Earth, Wind & Fire - Japanese Reissue Series '2004 (1973-1983/93/96) [Features DSD Mastering] Combined RE-UP

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Head to the Sky it is their 4th studio album. It was EWF's first commercially successful album and it has been certified platinum in the United States for sales of over a million copies.

As phenomenally popular as Earth, Wind & Fire was from the mid-'70s to the early '80s, it's easy to forget that the band was hardly an overnight success. With Head to the Sky – EWF's fourth album overall, second with Philip Bailey, and second for Columbia – Maurice White's very spiritual and ambitious brand of soul and funk was starting to pay off commercially. The Latin-influenced "Evil" became the soulsters' biggest hit up to that point, and material ranging from the hauntingly pretty title song (which boasts one of Bailey's finest performances ever) to the jazz fusion gem "Zanzibar" is just as rewarding. The lineup White unveiled with Last Days and Time was working out beautifully; Bailey was clearly proving to be a major asset. Also worth noting is the presence of singer Jessica Cleaves, who left after this album and, several years later, resurfaced in George Clinton's eccentric female group the Brides of Funkenstein. EWF still had what was basically a cult following, but that was beginning to change with Head to the Sky. And when EWF took off commercially in 1974 and 1975, many new converts went back and saw for themselves just how excellent an album Head to the Sky was.

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Evil
02. Keep Your Head To The Sky
03. Build Your Nest
04. The World's A Masquerade
05. Clover
06. Zanzibar

Produced by Joseph Wissert.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Open Our Eyes it is their fifth studio album. The album went to number one on the R&B Charts and number 15 on the Pop Charts. The album was made available in a digitally remastered version, which includes 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks.

Finally, after almost half a decade of serious dues-paying, Earth, Wind & Fire took off commercially with its fifth album, Open Our Eyes. EWF had been delivering great albums since 1971, but it wasn't until 1974 that the public proved genuinely receptive to Maurice White's mystical and unorthodox take on soul and funk. No longer would EWF enjoy only a small cult following. Thanks to treasures like "Kalimba Song," the gritty funk smoker "Mighty Mighty," and the unforgettable "Devotion," Open Our Eyes became EWF's first gold album and went to the top of the R&B charts. It's also interesting to note that with this album, singer Jessica Cleaves was gone, resulting in the first time EWF had an all-male lineup. The 2001 CD reissue adds four previously unreleased bonus tracks, one of them a "Walkin' in N'awlins" mix of "Fair But So Uncool," though the other three songs did not appear on the original album in an alternate form.

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Mighty Mighty
02. Devotion
03. Fair But So Uncool
04. Feelin' Blue
05. Kalimba Story
06. Drum Song
07. Tee Nine Chee Bit
08. Spasmodic Movements
09. Rabbit Seed
10. Caribou
11. Open Our Eyes
12. Ain't No Harm To Moan (Slave Song) [Bonus Track]
13. Fair But So Uncool (Walkin' In N'Awlins Mix) [Bonus Track]
14. Step's Tune [Bonus Track]
15. Dreams [Bonus Track]

Originally Produced by Maurice White and Charles Stepney.
Produced for Reissue by Leo Sacks.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. That's the Way of the World is a 1975 album by Earth, Wind & Fire released on Columbia Records. It was also the soundtrack for a 1975 motion picture of the same name. The album spent three weeks atop the Billboard Pop Albums Charts and has been certified triple platinum. That's the Way of the World was also the third bestselling pop album and the number one bestselling R&B album of 1975 respectively. In 2003, the album was ranked number 493 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Earth, Wind & Fire has delivered more than its share of excellent albums, but if a person could own only one EWF release, the logical choice would be That's the Way of the World, which was the band's best album as well as its best-selling. Open Our Eyes had been a major hit and sold over half a million units, but it was World that established EWF as major-league, multi-platinum superstars. Fueled by gems ranging from the sweaty funk of "Shining Star" and "Yearnin' Learnin'" to the gorgeous ballad "Reasons" and the unforgettable title song, EWF's sixth album sold at least five million units. And some of the tracks that weren't major hits, such as the exuberant "Happy Feelin'" and the gospel-influenced "See the Light," are equally powerful. There are no dull moments on World, one of the strongest albums of the 1970s and EWF's crowning achievement. [The 1999 CD reissue has five previously unreleased "sketches" from late 1974, including much briefer instrumental run-throughs of "Shining Star" and "That's the Way of the World," the first take alternate vocal of "All About Love," an alternate of "Happy Feelin'," and the jazz-oriented jam "Caribou Chaser" (the only one of the five not to be represented in a different version on the proper album).]

