1. A soul group of the early '70s, creating a body of work that defined the lush, seductive sound of Philly soul. In the UK they were known as "The Detroit Spinners" to avoid confusion with British band The Spinners. The band's roots lay in Detroit, where they formed as a doo wop group during the late '50s. Throughout the '60s, the Spinners tried to land a hit by adapting to the shifting fashions of R&B and pop. By the mid-'60s, they had signed with Motown Records, but the label never gave the group much consideration. "It's a Shame" became a hit in 1970, but the label continued to ignore the group, and dropped the band two years later. Unsigned and featuring new lead singer Phillipe Wynne, the Spinners seemed destined to never break into the big leagues, but they managed to sign with Atlantic Records, where they began working with producer Thom Bell. With his assistance, the Spinners developed a distinctive sound, one that relied on Wynne's falsetto and the group's intricate vocal harmonies. Bell provided the group with an appropriately detailed production, creating a detailed web of horns, strings, backing vocals, and lightly funky rhythms. Between 1972 and 1977, the Spinners and Bell recorded a number of soul classics, including "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Fallin in Love," "Mighty Love," "Ghetto Child," "Then Came You," "Games People Play," and "The Rubberband Man." Wynne left in 1977 and the Spinners had hits for a few years after his departure, but the group will always be remembered for its classic mid-'70s work. Originally, called the Domingoes, the Spinners formed when the quintet were high school students in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale in 1957. At the time, the group featured Bobbie Smith, Pervis Jackson, George W. Dixon, Billy Henderson, and Henry Fambrough. Four years later, they came to the attention of producer Harvey Fuqua, who began recording the group -- who were now called the Spinners -- for his Tri-Phi Records. The band's first single, "That's What Girls Are Made For," became a Top Ten R&B hit upon its 1961 release and featured Smith on vocals. Following its release, Dixon was replaced by Edgar "Chico" Edwards. Over the next few years, the group released a series of failed singles, and when Tri-Phi was bought out by Motown in the mid-'60s, the Spinners became part of the larger company's roster. By that time, Edwards had been replaced by G.C. Cameron. Though the Spinners had some R&B hits at Motown during the late '60s, including "I'll Always Love You" and "Truly Yours," they didn't have a genuine crossover success until 1970, when Stevie Wonder gave the group "It's a Shame." Motown never concentrated on the Spinners, and they let the group go in 1972. Before the band signed with Atlantic Records, Phillipe Wynne replaced Cameron as the group's lead vocalist. Wynne had previously sung with Catfish and Bootsy Collins. At Atlantic Records, the Spinners worked with producer Thom Bell, who gave the group a lush, seductive sound, complete with sighing strings, a tight rhythm section, sultry horns, and a slight funk underpinning. Wynne quickly emerged as a first-rate soul singer, and the combination of the group's harmonies, Wynne's soaring leads, and Bell's meticulous production made the Spinners the most popular soul group of the '70s. Once the group signed with Atlantic, they became a veritable hit machine, topping the R&B and pop charts with songs like "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," "One of a Kind (Love Affair)," "Ghetto Child," "Rubberband Man," and "You're Throwing a Good Love Away." Not only were their singles hits, but their albums constantly went gold and charted in the Top 20. Wynne left the band to pursue a solo career in 1977; he was replaced by John Edwards. Though none of Wynne's solo records were big hits, his tours with Parliament-Funkadelic were well-received, as were his solo concerts. In October 1984, he died of a heart attack during a concert in Oakland, CA. The Spinners, meanwhile, had a number of minor hits in the late '70s, highlighted by their disco covers of "Working My Way Back to You" and the medley "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time." During the early '80s, they had several minor hits before fading away from the charts and entering the oldies circuit, reprising their earlier material for 1999's new studio effort At Their Best. Long time founding members Billy Henderson and Pervis Jackson have since deceased.
2. The Spinners were a folk group from Liverpool, England, that formed in September 1958. The group was unusual for its time in having a multiracial membership.
They variously had four albums in the UK Albums Chart between September 1970 and April 1972. One of them, Spinners Live Performance (1971), spent three months in the listing and peaked at No. 14.
