The tempo starts around 98 BPM, and by the end has picked up to about 104. “Keep On Truckin'” may have disco-like production and grandiosity, but its groove is classic early 1970s funk: heavily swung sixteenth notes, hi-hats ticking away on the eighths, snares smacking the last sixteenth note in the bar to keep you paying attention, muted wah-wah guitar going chicka-chicka on the sixteenths. It’s rare for a club banger to be a good solitary headphone listen (and vice versa), but this track works equally well in both contexts. It could easily be a mess, but Motown cats know how to stay out of each others’ way, and the mix and arrangement are exceptionally tight. The texture is dense: four layers of percussion, three keyboards, two guitars, vibes, horns, strings, and layers of Eddie Kendricks’ voice. There are also unnamed horn and string sections. The great James Jamerson plays bass, Ed Greene plays drums, Gary Coleman plays vibes, King Errisson plays congas, Dean Parks and Greg Poree play guitar, and Jerry Peters plays piano and organ. Leonard Caston Jr plays the devastating clavinet part. Eddie Kendricks had quit the Temptations in part because he didn’t like producer Norman Whitfield’s psychedelic soul approach, but Wilson’s epic disco vibe also sounds suspiciously like psychedelic soul. “Keep On Truckin'” was produced by funk/soul/disco auteur Frank Wilson. Second, Eddie Kendricks is the namesake of Kendrick Lamar. First, it’s been sampled by Mr Cheeks, J-Lo, EPMD, Raheem, Lil’ Kim, and many other artists. This track has been important for hip-hop for two reasons. There’s a radio edit, but who cares? You want the full eight minute experience. He also says that it’s more of a groove than a song, which is definitely true. Tom Breihan makes the case that “ Keep On Truckin’” was the first disco song to top the charts, which may well be true. Eddie Kendricks only topped the charts once after leaving The Temptations, but when he did, it was with a doozy of a track.
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