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Spinners
Studio album by The Spinners
Released	March 1973
Recorded	1972–1973
Studio	Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre	Philly soul R&B
Length	40:14
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
Source	Rating
AllMusic
BBC	(favorable)
Christgau's Record Guide	A−
Tom Hull – on the Web	A−

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.

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.

Reception

BBC Radio's Trevor Nelson said producer 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."

Track listing

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
• Vincent Montana Jr. – 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

Singles

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 (U.S.)

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. ^ "US Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
7. "UK Charts > Detroit Spinners". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

External links

• Spinners at Discogs (list of releases)

• 1973 albums
• The Spinners (American group) albums
• Albums arranged by Thom Bell
• Albums produced by Thom Bell
• Albums recorded at Sigma Sound Studios
• Atlantic Records albums