The Rubberband Man

This song is about a guy who makes incredible sounds with a rubber band stretched between his toes; the rubber band sound is simulated in the bassline. The bass was played by Bob Babbitt, who played on many Motown tracks. He ran the instrument through a device he called a "funk box" to get the unusual sound.

The Spinners' producer, Thom Bell, wrote this song for his son with help from his songwriting partner Linda Creed. Bell wrote theme songs for all of his children, although "The Rubberband Man" is the only one that was ever recorded. At first, it was called "The Fat Man," since his son Mark was rather large and that's what his schoolmates called him. Bell wanted to change the perception of this nickname, so he wrote a song about a big man who can really move. He's the guy everyone waits for at the party because when he arrives, it can really get going. Said Bell, "It was written for big people who were hip, to change the whole idea of a person being large being sloppy, slow."

This song was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in June 1976. Sigma was the hub of the Philadelphia Sound; it was where Patti Labelle, The O'Jays and The Stylistics recorded. Musicians on this track included Tony Bell and Bobby Eli on guitar, Andrew Smith on drums, Larry Washington on percussion and Thom Bell on keyboards.