Spinners: Spinners Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Spinners: Spinners Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 4, 2023

It isn't only because The Spinners hail from Michigan that they're associated with the "Motown Sound", since any fan will know the group helped define the sound of one of the most iconic labels in American music history. Somewhat ironically, then, this new Quadio release from Rhino offers the band's first release on Atlantic, a label that continued to promote the band's very distinctive approach, while perhaps offering it even more of a marketing push than Motown was able to. This fantastic album from 1973 made it to the very top spot on Billboard's Soul LP listings, while also muscling its way into the Top 15 of the wider non genre driven Top LPs list aggregated by that same publication. The album also produced some of The Spinners' best remembered singles, including "I'll Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love".

The disc features a reproduction of the original tri-color Atlantic LP label.

The track list for this album is:

1. Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind
2. Just You and Me Baby
3. Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You
4. I Could Never (Repay Your Love)
5. I'll Be Around
6. One of a Kind (Love Affair)
7. We Belong Together
8. Ghetto Child
9. How Could I Let You Get Away
10. Could It Be I'm Falling in Love

Spinners: Spinners Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While there is video content here, like most hi-res audio Blu-rays, it's simply a menu, and because this release allows you to use the color buttons on your remote to choose which audio codec (red for DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0, yellow for DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), you really don't even have to have your display on to enjoy this release. That said, there is some minimal animation going on with regard to this menu, if you keep your eyes peeled (I won't spoil the admittedly tiny "surprise" for those who may want to discover it themselves, though the screenshots of the menu I've included here may offer a clue). I've heard from several regular readers of my long running hi-res audio Blu-ray reviews that they'd actually prefer (repeated) screenshots of the menu rather than photos of the band, etc., on reviews, so you get seven screenshots of the menu here.

Spinners: Spinners Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Spinners offers DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options, and I'm assuming anyone interested in this release is going to want to listen to the quadrophonic version, so the bulk of my comments will focus on that. This is a really fun four channel version which may admittedly not have the almost gonzo separation of, say, Rhino's Quadio release of Charles Mingus: Mingus Moves, but it's much more noticeably immersive than some of the subtler mixes the Quadio line has brought out. Typically the vocals are positioned forward (one niggling qualm I had is that I wished they had been mixed more "forward", i.e., louder), and percussion and supporting instrumentation like brass is relegated to the rear, but there are also some really fun discretely channeled items, like a high hat in the left rear channel on the almost Vegas lounge-y version of "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You". There is some verbiage in the insert booklet that mimics similar information in other 4.0 audio Blu-rays about how to utilize bass management, but I'd say whatever choice your particular system offers, don't expect a surplus of low end emanating from the subwoofer (per design), which is not to suggest that there's any real lack in either the lower midrange or actual lowest frequencies. Fidelity is outstanding throughout the album.

Spinners: Spinners Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplemental content offered.

Spinners: Spinners Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thom Bell's lustrous production suffuses this immensely enjoyable recording. While the hit singles may be enough to encourage interest, the entire album is filled with great arrangements and smooth as silk vocals. Recommended.