Wings of Love (The Temptations album)

Wings of Love is a 1976 album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label.

Background
Producer Jeffrey Bowen preferred Dennis Edwards to the rest of the group, and wanted to produce an Edwards solo album instead of a group album. As a result, Bowen de-emphasized the rest of the group's vocals and placed them at levels far below Edwards' leads, prompting his dismissal as the Temptations' producer after this album's release. Unsurprisingly, Edwards sings lead on all but one of the songs on the album; "China Doll" has Richard Street taking the lead vocal.

Release
The album was an unsuccessful release, both commercially and critically. Wings of Love's only single, "Up the Creek (Without a Paddle)" was co-written by Sly Stone, the inspiration for many of the Temptations' late 1960s/early 1970s "psychedelic soul" records; because of tax reasons, he could not take a publishing credit on the song. Stone and other members of the Family Stone appear on "Up the Creek", as well as "Sweet Gypsy Jane" and "China Doll"

Track listing
All lead vocals by Dennis Edwards except where indicated

Side one

 * 1) "Sweet Gypsy Jane" – 4:28
 * 2) "Sweetness in the Dark" – 3:28
 * 3) "Up the Creek (Without a Paddle)" – 3:06
 * 4) "China Doll" – 3:26 (lead singer: Richard Street)

Side two

 * 1) "Mary Ann" – 7:41
 * 2) "Dream World (Wings of Love)" – 5:38
 * 3) "Paradise" – 3:26

Personnel

 * Dennis Edwards - tenor/baritone vocals
 * Glenn Leonard - first tenor/falsetto vocals
 * Richard Street - second tenor vocals
 * Melvin Franklin - bass vocals
 * Otis Williams - baritone vocals
 * Sly Stone, Truman Thomas - clavinet, organ and ARP
 * Freddie Stewart - bass, guitar
 * William "Billy Bass" Nelson - bass, guitar
 * Rusty Allen - bass
 * Ollie E. Brown - drums, percussion
 * Pat Rizzo, Steve Madaio - trumpet
 * Donald Charles Baldwin - Moog, Moog programming, keyboards, rhythm and vocal arrangements