| Reunion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 7, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Soul, Funk | |||
| Length | 45:37 | |||
| Label | Gordy | |||
| Producer | Berry Gordy, Rick James, Smokey Robinson, Barrett Strong, Iris Gordy | |||
| The Temptations chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
Reunion is a 1982 album by The Temptations for Gordy Records. The album was released during the 1982 Temptations Reunion tour, which reunited David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks with the Temptations after a decade-long absence. The album also features then-current Temptations Dennis Edwards, Glenn Leonard, Richard Street, and founding members Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. Reunion featured the single "Standing on the Top", produced by and featuring Motown funk star Rick James, who had previously used the Temptations as the background vocalists for his 1981 hit "Super Freak". It was their first album to reach the top 40 since Wings of Love (1976).
The Reunion tour, which began in April 1982 was only partially successful. Ruffin, by then a full-blown cocaine addict, missed several shows, causing the group to be fined thousands of dollars for each performance he missed, and Eddie Kendricks' falsetto voice had weakened due to constant smoking. Group leader Otis Williams decided that the reunion would not be a permanent thing, and fired Ruffin and Kendricks shortly after Christmas 1982.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Standing on the Top (arranged by Rick James)" | Rick James | Edwards, Ruffin, Kendricks, Street, Leonard, Franklin, James | 9:48 |
| 2. | "You Better Beware (arranged by Rudy Robinson, Curtis Nolen and Raymond Crossley)" | Barrett Strong | Ruffin | 5:00 |
| 3. | "Lock It in the Pocket (arranged by Benjamin Wright, William Bickelhaupt and Kerry Gordy)" | Kerry Gordy, Benny Medina | Edwards | 4:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "I've Never Been to Me (arranged by Daniel Kane, Ken Hirsch and Ron Miller)" | Ron Miller, Ken Hirsch | Edwards | 5:57 |
| 5. | "Backstage (arranged by Paul Riser)" | Smokey Robinson | Edwards, Street | 4:31 |
| 6. | "More On the Inside (arranged by Paul Riser)" | Robinson | Edwards | 3:49 |
| 7. | "Money's Hard to Get (arranged by Benjamin Wright, Kerry Gordy and William Bickelhaupt)" | K. Gordy, Medina | Edwards | 4:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Like a Diamond in the Sky" | Robinson | Edwards | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Don't Hold it In" | Angelo Bond, Berry Gordy, Jr., Melvin Ragin (arranged by Melvin Ragin) | Ruffin, Edwards | 4:12 |
Performers
Musicians
| Year | Album | Chart positions[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 1982 | Reunion | 37 | 2 |
| Year | Single | Chart positions[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US AC |
UK | ||
| 1982 | "Standing On the Top – Pt. 1" (featuring Rick James) |
66 | 6 | — | 53 |
| "More On the Inside" | — | 82 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