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Shining Star
02. That's The Way Of The World
03. Happy Feelin'
04. All About Love
05. Yearnin' Learnin'
06. Reasons
07. Africano
08. See The Light
09. Shining Star (Future Star) [Bonus Track]
10. All About Love (First Impression) [Bonus Track]
11. Happy Feelin' (Anatomy Of A Groove) [Bonus Track]
12. Caribou Chaser (Jazzy Jam) [Bonus Track]
13. That's The Way Of The World (Latin Expedition) [Bonus Track]

Originally Soundtrack Produced by Sig Shore.
Produced for Reissue by Leo Sacks.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Gratitude is an double LP, 3/4th's of the album is live and the other 1/4th is recorded in the studio. The album spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart and has been certified triple platinum. Gratitude was also the 2nd bestselling R&B album of 1976. The album was Grammy nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group or Chorus and "Can't Hide Love" was also Grammy nominated for Best Arrangement For Voices.

With That's the Way of the World having made Earth, Wind & Fire one of the best-selling soul bands of the 1970s, Maurice White and co. had no problem filling large arenas. As dynamic as EWF was on-stage, it's a shame that there isn't more documentation of the band's live show. Only one live EWF album was released by a major label in America, the superb Gratitude. First a two-LP set and later reissued on CD, Gratitude brilliantly captures the excitement EWF generated on-stage at its creative peak. Neither hardcore EWF devotees nor more casual listeners should deprive themselves of the joys of the live versions of "Shining Star" and "Yearnin' Learnin'." Maurice White is magnificent throughout, and Philip Bailey truly soars on extended versions of "Reasons" (which boasts a memorable alto sax solo by guest Don Myrick) and "Devotion." The album also introduced some excellent new studio songs, including the haunting "Can't Hide Love" and the uplifting "Sing a Song." One could nitpick and wish for live versions of "Evil," "Keep Your Head to the Sky," and "Kalimba Song," but the bottom line is that Gratitude is one of EWF's finest accomplishments.

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Introduction By MC Perry Jones
02. Africano/Power
03. Yearnin' Learnin'
04. Devotion
05. Sun Goddess
06. Reasons
07. Sing A Message To You
08. Shining Star
09. New World Symphony
10. Interlude #1
11. Sunshine
12. Sing A Song
13. Gratitude
14. Celebrate
15. Interlude #2
16. Can't Hide Love
17. Live Medley: Serpentine Fire/Saturday Nite/Can't Hide Love/Reasons [Bonus Track]

Originally Produced by Maurice White, Charles Stepney, Joe Wissert.
Produced for Reissue by Leo Sacks.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Spirit it is their seventh studio album. The album reached number 2 on the Billboard Pop and R&B Albums Chart and has been certified double platinum.

With That's the Way of the World having enjoyed multi-platinum success, Earth, Wind & Fire had a lot to live up to when the time came for another studio project. And the soul powerhouse didn't let anyone down (either commercially or creatively) on the outstanding Spirit, which boasted hits ranging from the optimistic "On Your Face" and the passionate funk classic "Getaway" to the poetic ballad "Imagination." Philip Bailey is as charismatic as ever on "Imagination" and the gorgeous title song. Maurice White's message and vision (an interesting blend of Afro-American Christianity and Eastern philosophy) was as positive and uplifting as ever, and as always, EWF expressed this positivity without being Pollyanna-ish or corny. And even if one didn't take EWF's calls for unity, hard work, self-respect, and faith in God to heart, they had no problem with their solid grooves. [The 2001 CD reissue adds five previously unreleased bonus tracks, including an alternate mix of "Saturday Nite," an "Angels Mix" of "Imagination," "Departure (The Traveler)," and two songs that did not appear on the original album in an alternate form.]

