Just My Imagination

I was 14 years old when I first heard Just My Imagination. It was the summer of 1971 and I can still remember where I was that day.
When I hear it now, it always manages to take me back to that time. Strangely, it never got to number one in the UK.
For me, it remains one of the best sounding songs of all time. The production is amazing and it is said that when the producer added the orchestra the band were blown away by the sound of the strings and horns. Me too.
I love Eddie Kendrick’s beautiful falsetto voice and the simple bass line that runs throughout the song. It gets me every time.
I have always wanted to have a go at doing my own version. Trying to recreate it has been a real joy/challenge. Back then they probably recorded on 8 tracks, having to bounce down each instrument to fit them all in. I used 38 tracks with no bouncing.
Creating the song from scratch also provided a little insight into the additional flourishes or ‘ear candy’ that they added in order to build this wonderful sounding song. And as always, I’ve a learnt many things.
I hope you like my version. It’s similar but not the same. And for me, that’s how it should be. And thank you to The Temptations for gifting us with such a beautiful song.
Nick xxx