Earth Wind and Fire - Classic or Dud? [UPDATE Feb 2016: RIP Maurice White]

in the stone!

Their live album, Gratitude, is fucking fantastic, and there's nothing from it on the 2CD Essential Earth, Wind & Fire, which is a crime.

I got the box set @ a garage sale for $15.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1kDmnHyOBg

hell yes

anyway, first six albums are definitely classic. hell, spirit is pretty classic as well. i have copies of "all n all" and "i am" somewhere but don't think i ever listened to em more than one

I often these days think, to myself, when listening to Earth, Wind & Fire: "this was the best fucking band in the world"

just saw them live tonite XD

aww yeah! report!

in the stone!

― or something, Monday, 7 September 2009 18:40 (9 months ago) Bookmark

Certainly when their comp is playing it seems like they're the greatest band in the world.

They have DC and Baltimore shows coming up shortly. I wonder how the current version of the band is...

just continuing the love here. hope everyone is having a nice day. if not, this might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XOY7lsBVpo

I need to break out some EWF on my radio show this week.

They have DC and Baltimore shows coming up shortly. I wonder how the current version of the band is...

― curmudgeon, Monday, June 7, 2010 8:03 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

how 'current'? its the 3 surviving members... although when i went, one of them had to fly back to LA to take care of his mother who is sick. :(

philip bailey, fwiw, sounds INCREDIBLE. the band is unbelievably tight & plays stuff pretty much as close to the recordings as can be imagined (in a good way)

hmm i dont know why i thought one of them had passed away. never mind me. anyway yes it was three of them touring, maurice white wasnt there

how 'current'? its the 3 surviving members...

I thought Maurice White doesn't gig with EWF anymore?

Whoops, sorry, didn't notice your second post!

There's also a "fake" (though apparently officially approved) band touring called "Earth, Wind & Fire Experience" or something like that, the only original member it has is their 70s guitarist.

If you do not LOVE the song "Reasons", you have no soul.

I often these days think, to myself, when listening to Earth, Wind & Fire: "this was the best fucking band in the world"

OTMFM

also "See the Light" pwns u

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUEM1eqc_X4

This is pretty nice; it's a recent remix, but it's made in the classic disco mix style, i.e. using only elements from the original song.

Also, I think the way the vocals sound on "Fantasy" is better than on any other song made by anyone. They're just so immaculately beautiful!

I distrust any man who doubts the buoyancy of "Fantasy" and "Serpentine Fire."

My ex's dad was demoing a bass guitar on this makeshift stage at NAAM several years ago. Some guy walks up and starts playing drums behind him. Then a keyboardist comes up, then a guitarist. Ex's dad looks up and oh shit it's EWF on stage with him. At this point he goes "you guys are too good for me" and takes off the bass but they implore him to go on. I probably would've freaked out too, honestly.

so so so so CALSSIC!!!!!
I always smile when I hear those bad ass jams..

anybody who can't get down w/EWF is straight up my enemy

that is just the deal with me & EWF

Is "Gratitude" the best one live/one studio double LP? It's certainly my favourite.

fun fact: these dudes went to my high-school and played us a song during an assembly. or at least a couple of the members did - i was at least 16 and had no idea at the time.

My iPod played "Fantasy," "September," "Let's Groove," and "Fall in Love With Me." I'm going to delete the rest of the content and just play these four songs in a loop.

You need "Can't Hide Love" in there.
fumf fumf FUMF FUMF

oh man every day is a good day to think about the righteousness of EWF

Other severely underrated '80s EWF jams: "Wanna Be With You," "Lady Sun," "Side By Side," "Win or Lose."

Was your ipod on shuffle? Those are the exact four best EWF songs. "Serpentine Fire" is almost as good.

Also cosign with Eric above me: Raise (the whole album) is fucking slept on. I have half a dozen late 70s/early eighties EWF albums, and none of them is less than very good. Taken together, they're a pretty good argument for not fucking with a good formula. Which is not to say they're all the same, not hardly. Some of the canniest pop of its era - Michael J and Quincy J certainly took a lesson or two from Maurice White's playbook when they were concocting Thriller.

Why has no one done a supercut of Maurice White going Yeowwww?

I was a fool for letting Mom get rid of her near-mind copy of Raise!

I like the early stuff ok. Got bits of the s/t popping up on my walkman from time to time.
Meant to get all that pre-disco stuff, maybe need to check out some of the later stuff?

Didn't see any mention of their appearance behind Melvin van Peebles on Sweet Sweetback's Sweetback song. You used to be able to get the s/track with the book with the script/film history in. Not sure if you still can.

Need to find the 2cd of his solo stuff too, RAted X By AN All White Jury. Has some great stuff on it with an unfortunately uncredited band shining in most places. Not sure who that is on the 1st 3 lps , don't think it's EW&F members after the s/trk.

picked up raise and powerlight a month or so ago and was surprised how damn great the both of them actually are
xpost

"Spread Your Love" is awesome. "Lady Sun" is awesome. God I love these guys.

I think the first album is probably my favourite album of theirs these days, just ahead of That's The Way of The World. Such a great band.

I keep thinking I need this box.

Other severely underrated '80s EWF jams: "Wanna Be With You," "Lady Sun," "Side By Side," "Win or Lose."
― dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Wednesday, January 11, 2012 10:57 PM (9 months ago)

Not just severely underrated. They are all among their very best songs, too.

listening to their 1990 album heritage right now and it's maurice white doing an impeccable jam/lewis approximation and i am basically loving it

that's encouraging. I actually like 1987's "System of Survival."

YOU'RE MY
YOU'RE MY
LADY SUN

EW&F are my reason for living.
And they light up my day.

After Charles Stepney died in 1976, Maurice took over the reins of producing the Emotions and it was with this combo that the album Rejoice was released in 1977. Rejoice peaked at number 7 and number 1 on the pop and R&B charts and spawned the singles "Best of My Love" and "Don't Ask My Neighbors" which reached number 1 on the Pop and R&B charts and number 7 on the R&B charts respectively.

Best of My Love won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals, and an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single. "Best Of My Love" was also the third biggest pop single of 1977, and has been certified platinum. Rejoice was also the third biggest R&B album of 1977 has been certified platinum.

In 1978, The Emotions released their third Columbia album, Sunbeam in 1978. Sunbeam reached number 12 on the top R&B album charts and spawned the number 6 R&B single "Smile". Sunbeam has been certified gold by the RIAA... Maurice produced two more albums for the Emotions until they departed Columbia to record under Motown.

loved "Best of My Love" so much as a child, but never looked further into the group -- now I need to hear it all, they got three albums out of Maurice White when he was totally in the pocket!

Listening to Powerlight, I could swear M. White had studied his ABBA, what with the crazy harmonies, butter-light beat, and expert horns ("Freedom of Choice"). But for all the lightness there's a hysterical streak too.

i was working on a taping for PSAs the other day and Maurice, Verdine and Philip came in and it was cool to see them work together on a non-musical thing, just the way they took turns with lines and then did things in perfect unison and the way their speaking voices sounded right together, exactly like you'd expect with guys who've been singing together for 40 years.

wow! Good to know they're still civil.

man that story has made my day

GODDAMMIT

https://twitter.com/AP/status/695374050168733696

RIP Maurice White

SOS album is better.

sadlol not wrong

I had no idea there was an unrelated group called Earth and Fire. For a second, I thought it could be EWF minus some crucial member(s).

song of the marching children is a cool album!