Despite hailing from Detroit, the Spinners had only sporadic success as a Motown act, most notably with the Stevie Wonder-produced "It's a Shame." But with the early-'70s addition of Philippe Wynne as lead singer and new associations with Atlantic Records and producer Thom Bell, the group was transformed into one of the decade's key soul acts. With Wynne's gorgeous voice and ever-inventive improvisations riding Bell's smooth tracks, the Spinners made deathless single after deathless single while also committing must-own LPs like the self-titled one that featured "I'll Be Around." A One of a Kind Love Affair charts the great career of an outfit with truckloads of both R&B and pop credibility. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com
 |  | A One Of A Kind CD Set!!! |  |
The Spinners are the best R&B Group to date. When I saw them in concert 10 years ago, they followed Martha Reeves and the Vendellas and performed their set before The Temptations and they were the best part of the concert. They had everyone but one of the original band members after all these years and performed their butts off. The Temptations were on their 2nd or 3rd set of band members. I think some of them were younger than me and I was born in 1970. I have always loved the Spinners and this CD Set is the best collection of their work, that I have come across. I have owned this CD Set for around 10-15 years and knew that my mother would love it as a Christmas gift. She is the one who played this great music when I was little and turned me onto some of the best music of all time. When music had meaning and purpose. You know, when drug dealers and gangbangers weren't considered talented recording artists and were considered in a nationally televised music awards show. It's sad what has happened to our world in the world of music alone. Listening to these CDs will help you escape to a more innocent time, before gangsta rap was considered music. You know, a time when we didn't glorify common thugs and allow lyrics advising people to break the law, kill cops and glorify drugs to anyone listening. It's a wonder that people don't understand why things have become so bad. Every slip of values in every aspect of life affects us all. Listen to this CD set and go back to a time when people sing about loving other people and about loss and about family. If you have never been a huge fan of The Spinners in the past, you'll be surprised at how many great songs that you didn't realize that they sing. Get it and you definitely won't regret it!
January 19, 2008| | | BOBBY SMITH ....THE SPINNERS' REAL LEAD SINGER !! | |
I've always been one for giving credit where it's due...and in the case of THE SPINNERS, one person always gets way TOO MUCH, and another doesn't get NEARLY ENOUGH.That person is the fantastic BOBBIE SMITH. BOBBIE has been the REAL LEAD SINGER OF THE SPINNERS FROM DAY ONE !!! He sang lead on the SPINNERS VERY FIRST HIT BACK IN 1961... ( That's What Girls Are Made For )...and also their first million seller ( "I'll Be Around" ). In between ,he lead virtually ALL of their PRE MOTOWN HITS ("Too Young, Too Much, Too Soon","What Did She Use " ,etc.)and such MOTOWN CLASSICS AS "TRULY YOURS" (my favorite SPINNERS song },"I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU "(the group's second biggest Motown hit} ,"SWEET THING",AND TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE SUCH SWEET MUSIC "("IT'S A SHAME WAS LED BY G.C. CAMERON,who couldn't go with the group when they went to ATLANTIC,because he was still under contract to MOTOWN). And SMITH also led THEIR BIGGEST ATLANTIC HITS "COULD IT BE I'M FALLING IN LOVE " ,"GAMES PEOPLE PLAY ","MIGHTY LOVE",(a shared lead} and "THEN CAME YOU"...Yet , Bobbie get's VIRTUALLY NO CREDIT FOR HIS PART IN THE SPINNERS' SUCCESS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS..AND NEVER HAS !! In newspaper & magazine articles, music history books , even in ATLANTIC RECORDS own liner notes... all the credit goes to PHLLIP WALKER {aka PHILLIPPE WYNNE )!! Some music writers have even gone so far as to credit Phillippe for songs BOBBIE ACTUALLY SANG LEAD ON!! While I don't take anything away from Phillippe (he was a fantastic singer & dancer ), the REALITY is that his initial single