'' 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 guitars,
Synthesizer Sound Effects ,
Multitrack ed
Drums ,
Sampling , and
Stereo -shifting vocals giving most of the album's songs a harder, less traditional feel than the Temptations' previous work.
''Psychedelic Shack'' was the final album completed before the third incarnation of The Temptations (
Dennis Edwards ,
Paul Williams ,
Eddie Kendricks ,
Melvin Franklin , and
Otis Williams ) broke apart. During the recording of the album, Paul Williams, 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 Monitors , as a stand-in for Paul Williams. 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 harmonies. The album cover, a
Collage /illustration by Hermon Weems, uses photographs taken from the photoshoots for the ''
Puzzle People '' album artwork to place the Temptations in a depiction of a
Psychedelic Shack : an establishement in urban neighborhoods where people could go to "enhance their minds" through art, music, and mind-altering drugs.
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, everybopdy, 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 recordings. Setting the tone for much of the album, "Psychedelic Shack's" vocals, guitarlines, and drums shift back and forth acorss the stereo spectrum, and all five Temptations trade lead vocal duties at irregular intervals. Keyboardist
Earl Van Dyke remembers "Psychedelic Shack" as one of his favorite recording sessions.
"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 Edwards, Kendricks, Franklin, and Otis Williams informing the public that each individual person is responsible for their fate, and that "the final decision
do right or wrong is still up to you". The song would be covered in
1971 by Whitfield-groomed Motown act
The Undisputed Truth .
"'', also 1973). A crossfade 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.
Side B begins with "It's Summer", the only ballad on the album. Instead of love and relationship issues, "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 Edwards. 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 Pips , another Whitfield-produced act. "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" was recorded simultaneously by both The Pips and the Temptations, with the Pips' version being issued as a single, while "Friendship Train", the seven-minute album closer, is a cover of a
1969 Pips single.
Tom Jones would record a cover of "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" in
1999 .
