Spinners

The Spinners’ 1973 LP was self-titled because it represented a new start for the group. They had a new label (Atlantic), a new lead singer (Phillipe Wynne), and a new studio team (Sigma Sound Studios, in Philadelphia). This confluence of fresh ideas helped create one of the great soul masterpieces of the early '70s, one that boasted a trifecta of hits in “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love," and “How Could I Let You Get Away.” The first song is one of the most seductive arrangements of all time, courtesy of Thom Bell. A sequence of guitar and bells chime as a heartbeat-like drum pattern builds from behind, drawing in listeners. The rest of the album followed the lead of its brilliant hit singles, creating a sound that was at once mature and perfectly sweet. Of the lesser-known tracks, the best are “Just You and Me Baby” and “One of a Kind (Love Affair),” in which the group’s cascading harmonies fall around a set of cyclical rhythms.