Spinning Around: Singles 1967-1975 [Import]

Main Ingredient | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 30, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Kent Records UK
• ASIN: B000UX4418
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,278 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I'm Better Off Without You - The Insiders

2. If You Had A Heart - The Insiders

3. I'm Just A Man - The Insiders

4. I Was Born To Lose You

5. Brotherly Love

6. The Girl I Left Behind

7. You've Been My Inspiration

8. I'm So Proud

9. Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love)

10. Magic Shoes

11. Black Seeds Keep On Growing

12. I'm Leaving This Time

13. Everybody Plays The Fool

14. You've Got To Take It (If You Want It)

15. You Can Call Me Rover

16. Girl Blue

17. Just Don't Want To Be Lonely

18. Happiness Is Just Around The Bend

19. California My Way

20. Rolling Down A Mountainside

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

The Main Ingredient will always be one of soul music's most esteemed vocal groups. Between 1969 and 1975 they chalked up 14 US R&B/Soul chart hits, many of which went Top 10 or higher and 10 of which also crossed over to the Pop charts. Although several of these also brushed the UK Pop charts of the day, the group has never been too well represented on CD.

All that changes with the release of the Spinning Around Kent compilation that covers the group's first 10 years on RCA Victor and includes all the important hits and flips (and the occasional flop) from 1967-1976, including their first two singles for the label as the Insiders.Their lengthy hit list shows that the Main Ingredient had real staying power. They survived the premature death (from leukemia) of their first distinctive lead singer, Donald McPherson, to come back stronger and even more successfully with a new front man, Cuba Gooding Sr.The MI also pioneered what came to be known as the 'quiet storm' format of R&B, with many lush sensual ballads that are still a staple of late night oldies R&B radio. They were also capable of spotting commercial, chart-friendly material, and scored big with the original versions of Everybody Plays The Fool and Happiness Is Just Around The Bend, as well as having the biggest hit version of the much-covered Just Don't Want to Be Lonely. These are among the 22 gems on offer here, the majority of which are making their UK CD debut.

Soul has never sounded smoother or sweeter than it does in the hands of Luther, Tony, Donald and Cuba.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Overview of Popular Hits and Yes: Early Songs, December 8, 2009

By 

Soul Groove "Formerly G-Funk 4-Ever" (Listenin' to the Delfonics) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Spinning Around: Singles 1967-1975 (Audio CD)

The Main Ingredient's roots go well back into the 60's under other group monikers: The Poets and The Insiders before becoming the Main Ingredient. I also have Everybody Plays The Fool: The Best of the Main Ingredient, which is a great general overview of their most popular period (1970-1975) But, this compilation spans from 1967 to 1975. The first three songs are from 1967, when the group was called The Insiders. The very first song on the compilation "I'm Better Off Without You" (1967) is now one of my favorite soul songs. You'll get goosebumps from the first seconds with the ruffled strings, and then from the ensuing doo-wop harmony, wonderful instrumentation, and heartbreaking lyrics. It is a sad and sappy, and totally gorgeous song. It reminds me of the Delfonics' heartbreaking doo-wop style ballads (think: "Can You Remember," "I'm Sorry") from around the same time. The other 1967 songs "If You Had a Heart," and "i'm Just a Man" are more up-tempo and also great songs in their own right. The first song alone to me at least merits the cost of this compilation. There are also the popular singles: "Everybody Plays the Fool" (1972), of course, "Spinning Around" (1971), a song with heavenly harmony, and the ethnic winner "Black Seeds Keep on Growin" (1971). A reat song I really dig is the groovy "Magic Shoes," a smooth uptempo dance jam. There are a couple cool jams from 1969 such as the sad, yet funky midtempo "I was Born To Lose You." It ends with a few songs from 1975 like the soft, yet subtly funky "Shame on the World." The biggest selling point for me was the inclusion of the late 1960's songs that show that they had that impeccable magic from the start. Many of the popular 70's songs here are also on the Everybody Plays... comp. Kent Soul, who also brought us The Delfonics' 1972 classic Tell Me This is a Dream for the first time on cd, and the Manhattan's mid-to-late 60's albums, did a wonderful job with this compilation also. They provide reat sound quality and supply good liner notes to introduce them from the early years, and follows them through their popular period.

5.0 out of 5 stars CD, October 24, 2010

By 

Be Ann (Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Spinning Around: Singles 1967-1975 (Audio CD)

I really have had a hard time finding a good Main Ingredient's CD that wasn't a voice over, fake artist or a track with one original member, who voice is no longer up to speed. This CD was the original recrodings and I am just thrilled. I am so tired of buying a CD and most of the songs are not original recrodings. This CD is great.