''Dancin' and Lovin'' is a 1979 studio album from

Philly soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featu ...

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in s ...

The Spinners, released on Atlantic Records. This album comes after a long-time association with producer

Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a producer ...

and marks a shift to disco, resulting in a commercial success after a short string of decline.

Recording and release

The Spinners had a series of certified gold albums produced by

for Atlantic Records in the 1970s. By 1977, vocalist

Philippé Wynne Philippé Wynne (''aka'' Philippe Escalante Wynn; ''né'' Walker; April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was an American singer, best known for his role as a lead vocalist of The Spinners (a role he shared with fellow group members Bobby Smith and H ...

had left the group for a solo career and to work in the music business, leading to a commercial decline for the group and a pair of less successful albums in 1977, followed by a

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

to buoy their profile. After '' From Here to Eternally'' and a few songs on the soundtrack to Bell's film ''

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh ''The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' is a 1979 American sports/fantasy comedy film directed by Gilbert Moses and coproduced by David Dashev and Gary Stromberg. It was produced by Lorimar and distributed by United Artists. The film was shot on loc ...

'', the group changed their sound to disco and enlisted a different production technique for this release in 1979. For the first time, the group produced their own music, collaborating with Will Hatcher and

Michael Zager Michael Zager (born January 3, 1943) is an American record producer, composer, and arranger of original music for commercials, albums, network television, and theme music for films. He teaches music at Florida Atlantic University. Zager was a m ...

Reception

A review in '' Billboard'' upon release recommended the album to retailers and noted that the group still retained its "vocal punch" with the addition of

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

replacing

. The editors of

AllMusic Guide AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

scored this release three out of five stars, with reviewer Ron Wynn noting that the band's reinvention worked commercially and allowed them to briefly retire a worn-out formula of soul music, which they returned to with a fresh approach in the 1980s. In a year-end round-up for '' Billboard'', The Spinners were 76th in the Number One Pop Album Artists for this album and 22nd in Number One Soul Album Artists for both ''Dancin' and Lovin'' and its follow-up '' Love Trippin'''.

Track listing

#"Disco Ride" (Jolyon Skinner, Eltesa Weathersby, and

) – 6:24 #"Body Language" (Ed Fox, Frank Fuchs, and Alan Roy Scott) – 6:26 #"Let's Boogie, Let's Dance" (Doug Frank, Ed Fox, and Doug James) – 5:56 #Medley: "

Working My Way Back to You "Working My Way Back to You" is a song made popular by The Four Seasons in 1966 and The Spinners in 1980. Written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, the song was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in 1966, reaching No. 9 on the U.S. ''B ...

" (

Sandy Linzer Sandy Linzer (born 1941) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Denny Randell and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let ...

and Denny Randall) / "Forgive Me Girl" (Michael Zager) – 6:04 #"With My Eyes" (Tray Christopher and Doug James) – 6:43 #"One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" (William Hatcher and Rickie Ross) – 5:05

Personnel

The Spinners *

– vocals, backing vocals,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Henry Fambrough Henry Lee Fambrough (born May 10, 1938) is an original vocalist and current member of the R&B quintet The Spinners (aka The Detroit Spinners and also The Motown Spinners). He is the last surviving original member of the Spinners. The group ...

– vocals, backing vocals, production on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" * Billy Henderson – vocals, backing vocals, production on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Pervis Jackson Pervis Jackson (May 17, 1938 – August 18, 2008) was an American R&B singer, noted as the bass singer for The Spinners, and was one of the group's original members as well as their spokesman. His deep timbered voice and calm swagger garnered h ...

– vocals, backing vocals, production on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" * Bobby Smith – vocals, backing vocals, production on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" Additional musicians *Gloria Agostini – harp on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" *The Alfred V. Brown String Section – strings on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Rubens Bassini Rubens Bassini (January 26, 1933 in Rio de Janeiro – September 1985) was a percussionist, who played bongos and congas above all. He played together with the band Os Ipanemas: Astor Silva; (trombone), Marinho (bass), Wilson das Neves (drums ...

– percussion on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Lorenzo Brown – percussion on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Danny Cahn – trumpet on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Francisco Centeno – bass guitar on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Gerald Chamberlain – trombone on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Rodrick "P-Nut" Chandler – bass guitar on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Warren Covington Warren Covington (August 7, 1921 – August 24, 1999) was an American big band trombonist. He was active as a session musician, arranger, and bandleader throughout his career. Biography Covington, who was born in Philadelphia, played early o ...

