All Directions is the 15th album by the Temptations, released in 1972 by Motown Records, produced by Norman Whitfield.

The LP contains the group’s No. 1 hit, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone”, a twelve-minute track that Whitfield produced, as well as its first single release, Undisputed Truth. “Papa” won three Grammy Awards in 1973:

Best R&B Vocal Performance by the group, Best R&B Instrumental Performance by the group, which was on the second side of the single, for producer Norman Whitfield and musical director Paul Riser, and Best R&B Song with Lyrics by Norman Whitfield and lyricist Barrett Strong

All Directions was Strong’s final LP as a lyricist for the Temptations. In fact, Strong had no direct or significant involvement in the album, as his two compositions on it, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” and “Funky Music Sho’ Nuff Turns Me On”, were both covers, the former by Undisputed Truth and the latter by Edwin Starr. Strong left Motown to relaunch his career as an independent artist.

According to group leader Otis Williams, the Temptations fought tooth and nail not to record “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” or “Run Charlie Run”, a socially conscious black power song, dealing primarily with the phenomenon of white supremacy, and which repeatedly called on them, singing in a Caucasian accent, “the niggers are coming!” According to legend, lead singer Dennis Edwards did not want to sing the first lines of “Papa” because his father died on September 3, but in fact he died on October 3. Furthermore, his father was a minister, “a good, steady, and religious man” and not a “moving stone,” as the song describes it.

The group was certain that “Papa” and All Directions would eventually break up and that they would return to singing ballads like “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Although their first single, “Mother Nature,” had peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart, “Papa” was their number one hit and remains one of the Temptations’ signature songs to this day.

The album also includes a cover of Edwin Starr’s “Funky Music Sho’ Nuff Turns Me On”, the second side of the single “Mother Nature”, which entered the Top 30 of the R&B chart, a cover of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s “Love Woke Me Up This Morning” and “Ain’t Got Nothin'”, one of the rare songs with Otis Williams on lead vocals.

All Directions was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Through this historic album I select, what else, Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”.
 
Tracklist

1. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On 2:56
2. Run Charlie Run 2:59
3. Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone 11:45
4. Love Woke Me Up This Morning 2:38
5. I Ain’t Got Nothin’ 3:30
6. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) 3:59
7. Mother Nature 2:54
8. Do Your Thing 2:52