''Pick of the Litter'' is the sixth studio album by
American R&B group
The Spinners, released in August 1975 on the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
label. The album was produced by
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 recorded at
Sigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios was a recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia.
Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States to ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
.
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
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 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
Personnel
*
Billy Henderson,
Bobby Smith,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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
*
Barbara Ingram
Barbara Jane Ingram (February 9, 1947 – October 20, 1994) was an American R&B singer and songwriter who was active throughout the early 1970s until the mid-late 1980s, enjoying modest success as a backup singer for almost two decades.
...
, Carla Benson, Evette Benton – backing vocals
*
MFSB
MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom ...
– strings, horns
*Tony Bell,
Bobby Eli, Don Murray – guitars
*
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 ...
– keyboards
*
Bob Babbitt – bass guitar
*Andrew Smith – drums
*Larry Washington – congas, bongos
*
Dionne Warwick – vocals on "Just as Long as We Have Love" (uncredited)
Charts
;Singles
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1975 albums
The Spinners (American group) albums
Albums produced by Thom Bell
Albums arranged by Thom Bell
Albums recorded at Sigma Sound Studios
Atlantic Records albums