Spinning Around: The Singles 1967-1975

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.

There are a surprising number of compilations available (so many that it's confusing tyring to pick the "best" one) that highlight the music of the Main Ingredient, one of the finest of the 1970s soul vocal groups. This collection, put together by Kent, is one of the best, and worth any extra money you plunk down. You get 22 tracks with most of the group's finest tunes (including 3 early songs that they did as the Insiders) plus a detailed booklet. With some of those cheaper RCA compilations you don't get much, if anything, in the way of liner notes. Most of the songs by the Main Ingredient are on the mellower side of 1970s soul, although I think it's a slight stretch to call their sound "quiet storm." But it certainly is soulful and sensual, and the lush string arrangements on some of the tunes will lull you into a blissful state. Great harmonies were this group's trademark and if you like such melodic soul, and just plain good songs, this one's for you.

Being a child of the 70s, I'm definitely partial to great male vocal groups and this was one of the best. Their period of success was unique because it had two distinct and different lead vocals. Donald McPherson was a mellower vocal style, and Cuba Gooding had a harder style. Though I love all of the 70s hits with Cuba, I'm a little partial to the ones with McPherson. I'm So Proud, Spinning Around, Brotherly Love and Black Seeds (Keep On Growing) were among the best of sweet soul. Add the exquisite horn and string arrangements and they made for classic records. A thorough and great retrospective of one of the smoothest male vocal groups of the era!

While I was very excited to get this CD, my Bose could not play it, the message was "not readable." I don't know if that was because it was made in the UK and was not playable on my Bose?

Great CD!!! Cuba Gooding is a fabulous singer, but the Main Ingredient to me will always be with the late, great Don McPherson.

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.

On my second listening of the compilation, I began to realise just how talented these guies were. Their music is soothing to the soul and as I listen more, I will discover something new about the Main Ingredient. "Everybody Plays the Fool" is their best song and it is a song about how anyone can make mistakes. Even God made a mistake. He made me blind.

Great group are Main Ingredient, classy vocals, love tune, smoocher dance floor classics aplenty. One goodie or maybe memorable smoochers for me are "everybody plays the fool" and "Just don't wanna be lonely". My 70's nice thoughts.