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Getaway
02. On Your Face
03. Imagination
04. Spirit
05. Saturday Nite
06. Earth, Wind & Fire
07. Departure
08. Biyo
09. Burnin' Bush
10. Saturday Nite (Previously Unissued Alternate Mix) [Bonus Track]
11. Seraphim (Previously Unissued) [Bonus Track]
12. Imagination (Previously Unissued Angels Mix) [Bonus Track]
13. Departure (The Traveler) (Previously Unissued) [Bonus Track]
14. African Symphony (Previously Unissued) [Bonus Track]

Originally Produced by Maurice White and Charles Stepney.
Produced for Reissue by Leo Sacks.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. All 'N All it is their eighth studio album. It is one of the group's most well known albums and has been certified triple platinum in the United States for sales of three million copies by the RIAA. All 'N All was also the bestselling R&B album of 1978.

Earth, Wind & Fire's artistic and commercial winning streak continued with its ninth album, All 'N All, the diverse jewel that spawned major hits like "Serpentine Fire" and the dreamy "Fantasy." Whether the visionary soul men are tearing into the hardest of funk on "Jupiter" or the most sentimental of ballads on "I'll Write a Song for You" (which boasts one of Philip Bailey's many soaring, five-star performances), All 'N All was a highly rewarding addition to EWF's catalog. Because EWF had such a clean-cut image and fared so well among pop audiences, some may have forgotten just how sweaty its funk could be. But "Jupiter" – like "Mighty, Mighty," "Shining Star," and "Getaway" – underscores the fact that EWF delivered some of the most intense and gutsy funk of the 1970s.

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Serpentine Fire
02. Fantasy
03. In The Marketplace (Interlude)
04. Jupiter
05. Love's Holiday
06. Brazilian Rhyme (Interlude)
07. I'll Write A Song For You
08. Magic Mind
09. Runnin'
10. Brazilian Rhyme (Interlude)
11. Be Ever Wonderful
12. Would You Mind (Demo Version of Love's Holiday) [Bonus Track]
13. Runnin' (Original Hollywood Mix) [Bonus Track]
14. Brazilian Rhyme (Recorded Live on OCT. 25, 1980) [Bonus Track]

Originally Produced by Maurice White.
Produced for Reissue by Leo Sacks.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. I Am it is their ninth studio album. It has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. Bandleader Maurice White was also Grammy nominated for Producer of the Year.

Disco was at the height of its popularity in 1979, when Earth, Wind & Fire responded with its most disco-influenced single ever, the glossy and infectious "Boogie Wonderland." Up to that point, EWF had pretty much ignored disco, and when the band finally acknowledged the style, the soulsters weren't about to inundate listeners with it. "Boogie Wonderland" (which features the Emotions, a female group for whom Maurice White had been producing major hits) isn't representative of I Am on the whole. From the hit ballad "After the Love Has Gone" to the exuberant "Let My Feelings Flow," I Am isn't a radical departure from its predecessor, All 'n All. Though not in a class with That's the Way of the World, Spirit, or All 'n All, I Am is a rewarding album that has a lot going for it.

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. In The Stone
02. Can't Let Go
03. After The Love Has Gone
04. Let Your Feelings Show
05. Boogie Wonderland (with The Emotions)
06. Star
07. Wait
08. Rock That!
09. You And I
10. Diana (previously unreleased) [Bonus Track]
11. Dirty (interlude featuring Junior Wells) [Bonus Track]
12. Dirty (Junior's Juke) [Bonus Track]

Originally Produced by Maurice White.
Produced for Reissue by Leo Sacks and Maurice White.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Faces is their tenth studio album. It has been certified gold by the RIAA. In a 2007 interview when asked which EWF album is his favorite Earth, Wind & Fire leader Maurice White replied "Probably Faces because we were really in tune, playing together and it gave us the opportunity to explore new areas".

