During the '70s,
the Spinners' pairing with Philadelphia producer
Thom Bell resulted in some of the most fulfilling and immaculately produced albums of the era. The pairing brought the group six gold singles and five gold albums. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow in effect drew the hitmaking ways to a screeching halt. The group had declined shortly after 1975's
Pick of the Litter. That was perfectly acceptable. Both
Mighty Love and
Pick of the Litter were two of the best albums of the '70s so there wasn't anywhere to go but down. The lyrical decline that was evident on this album's predecessor,
Happiness Is Being With the Spinners, is even clearer here. In fact, most of the sessions on this album were recorded at the same time as
Happiness Is Being With the Spinners. The problems with this were seen immediately. "Me and My Music" like most songs about the joys of the music are always danger zones and folksy rural asides of lead singer
Phillipe Wynne made it even more cloying. The elegiac "I'm Riding Your Shadow Down to Love" is so beautifully arranged -- from the strings to the near three-dimensional harmony -- that it made it easy to overlook the incoherent lyrics. As for hit potential, the likeable "You're the Love of My Life" was this album's best shot at a hit single but was left unreleased. Not that it would have made much of a difference at this point. This was
Phillipe Wynne's swan song and the fact that he was ready to barrel out the door put a damper on the festivities. Both "Just to Be With You" and "Throwing a Good Love Away" recall his past glories without half of the charm. In an odd note, on the track "Honey, I'm in Love With You" produced and arranged by
Thom Bell's brother Tony Bell, is a good-natured song that seemed custom made for
Phillipe Wynne, but he's not even on it. The lead on the track is John Edwards. He attempts
Wynne's aphorisms and rhythm style before giving up and unleashing high-pitched wails and his own barrage of ad-libs. Taken on its own, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow is a good effort, but
the Spinners' earlier '70s efforts are where the consistently great work is found. ~ Jason Elias