Psychedelic Shack

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Psychedelic Shack is a 1970 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, which represents the Temptations' full-blown submergence into psychedelia. Completely written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield, Psychedelic Shack almost completely abandoned the "Motown Sound" formula for this LP; hard rock guitar, synthesizer sound effect, multitracked drum, sampling, and stereo-shifting vocals giving most of the album's songs a harder, less traditional feel than the Temptations' previous work. Background Psychedelic Shack was one of the last albums completed before the third incarnation of The Temptations (Dennis Edward, Paul William, Eddie Kendrick, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams) broke apart. During the recording of the album, Paul William, already possessing a fragile condition because of sickle-cell disease, was now also fighting complications from five years of heavy alcoholism. Williams would frequently be unable to record or perform, and the Temptations had to resort to hiring Richard Street, an old friend of Otis WIlliams' and lead singer of minor Motown act The Monitor, as a stand-in for Paul William. At the same time, Eddie Kendricks' growing animosity towards Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin, and the group's general frustration over their lack of creative control and their treatment at the hands of Motown, resulted in an increased amount of infighting and set the stage for Kendricks' imminent departure in early 1971. Like most Temptations albums from the group's "psychedelic period", producer Norman Whitfield held full creative control over Psychedelic Shack. The only freedom afforded the Temptations themselves for this album was the occasional opportunity for Kendricks to arrange the vocal harmonie. The album cover, a collage/illustration by Hermon Weem, places photographs of the Temptations in a depiction of a psychedelic shack: an establishment in urban neighborhoods where people could go to "enhance their minds" through art, music, and mind-altering drug. Overview The album begins with a knock at the door, and the sound of footsteps as a stranger wanders into an unfamiliar location. Finding a phonograph, the stranger drops the needle on the song that happened to be in the player - The Temptations' 1969 number-one hit "I Can't Get Next to You" (one of the earliest uses of sampling). The phonograph is heard playing "I Can't Get Next to You's" intro, reaching Dennis Edwards' interruption ("Hold on, everybody, hold it, hold on...listen!") before the album immediately segues into the first song, "Psychedelic Shack". "Psychedelic Shack" was the only single from this album, and was a complete departure from previous Temptations recording. Setting the tone for much of the album, "Psychedelic Shack's" vocal, guitar line, and drums shift back and forth across the stereo spectrum, and all five Temptations trade lead vocal duties at irregular interval. Keyboardist Earl Van Dyke remembers "Psychedelic Shack" as one of his favorite recording session. "You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth", later issued as the B-side of the 1971 hit "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)", features Edward, Kendrick, Franklin, and Otis Williams informing the public that each individual person is responsible for their fate, and that "the final decision is still up to you". The song would be covered in 1971 by Whitfield-groomed Motown act The Undisputed Truth. "Hum Along and Dance", essentially wordle, is an example of Whitfield's growing emphasis on his production and instrumentation over the contributions of the vocalist, an issue that caused a significant amount of friction between the Temptations and their producer. While this version of "Hum Along and Dance" is the original recording of the composition, the song is better known in cover versions by Rare Earth (from Ma, 1973) and The Jackson 5 (from G.I.T.: Get It Together, also 1973). A cross-fade joins "Hum Along and Dance" and the next track on the album, "Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind". "Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind" is a popular Temptations album track done in psychedelic/blues style, and is an overt eight minute ode to marijuana usage. All five Temptations trade lead vocals across the two track. Side B begins with "It's Summer", the only ballad on the album. Instead of love and relationship issue, "It's Summer" explores the positive elements that come with the onset of summer, with basso Melvin Franklin reciting the song's lyrics in spoken verse. The Temptations would later record a sung version of "It's Summer", and release it as a single for the Solid Rock album. The next track, "War", is a serious anti-Vietnam protest sung by Paul Williams and Dennis Edward. Motown received a significant number of requests to release "War" as a single; instead of risking the careers of the Temptations with such a politically charged song, the song was rerecorded by Edwin Starr before Motown allowed its release as a single. The final two songs on the album are compositions more closely associated with Gladys Knight & the Pip, another Whitfield-produced act. "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)", led by Kendrick, was recorded simultaneously by both The Pips and the Temptation, with the Pips' version being issued as a single. "Friendship Train", the seven-minute album closer led by Edward, is a cover of a 1969 Pips single. Tom Jones with Heather Small would record a cover of "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" in 1999 (Reload). Track Listing All songs written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield. 1."Psychedelic Shack" – 3:51 a, b, c, d, e 2."You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth" – 2:46 a, b, d, e 3."Hum Along and Dance" – 3:53 b, a, d, e 4."Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind" – 8:37 b, a, c, d, e 5."It's Summer" – 2:36 d 6."War" – 3:11 c, a, d 7."You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" – 3:58 b 8."Friendship Train" – 7:49 a Letters a to e denote lead singers for each track: (a) Dennis Edward, (b) Eddie Kendrick, (c) Paul William, (d) Melvin Franklin, (e) Otis William. Personnel Dennis Edwards: vocals (tenor) Eddie Kendricks: vocals (tenor/falsetto) Paul Williams: vocals (tenor/baritone) Melvin Franklin: vocals (bass) Otis Williams: vocals (tenor/baritone) Norman Whitfield: producer, composer, lyricist Barrett Strong: composer, lyricist The Funk Brothers: instrumentation - Wikipedia English - _____________________________________________________________ Review from http://www.allmusic.com by Amy Hanson 4 stars out 5 With everything the Temptations released pretty much guaranteed to turn to gold, not to mention platinum for that matter, even their tripped-out forays into sweet '60s psychedelic experimentation were sure to fire a string of hit. 1970's Norman Whitfield-produced Psychedelic Shack -- while perhaps a system shock to those fans who grooved to the band's lame-suited, Motown dance-routined R&B classics -- was a magnificent stretch into an epic and ultimately emerged as another in a long line of enduring set. Deviating from form across the first song, it was with the whimsical and willful title track (and a big thanks to the band from Georgia retro-ists the B-52', who took their own homage, "Love Shack," to the top of the charts in 1989) that the Temptations broke their own mold with the acid-drenched party chant: "Psychedelic shack/That's where it's at." Opening that door and venturing outside the nonstop celebration, the band retains that vibe while returning to a slightly more staid stance on "Hum Along and Dance," leaving both the oddly paced "You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth" and the totally tripped-out "Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind" out on their own plane entirely. With such a strong collection of song, it couldn't get much better than that. But, of course, it doe, as the Temptations blister through the groovers "It's Summer" and "Friendship Train." And that, of course, just leaves the Whitfield-penned classic "War" to round out the mix. While fellow Motown-er Edwin Starr has etched what is now considered to be the definitive version of the song into the history tablet, the Temptations certainly took their own inspiration and added a unique spin as well. Not much else can be said, except that this is an absolutely outstanding album -- one which has stood the test of time, sounding as fresh as it did upon initial release. And for those who still suffer the scratchy vinyl, a 2002 CD reissue of the album on Dutch Motown finds Psychedelic Shack cunningly paired with the similarly superlative All Directions in a neat two-disc package. .

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