Pick of the Litter (The Spinners album)

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Pick of the Litter
Spinnerspick.jpg
Studio album by
The Spinners
ReleasedAugust 1975
RecordedSigma Sound Studios
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
GenreR&B
Length33:49
LabelAtlantic
ProducerThom Bell
The Spinners chronology
New and Improved
(1974) 		Pick of the Litter
(1975) 		Happiness Is Being with the Spinners
(1976)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA–[2]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention))[3]

Pick of the Litter is the sixth studio album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in August 1975 on the Atlantic label. The album was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

History[]

Pick of the Litter is generally considered the last of the quartet of classic Bell-produced studio albums the Spinners released between 1973 and 1975, and to mark the end of the most creative phase of the group’s career – while future releases would have memorable moments, contemporary critical opinion is that none of the group’s later material matches the enduring quality and top-notch consistency of these four albums.

Pick of the Litter became the Spinners’ highest placing album on the Billboard 200, reaching number eight; however it was the group’s first Atlantic album to miss the top of the R&B albums chart, peaking at number two. The album includes the distinctive "Games People Play", one of the group’s signature songs, which became their fifth single to top the R&B chart and a top 5 hit on the Billboard singles chart. The second single "Love or Leave" also made the R&B top 10.

Although not credited on the album sleeve, "Just as Long as We Have Love" includes vocal contributions from Dionne Warwick.

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Honest I Do"Sherman Marshall, Philip Pugh, Thom Bell4:00
2."I Don't Want to Lose You"Linda Creed, Thom Bell3:42
3."Love or Leave"Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes, Joseph B. Jefferson4:59
4."Sweet Love of Mine"Vinnie Barrett, Bobby Eli4:20
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."All That Glitters Ain't Gold"Philip Terry, Theodore Life, Talmadge Conway3:47
6."You Made a Promise to Me"Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes, Joseph B. Jefferson3:56
7."Games People Play"Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons4:41
8."Just as Long as We Have Love"Vinnie Barrett, Bruce Hawes4:06

Personnel[]

Charts[]

Chart (1975) Peak
[4]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 8
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 2
Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions
US
[4] 		US
R&B
[4] 		US
A/C
[4]
1975 "Games People Play" 5 1 2
"Love or Leave" 36 8 —

References[]

  1. ^ Planer, Lindsay. Pick of the Litter review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Hull, Tom (May 31, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "US Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. Retrieved November 18, 2012.

External links[]

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