Labor of Love is a 1981 studio album by American soul musicvocal groupthe Spinners, released on Atlantic Records. This release followed a brief period of disco experimentation. The group returned to their Philly soul roots, giving the band a commercial and critical boost. Still, with this album, the slid to the bottom of sales charts and would fall off entirely within a few years.
Reception
Editors at AllMusic Guide scored Labor of Love three out of five stars, with reviewer Ron Wynn writing that this was when the group's commercial prospects began to slide, as audiences thought of them as a cover band reinterpreting crossover pop/rhythm and blues hits, noting that this album has "ebullient soul ballads and uptempo tunes" that builds upon their classic period, but which left them out of step with contemporary audiences.[1]
Medley: "Yesterday Once More" / "Nothing Remains the Same" (John Bettis and Richard Carpenter/Michael Zager) – 7:29
"Almost All the Way to Love" (John Lewis Parker and Harry Shannon) – 4:04
"The Winter of Our Love" (lyrics: Linda Creed, music: Michael Zager) – 3:49
"Be My Love" (lyrics: Sammy Cahn, music: Nicholas Brodsky) – 4:04
"Give Your Lady What She Wants" (Tony Wilson) – 3:19
"A Man Just Don't Know What a Woman Goes Through" (Bob Brabham, Linda Brown, and Archie P. Jordon) – 3:15
"The Deacon" (lyrics: Pervis Jackson, music: Michael Zager) – 4:25
Chart performance
Labor of Love marked a sharp downturn in commercial success from the band's past two albums, reaching 40 on the R&B chart and peaking at 128 on the Billboard 200.[2]
Carla Bandini – mixing assistance, engineering on rhythm tracks for "Be My Love", "A Man Just Don't Know What a Woman Goes Through", "The Deacon" Rhythm Tracks at Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, New York, United States
Mike Barbiero – engineering on rhythm tracks for Medley: "Yesterday Once More" / "Nothing Remains the Same", "Almost All the Way to Love", "Give Your Lady What She Wants" at Media Sound, New York City, New York, United States
Ed Barton – engineering on rhythm tracks for "Long Live Soul Music", "Standing on the Rock", and "The Winter of Our Love" at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California, United States
Lincoln Calpp – engineering assistance on rhythm tracks for Medley: "Yesterday Once More" / "Nothing Remains the Same", "Almost All the Way to Love", "Give Your Lady What She Wants" at Media Sound, New York City, New York, United States
Dennis King – mastering at Atlantic Studios, New York City, New York, United States
Michael Hutchinson – engineering, recording, and mixing at Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, New York, United States (including horns for "Standing on the Rock", Medley: "Yesterday Once More" / "Nothing Remains the Same", "Be My Love", "A Man Just Don't Know What a Woman Goes Through", and "The Deacon")
David Leonard – engineering on rhythm tracks for "Long Live Soul Music", "Standing on the Rock", and "The Winter of Our Love" at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California, United States
Greg Mann – engineering assistance on rhythm tracks for Medley: "Yesterday Once More" / "Nothing Remains the Same", "Almost All the Way to Love", "Give Your Lady What She Wants" at Media Sound, New York City, New York, United States
John Potoker – engineering on rhythm tracks for "Be My Love", "A Man Just Don't Know What a Woman Goes Through", "The Deacon" Rhythm Tracks at Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, New York, United States
Matthew Weiner – mixing assistance at Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, New York, United States