The limitations of White's magic formula become apparent on this double album - there's one carefully-produced three and a half minute pop song after another ("Take It To The Sky," "Share Your Love"), but he's stopped experimenting, and it all starts to sound the same. Perky funk here, a bouncy ballad there. Still, there are so many memorable melodies and irresistable grooves ("Win Or Lose," "Let Me Talk," "In Time") you won't be sorry you picked this up. Most of the songwriting is by bandmembers, though Brenda Russell cowrote "You," "Song In My Heart" and "And Love Goes On." This still hit the Top Ten, but was their first record in years not to go platinum.

Tracklist:

01. Song In My Heart
02. Take It To The Sky
03. Share Your Love
04. Turn It Into Something Good
05. Let Me Talk
06. Back On The Road
07. Win Or Lose
08. You Went Away
09. In Time
10. Sailaway
11. Pride
12. Sparkle
13. You
14. And Love Goes On
15. Faces

Recorded thru September 1980. Produced by Maurice White.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Raise! it is their eleventh studio album. It has been certified platinum in the US by the RIAA, and it was the bestselling R&B album of 1982.

The end was near for Earth, Wind & Fire. Raise! wasn't quite the disaster it was made out to be at the time, but it was their least distinguished overall album since the early days on Warner Bros., with the exception of their participation in the awful Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film soundtrack in 1978. "Let's Groove" was just a recycled mid-tempo tune from the mid-'70s, and everything else sounded desultory and uninspired. It was no surprise that after two more albums Maurice White and Company decided to take some time away from the scene.

– William Ruhlmann, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Let's Groove
02. Lady Sun
03. My Love
04. Evolution Orange
05. Kalimba Tree
06. You Are A Winner
07. I've Had Enough
08. Wanna Be With You
09. The Changing Times

Produced by Maurice White.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Powerlight is their twelfth studio album. The album has been certified gold for selling over 500, 000 copies in the US. Powerlight went to number 12 and number 4 on the Pop and R&B album charts and the single "Fall in Love with Me" reached number 17 and number 4 on the Pop and R&B charts. "Fall in Love with Me" was also Grammy nominated for Best R&B vocal performance by A Duo or group.

Many groups lose the steam that propelled them to the top; Earth, Wind & Fire, contemporary sound and all, were still blazing when this album was released. "Fall in Love With Me" was the first single. With its festive rhythm and sauntering vocals, it became a number four hit on the Billboard R&B charts and a number 17 pop hit. The percolating single "Side by Side" was the second release. The precise horns, sensuous female backing vocals, and Maurice White's animated vocals make this an entertaining piece. Though it should have fared better, it settled in at number 15 on the R&B charts. The final release was "Spread Your Love." The sonically aggressive special effects are contrasted with a soothing chanting chorus. The single peaked at 57. All three of the above feature Maurice White on lead. Throughout the entire album, White's unifying message is fueled by the aggressive rhythms and relaxing melodies.

– Craig Lytle, allmuisc.com

Tracklist:

01. Fall In Love With Me
02. Spread Your Love
03. Side By Side
04. Straight From The Heart
05. The Speed Of Love
06. Freedom Of Choice
07. Something Special
08. Hearts To Heart
09. Miracles

Produced by Maurice White.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Electric Universe it is their thirteenth studio album. It was produced by the band's leader Maurice White for Kalimba Productions, and went to number 40 and number 8 on the Pop and R&B album charts.

