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Post by The Prophet "Morpheus" on Mar 1, 2004 9:36:01 GMT -5
Eddie left the Temptations with a monster song "Just my Imagination" He still hadn't peaked as a lead singer. I feel the biggest mistake the Temptations ever made was allowing Eddie to depart. I my opinion he was very important to the Temptations or any singing group. 1. He is a great lead singer with a unique voice 2. Eddie was an excellent background singer that gave the Temptations their DISTINCT SOUND. There was more hits left in Eddie....I think the albums Solid Rock, All Directions, Masterpiece, 1990, and A song for You....would have been different and even better if Eddie was still singing with the group. I read that at first Eddie was going to stay, but do solo albums and even during the show do a short solo spot. I feel that could have worked.....Dennis was the work horse and that would have given him a break. The leads by Eddie were special. The girls alright with me the way you do the things you do try to remember  with these hands  DREAM COME TRUE  You my everything Just my Imagination :inlove and on and on  |
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Post by Divalicious on Mar 1, 2004 10:41:04 GMT -5
JMI was Eddie's finest performance as a Temptation! I disagree with what you're saying that he never peaked. That song was the pinnacle of his career as a Tempt. As far as the solo thing, it's what Eddie wanted, but he wanted to stay in the group as well. But he was not allowed to. Plus he didn't get along with Otis, so he would have left anyway.
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Post by ZeldaFScott on Mar 1, 2004 10:56:59 GMT -5
I think that Eddie was constantly on a peak during his time with the Temptations. He could not have added more impact to his singing, in my opinion. At some point there simply is no more superlative possile.
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Post by Divalicious on Mar 1, 2004 13:57:15 GMT -5
I think that Eddie was constantly on a peak during his time with the Temptations. He could not have added more impact to his singing, in my opinion. At some point there simply is no more superlative possile. Well said!! ![]() temptsinfo.com/smilies/wtg.gif![]() |
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Post by MikeNYC on Mar 1, 2004 14:01:43 GMT -5
I don't know any other way to say this,so I'm gonna say what's on my mind. What is it with Eddie...people don't want to either give the man his credit..like Dennis said or RESPECT the man...is this what Ivory meant by Poo-Poo? Smells like it! I'm beginning to realize that a lot of people never saw Eddie live with the Temptations. Didn't reach his peak? Left the group because he had trouble keeping up with the steps and singing?..Eddie "lost" his voice around Reunion time. He sang until his last days because he was broke. All this  is coming from people who don't know squat about the Temptations. It's an insult..to be blunt. These are the things that come from the miniseries and Otis' book.Untruths...major untruths at that. Eddie Kendricks was the inspiration for a great many "falsettos" to attempt to do the same things he did. what would Damon Harris,Glenn Leonard or Ron Tyson be doing now if there were no Eddie Kendricks? White Castle salesmen? Do we forget that Eddie Kendricks,the man who never peaked,sang the group's first hit..The Way You Do The Things You Do? And you say he never peaked?  Eddie Kendricks was the FIRST Temptation with any writing credits until the late 70's . I've already put to rest the crap about Eddie's solo career being a one,or two hit wonder...we now know better...all of us. We will forget the "off-key" remarks that were made a while back as baseless and untrue. The man believed in hard work..and worked hard at his craft. If Eddie Kendricks never peaked...the Temptations would have never had the chance to even record "My Girl". But,you won't find these thing by relying on cliff notes written by someone who never sat in a concert hall at any kind of Temptations show! These things weaken the legacy of the Temptations. If you believe that Eddie Kendricks never peaked as a lead singer...then you believe in PEANUT BUTTER....clap your hands!   |
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Post by The Prophet "Morpheus" on Mar 1, 2004 15:12:43 GMT -5
I think Mike has MISSED the point of the thread. Eddie never peaked as a Temptation....there was so much left in him...at that time his voice was still strong. "jUST MY iMAGINATION" was a great song....but Eddie could have done so much more as a Temptation. He DID NOT PEAK.
The could have been so much more good music with Eddie being in the Temptations. Otis missed that, and so did melvin.
Eddie was a major issue within the group that should have been worked out. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF BEING A TEMPTATION OR ANY BUSINESS....IS BUSINESS AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS.
There comes a time where you bury the hatchet and see that real value.
I could deal with Otis because my focus would be padding my checking account. I'd deal with Otis at rehersals and concerts....then go to my hotel room or my house.
LIFE IS TOUGH YOU HAVE TO WORK THROUGH YOUR ISSUES. Eddie was an important enough issue to WORK OUT.
