The Very Best of the Spinners
Product ID: 5151401
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Contains all of their classic Atlantic hits and more, including eight Top 20 pop smashes! Review: Have a good time with the Spinners. - One thing most of the big soul groups of the early 70's had in common is that they had started out singing doo-wop together, usually in high school,and had the great perseverance to make it through the early years before breaking out. This is why they all seemed so professional, had their vocals and dance steps together and were already able to put on great shows. The Spinners were no exception to this and had the extra burden of having to make it on a second label (Atlantic) after failing to catch fire on Motown. They did make the charts a couple times: as early as 1961 they'd had That's What Girls Are Made For (#27) on the small Tri-phi Records, later bought by Motown. For Motown they had I'll Always Love You (1965) and It's a Shame, written by Stevie Wonder, which went all the way to #14 and is included on this collection. But where that would have impressed a minor label, for Motown it was barely noticed and was put out on their minor V.I.P. sub-label. At Motown they also had to suffer the indignity of chauffeuring the big artists around or even work in the shipping room to earn their keep. A change was needed. They lucked out and were signed by another big label that had lots of clout and distribution. They further lucked out by having Thom Bell assigned to them as their producer. Bell had already made a big name for himself in Philadelphia as producer and songwriter of first, the Delfonics and then the Stylistics, neither group unfortunately being able to come up with new hits after he left them. They also had a new lead singer in Philippe Wynne who shared lead vocal duties with longtime member Bobby Smith. The first single, How Could I Let You Get Away, was a slow jam with trademark Thom Bell touches like using a sitar in the mix and a strong use of the high tenor voice. But when it stalled out at #77 the Spinners luck struck again: DJ's were spontaneously playing the B-side in market after market and before you knew it I'll Be Around was rapidly climbing the charts peaking at #3 Pop and #1 R&B and becoming their first gold record. This changed everything for the Spinners. Mostly it set the style of their long string of 70's hits: a more energetic, peppy sound that people could dance to with big, smooth orchestral arrangements that included strings. It was closer to the Philly sound than the usual Memphis sound of Atlantic, but with the string of Top 10 hits to follow, the label wasn't complaining. Bell crafted for the Spinners, AM radio-friendly singles that were basically pure pop. These were dance songs with a show-band feeling that made them kind of a precursor of disco, and did not cross into other soul trends like funk or the urban sounds coming from Blacksploitation films (the films were often so-so but there were great soundtracks by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack and Marvin Gaye). The biggest influence on the Spinners outside Thom Bell was Gospel music but you don't hear it in their singles. It was in their live performances that the Spinners took these songs and stretched them out into long numbers with lots of talking, story-telling, spontaneous vocalizing, clapping and dancing. this is where the Spinners really showed what they could do outside the confines of the three minute single. Their 1975 live album, though not as big as their five albums that went gold, is actually one of their best; check them out on YouTube as well. Their hit period ran through 1976 and included their #1 song with Dionne Warwick, Then Came You. After a few n but on-hit releases they left Bell, Philippe Wynne left them, sometimes appearing with Parliament/Funkadelic and was replaced by John Edwards. There were a couple surprise hits with dance-friendly reworkings of the Four Season's Working My Way Back To You and Sam Cooke's Cupid in 1979-80, but the group settled into the Oldies Circuit as most all groups eventually do. I'd like to clear up one misconception about the Spinners: that they were kind of a revolving door group with endless personnel changes, almost enough to make them more of a brand name than an actual group. Though it's true that over the years the Spinners had seventeen members, those were usually minor members replacing each other, a few different leads, and the usual changes in the very late years when singers are simply changed for different tours. Though they weren't like the Dells, who had but one replacement in an amazing fifty year-plus career, the four-man core of the Spinners, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson and Bobby Smith all founding members from 1954, stayed in the group until forced to retire for health reasons or because they died, from 2004-13. The Spinners were a real group. The mood is upbeat and happy and the songs as easy to like now as they always were. The CD covers the Atlantic Years and with sixteen songs, gives you a really good sampling of their career. The sound is good, clear and full. Review: Very good CD - This is a very good collection of songs. The remastering was excellent, sound quality was great. Even the songs I never heard before were very good. If you like The Spinners, I highly recommend this CD.
