Physically incapable of performing any longer, Williams followed his doctor's advice and retired from the act, although he remained on the Temptations' payroll as a choreographer until his death, August 17, 1973.

The Temptations group's paranoia-laced "Smiling Faces Sometimes", a Kendricks-led tune from the Sky's the Limit LP, was already slated as the follow-up to the number-one hit "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)".

Whitfield took the temporarily four-man Temptations and re-recorded "It's Summer", the b-side to "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)", as a replacement release.

As a result, the Temptations and Norman Whitfield released the single "Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)", which addressed the rivalry and called Kendricks and Ruffin out as sell-outs.

Solid Rock's third single, "Take a Look Around", was a Top 30 hit which showcased Harris' Kendricksesque falsetto voice alongside the leads of Richard Street, Dennis Edwards, Otis Williams, and Melvin Franklin.