The Temptations, Cloud Nine (side A)

I thoroughly enjoy the story of this record.  While, for example, the Monkees sought creative control to write their own songs, the Temptations merely asked Norman Whitfield to change the group's style.  Otis Williams apparently suggested Sly & the Family Stone as a reference, and Whitfield reluctantly came back with the classics "Cloud Nine" and "Runaway Child, Running Wild".  The story feels almost as implausible as the songs are memorable.  Side B of the album is unfortunately a last gasp at the old formula, and not a particularly effective one, especially with David Ruffin gone.  1969's Cloud Nine reflects a group in transition, but the startling arrangements hint at the lush psychedelic soul that would carry the Temptations for several years to follow.  Its cover design too feels a bit forced, with the group superimposed upon an oil projection reminiscent of rock bands' light shows, but it again hints at the distinctive fusion of styles that first appears here.