Drives (album)

The Allmusic review by Ron Wynn awarded the album 4 stars and stated "Lonnie Smith had the raw skills, imagination, and versatility to play burning originals, bluesy covers of R&B and pop, or skillful adaptations of conventional jazz pieces and show tunes. Why he never established himself as a consistent performer remains a mystery, but this 1970 reissue shows why he excited so many people during his rise".[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

All compositions by Lonnie Smith except as indicated

1. "Twenty-Five Miles" - 5:36
2. "Spinning Wheel" (David Clayton-Thomas) - 7:30
3. "Seven Steps to Heaven" (Miles Davis, Victor Feldman) - 5:43
4. "Psychedelic Pi" - 6:30
5. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (Don Kirkpatrick, Keith Knox) - 10:46

• Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 2, 1970

• Lonnie Smith - organ
• Dave Hubbard - tenor saxophone
• Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone
• Larry McGee - guitar
• Joe Dukes - drums

Alternative hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest sampled the drum break to Smith's cover of "Spinning Wheel" in their 1990 song "Can I Kick It?", off their album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.