New and Improved (The Spinners album)

New and Improved
Studio album by The Spinners
Released	December 1974
Recorded	Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Genre	R&B
Length	34:56
Label	Atlantic SD 18118
Producer	Thom Bell
The Spinners chronology
Mighty Love (1974) New and Improved (1974) Pick of the Litter (1975)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	(B) [2]

New and Improved is the fifth album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in December 1974 on the Atlantic label. Like the Spinners' two previous Atlantic albums, New and Improved was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

History

New and Improved became the Spinners' third consecutive R&B albums chart-topper and reached #9 on the Billboard 200, their first top 10 album on this chart. The album includes "Then Came You", featuring Dionne Warwicke and the group's only single to top the Billboard Hot 100 (it was denied the top spot on the R&B chart by Kool & the Gang's "Higher Plane"), and the top 10 R&B singles "Laughing a Little, Loving a Little" and "Sadie" – the latter track was covered by R. Kelly on his 1993 debut solo album 12 Play.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Sitting on Top of the World"	Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons	4:42
2.	"Smile, We Have Each Other"	Simmons, Hawes, Jefferson	4:30
3.	"Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwicke)	Sherman Marshall, Phillip Pugh	3:59
4.	"There's No One Like You"	Simmons, Hawes	4:16

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Living a Little, Laughing a Little"	Thom Bell, Linda Creed	5:03
6.	"Sadie"	Jefferson, Hawes, Simmons	5:26
7.	"Lazy Susan"	Creed, Bell	3:34
8.	"I've Got to Make It on My Own"	Simmons, Hawes	3:26

Personnel

• Billy Henderson, Bobby Smith, Philippé Wynne, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson – vocals
• Dionne Warwicke – vocals on "Then Came You"
• Linda Creed, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Evette Benton – backing vocals
• Tony Bell, Bobby Eli, Don Murray – guitars
• Thom Bell – keyboards
• Walter Pfeil – harp
• Bob Babbitt – bass guitar
• Don Renaldo – strings
• Andrew Smith – drums
• Larry Washington – congas, bongos
• Jack Faith – alto saxophone, flute
• Rocco Bene, Bobby Hartzell – trumpet
• Joe DeAngelis, Milt Phibbs, Danny Davis – French horn
• Freddie Joiner, Bobby Moore, Richie Genevese, Ed Cascarella – trombone

Charts

Album

Year	Album	Chart positions[3]
		US	US R&B
1974	New and Improved	9	1

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions[4]
		US	US R&B	US A/C	UK[5]
1974	"Then Came You"	1	2	3	29
1975	"Living a Little, Laughing a Little"	37	7	—	—
	"Sadie"	54	7	—	—

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1975 (U.S.)

References

1. ^ Hamilton, Andrew. New and Improved review at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "New and Improved review". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=7827. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
3. ^ "US Albums Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5499/charts-awards/billboard-albums. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
4. ^ "US Singles Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5499/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
5. ^ "UK Charts > Detroit Spinners". The Official Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/detroit%20spinners/. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 

External links

• New and Improved at Discogs