Product Description
The Main Ingredient will always be one of soul music's most esteemed vocal groups. Between 1969 and 1975 they chalked up 14 US R&B/Soul chart hits, many of which went Top 10 or higher and 10 of which also crossed over to the Pop charts. Although several of these also brushed the UK Pop charts of the day, the group has never been too well represented on CD.

All that changes with the release of the "Spinning Around" Kent compilation that covers the group's first 10 years on RCA Victor and includes all the important hits and flips (and the occasional flop) from 1967-1976 - including their first two singles for the label as the Insiders.

Their lengthy hit list shows that the MI had real staying power. They survived the premature death (from leukaemia) of their first distinctive lead singer, Donald McPherson, to come back stronger and even more successfully with a new front man, Cuba Gooding Sr.

The MI also pioneered what came to be known as the "quiet storm" format of R&B, with many lush sensual ballads that are still a staple of late night oldies R&B radio. They were also capable of spotting commercial, chart-friendly material, and scored big with the original versions of `Everybody Plays The Fool' and `Happiness Is Just Around The Bend', as well as having the biggest hit version of the much-covered `Just Don't Want to Be Lonely'. These are among the 22 gems on offer here, the majority of which are making their UK CD debut.

Soul has never sounded smoother or sweeter than it does in the hands of Luther, Tony, Donald and Cuba.

1. I'm Better Off Without You - The Insiders
2. If You Had A Heart - The Insiders
3. I'm Just A Man - The Insiders
4. I Was Born To Lose You
5. Brotherly Love
6. The Girl I Left Behind
7. You've Been My Inspiration
8. I'm So Proud
9. Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love)
10. Magic Shoes
11. Black Seeds Keep On Growing
12. I'm Leaving This Time
13. Everybody Plays The Fool
14. You've Got To Take It (If You Want It)
15. You Can Call Me Rover
16. Girl Blue
17. Just Don't Want To Be Lonely
18. Happiness Is Just Around The Bend
19. California My Way
20. Rolling Down A Mountainside
21. The Good Old Days (Do You Remember)
22. Shame On The World

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UX4418/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000UX4418/?tag=imwan-21

This was one wonderful little group. "Everybody Plays The Fool" and "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" were huge back in the '70s. I dearly love both songs. It's nice to see the U.K. putting a comp together of the guys. I have a BMG (I believe) domestic that I've had since the '90s.