Search - Temptations :: I Wish It Would Rain / In a Mellow

Deliciously tempting

royce | georgia,usa | 05/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I always thought the "I Wish It Would Rain" album was one of the Tempts' best work.Every song on the album was strong as steel.My favorites were; Cindy, I Could Never Love Another, Please Return Your Love To Me,and He Who Picks A Rose(that's darn near all of the album!).That's my point.The album is solid from beginning to end! "In A Mellow Mood",while a decent effort from the Tempts,was more a commercial album that attempted to capitalize on their crossover appeal.The Tempts do a lot of covers on this one.One of the notable efforts is "Old Man River",with Melvin's resonant bass spearheading the tune.A great addition to any Tempts' fan's collection."

Two contrasting albums from 1968 and 1967

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 04/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is no contrast in quality between the two albums featured in this twofer, but there is plenty of contrast in the choice of material. The first album here, Wish it would rain, was originally released in 1968 and contained a selection of songs written by Motown songwriters. That doesn't necessarily mean they were all originals, because Motown acts sometimes covered each other's songs, but in this case I don't recognize any of the songs as being covers. Three singles were released from the album. The first was the title track, which was a top five American pop hit that made number one on the R+B charts. It also became a minor UK hit. The B-side, I truly truly believe, became a minor R+B hit in its own right and is also included in the album. The follow-up single, I could never love another after loving you, also topped the R+B charts but was less successful in the American pop charts although it comfortably made the top twenty. It also became a minor UK hit. The B side, Gonna give her all the love I've got, is also from this album. For the third single, Britain and America released different A sides although they both chose the same B side, How can I forget, which isn't part of this album. In America, Please return your love to me became a top five R+B hit and a minor pop hit. In Britain, Why did you leave me darling failed to chart. All those tracks and the others not mentioned make for a great album and just what you would expect from the Temptations.



The second album here, In a mellow mood, pre-dates its companion here, being released in 1967. No singles were released from it, but the album sold well enough in America to comfortably make the top twenty in the album charts. The album is made up entirely of covers, of which For once in my life (Stevie Wonder) and I'm ready for love (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) are of Motown songs. That's where any similarity in song selection with the companion album ends. The remaining covers are of classic songs from Hollywood and elsewhere, well away from the group's normal repertoire. Nevertheless, the Temptations showed themselves to be well capable of delivering top quality versions of these songs, including Somewhere (from West side story), Hello young lovers, Ol' man river, Try to remember, What now my love and The impossible dream. Surely Motown could have released one of these masterpieces as a single? Yes, this is a wonderful album that provides a nice contrast with the other Temptations albums.



Some Temptations fans may have mixed feelings about this twofer, not liking the deviation from the normal repertoire in the second album here, but I love it and this may be my favorite among the various Temptations twofers in the series."