"It's a Shame" (The Spinners)

"It's a Shame" by The Spinners (1970) was the first of many steps toward autonomy for then 20-year-old Stevie Wonder.  He'd already been recording and touring for the "Motown machine" for the better part of a decade when, inspired by the example of label mate Marvin Gaye, he began pushing to write his own material and produce other artists, too.
Along with producing his own hit single "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" in 1970, he ended up being allowed to work with The Spinners, who'd languished without a hit for 10 years until "It's a Shame" came along.  Written with his musician friend Lee Garrett and eventual ex-wife Syreeta Wright, the song actually is about a rough patch that Wonder and Wright were going through in their relationship.  (Hearing lead singer G.C. Cameron crooning about emotional manipulation and catty cruelty makes one think those two should never have been a couple to begin with.)
In spite of its subject matter, the track has an ebullient groove, complete with bright, shiny horns and a tasty electric guitar riff.  It's also a showcase for Wonder's drumming abilities, which are every bit as impressive as his harmonica skills.  Listen to how he structures the groove: he plays the kick drum just a touch behind the beat but then uses that intricate hi-hat pattern to push the meter a little.  It creates a sense of tension and also gives track a little swagger and swing.  (The man truly is a genius.)
Incidentally, the single holds the distinction of being the only Top 20 single The Spinners recorded for Motown before being dropped by the label in 1971.  The very next year, the group was picked up by Atlantic Records and ended up recording a string of huge hit singles under the direction of writer/producer Thom Bell, who turned them into one of the top-selling R&B groups of the 70s.  (Now that is a shame.)

"I'll Be Around" (The Spinners)

Before the Spinners hit their stride in the mid-70s with a string of hits with Atlantic Records, they struggled for attention over at Motown, making only a minor splash with the Stevie Wonder-penned "It's A Shame."  It took classically-trained writer and producer Thom Bell, one of the architects behind the "Philly Sound," to give them their first real hit, "I'll Be Around"--originally released as a B-side that DJs wisely flipped.
Not to downplay lead singer Bobby Smith's contribution (because it's a great vocal), this song has Thom Bell written all over it.  As he had proven with other acts like the Delfonics and Stylistics, he not only knew how to write songs ("La-la Means I Love You," "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time," "You Are Everything," and tons more), he also knew how to produce songs.  Every element on "I'll Be Around" is in its proper place; if you took out any one thing--the strings, the guitar, the clavinet, the vibraphone--it would not be the same groove.  That goes double for percussionist Larry Washington's congas.  Do an experiment: listen to the song on headphones (or in your car), and then push all of the sound into the right channel so that the congas drop out.  It's still a hell of a groove, but it feels unfinished without Washington's galloping rhythm.
There are other genius touches on the track, like suspending the rhythm at the end of the chorus for one bar, which gives room for the bass to do that sweet, funky descending pattern.  There's that little two-note pattern on the organ that pops up between stanzas.  There's also the call and response between the MFSB string and the horn sections on the bridge.  There's just so much going on in the song, but it all feels natural and right.
It's one of the best, most durable singles of the 1970s.