Gladys Knight & the Pips
Neither One of Us (Motown/Universal/Elemental)
By the time the incomparable Gladys Knight and her Pips released Neither One of Us in 1973, they had already previously dropped another eight. For this latest Motown installment of Vinyl Minded, we get to soak in this gem like the warm, musical bubblebath that it is.
The album is a heartfelt ode to the harder elements of relationships. It comes in hot with the title track--full title "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)." "It's Gotta Be That Way" is equally heartbreaking, featuring lines like, "And we won't let our friends interfere, Let our problems to them be unknown."
"This Child Needs Its Father" and "Can't Give it Up No More" are further examples of raw, desperate pleas that we can all relate to.
Knight's voice is devastatingly beautiful throughout, and it makes sense that this album is the Pips' most commercially successful.
The Temptations
Solid Rock (Motown/Universal/Elemental)
The Temptations 15th studio album, 1972's Solid Rock, was the first to largely not feature founding members and lead singers Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams (the only exception being "It's Summer," which saw Williams pop up).
There aren't too many people who would claim Solid Rock was their favorite Temptations album, but it is a fascinating, smooth, funky and sexy little beast, and it's not without its messages.
"Stop the War Now" was topical in '72, while the version of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" is awesome.
"Originally a b-side to the band’s monumental single 'Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Needs Today),' 'It’s Summer' just missed the top half of the Hot 100, peaking at #51," reads the press release. "Faring quite a bit better, The Temptations’ second single 'Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)' was a Top Ten hit on the R&B Chart and peaked at #18 on the Hot 100. 'Take A Look Around' rounded out the album’s focus tracks, landing the band a Top 30 hit."
This special gatefold edition of 140 gram vinyl breathes new life into an album that deserves to be heard more.
The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth (Motown/Universal/Elemental)
This another interesting little oddity that many casual Motown fans might be unfamiliar with. The Undisputed Truth was a project put together by Motown producer Norman Whitfield, for the purposes of experimenting with his psychedelic soul sound.
"Speculated to be a testing ground by Whitfield, many of the tracks had also been recorded by labelmates The Temptations and even includes a 'quiet, reflective take' on the song 'Aquarius' (from the musical Hair)," they said.
That sounds fun, as does "California Soul" and powerful renditions of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," and Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."
If The Undisputed Truth was Whitfield's sound laboratory, it was ultimately a very successful one.
