New and Improved is the fifth album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in December 1974 on the Atlantic label. Like the Spinners' two previous Atlantic albums, New and Improved was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
| New and Improved | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1974 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 34:56 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Thom Bell | |||
| The Spinners chronology | ||||
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| The Spinners studio albums chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( )[3] |
History
editNew and Improved became the Spinners' third consecutive R&B albums chart-topper and reached #9 on the Billboard 200, their first top 10 album on this chart. The album includes "Then Came You", featuring Dionne Warwick and the group's only single to top the Billboard Hot 100 (it was denied the top spot on the R&B chart by Kool & the Gang's "Higher Plane"), and the top 10 R&B singles "Living A Little, Laughing A Little" and "Sadie" – the latter track was covered by R. Kelly on his 1993 debut solo album 12 Play.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sitting on Top of the World" | Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons | 4:42 |
| 2. | "Smile, We Have Each Other" | Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes, Joseph B. Jefferson | 4:30 |
| 3. | "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick) | Sherman Marshall, Phillip Pugh | 3:59 |
| 4. | "There's No One Like You" | Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes | 4:16 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Living a Little, Laughing a Little" | Thom Bell, Linda Creed | 5:03 |
| 6. | "Sadie" | Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons | 5:26 |
| 7. | "Lazy Susan" | Linda Creed, Thom Bell | 3:34 |
| 8. | "I've Got to Make It on My Own" | Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes | 3:26 |
Personnel
edit- Billy Henderson, Bobby Smith, Philippé Wynne, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson – vocals
- Dionne Warwick – vocals on "Then Came You"
- Linda Creed, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Evette Benton – backing vocals
- Tony Bell, Bobby Eli, Don Murray – guitars
- Thom Bell – keyboards
- Walter Pfeil – harp
- Bob Babbitt – bass guitar
- Don Renaldo – strings
- Andrew Smith – drums
- Larry Washington – congas, bongos
- Jack Faith – alto saxophone, flute
- Rocco Bene, Bobby Hartzell – trumpet
- Joe DeAngelis, Milt Phibbs, Danny Davis – French horn
- Freddie Joiner, Bobby Moore, Richie Genevese, Ed Cascarella – trombone
Charts
edit| Chart (1974) | Peak [4] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US R&B [4] |
US A/C [4] |
UK [5] | ||
| 1974 | "Then Came You" | 1 | 2 | 3 | 29 |
| 1975 | "Living a Little, Laughing a Little" | 37 | 7 | — | — |
| "Sadie" | 54 | 7 | — | — | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Hamilton, Andrew. New and Improved review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hull, Tom (May 31, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "US Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ "UK Charts > Detroit Spinners". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
External links
edit- New and Improved at Discogs (list of releases)