Hear to Tempt You

Hear to Tempt You
The band in matching suits on a stage, smiling
Studio album by
the Temptations
ReleasedNovember 10, 1977 (1977-11-10)
Recorded1977
Studio
  • Atlantic, New York City, New York, US (vocals)
  • Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US (horns, rhythm, and strings)
GenreSoul
Length39:53
LanguageEnglish
LabelAtlantic
Producer
The Temptations chronology
The Temptations Do the Temptations
(1976) 		Hear to Tempt You
(1977) 		Bare Back
(1978)

Hear to Tempt You is a 1977 studio album from American soul group the Temptations.

Recording

This was the first of two albums they recorded for Atlantic Records after temporarily leaving Motown after being with the label since 1961. They would team up with Philadelphia producer Norman Harris for this album. After firing Dennis Edwards, the group recruited new member Louis Price to be the new lead vocalist. They would also work for the first time with Ron Tyson of the group Love Committee who co-wrote most of the songs on this album. Tyson himself would later become a Temptation in 1983, replacing Glenn Leonard.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[1]

The Bay State Banner called "In a Lifetime" "a classic piece of mid-tempo Philly disco combined with the great feel of the Temptations vocals".[2] Editors at AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, with reviewer Jason Elias writing that "what's here is worth listening to" for the Norman Harris-produced tracks.[3]

Track listing

  1. "Think for Yourself" (Allan Felder, Norman Harris, and Ron Tyson) – 5:00
  2. "In a Lifetime" (Ron Baker and Tyson) – 3:15
  3. "Come Share My Love" (T. G. Conway and Bruce Gray) – 6:13
  4. "She's All I Got" (Baker and Tyson) – 4:56
  5. "Snake in the Grass" (Conway, Felder, and Tyson) – 5:30
  6. "It's Time for Love" (Felder, Harris, and Tyson) – 4:31
  7. "Let's Live in Peace" (Melvin Franklin, Glenn Leonard, Louis Price, Richard Street, Otis Williams, and Benjamin Wright) – 4:16
  8. "Read Between the Lines" (Conway, Felder, and Tyson) – 3:21
  9. "I Could Never Stop Loving You" (Felder, Harris, and Tyson) – 3:21

Personnel

The Temptations

  • Melvin Franklin – bass vocals, lead vocals on "I Could Never Stop Loving You"
  • Glenn Leonard – first tenor/falsetto vocals, lead vocals on "In a Lifetime" and "It's Time for Love"
  • Louis Price – second tenor/baritone vocals, lead vocals on "Think for Yourself", Come Share My Love", "She's All I Got", "It's Time for Love", and "Let's Live in Peace"
  • Richard Street – tenor vocals, lead vocals on "Snake in the Grass"
  • Otis Williams – second tenor/baritone vocals, lead vocals on "Read Between the Lines"

Additional musicians

  • Richard Adderly – vibraphone
  • Ron Baker – bass guitar
  • Keith Benson – drums
  • T. G. Conway – keyboards, arrangement on "Come Share My Love" and "Snake in the Grass"
  • Don Renaldo & His String & Horn Section – strings, horns
  • Bobby Eli – guitar
  • Michael Foreman – bass guitar
  • Bruce Gray – keyboards
  • Norman Harris – guitar; arrangement on "Think for Yourself" and "I Could Never Stop Loving You"; production on "Think for Yourself", "Come Share My Love", "Snake in the Grass", "It's Time for Love", "Let's Live in Peace", "Read Between the Lines", and "I Could Never Stop Loving You"
  • Cotton Kent – keyboards
  • Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey – keyboards, arrangement on "It's Time for Love" and "Read Between the Lines"
  • T. J. Tindall – guitar
  • Larry Washington – congas
  • Earl Young – drums

Technical personnel

  • Ron Baker – arrangement on "In a Lifetime" and "She's All I Got", production on "In a Lifetime" and "She's All I Got"
  • Roland Chambers – arrangement on "Let's Live in Peace"
  • Bob Defrin – art direction
  • Dirk Devlin – engineering
  • Carl Paruolo – engineering
  • Bobby Warner – engineering
  • Steinbicker/Houghton – photography

Chart performance

Hear to Tempt You spent 13 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at 113 on January 7, 1978,[4] and spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums (then named the Soul LP's) chart, reaching up to 38 on December 24, 1977.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 697.
  2. ^ Baker, Arthur (December 15, 1977). "The Temptations at Paradise prove again they're no. 1". Bay State Banner. No. 10. p. 17. ISSN 1946-6730. OCLC 6749070.
  3. ^ Elias, Jason. "The Temptations – Hear to Tempt You". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.