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Papa Was A Rollin' Stone

It's hard to find an original copy of this classic Temptations single these days, yet there's a very good reason why it's worth seeking out. In the "You learn something new every day" department, it turns out that the common reissue of this tune--for example, the one from Collectables--is only about half as long as the original. It's about 3 1/2 minutes long, whereas the version on the original Gordy release is nearly 7 minutes! (I recorded both to verify the times.) You lose not only some dynamite instrumental buildups, but also a verse or two. Thanks to a customer for pointing this out to me! The reissue version is probably an edited version that appeared on the promo release. The B side of this single is a 4:49 instrumental version. Note: Although this copy looks almost new, there is very light surface noise that's audible for the first 30 seconds or so at the beginning of the track.
Condition
Overall Label Sleeve Vinyl Audio
M- M- M- EX+
Disc Details
Label Year Chart
Gordy 7121 1972 #5r, #1p in October
Song Details

A-side

B-side

Artist

The Temptations

The Temptations

Title

Papa Was A Rollin' Stone

Papa Was A Rollin' Stone

Songwriter

Norman Whitfield-Barret Strong

Norman Whitfield-Barret Strong

Producer

Norman Whitfield

Norman Whitfield

Category

Northern Soul/Motown Style

Northern Soul/Motown Style

Lists

Marsh Rank Rolling Stone
299 169

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