TS: Spinners or O'Jays

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Clearly, the two leaders of Philly soul.

I go with The Spinners. The O'Jays have a great run with about 8 incredible songs, and then drop off a bit. The Spinners have a big collection of very solid and diverse songs.

So what is it? "Love Train" or "It's a Shame"? "I Love Music" or "Rubberband Man"? "992 Arguments" or "I'll Be Around"? YOU make the call!

― utter joob (smittish yout fawb dill), Thursday, 16 February 2006 05:52 (nineteen years ago)

Spinners by a mad long distance.

"I'll Be Around" >> O'Jays

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 16 February 2006 06:08 (nineteen years ago)

I only have compilations from each (more than enough to know that the above statement is ludicrous by uh, mad long distance) and I think I'd take the highest highs of the O'Jays over the same from the Spinners(I chose "Forever Mine" as the 'first dance' song at my wedding) but the Spinners seem more consistent. Spinners I guess.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Thursday, 16 February 2006 07:06 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, the O'Jays cream of the crop is definitely better than the few mainstays of The Spinners catalog.

I was more sure of my pick earlier. "For the Love of Money" definitely has me reconsidering the strength of my pick.

― utter joob (smittish yout fawb dill), Thursday, 16 February 2006 07:16 (nineteen years ago)

SPINNERS.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 16 February 2006 13:14 (nineteen years ago)

highest highs of the O'Jays over the same from the Spinners

Yes.

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 16 February 2006 13:22 (nineteen years ago)

Oh except as a result I vote for the O'Jays.

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 16 February 2006 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

Spinners were so atmospheric, you know that have that seventies soul feeling bottled, so I have to go with them.

― patrick bateman (mickeygraft), Thursday, 16 February 2006 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

For me the highest highs of the O'Jays being so much higher than the highs of the Spinners means I gotta go with the O'Jays. The Spinners may have been more consistent, but with a few exceptions ("It's a Shame", "Love Don't Love Nobody", "I'll Be Around", "Could It be I'm Falling in Love?"), they were almost "only" consistent and not out-of-this-world. Just my opinion of course, but the O'Jays just give me that feeling much more.

― matt2 (matt2), Thursday, 16 February 2006 16:58 (nineteen years ago)

I LOVE MUSIC

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:05 (nineteen years ago)

It's sooo much better than Love Train!!!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:05 (nineteen years ago)

true! and it still gets snubbed on greatest hits packages! I remember having to buy two comps to get both Forever Mine and I Love Music, some years ago obv.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

wtf are you guys talking about, "higher highs". "I'll Be Around" is the best soul song of the 70s!

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

Sorry "I Love Music" >>>> "I'll Be Around" and if you disagree what are you doing on this message board? (winky)

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:37 (nineteen years ago)

spinners's phillipe wynne was one fucking great singer, up there with al green if you ask me. their records are so sleek. but yeah, the o'jays's "backstabbers" is a high that the spinners maybe never quite matched. well, I dunno, actually "I'll Be Around" and "Sadie" and "Could It Be I'm Falling" by the spinners are highs in their own way. tough one but I vote for the spinners--shit, I love both of these groups.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:41 (nineteen years ago)

O'Jays never sang with Dionne = Spinners win big-time

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

The Spinners - but this is the closest battle ever and I'll admit my preference may be purely personal (as opposed to attempting objective 'scales of justice' whatnot). now throw Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes in just for fun. they are ALL faves and the purpose of this thread is to remind us of how much great music those groups made!

one of the reasons this is so difficult is the musicians/producer-arrangers/songwriters overlap...

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

Spinners, easy.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:19 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, throw in Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes and I may take them out of the three. Teddy P is my favorite vocalist of all, at least.

― matt2 (matt2), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

O'Jays never sang with Dionne = Spinners win big-time

I was going to mention that (but then I wasn't sure if the O'Jays really never had sung with Dionne).

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:39 (nineteen years ago)

that's probably my favorite song out of both groups' catalogs. yay synth-fart!

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:42 (nineteen years ago)

That's a ray of sunny 70s childhood for me.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 16 February 2006 18:45 (nineteen years ago)

O'Jays for "Backstabbers" and "Love Train!"

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:01 (nineteen years ago)

Spinners, for "How Could I Let You Get Away" and P. Wynne's ad-libs.

― JAS, Thursday, 16 February 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

The Phillippe Wynne madvamps over codas put the Spinners over the top. That, and the I-still-get-goosebumps-from-it arrangement of "They Just Can't Stop It The (Games People Play)."

Need to hear more Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes before I can enter them in the race, though I probably like "Wake Up Everybody" better than any individual song from the other two's catalogues.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 17 February 2006 04:27 (nineteen years ago)

Chi-lites > Spinners > O'Jays

― Roque Strew (RoqueStrew), Friday, 17 February 2006 08:37 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

Just saw the current version of the Spinners last night on a bill with the Chi-lites, and DC's Skip Mahoney & the Casuals. An enjoyable show considering the membership changes in the Spinners and Chi-lites. The Chi-lites were dressed in robin-egg blue suits with matching fedoras, while the Spinners went with white leisure-suit like wear.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 11 June 2007 00:58 (eighteen years ago)

Spinners' "It's A Shame">"I'll Be Around"

― Cunga, Monday, 11 June 2007 02:36 (eighteen years ago)

Spinners' "Rubberband Man" > everything

― musically, Monday, 11 June 2007 02:46 (eighteen years ago)

They closed with that last night (while all of 'em were stretching goofy full-size rubber bands around their arms and legs) but I like "It's a Shame," and "Sadie" and "Could it be I'm Falling" better.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 11 June 2007 03:37 (eighteen years ago)

Huge fan of both, but I've gotta go with the Spinners. All the albums I own of theirs are pretty great, while O'Jays LPs can be uneven. Still, Back Stabbers is one hell of a jam. And "Rich Get Richer" is an all-time great, one of the most extreme Gamble-Huff sociopolitical thangs.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Monday, 11 June 2007 05:11 (eighteen years ago)

Another Spinners track that rules: "Love or Leave." The album version.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Monday, 11 June 2007 10:27 (eighteen years ago)

PHILIPPE RULES IT.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Monday, 11 June 2007 10:27 (eighteen years ago)

Another great O'Jays track is "Cry Together." Love it. And just to re-iterate what I said above, I'd take the HM and the Blue Notes over 'em both. All of it is such great, great music though.

― matt2, Monday, 11 June 2007 13:58 (eighteen years ago)

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