Masterpiece (The Temptations album) explained

Masterpiece is a 1973 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced and written by Norman Whitfield.

Track listing

All selections written and produced by Norman Whitfield.

Side one

1. "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)" – 4:36 (lead singer: Richard Street)
2. "Masterpiece" – 13:49 (lead singers: Dennis Edwards, Otis Williams, Richard Street, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin)

Side two

1. "Ma" – 4:46 (lead singers: Richard Street, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin)
2. "Law of the Land" – 5:08 (lead singers: Dennis Edwards, Damon Harris, Richard Street)
3. "Plastic Man" – 5:53 (lead singers: Dennis Edwards, Damon Harris, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street)
4. "Hurry Tomorrow" – 8:06 (lead singer: Damon Harris)

Personnel

Dennis Edwards - vocals (tenor/baritone) Damon Harris - vocals (first tenor/falsetto) Richard Street - vocals (second tenor/baritone) Melvin Franklin - vocals (bass) Otis Williams - vocals (second tenor/baritone) Norman Whitfield - producer, composer Paul Riser - arranger Orson Lewis - engineer Asari Ghraham - creative assistant to Norman Whitfield Des Strobel - design Parvis Sadighian - sculpture (for album cover image) Jim Britt - liner photo

Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers: Earl Van Dyke - piano, organ Johnny Griffith - organ Robert Ward - guitar Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin - guitar Joe Messina - guitar Paul Warren - guitar Robert White - guitar Eddie Willis - guitar Aaron Smith - drums Richard "Pistol" Allen - drums Uriel Jones - drums Andrew Smith - drums Leroy Taylor - bass guitar Bob Babbitt - bass guitar Eddie Watkins Jr. - bass guitar Eddie "Bongo" Brown - bongos, congas Jack Ashford - tambourine, maracas, sticks Jack Brokensha - timpani, vibes, bells, gourd Maurice Davis - trumpet Ted Lucas - harmonica

Singles history

• "Masterpiece" (Vocal)
  • Gordy single 7126, February 1, 1973; *B-side: "Masterpiece" (Instrumental)
• "Plastic Man"
  • Gordy single 7129, May 10, 1973; B-side: "Hurry Tomorrow"
• "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)"
  • Gordy single 7131, July 24, 1973; B-side: "Ma"
• "Law of the Land"
  • Tamla-Motown single TMG-866, 1973 (UK only); B-side: "Run Charlie Run" (from All Directions)

Charts

Album

Chart (1973)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)[1]	6
Spanish Albums (AFE)[2]	13
UK Albums (OCC)[3]	28
US Billboard 200[4]	7
US Top R&B Albums[5]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1973)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)[6]	51
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7]	47
US Top R&B Albums[8]	15
US Billboard 200[9]	56

Singles

Year	Name	US	USR&B	UK
1973	Masterpiece (Vocal)	7	1	-
	Plastic Man	40	8	-
	Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)	35	2	-
	Law of the Land	-	-	41

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 (U.S.)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi. InfoDisc. April 14, 2017.
2. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
3. Web site: The Temptations Chart History. Official Charts Company. April 14, 2017.
4. Web site: The Temptations US Chart History . Billboard. April 14, 2017.
5. The Temptations. 2021-09-10. Billboard.
6. Web site: 2016-01-10. InfoDisc : Les Albums (CD) de 1973 par InfoDisc. 2021-09-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20160110083511/http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1973.php. 2016-01-10.
7. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. 1973. GfK Entertainment Charts. de. 2 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523114401/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1973. 23 May 2021.
8. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End. 2021-09-10. Billboard.
9. Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End. 2021-09-10. Billboard.