J**F
Have a good time with the Spinners.
One thing most of the big soul groups of the early 70's had in common is that they had started out singing doo-wop together, usually in high school,and had the great perseverance to make it through the early years before breaking out. This is why they all seemed so professional, had their vocals and dance steps together and were already able to put on great shows. The Spinners were no exception to this and had the extra burden of having to make it on a second label (Atlantic) after failing to catch fire on Motown. They did make the charts a couple times: as early as 1961 they'd had That's What Girls Are Made For (#27) on the small Tri-phi Records, later bought by Motown. For Motown they had I'll Always Love You (1965) and It's a Shame, written by Stevie Wonder, which went all the way to #14 and is included on this collection. But where that would have impressed a minor label, for Motown it was barely noticed and was put out on their minor V.I.P. sub-label. At Motown they also had to suffer the indignity of chauffeuring the big artists around or even work in the shipping room to earn their keep. A change was needed. They lucked out and were signed by another big label that had lots of clout and distribution. They further lucked out by having Thom Bell assigned to them as their producer. Bell had already made a big name for himself in Philadelphia as producer and songwriter of first, the Delfonics and then the Stylistics, neither group unfortunately being able to come up with new hits after he left them. They also had a new lead singer in Philippe Wynne who shared lead vocal duties with longtime member Bobby Smith. The first single, How Could I Let You Get Away, was a slow jam with trademark Thom Bell touches like using a sitar in the mix and a strong use of the high tenor voice. But when it stalled out at #77 the Spinners luck struck again: DJ's were spontaneously playing the B-side in market after market and before you knew it I'll Be Around was rapidly climbing the charts peaking at #3 Pop and #1 R&B and becoming their first gold record. This changed everything for the Spinners. Mostly it set the style of their long string of 70's hits: a more energetic, peppy sound that people could dance to with big, smooth orchestral arrangements that included strings. It was closer to the Philly sound than the usual Memphis sound of Atlantic, but with the string of Top 10 hits to follow, the label wasn't complaining. Bell crafted for the Spinners, AM radio-friendly singles that were basically pure pop. These were dance songs with a show-band feeling that made them kind of a precursor of disco, and did not cross into other soul trends like funk or the urban sounds coming from Blacksploitation films (the films were often so-so but there were great soundtracks by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack and Marvin Gaye). The biggest influence on the Spinners outside Thom Bell was Gospel music but you don't hear it in their singles. It was in their live performances that the Spinners took these songs and stretched them out into long numbers with lots of talking, story-telling, spontaneous vocalizing, clapping and dancing. this is where the Spinners really showed what they could do outside the confines of the three minute single. Their 1975 live album, though not as big as their five albums that went gold, is actually one of their best; check them out on YouTube as well. Their hit period ran through 1976 and included their #1 song with Dionne Warwick, Then Came You. After a few n but on-hit releases they left Bell, Philippe Wynne left them, sometimes appearing with Parliament/Funkadelic and was replaced by John Edwards. There were a couple surprise hits with dance-friendly reworkings of the Four Season's Working My Way Back To You and Sam Cooke's Cupid in 1979-80, but the group settled into the Oldies Circuit as most all groups eventually do. I'd like to clear up one misconception about the Spinners: that they were kind of a revolving door group with endless personnel changes, almost enough to make them more of a brand name than an actual group. Though it's true that over the years the Spinners had seventeen members, those were usually minor members replacing each other, a few different leads, and the usual changes in the very late years when singers are simply changed for different tours. Though they weren't like the Dells, who had but one replacement in an amazing fifty year-plus career, the four-man core of the Spinners, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson and Bobby Smith all founding members from 1954, stayed in the group until forced to retire for health reasons or because they died, from 2004-13. The Spinners were a real group. The mood is upbeat and happy and the songs as easy to like now as they always were. The CD covers the Atlantic Years and with sixteen songs, gives you a really good sampling of their career. The sound is good, clear and full.
