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Diana Ross and the Supremes Join The Temptations

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Released
  
November 8, 1968

Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations (1968)
  
Love Child (1968)

Release date
  
8 November 1968

Length
  
33:26

Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations (1968)
  
TCB (1968)

Label
  
Motown/Universal Records

Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations httpsdianarossprojectfileswordpresscom2016

Recorded
  
May 3, 1968 - September 13, 1968

Producer
  
Frank Wilson Smokey Robinson Al Cleveland Henry Cosby Terry "Buzzy" Johnson Nickolas Ashford Deke Richards

Artists
  
The Temptations, The Supremes

Genres
  
Soul music, Rhythm and blues, Pop music

Similar
  
The Supremes albums, Soul music albums

Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations is, as the title implies, a collaborative album combining Motown's two best selling groups, Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations. Issued by Motown in late 1968 to coincide with the broadcast of the Supremes/Temptations TCB television special, the album was a success, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200. Originally the lead single was to have been "The Impossible Dream" as featured in the climax to the TV spectacular TCB. However, it was decided to release "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" as a single instead even though it wasn't featured on TCB. This became a number-two hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts, and the follow-up, "I'll Try Something New", was a Top 30 hit. A third single, "I Second That Emotion", was released exclusively in the United Kingdom, where it became a Top 20 hit.

Contents

However, a true reflection of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"'s popularity was that it was certified platinum and was the #1 single on both Cash Box and Record World (three weeks). By rights, this should be credited as yet another #1 single for both Diana Ross and The Supremes and the Temptations. Interestingly enough, it was produced by Frank Wilson and Nick Ashford - without his songwriting partner-wife Valerie Simpson.

Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations marks the first on-record appearance of new Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards, who was brought in as David Ruffin's replacement in July 1968.

This was an unbelievably successful time for Motown. During December 1968, the label had 5 of the Top 10 singles in one week including "Love Child" by Diana Ross and The Supremes, "Cloud Nine by the Temptations, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder and, of course, "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me by arguably the first soul/pop super group, Diana Ross and The Supremes with the Temptations. Not only that, but the corresponding albums, by each individual artists ranked in the Top 10, TCB, Diana Ross & The Supremes Join the Temptations by the respective groups held down the #1 and #2 albums. "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations, "Love Child" by Diana Ross and The Supremes, For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder, M.P.G. and Time Out by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles which featured the lightening speed growth of the soon to be Top 10 single, "Baby, Baby Don't Cry".

Track listing

Diana Ross shares lead vocals on each track with one or more of the Temptations, identified by superscripts: (a) Eddie Kendricks, (b) Dennis Edwards, (c) Paul Williams, (d) Melvin Franklin, and/or (e) Otis Williams.

Side one

  1. "Try It Baby" (Berry Gordy) d, c – 3:42
  2. "I Second That Emotion" (Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) a – 2:19
  3. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) b – 2:16
  4. "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Jerry Ross) a, e – 3:06
  5. "This Guy's in Love With You" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) e – 3:48
  6. "Funky Broadway" (Arlester Christian) b – 2:32

Side two

  1. "I'll Try Something New" (Robinson) a – 2:20
  2. "A Place in the Sun" (Ron Miller, Bryan Wells) c – 3:29
  3. "Sweet Inspiration" (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) a – 2:55
  4. "Then" (Robinson, Ronald White, Warren Moore) c – 2:12
  5. "The Impossible Dream" (Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh) c – 4:47

Known outtakes

All of the following songs were recorded for this album, but not included for the final track listing. These tracks can be found on Joined Together: The Complete Studio Duets, a 2004 Motown CD set combining this LP and its follow-up, Together.

  1. Opening Medley (Holland–Dozier–Holland) (on the intro: a, b, c, d, e)
    1. "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"
    2. "Come See About Me"
    3. "Stop! In the Name of Love"
    4. "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart"
    5. "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
  2. "Got to Get You into My Life" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) *
  3. "You Can't Hurry Love"/"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Holland–Dozier–Holland)
  4. "You Gave Me Something (and Everything's Alright)" (William Garrett, Albert Hamilton, Ronnie Savoy, Norma Toney) c
  5. "A House Is Not a Home" (Bacharach, David) a, c*
  6. "If You Should Walk Away" (Frank Wilson, Gordy)
  7. "Amen" (Jester Hairston) a, b, c**

(*) Supremes member Mary Wilson shares a lead on this track. (**) Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong also have leads on this track.

Personnel

  • Frank Wilson, producer (H.B. Barnum, arranger): "Try It Baby", "The Impossible Dream"
  • Frank Wilson and Nickolas Ashford, producers (Paul Riser, arranger): "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "A Place in the Sun", and "Sweet Inspirations"
  • Frank Wilson and Deke Richards, producers (Gene Page, arranger): "This Guy's in Love with You", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Try Something New"
  • Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, producers (Paul Riser, arranger): "I Second That Emotion", "Then"
  • Henry Cosby, producer (Paul Riser, arranger): "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
  • Background vocals by Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, and The Andantes.

    • Instrumentation on "Try It Baby", "This Guy's in Love With You", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Try Something New", and "The Impossible Dream" is performed by Los Angeles area session musicians. On all other tracks, the instrumentation is provided by Motown's studio band, The Funk Brothers, with strings and horns by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

    Singles history

  • "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" b/w "A Place in the Sun" (Motown 1137, November 21, 1968)
  • "I'll Try Something New" b/w "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (b-side taken from TCB) (Motown 1142, February 20, 1969)
  • "I Second That Emotion" b/w "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (b-side taken from TCB) (Tamla-Motown 709, United Kingdom only, September 1969)

    • Songs

    1Try It Baby3:45
    2I Second That Emotion2:22
    3Ain't No Mountain High Enough

    References

    Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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