Commercially, Earth, Wind & Fire was slipping in 1983. Though a decent album, Powerlight wasn't the type of big seller EWF was used to. Maurice White responded with a change of direction that proved to be both a commercial and artistic fiasco. Working with very in-demand (and very formula-oriented) studio figures like Martin Page and David Foster, EWF went for a much slicker and more high-tech approach on the weak and disappointing Electric Universe. White saw that synthesizers and drum machines were playing more and more of a role in both R&B and pop, and wanted to acknowledge technology's impact on music with this album. But EWF usually ends up sounding insincere and even sterile. The type of synth-funk that worked so well for the System doesn't work for EWF. A few of the songs are interesting (including "Electric Kingdom" and the single "Magnetic"), but they don't prevent Electric Universe from being EWF's weakest album ever. When this release flopped, EWF's members temporarily went their separate ways, with Philip Bailey and Maurice White concentrating on solo careers.

– Alex Henderson, allmuisc.com

Tracklist:

01. Magnetic
02. Touch
03. Moonwalk
04. Could It Be Right
05. Spirit Of A New World
06. Sweet Sassy Lady
07. We're Living In Our Own Time
08. Electricnation

Produced by Maurice White.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Millennium was released in 1993 for their return to Warner Bros. Records after an eleven-year absence from that label. However, due to the poor sales, Warner dropped them after the album released.

Since the mid-1980s, Earth, Wind & Fire's output had been erratic and quite uneven. One never knew whether the veteran soul/funk band would come out with something as impressive as Share the World or something as embarrassing as Heritage. After many years with Columbia, EWF switched to Warner Bros. – ironically, a label that gave Maurice White and friends the boot back in 1972 – with Millennium. While Heritage found EWF bending over backwards to appeal to urban contemporary tastes, sounding unnatural and even silly in the process, Millennium is a more honest and organic recording. Though hardly in a class with That's The Way Of The World or Spirit – or for that matter, Share The World – Millennium is a decent offering that finds the crew being true to itself. Much of the material, especially "Sunday Morning," "Chicago (Chi-Town) Blues" and "Honor the Magic," is fairly memorable. Unfortunately, the urban contemporary audience wasn't receptive to EWF's honesty. As influential as EWF had been, and as often as it had been sampled in hip-hop, the group was treated like it was expendable.

– Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Even If You Wonder
02. Sunday Morning
03. Blood Brothers
04. Kalimba Interlude
05. Spend The Night
06. Divine
07. Two Hearts
08. Honor The Magic
09. Love Is The Greatest Story
10. The 'L' Word
11. Just Another Lonely Night
12. Super Hero
13. Wouldn't Change A Thing About You
14. Love Across The Wire
15. Chicago (Chi-Town) Blues
16. Kalimba Blues

Produced by Maurice White.





Earth, Wind & Fire is an American R&B and funk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. Avatar is Japan only pre-release of the following year later "In the Name of Love" album. It has a different tracklisting and some additional tracks.

Earth, Wind & Fire's return to Warner Bros. with 1993's Millennium proved to be short-lived – the album failed to meet the company's expectations commercially. Four years later, EWF ended up on the independent, Miami-based Pyramid label with the surprisingly retro In the Name of Love. More personnel changes had taken place, but thankfully, Maurice and Verdine White and Philip Bailey were still on board for what was EWF's most live-sounding, least high-tech offering since 1983's Powerlight. (However, EWF had been touring without Maurice since 1994). Live horns and real instruments abound, and everything from the ballads "Cruising," "When Love Goes Wrong" and "Right Time" to the punchy funk ditty "Rock It" sounds like it could have been recorded in the 1970s. One very pleasant surprise is a remake of "Love of Life," which the pre-Bailey EWF embraced on its self-titled debut album of 1971. Bailey's son, Sir James Bailey, raps on the sociopolitical "Revolution," but on the whole, this excellent CD is unapologetically retro.

– Review for In the Name of Love by Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. Keep It Real
02. The Right Time
03. Feel U Up
04. Avatar (Interlude)
05. Cruising
06. Revolution (Just Evolution)
07. Round And Round
08. Change Your Mind
09. Love Is Life
10. In The Name Of Love
11. Take You To Heaven
12. Rock It
13. Bahia (Interlude)

Produced by Maurice White.


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