with the SPINNERS, "HOW COULD I LET YOU GET AWAY"(which he sang lead on), ONLY REACHED #77 ON THE BILLBOARD pop chart! It was only after the nations' disc jockeys TURNED THE RECORD OVER TO IT'S FLIP SIDE,"I'LL BE AROUND" which BOBBIE SMITH sang lead on,(and that producer THOM BELL has said was SUPPOSED to have been the original "A" side in the FIRST place) , that the group had it's FIRST MILLION SELLER !! BOBBIE ALSO SANG LEAD ON THE GROUP'S SECOND MILLION SELLER, " COULD IT BE I'M FALLING IN LOVE ".By the time their 1st ATLANTIC ALBUM'S 3rd single , the WYNNE- lead "ONE OF A KIND LOVE AFFAIR" came out, (which also sold a million ),the two SMITH -LED SONGS had already established the SPINNERS as SUPERSTARS,and propelled the sales of that album to GOLD RECORD STATUS. The fact is that while PHILLIPE was hopping and skipping across the stage,driving audiences wild ,it was BOBBIE SMITH that was selling all the records,WYNNE having led on only one other million seller,the fun and funny novelty song "RUBBERBAND MAN "(Most of the WYNNE-led tunes were bigger on the R&B charts than on the POP. BOBBIE also sang lead (with DIONNE WARWICK}, on the million-selling # 1 smash,"THEN CAME YOU", and another million seller "GAMES PEOPLE PLAY".(Can you believe MOTOWN rejected his voice ? BIG MISTAKE !!) However , Wynne's powerful performance of "I COULD NEVER REPAY YOUR LOVE " was also a highlight of their INCREDIBLE FIRST ATLANTIC ALBUM,many radio stations having played the song right off the album.Sadly, Wynne's DAVID RUFFIN-LIKE attitude , demanding TOP BILLING, and causing turmoil within the group, and with their producer,THOM BELL,threatened to tear the SPINNERS apart. But the SPINNERS existed long before PHILLIPPE WYNNE,and they still exist today.....And,GUESS WHAT? BOBBIE SMITH is still their lead singer.It's time HE got the credit he deserves.
January 24, 2007For those of you looking for the very best of the spinners this is the cd for you.It has every radio hit on it along with some unreleased songs this cd is for the people that are not sure about what spinners cd to buy.
This is it enjoy!
December 23, 2006| | | It's a reason Rhino is the best at reissues and compliations and this comp shows why. | |
I can't think of anything wrong with this set.The song selection is excellent,the sound quality is superb.The liner notes are...you get the ideal! It's just that good.Just look at the song listing and keep in mind that all these songs are in their full length/album versions.No chippy choppy single/radio edits here.If Phillipe Wynne was alive now,he'd even say "Damn! We were bad weren't we?" Thanks to Rhino records for showing yet again how a complation should be done.
August 17, 2006Here's a good retrospective of the highlights of one of the most highly-talented aggregations in the annals of R&B/Popular music. Most 'old skool' music listeners know the Spinners' output well, as their releases from "It's A Shame" onward through most of the Atlantic Records albums and singles are now considered as true classics, ranking with the best music of the period. What you get here; besides the hits and some of their best album tracks, is a fascinating insight, via the well-written liner notes, into the progression of their storied career - both the 'ups' and the 'downs' - and a better understanding of what made for an exceptional combination of songwriters; singers and record producer/arranger with the Thom Bell connection. Philippe' Wynne is almost legendary as a singer and this package takes you from the early Motown sides before the 'Soul' man came on board thru the rest of their best years. Most longtime fans rejoice because all of their releases from the Atlantic period can now be obtained on CD, which makes for even better listening with the smooth rhythms, lush orchestrations and quality recording productions that still are hallmarks of what many believe are the greatest years of creative musical output in American music. If you can't afford to re-buy all the original works, then get this solid collection and you'll have more than enough to keep your soul satisfied! Hats 'off ' to Rhino, as well, for again doing the reissue thing the right way, as they always do.
August 12, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