The band began as a skiffle group with a mainly American repertoire, until they were prompted by Redd Sullivan, a seaman, to include sea shanties and English folk songs. They started out as the Gin Mill Skiffle Group, which included guitarist Tony Davis and washboard player Mick Groves. The group played the Cavern Club, Liverpool for the first time on Friday 18 January 1957, with the Muskrat Jazz Band and the Liverpool University Jazz Band. They played there on a number of occasions on Friday 24 May; Sunday 26 May; Wednesday 5 June; Wednesday 3 July and Friday 16 August 1957. In September 1958 they became the Spinners. They founded a folk club in Liverpool, the 'Triton Club', but soon were performing in London at places such as 'the Troubadour'. Their first album, Songs Spun in Liverpool, was recorded by Bill Leader from live performances. In 1962 Peter Kennedy of the English Folk Dance & Song Society recorded an album with them called Quayside Songs Old & New. In 1963 Philips Records signed them, and they recorded eight more albums over the next eight years. They signed for EMI Records in the early 1970s.
They became popular by reviving some of the greatest folk music and singing new songs in the same vein. Although sounding like traditional English folk songs, some of their material was in fact composed by Jones, such as "The Ellan Vannin Tragedy" and "The Marco Polo". One of their best known songs, particularly in their native Liverpool, was "In My Liverpool Home", written by Peter McGovern in 1962. Cliff Hall also introduced traditional Jamaican songs to their repertoire. One of their albums was called Not Quite Folk.
They produced over forty albums, and made numerous concerts and TV appearances. In 1970, they were given their own television show on BBC One that ran for seven years. They also had their own show on BBC Radio 2. They retired in 1988, after thirty years together, although they led the community singing at the 1989 FA Cup Final and played some Christmas shows in the early 1990s. Members of the group still perform, although Cliff Hall retired to Australia, where he died in 2008.
Their version of the Ewan MacColl song, "Dirty Old Town", was included in the Terence Davies' 2008 memoir/documentary of Liverpool, Of Time and the City. A biography of the group 'Fried Bread and Brandy-O' (the title of their signature tune) was written by Liverpool journalist David Stuckey (with a foreword by Pete Seeger) to coincide with their 25th anniversary, and published by Robson Books.
In 2009 The Liverpool Barrow Boys from Songs Spun in Liverpool was included in Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten as track 19 on the 6th CD.
Band members
Tony Davis (born 24 August 1930, Blackburn, Lancashire, England, died 10 February 2017)
Mick Groves (born Salford, Lancashire, England)
Cliff Hall (born Clifford Samuel Hall, 11 September 1925, Oriente Province, Cuba, died 26 June 2008, Adelaide, South Australia)
Hughie Jones (born Liverpool, England)
3. The Spinners were a female punk band from Turkey, active in the late 80's and early 90's. They released a demo called “Lalala” in 1991.
Shop Around
The Spinners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said,"Son, you're growing up now pretty soon you'll take a bride.
And then she said, "Just because you've become a young man now,
There's still somethings that you don't understand now,
Before you ask some girl for her hand now
Keep your freedom for as long as you can now."
My mama told me, "You better shop around, (shop, shop)
Ah, there's somethings that I want you to know now.
Just as sure as the winds gonna blow now
The women come and the women gonna go now
Before you tell em that you love em so now.
My mama told me, "You better shop around, (shop, shop)
Oh yeah, you better shop around." (shop, shop around)
A-try to get yourself a bargain son.
Don't be sold on the very first one.
A-pretty girls come a dime a dozen,
A-try to find one who's gonna give you true lovin'
Before you take a girl and say I do, now,
Make sure she's in love with-a you now.
My mama told me, "You better shop around."
Ooh yeah, a-try to get yourself a bargain son.
Don't be sold on the very first one.
A-pretty girls come a dime a dozen,
A-try to find one who's gonna give you true lovin'.
Before you take a girl and say I do, now,
Make sure she's in love with-a you now.
Make sure that her love is true now.
I hate to see you feelin' sad and blue now."
My mama told me, "You better shop around (shop, shop)
Don't let the first one get you
Oh no cause I don't want to see her with you
Before you let her hold you tight, ah yeah make sure shes alright
Before you let her take your hand my son
Understand my son, be a man my son I know you can I love you"
The Spinners’ hit “Shop Around” is a classic soul song with a valuable lesson about relationships. The song starts with the singer’s mother calling him to her side to have “the talk.” She reminds him that even though he is growing up, there are still things he doesn’t understand about love and relationships. She advises him to keep his freedom as long as he can and to shop around for the best partner. The catchy hooks emphasize the importance of avoiding getting caught up with the first woman he meets.
