The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack

Psychedelic Shack is where The Temptations threw the doors wide open, and this limited-edition pressing invites you straight into the party.

Released in 1970, the album pushed producer Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul experiment further than ever. Working again with lyricist Barrett Strong, he stretched songs into long, hypnotic jams, splashed them with fuzz guitar and studio effects, and passed the lead vocals around the group so that five voices felt like one big, joyous chorus.

The title track is a party with the walls painted day-glo, all fuzzed-out guitar and rapid-fire vocal hand-offs, while War appears in its original, simmering form, before Edwin Starr turned it into a fiery hit. Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind drifts past eight minutes of hazy, slow-burning groove, and Friendship Train closes the record with an extended call for unity.

Underneath the freak-out, the songwriting carries real weight, reflecting a turbulent moment in American life with both anger and hope in equal measure. Few soul records of the era took this many risks or sounded quite this alive while doing it.

It is a bold, adventurous album from a group refusing to stand still, and one of the most rewarding records in the Motown catalogue to get lost in.