in October 1966. In their hometown, the Tempts displayed their superior on-stage qualities to a sold-out, standing-room-only audience.

Motown 679 – released November 8, 1968
—peak: #1 R&B, #2 Pop

The first collective effort of Motown's biggest acts, though Berry Gordy's favoritism towards the Supremes—specifically Diana—may be evident on the album's cover. The big hit of the set is "I’m Gonna Make You Love Me," originally co-written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for Dee Dee Sharp a few years earlier. Wilson Pickett gets covered on "Funky Broadway," as does Smokey Robinson on "I Second That Emotion" and "I'll Try Something New," and Marvin Gaye on "Try it Baby." There's also a nice version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," a duet for Dennis and Diana.

Try it Baby

I'll Try Something New

I Second That Emotion

A Place in the Sun

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Sweet Inspiration

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

Then

This Guy Loves You

The Impossible Dream

Funky Broadway

The soundtrack to " 'T.C.B.' starring
Diana Ross and the Supremes
with the Temptations"

Motown 682 – released December 2, 1968
—peak: #1 R&B, #1 Pop

The previous album served as the teaser for the television special, which aired on NBC a week after the release of this soundtrack. The Tempts and the Supremes earned high praise for their work here, and NBC earned high ratings in return.

Gordy 938 – released December 9, 1968
—peak: # 2 R&B, # 15 Pop

Recorded at the Copacabana in New York City (the original Copa, at East 60th Street and Fifth Avenue) during the fall of '68.

The soundtrack to "The Temptations Show"

Gordy 933 – released July 10, 1969
—peak: # 2 R&B, # 24 Pop

The successful "TCB" special led the Tempts to get a show of their own—a syndicated special which aired during the summer of 1969. Lots of music (of course), featuring singer Kaye Stevens and comedian George Kirby as special guests.

No

Yet

Motown 692 – released September 23, 1969
—peak: #6 R&B, # 28 Pop

The second, and final, joint album with the Supremes. Not as good as the first, but nevertheless a worthy effort. Lots of covering here, including three Marvin Gaye songs, Stevie Wonder's "Uptight," Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song," and a combination of two Smokey classics: the Tempts' own "My Girl," with Mary Wells' "My Guy."

Stubborn Kind of Fellow

Sing a Simple Song

I'll be Doggone

My Guy, My Girl

The Weight

For Better or Worse

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Uptight (Everything's Alright)

Why (Must We Fall in Love)

The soundtrack to "G. I. T. on Broadway"

Motown 699 – released November 7, 1969
—peak: # 4 R&B, # 38 Pop

The Supremes and Temptations starred in their second NBC special that month. In keeping with the title, the show featured a lot more dancing and stage numbers than the first.

Gordy 953 – released July 24, 1970
—peak: # 5 R&B, # 21 Pop

The Tempts invade London with their final live concert record.

Temptations Greatest Hits Vol. II

Gordy 954 – released September 8, 1970
—peak: # 2 R&B, # 15 Pop

The best of the best, part two. Covering 1966-70, the second Greatest Hits installment features David Ruffin-led hits, as well as Dennis and Eddie songs. "Ball of Confusion," which was released as a single in spring 1970, is featured here in its only LP appearance.

Cloud Nine

Psychedelic Shack

I Wish it Would Rain

Please Return Your Love to Me

Ball of Confusion
(That's What the World is Today)

Runaway Child, Running Wild

(I Know) I'm Losing You

I Could Never Love Another
(After Loving You)

I Can't Get Next to You

Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down

You're My Everything

(Loneliness Made Me Realize)
It's You That I Need

Gordy 951 – released October 30, 1970

In the Tempts' first holiday album, some classic Christmas carols get the Motown treatment, with one-of-a-kind renditions of "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer," "Silent Night," "The Little Drummer Boy," "The Christmas Song," and "White Christmas." The original songs aren't bad, either. Eddie laments on a lost Christmas love on "My Christmas Tree," and Melvin puts the joyful holiday spirit in perspective on "Someday at Christmas."

Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer

White Christmas

My Christmas Tree

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Silver Bells

Silent Night

The Christmas Song

Someday at Christmas

The Little Drummer Boy

Motown 782 – released August 23, 1973
—peak: # 5 R&B, # 65 Pop

This three-album set was one of a series of retrospective releases featuring the best from Motown's top artists. This set includes all of the Tempts' hits from their first dozen years, from "The Way You Do the Things You Do" to "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." It was updated and re-released in 1986, and again in 1995.

