A Spinners greatest-hits compilation is as close to a sure thing as a fan of soul music can get – I have three from the past decade, and the music is so good that I can't part with any of them. The string of hits produced by Thom Bell during the '70s gives the group as strong a backbone as can be found in soul music; the power and consistency of their recordings are matched only by the work of Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Stevie Wonder, among artists active during that decade – although as gifted, visionary songwriters, Gaye and Wonder had an element the Spinners lacked. Still, they lifted off with the Wonder-written 1970 smash "It's a Shame" and never looked back, recording rich, passionate, intricately crafted soul music that, though unmistakably stamped by singer Philippe Wynne, was so much more than a showcase for Wynne. In fact, Wynne joined after "Shame" and left before hits like "Workin' My Way Back to You/Forgive Me"); an argument could be made that Bell's genius in the recording studio was the key to their success, or that the on- and offstage harmony of the rest of the group – four of the original Spinners, which was formed in Detroit in 1961, are still in the group – was the essential if intangible ingredient. In any case, something was right – because, as The Chrome Collection proves, the Spinners made some incredible music over the years.