Spinners (album)
Spinners is the third studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, produced by Thom Bell and released in April 1973 on the Atlantic label. The album was the group's first for Atlantic after leaving Motown.
| Spinners | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1972–1973 at Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:14 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Thom Bell | |||
| The Spinners chronology | ||||
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| The Spinners studio albums chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| BBC | (favorable)[2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[3] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | A−[4] |
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
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind" | Vinnie Barrett | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Just You and Me Baby" | Yvette Davis | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" | Jerry Akines, Johnny Bellman, Victor Drayton, Reginald Turner | 4:01 |
| 4. | "I Could Never (Repay Your Love)" | Bruce Hawes | 6:56 |
| 5. | "I'll Be Around" | Thom Bell, Phil Hurtt | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" | Joseph B. Jefferson | 3:31 |
| 7. | "We Belong Together" | Yvette Davis | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Ghetto Child" | Linda Creed, Thom Bell | 3:47 |
| 9. | "How Could I Let You Get Away" | Yvette Davis | 3:46 |
| 10. | "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" | Mystro & Lyric (Melvin and Mervin Steals) | 4:13 |
Personnel
- Billy Henderson, Bobby Smith, Philippé Wynne, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson – vocals
- Roland Chambers, Norman Harris, Bobby Eli – guitars
- Thom Bell – pianos
- Ronnie Baker – bass guitar
- Don Renaldo – strings
- Earl Young – drums
- Larry Washington – congas, bongos
- Vince Montana – vibes, marimbas
- MFSB – orchestration
- Jack Faith – alto saxophone, flute
- Rocco Bene, Bobby Hartzell – trumpet
- Joe DeAnglis, Robert Martin– French horn
- Freddie Joiner, Bobby Moore, Richie Genevese, Eddie Keskarella – trombone
- Linda Creed, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Yvette Benton – backing vocals
Production
- Thom Bell – producer, arranger, conductor
- Joe Tarsia – recording engineer, re-mix engineer
- Merrill A. Roberts, Jr. – photography
- Loring Eutemey – album design
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak [6] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US R&B [6] |
US A/C [6] |
UK [7] | ||
| 1972 | "How Could I Let You Get Away" | 77 | 14 | — | — |
| "I'll Be Around" | 3 | 1 | 31 | — | |
| "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" | 4 | 1 | 14 | 11 | |
| 1973 | "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" | 11 | 1 | 19 | — |
| "Ghetto Child" | 29 | 4 | 20 | 7 | |
References
- Wynn, Ron. Spinners review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
- Easlea, Daryl. "Spinners review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- 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.
- Hull, Tom (May 31, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- 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"
- "US Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- "UK Charts > Detroit Spinners". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
