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Personnel: Eddie Willis, Robert White , Paul Warren , Melvin Ragin , Billy Cooper, Robert Ward, Joe Messina (guitar); Earl Van Dyke (piano); Johnny Griffith (organ); Jack Brokensha (vibraphone, timpani, bells); Andrew Smith , Aaron Smith , Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones (drums); Eddie "Bongo" Brown (congas, bongos); Jack Ashford (maracas, tambourine). Arranger: Paul Riser. A monster album, the one that put them back in the spotlight and signaled that Norman Whitfield had saved the day. Damon Harris had replaced Eddie Kendricks, and there were many doubters convinced the band was finished. Instead, Whitfield revitalized them via the majestic single, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." Despite its length, Whitfield's decision to open with an extensive, multi-layered musical suite and tease listeners was a master stroke. By the time Dennis Edwards' voice came rushing in, no one would dare turn it off. The single, as well as "Law of the Land" and others, ended the funeral arrangements that had been prepared for the Temptations. ~ Ron Wynn
