Solid Rock
spawned two hits, the rockish
"Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)"
written by
Barrett Strong
and
Norman Whitfield
with
David Ruffin
foremost on their minds, and
"Take a Look Around,"
a slow lilting social commentary number featuring
Richard Street
Damon Harris
.
Whitfield
put a totally new arrangement on
"Stop the War Now,"
popularized
Edwin Starr
and turned the rocker into a mammoth head song. It begins with bass singer
Melvin Franklin
reciting the Lord's Prayer on top of a slow syncopated beat before mushrooming for more than 15 minutes into some classic-'70 psychedelic music wherein
made good use of his bag of studio tricks. Every time you listen you hear something new. It was not for everybody though, as many thought it was a waste of space and weird beyond comprehension. A rendition of
Bill Withers'
"Ain't No Sunshine"
is one of the better cuts,
Street
Harris
again take turns at lead, while the others perform their background gymnastics.
was known for recording the same song with different
Motown
artists, varying the arrangements to keep them from sounding similar, but on
"It's Summer"
he went one better by recording the same song on the same group twice; this version has
Dennis Edwards
singing lead, the previous version was led by
, both versions are equally as effective, on this rendition
Franklin's
low bass plays a prominent role in the background, and the
Temptations'
harmonies are heavenly. Two other cuts,
"The End of Our Road,"
"What It Is,"
are indistinguishable remakes.
"Smooth Sailing"
led by
, is an upbeat tune about being in love that lacks bite and is saddled with adolescent lyrics. ~ Andrew Hamilton