SMART PEOPLE RESOLVE ISSUES....it's better and it saves a lot of money
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Post by MikeNYC on Mar 1, 2004 15:23:03 GMT -5
I think Mike has MISSED the point of the thread. Eddie never peaked as a Temptation....there was so much left in him...at that time his voice was still strong. "jUST MY iMAGINATION" was a great song....but Eddie could have done so much more as a Temptation. He DID NOT PEAK. The could have been so much more good music with Eddie being in the Temptations. Otis missed that, and so did melvin. Eddie was a major issue within the group that should have been worked out. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF BEING A TEMPTATION OR ANY BUSINESS....IS BUSINESS AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. There comes a time where you bury the hatchet and see that real value. I could deal with Otis because my focus would be padding my checking account. I'd deal with Otis at rehersals and concerts....then go to my hotel room or my house. LIFE IS TOUGH YOU HAVE TO WORK THROUGH YOUR ISSUES. Eddie was an important enough issue to WORK OUT. SMART PEOPLE RESOLVE ISSUES....it's better and it saves a lot of money I'm sorry to inform you that I did not miss what you said. I don't agree with the title of the thread. I didn't miss that. For the most part..I agree with you as far as Eddie's situtation should have been worked out,and it was...until jealous people within the group started bitching and complaining,making things unbearable for Eddie to peacefully continue to be a member in a group that HE helped put together and gave them their sense of style. Gordy gave Eddie his blessings to go solo and STILL be a member of the group. Eddie didn't want to leave,as some claim, he wanted the best for the group because he thought that the group was the best! Don't get it mixed up with Hollywood's account. Of all of Otis',either. |
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Post by ZeldaFScott on Mar 1, 2004 15:23:12 GMT -5
SMART PEOPLE RESOLVE ISSUES....Does that mean that all the Ex-Temps were dumb? Or does that mean that you are a dreamer Sometimes the smartest people have no chance to solve a problem, because the dumb a@&es have the say and sit in the right places. It's easy to say one "could" do better than others. But actually doing it is a different subject. Sorry Morpheus, it's time to wake up! :comfort:
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Post by QueTip on May 4, 2004 20:27:47 GMT -5
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Elbridge
Tempt Fanatic
Elbridge "Al" Bryant
Posts: 28
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Post by Elbridge on May 5, 2004 0:06:48 GMT -5
I'm of the opinion that one can render a critique as to the quality of Eddie's voice without having seen him live. All the proof one needs exists in the recordings. In his heyday, recording technology had not advanced to the point where a recorded Eddie would've been that different from a live Eddie. You do lose the excitement of a live crowd but you couldn't alter pitch and add reverb except through natural means at that point. The "advancements" necessary to "fake it" have since appeared...  I confess to not having heard the entire "Reunion" album - even though I own a fresh sealed vinyl copy of it. Now that that's out of the way, I have heard and listened carefully to the whole of "Standing On The Top". Eddie's vocal on that song wasn't award-winning by anyone's standards. He sounded limp and incredibly pitch-y throughout. You can also hear in the bridge that Eddie's voice is "doubled" when he sings, "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH", in order to strengthen the sound of it. Go back and check it out. You'll hear it plain as day. And that was an example of Eddie in the studio - the place where you can fix things like that through numerous retakes. Either Rick James (the producer) was facing a deadline and didn't have time to do what he wanted or that really was the best he could get out of Eddie. In either case, it's sad and I have a tough time listening to that otherwise excellent song because of it. Having said all of that, I absolutely LOVE the sound of Eddie's voice at the height of it's powers. I've been a sucker for "Paradise" since the moment I first heard it and I still love it for Eddie's incredibly powerful falsetto. Singing that high and that strong is quite hard and Eddie pulls it off with finesse. "Just My Imagination..." speaks for itself. I won't even go there. I'm also a sucker for "This Used To Be The Home Of Johnnie Mae". His natural tenor was a thing of aching beauty and listening to songs like that make me wish that he'd never picked up a cigarette... :crying Ed |
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Post by Aba21 on May 5, 2004 14:32:46 GMT -5
Now this is a thread that is a prime example of what I've been saying around here about people reading what they want into what someone writes. *I* did not see anything negative about EDDie written in this thread. On the contrary, I understand exactly what was meant. I believe he meant to say that had Eddie remained a Temptation, he may have done work even better than JMI. He goes on to say that Eddie would have made the material from All Directions, Solid Rock and the like, even better so he may not have reached his peak when he did JMI. Eddie did go on to record great songs after he left the Temps but would he have been better if he stayed..................one thing we do know.............*THEY* would have been better if he stayed.
BTW Ed, nice post and very well written. Interesting observations to say the least.
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Post by Nupeman88 on May 12, 2004 10:23:20 GMT -5
If Eddie did not peak as a singer, why were the Tempts and others always trying to re-create his sound?  His sound was a major component of the world-famous, often tried to be duplicated "Temptation Sound. His sound was the basis of which other falsetto-tenors have often structured their sound from. His voice set the standard for all falsetto-tenors, most importantly in the R&B market. If he did not peak, how in the hell could he set a standard? Could it be "Just Your Imagination" runnin' away with you? Rethink your assumption. I don't mean any harm, just think about what you are saying (((Morpheus))).  |
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Post by zebop on May 13, 2004 23:19:38 GMT -5
Who knows, maybe he didn't peak during his tenure with the Temptations. I probably liked his 71-79 work more than anything else.
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Post by Aba21 on May 14, 2004 11:15:32 GMT -5
The songs of All By Myself and My People....Hold On are great songs and Eddie is at his absolute best on thsoe recordings...............
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Post by Temptress on May 14, 2004 12:16:25 GMT -5
I love Eddie's voice on Fading Away :inlove .
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