Masterpiece
The Temptations | Artist Essentials
First released: 1973 (year verified)
Original 1973 full album performance, approximately 13:50
MusicAtlas editorial note: The long album presentation rewards following the instrumental changes as a major part of the performance.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1973 (year verified)
The original recording-specific field identifies 1973. The 2014 album header is the later digital reissue, not the first release of the complete original album performance. Only year precision is assigned.
Recording: Original 1973 full album performance, approximately 13:50
Credit: The Temptations
Role in this collection: Original group performance
Original album: Masterpiece
Masterpiece - original recording fields and full program
The six-track original program identifies the approximately 13:50 title recording with a 1973 recording-specific release field. The 2014 album header is a reissue date, not the first release of this original performance. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
Temptations Gold - recording-specific years and separately labeled single editions
The licensed anthology distinguishes the approximately 4:46 Runaway Child, 6:57 Papa Was a Rollin Stone and 4:21 Masterpiece single presentations from the selected full original album performances. Its recording fields also identify Superstar in 1971; the 2005 compilation is not an original date. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
Annual version match under review
The selected recording has release evidence, but its version has not been matched to the retained annual entry. It is omitted from Beyond the yearly lists until this match is resolved.
The approximately 13:50 original album performance and the separately labeled approximately 4:21 single presentation are distinct. The actual annual entry does not specify its edition.
Masterpiece - original recording fields and full program
The six-track original program identifies the approximately 13:50 title recording with a 1973 recording-specific release field. The 2014 album header is a reissue date, not the first release of this original performance. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
Temptations Gold - recording-specific years and separately labeled single editions
The licensed anthology distinguishes the approximately 4:46 Runaway Child, 6:57 Papa Was a Rollin Stone and 4:21 Masterpiece single presentations from the selected full original album performances. Its recording fields also identify Superstar in 1971; the 2005 compilation is not an original date. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
About The Temptations
The Temptations developed in Detroit and signed to Motown in 1961. Their recordings paired carefully arranged vocal harmonies with coordinated stage movement, making the group sound and visual presentation closely connected. The Way You Do the Things You Do and My Girl helped establish their 1960s repertoire. Later recordings explored funk and psychedelic soul as the membership changed. Those phases remain part of the group's history, distinct from the solo work of singers who passed through it.
Artist background sources
The Temptations - official group history
Detroit and 1961 Motown signing, harmonies/choreography, early repertoire, changing historical lineups and funk/psychedelic soul; current membership and chart totals are omitted. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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