Editing The Temptations (section)

===Progressive, psychedelic and cinematic soul (1968–73)===
When Ruffin was replaced by Dennis Edwards, and [[Sly and the Family Stone]] became popular, Whitfield again restructured The Temptations' sound, this time driving the group almost completely into a [[progressive soul|progressive]] sound,<ref name=AM/> as well a pioneering [[psychedelic soul]]. However, ballads in the traditional style of the group were still being recorded as B-sides and album fillers, with the lone exception being "Just My Imagination".

Tracks such as the album version of "Run Away Child, Running Wild" from ''Cloud Nine'', "Take a Stroll Thru Your Mind" from ''Psychedelic Shack'', and "[[Smiling Faces Sometimes]]" from ''Sky's the Limit'', all run at least eight minutes. At Whitfield's insistence, a large portion of the additional running time for each song consisted of instrumental passages without vocals. For example, the hit version of their smash 1972 single "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was nearly seven minutes, featuring an instrumental intro that was almost two minutes, a rarity for songs of that era.

"Psychedelic soul" soon gave way to "[[cinematic soul]]", highlighting a further series of lengthy recordings featuring detailed orchestration, extended instrumental introductions and bridging passages. Often focusing on lyrics about the [[ghettos]] and inner cities of black America, these songs were heavily influenced by the work of singer-songwriters [[Isaac Hayes]] and [[Curtis Mayfield]].

Unlike Hayes and Mayfield however, The Temptations had no creative control over their recordings, and were in no way fond of the 12- and 13-minute-long songs being forced upon them by Whitfield, whose contributions were the focal point of The Temptations albums such as ''[[Solid Rock (The Temptations album)|Solid Rock]]'', ''[[All Directions]]'', and particularly ''Masterpiece''.