Motown has always been a record label close to the Bluesbunny's heart and its vast back catalogue was the main reason that the eighties could be tolerated. As the pop music of time had degenerated into vacuous pretty boys and girls prancing about in front of a drum machine (not that far away from where it is today…), the Motown Sound came to the rescue. Whilst most people remember the exquisite candy floss of Diana Ross & The Supremes or Martha &anp; the Vandellas, there was more to Motown than that. Remember we are taking about a guy who loved the Clash and punk and had come to know that politics perhaps had a place in a hit single after all.
So the local John Menzies (another retail name long since gone from our high street) was visited and the systematic purchasing of every bit of reissued Motown back catalogue that could be found began. Hence, "All Directions" found its way on to my turntable. Musical ignorance is a wonderful thing. Not just notes and chords and stuff like that but also of the cultural location, if you like. I remember sniggering when the uber cool Temptations belted out "the niggers are coming" during "Run Charlie Run" completely missing its context. I know better now but when it comes to the 11 minute and 45 second "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" that sees out side one, the impact is the same as it was the first time that I heard that. With the cream of Motown session men (Earl Van Dyke, Joe Messina, James Jamerson etc) on this album, this powerhouse funk workout hits you like a sledgehammer with its hypnotic rhythms dragging your feet to life. Everybody got soul - damn right they have if they are listening to that song.
Side 2 is altogether more conventional reflecting back to the pre Whitfield years and demonstrating the vocal mastery that this group possessed. That MOR classic - OK, there's a touch of sarcasm there - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is given a near spiritual power by Richard Street's lead vocals. Dennis Edwards likewise shows total poise and confidence as he leads the group through "Mother Nature". That vocal interplay that The Temptations had is what made them special - there's not a weak voice in there.
So there you have it. "All Directions is an album of two sides. Side 1 is the producer's side as Norman Whitfield uses the Temptations as something of a tool to chisel out his own musical ideas and side two shows the heritage of the group through those outstanding vocal performances. Either way, you, as the listener, can't lose.