THE TEMPTATIONS : STANDING AT THE TOP [MOTOWN - ESP 1982] 7'

The Temptations  "Standing On The Top"  single 7"

(Motown)  1982  made in Spain

cat. num. SPBO 60010

#funk  #disco  #soul

a. standing at the top part 1

b. standing at the top part 2

 Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were originally rumored to produce this reunion of Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin with the current crop of Temptations. However, the two sides couldn't get the deal done. So Motown rationed out the production assignments to in-house producers Rick James, Smokey Robinson, and others. Seven voices sang on these tracks besides Kendricks and Ruffin, including Dennis Edwards, Glenn Leonard, Richard Street, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams, a mini-choir. Considering the voices on hand, they should have spread the leads around. Ruffin's vocal sounds rough and he appears to strain trying to reach some notes. Punk-funker Rick James' epic "Standing on the Top" production is the most popular track here, with its dead-on beat, blaring horns, and multiple voices; Rick James himself joins the Tempts on this festive song. Kendricks' bluesy falsetto lines on the fade are like cherries topping a sundae.