The song advises against jumping into a relationship with the first pretty girl that catches his attention. The mother warns him that pretty girls come a dime a dozen, but finding a partner who will give him true love is priceless. The lyrics suggest that he should focus on finding a woman who is actually in love with him and who he truly loves in return. The song acknowledges the pain that can come from ending up with the wrong partner, and encourages taking the time to choose wisely before making such a huge decision.
Overall, “Shop Around” is a wise and ageless reminder to take the search for a life partner seriously and to avoid settling for less than ideal. It stresses the importance of making a thoughtful, informed choice when it comes to love and personal fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
When I became of age my mother called me to her side,
As I came of age, my mother pulled me aside to give me advice.
She said,"Son, you're growing up now pretty soon you'll take a bride.
My mother warned me that as I grew up, I would soon have to think about getting married.
And then she said, "Just because you've become a young man now,
She reminded me that even though I'm growing up, there are things I still don't understand.
There's still somethings that you don't understand now,
There are still things that I need to learn about relationships and women.
Before you ask some girl for her hand now
Before I ever ask a girl to marry me, I needed to know what to look for.
Keep your freedom for as long as you can now.
My mother advised me to enjoy my freedom for as long as I can before committing to someone else.
My mama told me, "You better shop around, (shop, shop)
My mother warned me that I needed to look around before settling down with someone.
Ah, there's somethings that I want you to know now.
My mother wanted me to be aware of certain things about women and relationships.
Just as sure as the winds gonna blow now
Just like the wind, relationships can be unpredictable and change without warning.
The women come and the women gonna go now
Women come and go, so it's important to find the right one for you.
Before you tell em that you love em so now.
Before telling a woman that I love her, I needed to ensure that she was the right one for me.
A-try to get yourself a bargain son.
I should try to find the best possible partner for me, someone who would suit me best.
Don't be sold on the very first one.
I should not commit to the first woman I meet, without checking to see if she's right for me.
A-pretty girls come a dime a dozen,
There are many beautiful women in the world, so I need to find one who is also kind, compassionate, and loving.
A-try to find one who's gonna give you true lovin'
It's important to find someone who will love me genuinely, for who I am.
Before you take a girl and say I do, now,
Before getting married, I should be absolutely sure that she is the one for me.
Make sure she's in love with-a you now.
I need to be certain that she truly loves me, and not just settling for me.
Ooh yeah, a-try to get yourself a bargain son.
I should try to find the best possible partner for me, someone who would suit me best.
Don't be sold on the very first one.
I should not commit to the first woman I meet, without checking to see if she's right for me.
A-pretty girls come a dime a dozen,
There are many beautiful women in the world, so I need to find one who is also kind, compassionate, and loving.
A-try to find one who's gonna give you true lovin'.
It's important to find someone who will love me genuinely, for who I am.
Before you take a girl and say I do, now,
Before getting married, I should be absolutely sure that she is the one for me.
Make sure she's in love with-a you now.
I need to be certain that she truly loves me, and not just settling for me.
Make sure that her love is true now.
It's vital to ensure that her love for me is genuine, and not just temporary.
I hate to see you feelin' sad and blue now.
My mother didn't want to see me sad and depressed, especially if I ended up with the wrong woman.
Don't let the first one get you
I shouldn't settle down with the first woman I meet, without checking to see if she's right for me.
Oh no cause I don't want to see her with you
My mother didn't want to see me attached to the wrong woman.
Before you let her hold you tight, ah yeah make sure shes alright
Before getting involved in a physical relationship, I need to make sure that she is emotionally stable and right for me.
Before you let her take your hand my son
Before getting too involved with someone, it's important to make sure that we are compatible and have similar long term goals.
Understand my son, be a man my son I know you can I love you
My mother urged me to be a strong, confident man who knows what he wants in life, and she supports me whatever happens.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERRY GORDY JR, BERRY JR GORDY, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ujimajame4601
Lead by G.C. Cameron, who sounded just like Smokey on his solo song "(Don't Wanna Play) Pajama Games" and gave the world both "It's A Shame" and "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday."
@Stevieboy130664
Better than the original by far. Funky as f**k