Customer Reviews

Cloud Nine

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When this album was originally released in early '69, it was a gamble. Could the Temptations, known as smooth melodic crooners of love songs, successfully reinvent themselves as contemporaries of Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Funkadelic, and the Chambers Brothers, with their psychedelic rock and soul sounds? The answer was YES. CLOUD NINE, this masterpiece by produced by Norman Whitfield, the most soulful producer to ever come out of Motown, is one of my favorite CDs by the Temptations. The grittiness of "Cloud Nine", the title song and the album opener (and the first single from the album, released in late 1968) demands that you pay attention to what the Tempts are saying. Songwriter Barrett Strong's words come to life as newest Temptation Dennis Edwards tells the story of growing up poor in the inner city...and the debate about this song continues to this day. Was the song about getting high, or just changing your way of thinking? A funky rendition of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" takes Gladys Knight and the Pips' version, strips it down to the rhythm track, and emphasizes the Tempts' harmonies above everything else. I LOVE the scatting on this track!! The nine minute and thirty-eight second version of "Runaway Child, Running Wild" is worth the price of the CD alone. Simply relentless, with the sound of a child crying for his mother. What was really great about this CD was the use of multiple vocalists singing different parts at the same time on each song. Prior to this CD, you'd basically have David Ruffin, or sometimes Eddie Kendricks singing the lead and the rest of the guys singing "Oooh, waaa" or "Oh baby" in the background. However on these three cuts on CLOUD NINE you might hear Dennis, then Eddie, then Paul, the Melvin, then Otis...all on the same song! I just love it.

The second part of the CD, to me, seemed to let Temptations' fans know that they could still sing the love ballads in the way that made them famous, even though David Ruffin was no longer in the group by then. There are some very nice remakes on it ("Love Is A Hurtin' Thing", "Hey Girl") plus some beautiful original tunes ("I Need Your Lovin'" with Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals, "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", a Paul Williams standout lead, "Why Did She Have To Leave Me" and others). A daring bit of work that forever changed Motown, and a definite part of their history, since "Cloud Nine" was the very first Motown tune ever to win a Grammy. Get it, and you too will be on CLOUD NINE!

It is a rare album with great cuts..with those psychedelic soul arrangements by Whitfield, Strong and Riser and the boys were in fine voice headed by the great Eddie Kendricks and Dennis Edwards.

I am definitely a Temptations fan and this CD is truly awesome. Eddie Kendricks with the sweetness of that beautiful voice singing, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" was totally awesome. Paul Williams singing on lead with that sexy baritone voice of his was just scrumptious. An extended version of "Runaway Child, Running Wild" was truly captivating. A music CD that I'd certainly recommend to anyone, Temptations fan or not (but I hope that you are). Cloud Nine, Temptations standing on the top singing it the way they do best.

Great Material&Strong Production.The Vocals Never Let Up Here.First Class Songs all the way.Runaway Child RunawayRunning Wild,Cloud Nine are Very Direct&Honest.Very Essential.

This was the advent of the new Temptations' style where the lead was shared and exchanged between the members. Yet, the vintage Temptation harmony was still there. Just a fantastic album with beautiful arrangements and great singing.

Definitely a change in style (and personnel) from the group's earlier (classic) period, so don't assume that you will love or hate "Cloud Nine" just because of your reactions to earlier releases. In "Cloud Nine" they begin to move away from their basic group harmony mainstay. David Ruffin (baritone) has left and been replaced by Dennis Edwards (formerly with the Contours). And producer Norman Whitfield has taken over; so suddenly there is a lot of "Sly and the Family Stone" influences.

All this translated into a looser, funkier style which would later produce big hits "I Can't Get Next to You", "Psychedelic Shack", and "Ball of Confusion". But "Cloud Nine" also sounded the death nell for the group as tenor Eddie Kendricks soon left (in 1971) and was never satisfactorily replaced. Only the name would remain the same, with "Cloud Nine" the first part of a transitional period between the classics and the "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone and disco-oriented successor.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Released in 1969, Cloud Nine was intended to update the Temptations' sound, augmenting their smooth soul harmonies with elements of funk, rock, and even psychedelia. This new direction incorporated effects-heavy guitars, pounding rhythms, rawer vocals, and gritty, socially concious lyrics. However, in order not to alienate the Tempts' original fans (okay, I'm not actually sure that that's the reason), only the first half of the album features this sound. Side two features the group's standard brand of harmony-heavy soul. The result is a very good record, with several fantastic moments.

As you can probably imagine, the first side gets most of the attention. It consists of only three tracks: The title track is a tight, funky groover with a surging bassline and soaked in wah-wah guitars.The group's vocals rough and authoritative, a far cry from the sugary crooning that marked their previous singles. Next up is an innovative take on the classic "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" which strips the song down to nothing but churning rhythms and forceful vocals. Finally, there's the epic "Runaway Child, Running Wild." Probably the best song on the album, this is a tight, heavy slab of deep, throbbing funk. The music is a dense and apocalyptic web of snakey fuzz guitars, stomping rhythms, and cruel vocals. The result is a taut, harrowing masterpiece.

Side two isn't discussed as often, and for good reason- it isn't nearly as good as the first half. The songs are standard-issue harmonized soul. They're not bad by any means- and in the case of "I Gotta Find A Way" and "Hey Girl," they're actually quite good- but the songs are pretty generic and unexciting when compared to Temptations classics such as "My Girl" and "Get Ready," or to the music on the first half of this album.

So, pick this up for the fantastic first half, and the decent second half. And as always, enjoy!

Whether or not you are a Temptations fan, you will definitely enjoy this album. Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks are exceptional. Listening to "I Need Your Loving" will make you remember why you began a relationship with that special someone. I thought the Temps would be a lesser group without David Ruffin, but this album/CD proved me wrong. You will thoroughly enjoy it!

Everything is fine on Cloud Nine. This is one of the Temptations supreme efforts. From psychedelic soul (Cloud Nine) to tear jerkin' ballards (I Need Your Loving) it's all here in one glove tight package.

One of the best efforts of the Tempts! The long version of Runaway Child, Running Wild is a definite favorite.