Anthology: The Best of the Temptations

Import only 2 CD set. Universal.

The Temptations have long had the reputation for being able to out-sing, out-dress, and out-dance any vocal group in sight. Their earliest hits featured either the grits-and-gravy stylings of David Ruffin ("My Girl," "I Wish It Would Rain") or the gossamer falsetto of Eddie Kendricks ("The Way You Do the Things You Do," "You're My Everything"). Replacing Ruffin with Dennis Edwards, the group went to a five-lead-voices concept ("Cloud Nine," "I Can't Get Next to You," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone") that kept them in hits for another two decades. This 46-song, 2 CD set sports every one of these classics, an incredible live! version of "Ol' Man River," the seriously funky &quo;Shakey Ground," the Rick James-assisted "Standing on the Top," and many, many magical musical moments more. Bassman Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and the unrelated Otis Williams were the other key members . Recommended reading: Temptations by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski (Putman, 1988) and Deliver Us from Temptation by Tony Turner with Barbara Aria (Thunder's Mouth Press, 1992). --Don Waller