New York, NY – The Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Four Tops get Valentines Day vinyl reissues as Elemental Music continues its Motown Sound Collection series.
The Detroit label goes deep into the catalog with the Feb. 14 reissues of The Temptations’ “Puzzle People,” Diana Ross & The Supremes’ “Let The Sunshine In” and The Four Tops’ “Changing Times.”
The Temptations and their producer Norman Whitfield had experimented so successfully with psychedelic soul on their previous album, “Cloud Nine,” that they continued that path with the group’s 11th LP, “Puzzle People,” in 1969.
The album, which includes the No. 1 Pop hit “I Can’t Get Next to You,” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart while becoming a juggernaut on the Soul LPs chart, where it occupied the No. 1 spot for nearly four months.
“Puzzle People is considered one of the group’s strongest LPs of the era. The reissue includes the original front and back cover artwork and is pressed on 140-gram virgin vinyl.
Diana Ross & The Supremes ‘Let The Sunshine In’
The 16th studio album by Diana Ross & The Supremes, “Let the Sunshine In” was issued by Motown in 1969. Included is “I’m Livin’ in Shame,” the sequel to the previous year’s #1 hit “Love Child,” as well as the Smokey Robinson song “The Composer,” which hit No. 27 on the Pop chart.
Originally scheduled as “No Matter What Sign You Are,” the album title was changed to “Let the Sunshine In,” capitalizing on the No.1 song in the U.S. at that moment for The 5th Dimension. The album features Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, while original Supreme Florence Ballard appears on “Let the Music Play.” The limited edition includes the original front and back cover artwork and is pressed on 140-gram virgin vinyl.
The Four Tops’ ‘Changing Times’
Released by Motown in 1970, The Four Tops’ album “Changing Times” continued the saga of the group, which entered the 1970s still among the top vocal ensembles.
The LP contains performances by Levi Stubbs and the rest on the wonderful title track “In These Changing Times.” They go psychedelic with “Something’s Tearing at the Edges of Time,” keeping that level of consistency throughout the duration of the album.
While it’s true that Motown unfortunately wasn’t dominating the pop world by the time this album was released, The Four Tops were still in great shape, as evidenced by the appropriately named “Changing Times.” The new edition includes the original front and back cover artwork and is pressed on 140-gram virgin vinyl.
Motown Sound Series
There have been 25 special reissues since the launch of the series in May 2024. The Motown Sound Series comes to a close with one more release in March 2025: The Temptations’ “Psychedelic Shack.”
These Motown titles are part of a continuing series of long-playing vinyl reissues of “crate digger” favorites from the celebrated label’s catalog. All releases replicate the bold sound and 12-by-12 full-color packaging of the ‘60s and ‘70s LPs.
Founded in 2012, Elemental Music specializes in releasing newly discovered and out-of-print recordings, primarily jazz, blues, and soul. These recordings are meticulously curated and reissued with love.