Thinking about getting the Temptations 2fer cd "All Directions/Psychedelic Shack". Wondering if it contains the appx. 12 minute version of "Papa was a rolling stone" Was gonna get the "Cloud Nine/Puzzle People" 2fer, but I found out it doesn't contain the full 8 minute version of "Runaway Child, Running Wild".

Do you happen to have the Temptations "Psychedlic Soul" comp? It has the long versions of both Papa and Runaway. I find it to be a great collection of this era.

Definitely second that recommendation if this era of the Temptations is your thing...

I think "Psychedelic Soul" has been expanded now.

You mean beyond the 2CD set I picked up a couple of years ago?

The latest edition I can find on Amazon is from 2003.

A 2 CD set with 13 and 11 tracks.

A couple or few years prior to the U.S. 2-cd "Psychedelic Soul", there was a single disc collection with the same title issued by Motown in Europe (i have them both). There are about 10 (?) tracks on the European disc which are not on the U.S., but most of those are the shorter single edits of some of those very long (hit) songs. But there are a few stray singles and LP tracks from the later psych period that aren't on the 2-cd set at all. But if i had to choose i'd go with the 2-cd; those long versions are essential listening. Ideally, i would get them both.

It irks me that "Wings Of Love" has never seen cd reissue; although not very much psych, it was one of their finest efforts from that later period (although commercial sales and many critics will contradict this, it's just personal opinion); it contains some vividly beautiful love songs, and long ones at that (and significant synth useage does give a lot of the songs a psych-ish feel). I guess i'll have to do a vinyl transfer one of these days.