Inside Tracks #30: The Spinners, 1973, "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" by Joseph B. Jefferson w/covers by The MGs, The Velvelettes, Remixes
The Spinners are on a roll with this third hit from their 1973 self-titled LP, all produced, arranged, and conducted by the late Thom Bell. "One of a Kind," indeed!
The first sound you hear on the hit recording is MFSB session drummer, Earl Young, and his ground-breaking floor tom:
He put his stamp on dozens, if not hundreds, of ‘70s-era hits out of Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios, including the first handful of Spinners hits for their first album after leaving Motown and signing with Ahmet Ertegun’s Atlantic Records.
FR&B recently and thoroughly uncovered interviews and other documentation placing Earl Young at Disco’s literal Ground Zero: The Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around”:
Audio Archaeology: The Birth of Disco Uncovered--"I'll Be Around" by The Spinners, Written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt
The Birth of Disco The Spinners and their “I’ll Be Around,” produced by the late Thom Bell on Atlantic Records: This otherwise innocuous (but undeniably smooth and creamy ear-pudding with a beat) early-’70s hit just might have laid the musical foundation for the rest of the ‘70s, especially anything under the dance/disco/R&B banners.
Following the July 1972 release of “I’ll Be Around” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” four months later, “One of a Kind (Love Affair)” was released in April ‘73 as the third single from The Spinners’ self-titled 1973 album on Atlantic Records, their label debut.
All three topped the U.S. R&B chart, while the singles ended up at #3 (“I’ll Be Around”), #4 (“Could It Be”), and #11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop chart. The Spinners were on a roll that would continue the next four years. The common denominator for these hits? Producer/arranger/conductor, Thom Bell, and Philly’s Sigma Sound Studios:
Join the guys backstage, and follow them to the stage, opening their show with “One of a Kind (Love Affair)”:
She leaves without saying goodbye, leaving just a note on the wall: “I'm leaving you. Know I love you too. I can’t stay with you.” Such is the essence of the song, per Songfacts.
“According to the song’s writer, Joseph B. Jefferson, this really happened to him,” the site further asserts. A drummer, Jefferson was touring with The Manhattans in the early ‘70s. He was living with his girlfriend, and when he returned home after the tour, he found that message on the wall...she was gone.
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