W**B
Very good CD
This is a very good collection of songs. The remastering was excellent, sound quality was great. Even the songs I never heard before were very good. If you like The Spinners, I highly recommend this CD.
R**D
A solid collection for one of the 70's great groups
It's almost odd that the Spinners languished at the mighty Motown label for nearly all of the 60's until someone like Stevie Wonder came to the rescue and arranged their first hit with "It's a Shame" in 1970. But thank goodness it happened, for the Spinners' solid harmonies, smooth R&B sound, pop & funk was so slick & polished that they often left their competition in the dust, producing one good song after another. Like some bands, they had a long line of performers, but they certainly withstood the roster changes. My finest memory is hearing "The Rubber Band Man" for the first time on my beat-up transistor radio. I thought, "Wow. This song's a trip!" I instantly fell in love with it. It had everything a chart hit should have: a bouncy, funky beat, outstanding vocals and a sense of humor. Of course, all the songs here are real gems. There's many a Spinners compilation on the market; but this one's the best bet. I remember the chart toppers like "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)", and their great teaming with Dionne Warwick, "Then Came You". They even put a new spin (sorry for the pun) on covers of "Working My Way Back to You" & "Cupid". Sweet melodies from a terrific group!
A**R
Classic spinners
Always a classic album all of there best songs are on this album love listening to the music.
P**.
Great CD
Wow - great music - wish the case wasn't cracked (CD itself not damaged).
E**S
All the classics in one album
All songs were original, no remastered mixes
R**.
Perfect Music
Some of the greatest songs ever written. Even though they were originally from Detroit, when the Spinners relocated to Philadelphia and signed with Atlantic, they epitomized that Philly sound. I can listen to this everyday and never get sick of it.
F**T
Timeless Hits By An Underrated Group
Some of the best R&B music of the 1970s and 80s was by the Spinners. This fine collection has all of their greatest hits including "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love", "The Rubber Band Man", "One Of A Kind Love Affair", "Sadie" and others great tunes. Grade A+++++++++
M**R
Perfect greatest hits.
Great cd.
A**ー
The Rubberband Man
映画アベンジャーズ/インフィニティウォーの劇中で使用されたThe Rubberband Manが気に入ってベスト盤を購入してみました。 素敵な雰囲気の曲とノリの良い曲満載でお気に入りのアルバムになりました。 この時代の曲が好きだったので、購入して大満足しています。
J**S
Le plein de hits
Je pensais ne pas connaître les Spinners à l'exception de I'll be around, un titre que j'adore. C'est pour ça que j'ai acheté cette compilation et j'ai découvert que je connaissais plein de morceaux! It's a shame (écrit et produit par Stevie Wonder lui-même, le Grand Monsieur se trompe rarement!), Could it be I'm falling in love, Working my way back to you...et un paquet d'autres! A la suite du succès de It's a shame, ils quitteront Motown pour intégrer Atlantic. Voilà des morceaux qui leur ont valu un énorme succès dans les années 70 et on comprend pourquoi. Il y a dans cette compilation tout ce qu'on aime dans la soul de Détroit de ces années-là : une production hyper soignée, des harmonies vocales absolument superbes (quelles voix bon sang!!!), arrangements soyeux (de cordes et cuivres en particulier)...Que des classiques ou presque, parfait à tout moment de la journée!
H**E
THE SPINNERS
SEHR GUTE CD BEST OF PÜNKTLICH ANGEKOMMEN KLASSE !
D**T
Great CD
First class and very good quality recordings .....highly recommended.
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