Customer Reviews

Spinning Around: Singles 1967-1975

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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.

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.