LP Review: Psychedelic Shack
Maximum psychedelica
Released: March 1970
The Temptations’ first album of the 1970s found them fully turned over to psychedelic sounds. Whereas Cloud Nine (C) dabbled in and then Puzzle People (B-) embraced the sounds, Psychedelic Shack was fully immersed in it. Hence the title, I suppose.
Despite the immersion, Norman Whitfield was still experimenting and tinkering. He hadn’t totally lost his mind like he would on future releases by the Temptations. Only two of the eight songs go beyond four minutes in length here. So, the embrace of fuzz guitars and whatnot was balanced by still hewing to some pop sensibilities.
Surprisingly, this album only had one song released as a the single. “Psychedelic Shack” got the honor and is a jam that reached #2 R&B and #7 pop. This is actually a moment where Whitfield would have been better served going for a longer version. The song ends at 3:51 just as the band is cooking.
And wouldn’t you know it, three decades later Motown finally released the unedited version (6:20) and it just makes you mad that it wasn’t included on the original album.
The song is also notable for containing a sample of their previous hit “I Can’t Get Next To You” in its intro. Gonna go out on a limb and say that was not common practice in 1969/70.
Anyhoo, the song’s power not only comes from the funky band, but also the vocals. Particularly, Eddie Kendricks’ wailing falsetto sounds like a siren in the best way possible. You can’t create that in a studio no matter what gimmicks you try.
The lyrics are also a catchy laundry list of hippie culture at the time. It’s funky, it’s campy, I love it.
Then the album Gets Very Serious with “You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth”. The song is not quite a self-help, pull your self up by your bootstraps screed, but it does rightfully point out you have some control over your fate. Better exercise whatever agency you got.
The seriousness is then dispatched quite quickly with “Hum Along And Dance”. A song that eschews any real lyrics. They tell you so right off the bat: “Ain’t no words to this song, you just dance and hum along”. What ensues is a jam from the Funk Brothers with the Temptations giving vocal ad libs and reminders that you should dance and hum along. Y’know, in case you forgot.
That festive song abruptly ends and you’re immediately transported to “Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind”. Kendricks begins by singing, “One drag, that’s all it took. And now I’m hooked”. Thus commences a bluesy examinination of your inner self. But also Paul Williams at one point implores you to party too? I dunno. They do tell you that as you stroll thru your mind, “you’ll be surprised at what you might find”.
After 8:37, the song ends with a giant gong. Groovy, man.
Side Two begins with the odd “It’s Summer”. Ain’t much singin’ on that song, just mostly Melvin Franklin talking throughout about the beauty of, you guessed it, summer.
Oh hey, here’s a treat, the original version of “War”! You know the song where the question is asked, what is war good for? And the answer is absolutely nothing. The Temptations’ original is less bombastic and over-the-top than the version by Edwin Starr you’re likely familiar with.
In the Tempts’ hands, the song is a bit quieter, but still forceful on the point that war sucks. Also, having Franklin’s bass vocals intone “hup two three four” throughout is hilarious.
Finally we arrive on the album’s only love song, the strutting “You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)”. Another song that would eventually become a hit for another artist (Gladys Knight & the Pips), Eddie Kendricks is given the lead vocals here. Probably because he was the Temptation most enamored with doing love songs and ballads. “You Need Love Like I Do” ain’t no ballad, but at least its funky rhythms are about love. It also has a clavinet. I LOVE CLAVINET!
“Friendship Train” concludes the album and this time it’s the Temptations covering a song already recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Motown wasn’t shy about having their acts mix-and-match songs. Anyhoo, this is an eight-minute funky jam. The concept is outright absurd. I mean c’mon. A friendship train riding coast to coast picking up passengers all along the way?
Well, ain’t no dumber than a psychedelic shack or strawberry fields forever.
ALBUM GRADE: B-
Released in early 1970, the LP was naturally another #1 R&B (four weeks) and top 10 pop (#9) album for the Temptations.
A tiny bit more consistent than Puzzle People, this album would be a fucking banger if they were somehow able to swap out the lackluster “It’s Summer” for the motherfucking fantastic “Ball of Confusion”. The latter song was released as a single two months after this album came out. It rightfully reached #3 on the pop charts and is a 10/10 in my book.
Motown instead put “Ball of Confusion” on Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 a compilation released later in 1970. Same ole sick marketing ploy they did on the Temptations’ first greatest hits album. That time around they put “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep” on the compilation instead of on a regular LP.
Song Scores
Psychedelic Shack: 8/10
You Make Your Own Heaven And Hell Right Here On Earth: 7/10
Hum Along And Dance: 7.5/10
Take A Stroll Thru Your Mind: 6/10
It's Summer: 4/10
War: 7.5/10
You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You?): 7/10
Friendship Train: 7/10