– trombone on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

John Gatchell John E. Gatchell (November 27, 1945 – July 9, 2004) was an American jazz trumpeter who was prolific in New York City recording studios from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. After serving in the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s, Gatchell became one of ...

– trumpet on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" * Lenny Hambro –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Tyrone Hornaday – synthesizer on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Guy Hutson – bass guitar on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Jerry Jones – drums on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Steve Love – guitar on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *George Marge – alto saxophone on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" *Robert Millikan – trumpet on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Jeff Mironov – guitar on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" *Cliff Morris – guitar on "Body Language" *

Rob Mounsey Rob Mounsey (born December 2, 1952) is an American musician, composer, and arranger. Music career Mounsey was born in Berea, Ohio, and grew up in Seattle, Washington, spending a few years each in Findlay and Granville, Ohio. At the age of 17 ...

– keyboards ontracks: "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" *Ronnie Nelson – drums on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Gerry Niewood Gerry Niewood (April 6, 1943 – February 12, 2009), born Gerard Joseph Nevidosky, was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist who worked often with Chuck Mangione. Like Mangione, Niewood was born in Rochester, New York, and graduated from the ...

– alto saxophone on "Body Language" and "Working My Way Back to You"/"Forgive Me Girl" *Danny Omar – guitar on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Alan Raph Alan Raph (born July 3, 1933, in New York City ) is a bass trombonist, composer, arranger, and conductor who founded and conducts the Danbury Brass Band. He has recorded with many popular musicians and for television, movies, and ballet. He was ...

– bass trombone on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Pat Rebillot – keyboards on "Body Language" and "Working My Way Back to You"/"Forgive Me Girl" *Tony Robertson – drums on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Rickie Ross – piano on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

Allan Schwartzberg Allan Schwartzberg (born December 28, 1942) is an American musician and record producer. He has been a member of the rock band Mountain, Peter Gabriel's first solo band, toured with Brecker Brothers' Dreams, B.J. Thomas, Linda Rondstadt, Stan Get ...

– drums on all tracks except all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Suniatta –

electronic drums Electronic drums is a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the synthesized or sampled percussion sounds ...

on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)", percussion on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" Technical personnel *Michael Barbiero – mixing on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" at Mediasound, New York City, New York, United States *Michael Barry – engineering assistance on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" at Secret Sound Studios *Ted Brosnan – engineering assistance on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" at Columbia Recording Studios *Jim Burgess –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

remixing on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" at Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, New York, United States *Bob Carbone – mastering at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California, United States *Jason Corsaro – engineering assistance on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" at Secret Sound Studios *Bob Defrin – art direction *Michael Ewasko – engineering assistance on "Body Language", "Working My Way Back to You"/"Forgive Me Girl" at Blue Rock Studio *Tim Geelan – engineering on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes") at Columbia Recording Studios *Darroll Gustamachio – engineering on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes"), Rick Rowe (tracks: "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" at Secret Sound Studios *Jim Houghton – photography *Will Hatcher – rhythm arrangement on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)", production on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Eddie Korvin – engineering on "Body Language" and "Working My Way Back to You"/"Forgive Me Girl") at Blue Rock Studio *Jerry Love – executive production on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Greg Reilly – engineering on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" at Superdisc *Ken Robertson – engineering assistance on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" at Columbia Recording Studios *Ed Sullivan – engineering assistance on "Disco Ride", "Let's Boogie, Let's Dance", and "With My Eyes" at Secret Sound Studios *Rickie Ross – rhythm arrangement on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *Jeni Taylor – engineering assistance on "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" at Superdisc *Craig Winterson – mixing assistance at Mediasound on all tracks except"One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)", Greg Mann on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)" *

– arrangement, conducting, and production on all tracks except "One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)"

Chart performance

''Dancin' and Lovin'' was the most commercially successful Spinners album in several years, reaching 11 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and peaking at 32 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Additionally, they made their only appearance on Australian charts, topping out at 87. Furthermore, the single releases of "

" and "Forgive Me Girl" reached two on the pop charts and six on the R&B charts respectively. '' Jet'' included ''Dancin' and Lovin'' in their Soul Brothers Top 20 Albums three times in 1980, reaching 18 on March 20, 20 on April 3, and finally 13 on April 10.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dancin' And Lovin' 1979 albums Atlantic Records albums The Spinners (American group) albums Disco albums by American artists Albums produced by Michael Zager