The Temptations - The Temptations Collection (1999)

The Temptations' long and convoluted history, with many members coming and going, has led to lawsuits and no small amount of confusion on the part of fans. This album of re-recordings of the group's hits should only add to that turmoil. Actually, it isn't by the Temptations, even though that's the name you'll find on the spine of the CD. It is by "the Original Lead Singers of the Temptations," a sextet consisting of Eddie Kendricks, who really was an original lead singer of the Temptations; Dennis Edwards, who served two stints in the group, the first beginning in 1968 when he replaced David Ruffin; Damon Harris, who replaced Kendricks in the group in 1971; and three other singers with no connection to the Temptations at all. This group is able to offer some legitimacy in its performances, but it did not have the legal right to call itself the Temptations in the U.S., where the group name is owned by Otis Williams, the last original member to remain in the Temptations throughout their history. It's hard to imagine why anyone would want to purchase this disc rather than one of the many compilations of the real Temptations' real original recordings, and the dubious nature of the group's personnel only adds to that doubt.