{"product_id":"the-temptations-cloud-nine-mobile-fidelity-numbered-45rpm-edition","title":"THE TEMPTATIONS - Cloud Nine (Mobile Fidelity Numbered 45Rpm Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2LP - Limited Mobile Fidelity Numbered Edition \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e180g 45RPM Audiophile Vinyl \u003cspan\u003ehoused in a Stoughton Gatefold jacket. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eStrictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies (2026 Reissue)\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Temptations\u003c\/strong\u003e get high on psychedelic soul: cloud nine soars with ambitious arrangements and production, features standout vocal performances and instrumentation by the funk brothers \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExperience \u003cstrong\u003eMotown\u003c\/strong\u003e’s first Grammy-winning album in audiophile sound: strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, \u003cstrong\u003eMobile Fidelity\u003c\/strong\u003e’s 180g 45rpm 2LP reissue of 1969 effort plays with remarkable clarity, separation, and openness\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\/4” \/ 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Temptations’ \u003cem\u003eCloud Nine\u003c\/em\u003e announced that Motown — and “The Sound of Young America” — would never be the same. Influenced by the emergence of cutting-edge rock and pop currents, as well as increasing sociopolitical turmoil, the album broke down barriers between rock, psychedelia, and soul while heralding the arrival of visionary arrangements and production techniques. Bookended by traditional R\u0026amp;B numbers, the 1969 record sent the Temptations in bold new directions and signaled the advent of psychedelic soul.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, pressed at \u003cstrong\u003eFidelity Record Pressing\u003c\/strong\u003e, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45PM 2LP set presents \u003cem\u003eCloud Nine\u003c\/em\u003e in audiophile sound for the first time on a domestic pressing. This collectible reissue bestows \u003cstrong\u003eNorman Whitfield\u003c\/strong\u003e’s extraordinary production with the grand-scale dynamics, natural tonality, expansive openness, and low-end weight it deserves. The timbre of each of the five members’ voices is readily identifiable — even within the group harmonies — bestowing a realism never experienced outside the recording studio. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaking its debut on 45RPM, the album further benefits from the wide groove space by playing with greater separation and more realistic presence than prior editions. Everything from the brassiness of the horns to the dry snap of the snare comes across with reference-grade clarity and positioning. And since Motown’s renowned Funk Brothers backing band plays on many of the cuts, you’ll want to savor every note. The imaging, soundstaging, and organic bloom-and-decay of the notes make that possible. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmid \u003cem\u003eCloud Nine\u003c\/em\u003e, the instrumentation and architecture stand out as much as any element. Never before had a Motown album contained such ambitious patterns and complex passages. Seemingly conscientious of the departure from their past methods, the Temptations and Whitfield bunched together the tracks that mark a deep dive into psychedelic territory and counterbalance them with seven sterling soul cuts that dovetail with Motown tradition drenched with heartfelt vocals, swelling strings, and finger-snapping beats. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the original 33RPM release, traditional Motown soul — laden with heartfelt vocals, swelling strings, and finger-snapping beats — occupies Side Two. These songs reveal an ensemble still very much on top of delivering pristine pop-soul material graced with romantic sweetness, persuasive insistent, and soaring highs. Re-energized after the departure of lead singer \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Ruffin\u003c\/strong\u003e, who was fired for a variety of reasons in June 1968, the Temptations seamlessly meld with his replacement, \u003cstrong\u003eDennis Edwards\u003c\/strong\u003e, on one melodic gem after another. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe collective tackles five songs co-written by the legendary Motown team of \u003cstrong\u003eBarrett Strong\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eWhitfield\u003c\/strong\u003e. Not the least of which are the smooth, shuffling “\u003cem\u003eWhy Did She Have to Leave Me\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eWhy Did She Have to Go\u003c\/em\u003e)” and deceptively simple, horn-spiked “\u003cem\u003eGonna Keep on Tryin’ till I Win Your Love\u003c\/em\u003e.” On these tracks, as well as on a lush rendition of the ballad “\u003cem\u003eLove Is a Hurtin’ Thing\u003c\/em\u003e” and pleading, tender send-up of the \u003cstrong\u003eGerry Goffin-Carole King\u003c\/strong\u003e classic “\u003cem\u003eHey Girl\u003c\/em\u003e,” \u003cstrong\u003eEdwards\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ePaul Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e take turns on the lead with the estimable \u003cstrong\u003eEddie Kendricks\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMelvin Franklin\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eOtis Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e providing backing support. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll five vocalists trade-off leads on the simmering title track, a groundbreaking composition shot through with wah-wah-pedal effects, liquid funk, deep bass lines, Cuban percussion, saturated reverb, and gang choruses. Whitfield mines each member’s natural vocal range with spectacular results, keeps time with cymbals, and channels both the heated temperatures and escapist desires of a society embroiled in war, conflict, and experimental drugs. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmazingly, the Temptations top themselves on the similarly revealing “\u003cem\u003eRun Away Child\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eRunning Wild\u003c\/em\u003e.” Nearly 10 minutes in length, the song explodes R\u0026amp;B parameters and harbors a cinematic scope. Urgent pianos, distorted guitars, stripped-down percussion, steamy Hammond organs, minimal bass motifs, five distinct voices narrating the tale of a boy who fled home and now finds himself amid the scary, unforgiving external world: They combine to give the urgent tune a walls-closing-in atmosphere where fear and desperation reign. Bolstered by an extended instrumental section that precedes a climactic return of the singers’ voices, “\u003cem\u003eRun Away Child, Running Wild\u003c\/em\u003e” equaled the success of the record’s title track, with both reaching No. 6 on the pop charts. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs for the Temptations and Whitfield? More than five decades after it streeted, Cloud Nine proves they went even higher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mobile Fidelity","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Deluxe 180g Audiophile Vinyl","offer_id":57397687484761,"sku":"SDZ-38047","price":78.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/The_Temptations_-_Cloud_Nine__Mobile_Fidelity_Numbered_45rpm_Edition__-_2LP_Deluxe_180g_Audiophile_Vinyl_-_2026_Reissue.jpg?v=1772186651","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/the-temptations-cloud-nine-mobile-fidelity-numbered-45rpm-edition","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}