The Way You Do the Things You Do

Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On

I'll Be in Trouble

I Ain't Got Nothin'

The Girl's Alright with Me

Ol' Man River

Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)

Try to Remember

My Girl

The Impossible Dream

It's Growing

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
[with The Supremes]

Since I Lost My Baby

Just My Imagination
(Running Away with Me)

My Baby

Superstar (Remember How
You Got Where You Are)

Don't Look Back

Mother Nature

Get Ready

Love Woke Me Up This Morning

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Papa Was a Rollin' Stone

Beauty is Only Skin Deep

¹Masterpiece

(I Know) I'm Losing You

¹Shakey Ground

All I Need

¹Power

You're My Everything

¹Sail Away

(Loneliness Made Me Realize)
It's You That I Need

¹Treat Her Like a Lady

I Wish it Would Rain

²What Love Has Joined Together

I Truly, Truly Believe

²Who's Lovin' You

I Could Never Love Another
(After Loving You)

²You've Got to Earn It

Please Return Your Love to Me

²Nobody but You [unreleased]

Cloud Nine

²Lullaby of Love [unreleased]

Runaway Child, Running Wild

²Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)

Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down

²Let Your Hair Down

I Can't Get Next to You

²A Song for You

Psychedelic Shack

²Standing on the Top (part one)
[featuring Rick James]

Ball of Confusion
(That's What the World is Today)

²Lady Soul

Gordy 998 – released August 14, 1980

On their second Christmas LP, the Tempts ofered two new tunes: "Love Comes with Christmas," and "Everything for Christmas." But it is the new version of "Silent Night" featuring Glenn, Dennis, and Melvin on lead, that becomes the album's calling card--and a holiday staple on radio.

Give Love on Christmas Day

This Christmas

The Christmas Song

Everything for Christmas

Love Comes with Christmas

Christmas Everyday

The Little Drummer Boy

Silent Night

Motown 6204 – released October 17, 1986
—peak: # 55 R&B, # 140 Pop

Celebrating their first quarter-century, the Temptations put together an album made up not only of the usual greatest hits, but also featuring some unreleased material, all enough to fit two albums.

No

Yet

I Want a Love I Can See

**Truly Yours

**So Much Joy

I Can't Get Next to You [live]

**It Don't Have to be This Way

Cloud Nine [live]

The Further You Look, the Less You See

Just My Imagination
(Running Away with Me)

My Girl

**Come to Me

Since I Lost My Baby

**Soulmate

**A Tear From a Woman's Eyes

**Papa Was a Rollin' Stone [live]

**Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)

**Thanks to You

Don't Look Back

Glasshouse

Get Ready

Power

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Treat Her Like a Lady

Released 1996

This retrospective featured the group's four main lead singers in a compilation of their hits after their Temptations days. David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks recieve most of the exposure here, with 12 songs featuring David and 15 performances by Eddie. Dennis Edwards, who could have had a solo career as successful as David and Eddie (he originally wanted to be a solo artist), has five of the tracks, including his biggest hit, 1984's "Don't Look Any Further," and 1967's "Which Way To My Baby," which was a hit that could have been--if it was ever released. Also re-released is "Soulmate," a Tempts song from the A Song for You sessions with Dennis in a superb lead. Both sides of Paul Williams' planned comeback single release, which was scrapped after his suicide in 1973, are also here.

¹My Whole World Ended
(The Moment You Left Me)

²Tell Her Love Has Felt the Need

¹I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved

²Boogie Down

¹I'm So Glad I Fell For You

²Shoeshine Boy

**³Which Way to My Baby

²Happy

¹The Double Cross

²Come Get the Cream Off the Top

²It's So Hard for Me to Say Good-bye

¹Walk Away From Love

²This Used to Be the Home of Johnnie Mae

¹Heavy Love

²Can I

¹Statue of a Fool

²If You Let Me

²He's a Friend

²Girl You Need a Change of Mind

**³When the Lights Come Down on Love

²Date with the Rain

¹Everything's Coming Up Love

²Eddie's Love

¹Just Let Me Hold You for One Night

⁴Feel Like Givin' Up

¹You're My Peace of Mind

**⁴Once You Had a Heart

³Don't Look Any Further
[featuring Siedah Garrett]

¹I Miss You (part one)

³(You're My) Aphrodisiac

¹Common Man

³Coolin' Out

²Darling Come Back Home

Soulmate

²Keep On Truckin'

Motown Lost and Found:
"You've Got to Earn It"--1962-1968

Released September 28, 1999

As part of Motown's Lost and Found series, twenty Tempts songs that never saw the light of day were unearthed and made public. There must have been a reason why these songs never made it to any albums, but it's hard to see that while listening. Included with 17 unheard recordings are two unreleased mixes of the title song and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and a live concert version of "My Girl."

What Am I Gonna Do Without You

You've Got to Earn It [fast version]

Happy Landing

I Know She's Not a Mannequin

Love is What You Make It

Dinah

No Time

I Now See You Clear Through My Tears

Last One Out is Brokenhearted

Only a Lonely Man Would Know

I Can't Think of a Thing At All

Camouflage [1967 version]

Camouflage [1962 version]

Ain't Too Proud to Beg [strings mix]

My Pillow

That'll Be the Day

Tear Stained Letter

I'll Be Satisfied

Forever in My Heart

My Girl [live]