Special (The Temptations album)

Special is a 1989 studio album from American soul group The Temptations. The album marks the return of Ali-Ollie Woodson as the group’s lead singer following Dennis Edwards’ third and final departure.

Special
A photograph of a rose
Studio album by
The Temptations
ReleasedAugust 16, 1989 (1989-08-16)
Recorded1988
Studio
  • Alpha Studios, Burbank, California, United States
  • Ameraycan Studios, North Hollywood, California, United States
  • Bossa Nova Hotel, San Francisco, California, United States
  • Ground Control Studios, Santa Monica, California, United States
  • Pacifique Recording, North Hollywood, California, United States
  • Studio Masters, Hollywood, California, United States
  • Superdisc Recording, Detroit, Michigan, United States
GenreSoul
Length48:55
LanguageEnglish
LabelMotown
Producer
  • Keith Andes
  • Larry Hatcher
  • Dick Rudolph
  • Michael Sembello
  • Stan Sheppard
  • Jimmy Varner
  • Gayle Woodard
The Temptations chronology
Together Again
(1987)		 Special
(1989)		 Milestone
(1991)

Reception

Editors at AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, with reviewer Jason Elias characterizing it as "business-as-usual, mid- to late-'80s Temptations release" but writing that this is not a bad thing.[1]

Track listing
  1. "Friends" (Keith Andes, Larry Hatcher, and Chris Jones) – 4:52
  2. "Special" (Stan Sheppard and Jimmy Varner) – 4:30
  3. "All I Want from You" (Stan Sheppard and Aaron Smith) – 5:33
  4. "She's Better Than Money" (Andes and Hatcher) – 4:28
  5. "One Step at a Time" (Ron Tyson and Dennis Williams) – 5:11
  6. "Fill Me Up" (Andes and Hatcher) – 4:18
  7. "Go Ahead" (Andes, Hatcher, C. Jones, and Glenn Jones) – 6:36
  8. "Loveline" (Brian O'Doherty) – 3:38
  9. "Soul to Soul" (O'Doherty) – 5:17

Bonus track on CD edition

  1. "O.A.O. Lover" (Otis Williams and Ali-Ollie Woodson) – 4:59

Personnel

The Temptations

Additional musicians

  • Gerald Albright – saxophone on "Special" and "All I Want from You"
  • Keith Andes – drums on "Friends" and "Go Ahead"; bass guitar on "Go Ahead"; keyboards on "Friends", ; instrumentation on "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; rhythm arrangement on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; vocal arrangement on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; production on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"
  • Michael "Dino" Campbell – guitar on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"
  • Dave Crawford – flute on "One Step at a Time"
  • Kenneth Crouch – keyboards on "All I Want from You"
  • Paulinho Da Costa – percussion on "Special", "All I Want from You", and "One Step at a Time"
  • Johnny Davis – keyboards on "Friends"
  • Charles J. Fearing – guitar on "Special", "All I Want from You", and "One Step at a Time"
  • Larry Hatcher – drums on "Friends", ; bass guitar on "She's Better Than Money"; keyboards on "Friends"; instrumentation on "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; rhythm arrangement on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; vocal arrangement on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; production on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"
  • Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar on "All I Want from You"
  • Maceo Parker – saxophone on "Go Ahead"
  • Stan Sheppard – keyboards on "One Step at a Time", drum programming on "One Step at a Time", rhythm arrangement on "All I Want from You" and "One Step at a Time", vocal arrangement on "All I Want from You" and "One Step at a Time", production on "Special", "All I Want from You", and "One Step at a Time"
  • Aaron Smith – keyboards on "All I Want from You", rhythm arrangement on "All I Want from You", vocal arrangement on "All I Want from You", production on "Special", drum programming on "All I Want from You", synthesizer programming on "All I Want from You"
  • Jimmy Varner – keyboards on "Special" and "One Step at a Time", drum programming on "Special" and "One Step at a Time", rhythm arrangement on "Special" and "One Step at a Time", vocal arrangement on "Special" and "One Step at a Time", production on "Special" and "One Step at a Time"
  • "Ready" Freddie Washington – bass guitar on "Special" and "One Step at a Time"

Technical personnel

  • Jeff Adamoff – art direction
  • Bacon / O'Brien – design
  • Chris Bellman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering
  • Hilary Bercovici – mixing on "Soul to Soul"
  • Eric Camp – recording on "Friends"
  • Gary Dobbins – mixing on "Friends", "All I Want from You", "She's Better Than Money", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"; recording on "Friends", "Special", "All I Want from You", "She's Better Than Money", "One Step at a Time", "Fill Me Up", and "Go Ahead"
  • Todd Gray – photography
  • Tony Jackson – recording on "Fill Me Up" and "Go Ahead"
  • Chris Jones – vocal arrangement on "Fill Me Up"
  • Pat Karamian – recording on "Friends" and "Fill Me Up"
  • Frank La Rosa – arrangement on "Soul to Soul" and "O.A.O. Lover"; rhythm arrangement on "Soul to Soul"; programming on "Soul to Soul" and "O.A.O. Lover"; recording on "Loveline", "Soul to Soul", and "O.A.O. Lover"; mixing on "Loveline", "Soul to Soul", and "O.A.O. Lover"
  • Randy Long – recording on "Friends" and "Fill Me Up"
  • Jim Michewicz – recording on "Friends", "She's Better Than Money", and "Fill Me Up"
  • Brian O'Doherty – programming on "Loveline" and "Soul to Soul", arrangement on "Loveline" and "Soul to Soul", rhythm arrangement on "Soul to Soul", vocal arrangement on "Soul to Soul"
  • Barney Perkins – mixing on "Special" and "One Step at a Time"
  • Bud Rizzo – recording on "Loveline", "Soul to Soul", and "O.A.O. Lover"; mixing on "Loveline", "Soul to Soul", and "O.A.O. Lover"
  • Dick Rudolph – production on "Loveline", "Soul to Soul", and "O.A.O. Lover"
  • Debbie Sandridge – executive production
  • Joey Schwartz – assistant engineering on "Soul to Soul" and "O.A.O. Lover"
  • Michael Sembello – arrangement on "Loveline", programming on "Loveline", production on "Loveline", "Soul to Soul", and "O.A.O. Lover"
  • Gayle Woodard – production coordination
  • Ali Woodson – arrangement on "O.A.O. Lover", programming on "O.A.O. Lover"

Chart performance

Special spent 44 weeks on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, reaching up to 25 on October 28, 1989.[2]

See also

References
  1. Elias, Jason. "The Temptations – Special". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  2. "The Temptations". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
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