| Ma | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1973 | |||
| Length | 37:26 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | Norman Whitfield | |||
| Rare Earth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Ma is the sixth studio album by rock band Rare Earth, released in April 1973. It marks another change because none of the tracks were composed or written by the band. All composing and producing was done by the famous producer Norman Whitfield with a little help from Barrett Strong, a longtime collaborator of Whitfield.
All tracks composed by Norman Whitfield; except where indicated
Rare Earth was an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan. According to Louder, "Rare Earth’s music straddles genres and defies categorisation, [sic] slipping seamlessly between the two seemingly disparate worlds of classic rock and R&B." The band was signed to Motown's Rare Earth record label. Although not the first white band signed to Motown, Rare Earth was the first big hit-making act signed by Motown that consisted only of white members.
Psychedelic Shack is the twelfth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1970, which represents the Temptations' full-blown submergence into psychedelia. Completely written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield, Psychedelic Shack almost completely abandoned the "Motown Sound" formula for this LP; hard rock guitars, synthesizer sound effects, multitracked drums, and stereo-shifting vocals giving most of the album's songs a harder, less traditional feel than the Temptations' previous work. Along with the hit title track, the album also features the group's original version of "War", which became a major hit for Edwin Starr later in 1970.
"Ball of Confusion " is a 1970 hit single for The Temptations. It was released on the Gordy (Motown) label, and written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong.
"Just My Imagination " is a song by American soul group The Temptations, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Released on the Gordy (Motown) label, and produced by Norman Whitfield, it features on the group's 1971 album, Sky's the Limit. When released as a single, "Just My Imagination" became the third Temptations song to reach number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The single held the number 1 position on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart for two weeks in 1971, from March 27 to April 10. "Just My Imagination" also held the number one spot on the Billboard R&B Singles chart for three weeks, from February 27 to March 20 of that year.
"Hum Along and Dance" is a soul song written for the Motown label by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Originally recorded by the Temptations, the song was later covered by Motown acts Rare Earth and the Jackson 5. The song is essentially an instrumental piece and a vehicle for scatting and improvisational vocals, since, as the chorus states, "ain't no words to this song/you just dance and hum along". All three versions of the song were produced by Whitfield.
"Smiling Faces Sometimes" is a soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label. It was originally recorded by the Temptations in 1971. Producer Norman Whitfield had the song re-recorded by the Undisputed Truth the same year, resulting in a number-three Billboard Hot 100 position for the group. "Smiling Faces" was the only Top 40 single released by the Undisputed Truth, and was included on their debut album The Undisputed Truth.
"I Wish It Would Rain" is a 1967 song recorded by the Temptations for the Motown label and produced by Norman Whitfield.
Masterpiece is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced and written by Norman Whitfield.
All Directions is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. It reached number two on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most successful non-collaborative album on the chart, and became their twelfth album to reach number one on the Top R&B Albums chart.
Solid Rock is a 1972 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced by Norman Whitfield. The LP was the first made primarily without founding members and original lead singers Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. Frustrated by conflicts and fights with Temptations Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin, and producer Whitfield's steadfast insistence on producing psychedelic soul for the group when they really wanted to sing ballads, Kendricks had quit the act and negotiated a solo deal with Motown's Tamla label.
Puzzle People is the eleventh studio album released by American soul quintet The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label in 1969. Produced entirely by Norman Whitfield, Puzzle People takes the next step along the path that Cloud Nine started, and takes the Temptations further away from a classic soul sound, and more towards the realm of psychedelic soul. Although a few ballads, including "Running Away ", are still present, the album is primarily composed of Sly & the Family Stone/James Brown-derived proto-funk tracks such as the lead single "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down", and the number-one Billboard Pop hit "I Can't Get Next to You". Also included are psychedelic-styled covers of contemporary songs such as The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing", The Beatles' "Hey Jude", and Roger Miller's "Little Green Apples".
Live at London's Talk of The Town is a 1970 live album recorded by The Temptations at the Talk of the Town nightclub in London, England. It was the final live album released by the group for over thirty years, until The Temptations in Japan, recorded in 1973, was released in 2004. The album reached No. 21 on the Billboard 200 Pop Album Chart, and No. 5 on its R&B album chart.
Emperors of Soul is a 1994 box set compilation for The Temptations, released by Motown Records. The five-disc collection covers the Temptations' entire four-decade history, from the first recording of The Distants in 1959 to four new recordings by the then-current Temptations lineup of Ali-Ollie Woodson, Theo Peoples, Ron Tyson, and stalwart members Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin.
Rare Earth in Concert is a live album by rock band Rare Earth, which was released as a double-LP in 1971. It contains a 23:33 version of their signature hit "Get Ready", as well as a new studio song: "Nice To Be With You". It was issued a RIAA gold record award.
"Cloud Nine" is a 1968 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown label. It was the first of their singles to feature Dennis Edwards instead of David Ruffin in the lineup, was the first of producer Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul tracks, and won Motown its first Grammy Award. The song was written by Whitfield and former Motown artist Barrett Strong.
Street Corner Talking is the seventh studio album by the band Savoy Brown. Released by Parrot in 1971, it was the first album released by the band since the departure of Lonesome Dave, Roger Earl, and Tone Stevens who all went on to form the band Foghat. This left Kim Simmonds as the only remaining member on the group from the previous line-up. Simmonds recruited a fresh lineup of musicians, predominantly members of the previous line-up of Chicken Shack; which had undergone a seismic change in membership similar to that which had affected Savoy Brown; which, in turn, ushered in a new sound for the band.
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? is the twentieth studio album released in 1997 by folk rock band Fairport Convention. It is a mixture of studio and live tracks recorded by Mark Tucker at Woodworm Studios, Oxfordshire, The Cropredy Festival 1995 and the Fairport Convention Winter Tour 1997.
The Many Facets of Roger is the debut solo project by Dayton, Ohio-based funk musician Roger Troutman. The album went platinum based on the R&B successes of "So Ruff, So Tuff" and his cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It through the Grapevine". In the album, Troutman featured two instrumentals, "A Chunk of Sugar" and "Blue ", which was recorded inside Detroit's United Sound Studios.
Carnegie Hall is a quadruple live album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, released posthumously on October 31, 2011, by the Zappa Family Trust on Vaulternative Records. It is a mono recording of the two shows given on October 11, 1971 at Carnegie Hall in New York and the sixth installment on the Vaulternative Records label that is dedicated to the posthumous release of complete Zappa concerts, following the releases of FZ:OZ (2002), Buffalo (2007), Wazoo (2007), Philly '76 (2009) and Hammersmith Odeon (2010).
Greatest Hits and Rare Classics is a compilation album by Rare Earth released February 26, 1991, by Motown Records. Three of these songs were top ten hits with a total of eight charting on the Billboard Hot 100 when originally released.