The Temptations - Cloud Nine

Title

1. Cloud Nine
2. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
3. Run Away Child, Running Wild
4. Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing
5. Hey Girl
6. Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)
7. I Need Your Lovin’
8. Don’t Let Him Take Your Love From Me
9. I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back)
10. Gonna Keep On Tryin’ Till I Win Your Love

With Cloud Nine, The Temptations and their label Motown ushered in a new era in 1969. Influenced by emerging rock and pop trends as well as growing socio-political unrest, the album broke down genre boundaries between rock, psychedelia, and soul while presenting visionary arrangements and production techniques. The Temptations’ ninth studio album, produced by Norman Whitfield, initially polarized long-time fans due to its stylistic shift. Nevertheless, it proved highly successful, entering the Billboard pop album charts at No. 4. The title track and Run Away Child, Running Wildboth reached No. 6 on the singles charts. Later that same year, Cloud Nine received a Grammy Award — a first for both band and label.

On Cloud Nine, the instrumentation and musical architecture stand out as much as any other element. Never before had a Motown album featured such ambitious patterns and complex passages. The Temptations and Whitfield were fully aware of their departure from previous methods and assembled a program that ventures deeply into psychedelic territory while also delivering outstanding soul tracks representing the Motown tradition with emotional vocals, lush strings, and compelling rhythms. The songs reveal an ensemble at the peak of its creative power, offering flawless pop-soul material marked by romantic warmth and persuasive intensity — despite the departure of lead singer David Ruffin in June 1968. The Temptations found renewed energy, and successor Dennis Edwards integrated seamlessly into the collective.

MFSL proudly presents Cloud Nine in audiophile reference quality. Mastered from the original tapes at the MoFi studio in California, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, and housed in a luxurious Stoughton Printing gatefold sleeve, this double LP (180 gram, 45 RPM) delivers the finest sound quality the album has ever received on vinyl, setting new standards for spatiality, transparency, and dynamics. This collectible reissue brings a level of realism to Norman Whitfield’s remarkable production rarely experienced outside the recording studio. The tonal colors of all five voices are easily distinguishable, even within the layered harmonies.