The Spinners - 2nd Time Around (Great Soul Album US 1970)

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2nd Time Around is a studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, released in October 1970 on Motown's V.I.P. label (their second overall). This is their only album that featured member G. C. Cameron (who replaced Edgar Edwards from the previous album and was replaced by Philippé Wynne on their next album). This is also the group's last album made while they were under contract with Motown Records; by the time of their next album, they would be signed at Atlantic Records.

The album includes the first of the group's string of 1970's hits, the Stevie Wonder produced "It's a Shame", which was their first U.S. Pop top-twenty (and third R&B top-ten) hit, as well as most of the group's singles released between 1968-1971 (the exception being the original version of "Message From a Blackman" and their second hit, "We'll Have It Made", which was their last hit - and last single - released while they were under contract with Motown).

Also in 1973, the label released a second version of "It's a Shame"'s B-Side, "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music", which hit #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop charts. The album was also the first of fourteen straight studio albums to make the Billboard 200, barely squeezing in at #199 on the charts (and their first R&B albums charter, hitting the Top-fifty at #46).

US Promo Single 1970

The Spinners' 2nd Time Around (1970) was actually their debut long-player for the short-lived V.I.P. subsidiary of Motown Records. The "Second Time" referred to in the title indicates the quintet's new direction, which was considerably funkier than the group's former R&B persona. The album likewise marked the final contributions of G.C. Cameron, who himself was the latest in a line of replacements that began when George W. Dixon made way for Edgar "Chico" Edwards in 1961. However, by the time the combo had become part of the Motown roster, Edwards' spot was filled by Cameron. 

The Stevie Wonder-penned "It's a Shame" became The Spinners' first Top 20 hit of the decade. It paved the way for the torrent of soul-pop crossovers that would follow with the arrival of Philippe Wynne in 1972 and the band's fortuitous collaborations with Thom Bell. 

There are definitely sounds and shapes of things to come throughout, including the effortlessly traded lead vocals on "It's a Shame," "(She's Gonna Love Me) At Sundown," and the testifying groove during "Souly Ghost." They also demonstrate their substantial harmonies on "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music" and their particularly poignant blends on "Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Come Home)," "Pay Them No Mind," and especially the midtempo ballad "My Lady Love," which could be mistaken for the Temptations in their mid-'60s prime. 

UK Single 1970

"O-o-h Child" -- which the Windy City-based Five Stairsteps took to the Top Ten in June of '70 -- is given a distinctly Motown vibe, bearing the sonic earmarking of noted Hitsville U.S.A. arranger Paul Riser. "In My Diary" is a throwback to the Spinners of old, with a nod to their carefully crafted doo wop style and suitably matched string section. A further comparison to the vintage Temptations is inevitable as The Spinners' take of "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" equals -- if not possibly surpasses -- David Ruffin's more familiar version, and students of the Motown sound should keep listening for Jack Ashford's propulsive percussion. 2nd Time Around closes with a medley of "Can Sing a Rainbow" and "Love Is Blue," a pairing that initially surfaced on the Dells' Love Is Blue LP, which they took into the Top 30 pop survey in June of 1969. 

01. "It's a Shame" Stevie Wonder, Lee Garrett, Syreeta Wright 2:55 
02. "I've Got to Find Myself a Brand New Baby" Suzanne de Passe, Marv Johnson, Johnny Bristol, Harvey     Fuqua 2:33 
03. "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music" Richard Drapkin, Marty Coleman 2:55 
04. "Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Come Home)" Allen Story, Lawrence Brown, Horgay Gordy 2:29 
05. "Pay Them No Mind" Richard Ahlert, Bobby Scott 2:59 
06. "My Lady Love" Fuqua, Arthur Scott, Vernon Williams 4:24   
07. "Souly Ghost" Story, H. Gordy, Brown 2:28 
08. "O-o-h Child" Stan Vincent 3:05 
09. "In My Diary" Michael Angelo Graham, Mark Silverman 2:45 
10. "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)"   Bristol, Fuqua, Jimmy Roach, Pam Sawyer 3:20 
11. "(She's Gonna Love Me) At Sundown" Robert Gordy, Thomas Kemp 2:25 
12. "Can Sing a Rainbow/Love Is Blue" (medley) Arthur Hamilton, Bryan Blackburn, Pierre Cour, André Popp 3:45 

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UK Single 1970