The February additions to Elemental Music’s ongoing Motown Sound Collection series focus on less celebrated albums by three of the label’s foundational and persevering groups. They are Let the Sunshine In by Diana Ross & the Supremes, Puzzle People by The Temptations, and Changing Times by the Four Tops, all pressed into 140 gram vinyl. While the three records can all be considered transitional in nature, the LPs maintain a level of quality that reflects Motown’s standards during this era, and with individual highpoints that are detailed below.
Released in 1969, Let the Sunshine In is listed as the 16th full-length studio album by the Supremes, and the fourth with the top billing of Diana Ross firmly established. That it is a highly listenable effort, and occasionally more than that, overcomes the law of averages in relation to musical longevity by a significant margin.
Even more impressive is how they continued to overcome the exit of the Holland-Dozier Holland songwriting team. Reflections, released a year and a few months prior, was the last Supremes album to benefit from the compositions of Holland-Dozier-Holland, and a big part of the strategy in filling the void was a focus on interpretations of current hits, returning to the work of the 5th Dimension (“Up, Up, and Away” was covered on Reflections) as referenced by the title track.
On side one sits consecutive versions of Sly Stone’s “Everyday People,” Jerry Butler’s “Hey, Western Union Man,” and staying in house, Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” all three tracks very appealing as they lean into lively R&B. “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” succeeds in its ambitions, but it’s not really an album standout. The opening take of Smoky Robinson’s “The Composer” is, however. But there are no missteps on Let the Sunshine In, which benefits from the general lack of Copacabana-style lushness.
Covers also play a significant role in Puzzle People’s scheme. There’s a likeably executed soulification of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” a solid vocal group shift into The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing,” and a very comfortable run through of “Little Green Apples,” which had been a recent big R&B hit for O.C. Smith. But playing just as large of a role in the album’s makeup is social commentary, with songs composed by the team of producer Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, e.g. “Don’t Let the Joneses Get You Down,” “Message From a Black Man,” and “Slave.”
The focus on the topical is not exceptionally conceived but ultimately unstrained. In the case of “Message From a Black Man,” there’s a clear debt to James Brown. But Puzzle People is still very recommendable, in part due to the Temptations fully clicking with new vocalist Dennis Edwards, but more so how the freshness of Whitfield’s psychedelic soul approach gets further enlivened by the Funk Brothers’ blend of R&B, proto funk, and rock elements (a whole lot of fuzz guitar is going on). It’s all set in motion with opener “I Can’t Get Next to You,” which was a No. 1 pop hit for the group in 1969.
Changing Times opener “In These Changing Times” begins with a heaping helping of psychedelic era audio collage excess that aligns pretty well with the record’s very moderate commercial fortunes. Producer Frank Wilson alternates between and occasionally blends conceptual ambitiousness (a recurring ticking clock…changing times, ya dig?) and MOR tendencies via covers of Bacharach and David’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” and Broadway show tune “Try to Remember.”
There’s no denying Changing Times connects as a lesser Four Tops effort (that goddamn ticking clock), but that’s all relative to Motown’s core consistency. There’s psych-soul bedrock that if borrowed, is still quite worthwhile, with “Right Before My Eyes” a treat. And the psych-soul also alternates (and blends) with more trad vocal group soul showings that are the forte of the Four Tops, who are in sharp vocal form here, exceling on side two and turning “Try to Remember” into a highlight.
As the closing medley of “The Long and Winding Road” and “In These Changing Times” plays, it’s difficult to not appreciate what Changing Times was striving to achieve. So just roll with it and add another to the shelf.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
Diana Ross & the Supremes, Let the Sunshine In
B+
The Temptations, Puzzle People
A-
Four Tops, Changing Times
B
