Cloud Nine - Plak

ENGLISH

Temptations fans who bought this album expecting to hear the usual good old harmony singing will have had quite a shock! No one would have minded if such numbers as the melting "Hey Girl" or the heartwrenching "I Need Your Lovin’" had opened the LP. But the title track "Cloud Nine" with its breathless snatches of rhythm, vocal ejaculations and sawing guitar riffs unmistakably pointed to the Temptations’ era of funk. This is even more obvious in "Running Child, Running Wild", a nine-minute funk in which a prayerwheel-like rhythm, a prominent organ solo, and the despairing cry of a child facing a psychedelic abyss are in the foreground and the vocal are faded out for long periods of time. The highly varied mixtures of styles in this album will not only satisfy those who expect to hear the conventional Temptations sound but also offers some unexpected treasures. "Cloud Nine" is therefore a key work which looks toward the future of black music from funk to rap and hip-hop.<br /><br /> Production: Norman Whitfield