Originally Posted by
Philles/Motown Gary
Of all the great Philly Soul producers, Thom Bell remains my favorite -- especially his collaborations with Linda Creed. When I discovered in 1981 that Thom had produced the new self-titled "Temptations" album, I was expecting a masterpiece, just as Thom had created for The Spinners as well as forJohnny Mathis, Dionne Warwick, Deniece Williams, Ronnie Dyson, and other artists not normally-associated with Philly soul. I really had high hopes for this Motown/Philly hybrid. Instead, what I heard, to my ears, was a shocking disappointment. If you had blindfolded me and made me play "Guess The Producer", I would have NEVER guessed it was Thom Bell. I remember like yesterday how my heart sank throughout the initial play-through. All I could think was, "My God, what happened? Has Thom lost his touch?" It was boring and second-rate both Motown-wise AND Philly-wise.
I'll admit that when Motown reissued "The Temptations" as a download a few years back, I bought it again and burned it to CD. This time around, it sounded better than it had back in 1981, but it was still a far cry from Thom's other masterpiece productions. Come to think of it, I don't really remember Thom Bell producing much on anyone after that other than Eloise Laws in [[I think) 1982.
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