Spinners (album)
Encyclopedia
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.
", 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 (and 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."
Singles
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
recorded by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B group The Spinners, produced by Thom Bell
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
and released in April 1973 on the Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
label. The album was the group's first for Atlantic after leaving Motown.
History
Spinners includes their first American top-ten and R&B number-one hit "I'll Be AroundI'll Be Around (The Spinners song)
"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners . The song was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell...
", along with the successful songs "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love
Could It Be I'm Falling in Love
"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" is a 1972 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners . The song was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals who were two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were sometimes credited as "Mystro and Lyric." It was produced by Thom Bell...
", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)
One of a Kind (Love Affair)
"One of a Kind " is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners . The song was...
", "Ghetto Child", and "How Could I Let You Get Away
How Could I Let You Get Away
"How Could I Let You Get Away" is a song recorded by the American vocal group The Spinners and produced by Thom Bell. The lush, string-augmented production of the song drew comparisons to another Bell - produced group, The Stylistics. The song was recorded for inclusion on the group's 1972...
". The album was also the second of fourteen straight studio albums to make the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and their first in the Top-twenty, as it reached #14 on the charts (and their first of three consecutive R&B albums chart-toppers
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
- 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
David Grant (singer)
David Grant is an English pop singer and celebrity vocal coach.-Career:Grant became famous in the early 1980s as a member of UK soul/funk duo, Linx, whose biggest hit was Intuition in 1981. He began a solo career in 1983 with the Top 40 hit "Stop and Go"...
and Jaki Graham
Jaki Graham
Jaki Graham is an English singer. Her biggest international success was reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1994, with her cover version of Chaka Khan's hit, "Ain't Nobody"....
) 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."
Track listing
Personnel
- Billy HendersonBilly Henderson (American singer)Billy Henderson was an African-American singer. He was an original member and founder of The Spinners, a soul vocal group....
, Bobby SmithBobby Smith (R&B singer)Robert "Bobby" Smith is an American R&B singer, noted as the principal lead singer of the soul vocal group, The Spinners, also known as the Detroit Spinners or the Motown Spinners....
, Philippé WynnePhilippe WynnePhilippé Wynne , born Phillip Walker, was an American R&B singer. Best known for his role as the lead singer of The Spinners , Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man",and "One of a Kind ",...
, Henry FambroughHenry FambroughHenry Fambrough is an original vocalist and current member of the R&B quintet The Spinners . He is one of two active original members of the Spinners...
, Pervis JacksonPervis JacksonPervis Jackson was an American R&B singer, noted as the bass singer for The Spinners, and was one of the group's original members.-Life and career:...
– vocals - Roland Chambers, Norman HarrisNorman HarrisNorman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
, Bobby EliBobby EliBobby Eli is a Grammy Award winning musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia, USA. He is a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio group MFSB.-Biography:...
– guitars - Thom BellThom BellThomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
– pianos - Ronnie BakerRonnie BakerRonnie Baker was a famous record producer, bassist, arranger and songwriter. He participated on many Gamble and Huff recordings and was one-third of the production team of Baker-Harris-Young. He was one of The Trammps, who had a #5 UK/#35 US hit with Hold Back The Night....
– bass - Don Renaldo – strings
- Earl YoungEarl Young (drummer)Earl Young is a Philadelphia-based drummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno". Young, along with Ronnie Baker and Norman Harris, was the owner of the...
– drums - Larry Washington – congas, bongos
- Vince Montana – vibes, marimbas
- 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 CreedLinda CreedLinda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
, Barbara IngramBarbara IngramBarbara Jane Ingram was an American R&B singer-songwriter, who was active throughout the early 1970s until the mid-late 1980s, enjoying modest success a backup singer for almost two decades.-Career:...
, Carla Benson, Yvette Benton – backing vocals
Production
- Thom BellThom BellThomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
– producer, arranger, conductor - Joe TarsiaJoseph TarsiaPhiladelphia-based recording engineer Joe Tarsias skills can be heard on a significant number of classic pop music tracks, earning him over 150 gold and platinum record awards. He was also the founder and owner of the legendary Sigma Sound Studios...
– recording engineer, re-mix engineer - Merrill A. Roberts, Jr. – photography
- Loring Eutemey – album design
Charts
Album| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1973 | Spinners | 14 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US A/C |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 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 | |
External links
- Spinners at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...