Spinners (album)

Last updated
Spinners
Spinners cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1973
Recorded1972–1973
Studio Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre
Length40:14
Label Atlantic
Producer Thom Bell
The Spinners chronology
2nd Time Around
(1970)
Spinners
(1973)
The Best of the Spinners
(1973)
The Spinners studio albums chronology
2nd Time Around
(1970)
Spinners
(1973)
Mighty Love
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
BBC (favorable) [2]
Christgau's Record Guide A− [3]
Tom Hull – on the Web A− [4]

Spinners is the third studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, produced by Thom Bell and released in March 1973 on the Atlantic label. The album was the group's first for Atlantic after leaving Motown.

Contents

History

Spinners includes their first American top-ten and R&B number-one hit "I'll Be Around", along with the successful songs "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)", "Ghetto Child", and "How Could I Let You Get Away". The album was also the second of fourteen straight studio albums to make the Billboard 200, and their first in the Top-twenty, as it reached #14 on the charts. Additionally, it was their first of three consecutive R&B albums chart-toppers – and the second to hit those charts overall.

Thom Bell created a sound for the group that was "lush" yet gritty. Bell's insistently soulful orchestral arrangements played perfectly to their harmonic strengths. "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" (later a hit for David Grant and Jaki Graham) is the keynote; sung by Smith, it is beautiful, optimistic and upbeat. Often cited as the birth of the Philadelphia Sound, Spinners yielded five American top 100 hits, and two UK chart successes." [5]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind"Vinnie Barrett3:42
2."Just You and Me Baby"Yvette Davis2:56
3."Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You"Jerry Akines, Johnny Bellman, Victor Drayton, Reginald Turner4:01
4."I Could Never (Repay Your Love)"Bruce Hawes6:56
5."I'll Be Around" Thom Bell, Phil Hurtt 3:12
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."One of a Kind (Love Affair)"Joseph B. Jefferson3:31
7."We Belong Together"Yvette Davis4:12
8."Ghetto Child" Linda Creed, Thom Bell3:47
9."How Could I Let You Get Away"Yvette Davis3:46
10."Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"Mystro & Lyric (Melvin and Mervin Steals)4:13

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1973)Peak
[6]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 14
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 1
Singles
YearSinglePeak chart positions
US
[6]
US
R&B

[6]
US
A/C

[6]
UK
[7]
1972"How Could I Let You Get Away"7714
"I'll Be Around"3131
"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"411411
1973"One of a Kind (Love Affair)"11119
"Ghetto Child"294207

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Spinners (American group)</span> American soul music vocal group

The Spinners are an American rhythm and blues vocal group that formed in Ferndale, Michigan, in 1954. They enjoyed a string of hit singles and albums during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with producer Thom Bell. The group continues to tour, without any original members, after Henry Fambrough retired in 2023.

Thomas Randolph Bell was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. Hailed as one of the most prolific R&B songwriters and producers ever, Bell found success crafting songs for Delfonics, Stylistics, and Spinners. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

<i>Diana</i> (album) 1980 album by Diana Ross

Diana is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on May 22, 1980, by Motown Records. The album is the best-selling studio album of Ross's career, spawning three international hit singles, including the number-one hit "Upside Down".

<i>A Brand New Me</i> (Dusty Springfield album) 1970 studio album by Dusty Springfield

A Brand New Me is the sixth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield, released in 1970.

<i>The Stylistics</i> (album) 1971 studio album by The Stylistics

The Stylistics is the debut album by American R&B group the Stylistics, released in November 1971 on the Avco record label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. The album has been called "a sweet soul landmark."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Be Around (The Spinners song)</span> 1972 single by The Spinners

"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Could It Be I'm Falling in Love</span> 1972 single by The Spinners

"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" is a 1972 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals, two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were sometimes credited as "Mystro and Lyric." It was produced by Thom Bell, recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios and the house band MFSB provided the backing. Bobby Smith sings lead through most of the song, while Philippé Wynne handles vocal duties on the outro.

<i>So Full of Love</i> 1978 studio album by the OJays

So Full of Love is a 1978 album by the O'Jays. The album contains the No. 1 R&B hit "Use ta Be My Girl", and was awarded RIAA platinum certification for sales of 1,000,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of a Kind (Love Affair)</span> Song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners

"One of a Kind (Love Affair)" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). It was written by Joseph B. Jefferson and produced by Thom Bell.

<i>Flying High Together</i> 1972 studio album by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Flying High Together is an album by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label, released in 1972. It is noted as The Miracles' last studio album with original lead singer Smokey Robinson, who retired from the act to concentrate on his duties as vice president of Motown. The album charted at #46 on the Billboard Pop Album chart, and featured two singles: the appropriately named "We've Come Too Far to End It Now", which matched the parent album's chart position on the Billboard singles chart, charting at #46, and reached the Top 10 of the Billboard R&B singles chart, charting at #9, and "I Can't Stand to See You Cry", which charted at #45 Pop, and #21 R&B.

<i>Black & Blue</i> (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes album) 1973 studio album by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

Black & Blue is an album released by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes on the Philadelphia International record label in September 1973. It was produced by Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff.

<i>Niecy</i> 1982 studio album by Deniece Williams

Niecy is an album by American singer Deniece Williams which was released in 1982 on ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached No. 5 on the Top Soul Albums chart and No. 20 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Mighty Love</i> 1974 studio album by The Spinners

Mighty Love is the fourth studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, released in January 1974 on the Atlantic label. It was the Spinners' second album for Atlantic and, like their breakthrough Atlantic debut Spinners, was produced by Thom Bell at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

<i>New and Improved</i> (The Spinners album) 1974 studio album by The Spinners

New and Improved is the fifth album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in December 1974 on the Atlantic label. Like the Spinners' two previous Atlantic albums, New and Improved was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

<i>Pick of the Litter</i> (The Spinners album) 1975 studio album by The Spinners

Pick of the Litter is the sixth studio album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in August 1975 on the Atlantic label. The album was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

<i>Happiness Is Being with the Spinners</i> 1976 studio album by The Spinners

Happiness Is Being with the Spinners is the seventh studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, released in July 1976 on the Atlantic label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle.

<i>Round 2</i> (The Stylistics album) 1972 studio album by The Stylistics

Round 2 is the second studio album recorded by American R&B group The Stylistics, released in October 1972 on the Avco label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

<i>Rockin Roll Baby</i> 1973 studio album by The Stylistics

Rockin' Roll Baby is the third studio album recorded by American R&B group The Stylistics, released in November 1973 on the Avco label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studio North in Philadelphia. This was the group's last album produced by Bell.

<i>8</i> (Spinners album) 1977 studio album by The Spinners

8 is a studio album by American soul vocal group The Spinners, released in 1977. The recording represents a transition in the band's make-up that led to a commercial and critical decline.

<i>From Here to Eternally</i> 1979 studio album by the Spinners

From Here to Eternally is a 1979 studio album from American Philly soul vocal group the Spinners, released on Atlantic Records. This album represents their last collaboration with producer Thom Bell and marks a decline in the critical and commercial success of the group.

References

  1. Wynn, Ron. Spinners review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  2. Easlea, Daryl. "Spinners review". BBC Music . Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 13, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  4. Hull, Tom (May 31, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  5. BBC Music Review by Daryl Easlea. The album was featured on Trevor Nelson's Radio 2 show, 23 June 2010 when he called it " a brilliant, brilliant album"
  6. 1 2 3 4 "US Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic . Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  7. "UK Charts > Detroit Spinners". The Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2011-09-24.