The incandescent talent of David Ruffin was too big for even the Temptations to hold. As Smokey Robinson observed, The only way David could survive at Motown was as a solo artist. And so Ruffin left the Temptations in 1969 to strike out on his own with a series of releases that further established him as one of Motown s great voices. These two records, released in 1973 and 1974, respectively, did not spawn any hit singles but instead reflected Ruffin s growth as an artist away from the Motown formula and towards a life spent in the fast lane. David Ruffin, produced by Bobby Miller, whose writing credit appears on eight out of the 10 tracks, is a psychedelic soul masterpiece, and features the definitive version of Gamble and Huff s I Miss You (Part 1). Me N Rock N Roll Are Here to Stay, meanwhile, marked the fiery collision of Ruffin with the brilliant producer Norman Whitfield, with the creative sparks to prove it. Both records appear here on CD for the first time outside of a long out of print, limited edition set, with notes by Gene Sculatti.

David Unreleased LP & More includes the 12 tracks originally scheduled for release in 1971 as LP Motown 733, plus seven amazing bonus tracks from the album sessions and four mono single mixes. It's the great David Ruffin and Motown's Funk Bothers band, directed by several of the company's best producers including Smokey Robinson, Johnny Bristol, Henry Cosby, Clay McMurray and Ivy Jo Hunter. Ruffin, former lead singer of the Temptations, had started his solo career with a bang, as his 1969 album and single, My Whole World Ended, were smash hits. At age 28, entering his prime, he cut his third album while also recording duet tracks with his brother, Jimmy. David watched as the duet album, Jimmy's solo album and the solo debut from Eddie Kendricks, another former Temptations lead singer, were all released.

Brothers in life and brothers at Motown, Jimmy and David Ruffin took advantage of a lull in their respective solo careers to record this underrated 1970 album, released here on CD for the first time! Features the hit single Stand by Me and a couple of unreleased tracks from the album sessions, You're What I Need (Not What I Want) and an alternate mix of Stand by Me without audience overdubs. The 16-page booklet includes a new essay, track annotation and a look at a previously unpublished, alternate album cover!

The Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums, released in 2004, reissued the Temptations vocalist's first four albums in one package. Limited to 5,000 CD copies, the set eventually sold out, but the Real Gone label re-circulated the albums in 2014 with a couple two-for-one packages. This is the first of the pair, which contains My Whole World Ended and Feelin' Good. The albums were released during 1969, within six months of one another, and fared well – the debut, one of Ruffin's best releases, topped Billboard's R&B albums chart, while the unsurprisingly weaker follow-up peaked at number nine. Among the solid, less-recognized gems here are the stirring "Loving You (Is Hurting Me)," the R&B Top 20 wailer "I'm So Glad I Fell for You," and a muscular version of Dave Mason's (Traffic) "Feeling Alright." There are no bonus tracks.

David Ruffin's solo career never really recaptured the heights he hit as a member of the Temptations but he did have one classic tune "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" and quite a few really nice songs both in the classic Motown vein and in funkier, almost-disco styles too. Collectables' Motown Legends: My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) collects 11 Ruffin tracks like the title track, the gritty "I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved," the Van McCoy-penned groover "On and Off," and the dramatic ballad "Common Man." There are other David Ruffin collections that provide more tracks and a wider picture of his artistry, but this is an excellent low-priced introduction to his work that includes a couple of tracks that the other compilations ignore, namely his covers of Jackie DeShannon's "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" and Robert Knight's "Everlasting Love," as well as an intensely funky disco track, "Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can)." The two covers are decent but inessential, the other track is a real gem that is almost worth the price of admission however and it is surprising that other discs of his work have ignored it.