| The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | July 30, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 1973-1983 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Columbia/Legacy | |||
| Producer | Maurice White, Al McKay, Charles Stepney, Joseph Wissert, Leo Sacks | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire is a compilation album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire issued in July 2002 by Columbia/Legacy.[2] The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[3]
Overview
With the LP came a sampler which featured remixes of Can't Hide Love and Let's Groove. During October 2002 the remix sampler was issued as a single and got to No. 4 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.[4][5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Blender |  [7] |
| PopMatters | (favourable)[8] |
| Newsday | (favourable)[9] |
| SoulTracks | (favourable)[10] |
Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters proclaimed "The Essential Earth, Wind, and Fire, chronicles the best music of arguably the most popular R&B/soul band of the last three decades."[8] Barry Walters of Blender, who gave a four out of five star rating, opined "the 34 tracks on The Essential encompass these funky spiritualists’ many sides, from preachy (“All About Love”) to sensual (“Can’t Hide Love”) to ecstatic (“Boogie Wonderland”)."[7] With a 4.5 out of 5 star rating Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote "The single-disc Greatest Hits remains the choice for the casual and the curious listener due to its concise concentration of classics, but anybody who wants a thorough retrospective should choose this."[6] Howard Dukes of SoulTracks also called the album "a collection that will definitely get the party started".[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mighty Mighty" | Maurice White, Verdine White | Open Our Eyes, 1974 | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Evil" | M. White | Head to the Sky, 1973 | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Devotion" | Philip Bailey, M. White | Open Our Eyes | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Keep Your Head to the Sky" | M. White | Head to the Sky | 5:09 |
| 5. | "Kalimba Story" | M. White, V. White | Open Our Eyes | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Shining Star" | Bailey, Larry Dunn, M. White | That's the Way of the World, 1975 | 2:50 |
| 7. | "That's the Way of the World" | Charles Stepney, M. White, V. White | That's the Way of the World | 5:45 |
| 8. | "Yearnin' Learnin'" | Bailey, Stepney, M. White | That's the Way of the World | 3:39 |
| 9. | "All About Love" | Dunn, M. White | That's the Way of the World | 5:30 |
| 10. | "Reasons" | Bailey, Stepney, M. White | That's the Way of the World | 4:58 |
| 11. | "Sing a Song" | Al McKay, M. White | Gratitude, 1975 | 3:23 |
| 12. | "Can't Hide Love" | Skip Scarborough | Gratitude | 4:09 |
| 13. | "Getaway" | Peter Cor, Beloyd Taylor | Spirit, 1976 | 3:45 |
| 14. | "Saturday Nite" | Bailey, McKay, M. White | Spirit | 4:03 |
| 15. | "Ponta de Areia (Brazilian Rhyme)/Be Ever Wonderful" | Dunn, Milton Nascimento, M. White | All 'n All, 1977 | 6:00 |
| 16. | "Open Our Eyes" | Leon Lumkins | Open Our Eyes | 5:03 |
| 17. | "Got to Get You into My Life" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1978 | 4:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "September" | McKay, M. White, Allee Willis | The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Serpentine Fire" | Sonny Burke, M. White, V. White | All 'n All | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Fantasy" | Eduardo DelBarrio, M. White, V. White | All 'n All | 4:36 |
| 4. | "I'll Write a Song for You" | Bailey, Steve Beckmeier, McKay | All 'n All | 5:22 |
| 5. | "Drum Song" | M. White | Open Our Eyes | 5:09 |
| 6. | "In the Stone" | M. White, David Foster, Willis | I Am, 1979 | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Can't Let Go" | Bill Myers, M. White, Willis | I Am | 3:28 |
| 8. | "After the Love Has Gone" | Bill Champlin, David Foster, Jay Graydon | I Am | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Wait" | Foster, M. White, Willis | I Am | 3:39 |
| 10. | "You and I" | Foster, M. White, Willis | I Am | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Let Me Talk" | Bailey, Dunn, Ralph Johnson, McKay, M. White, V. White | Faces, 1980 | 4:08 |
| 12. | "And Love Goes On" | Dunn, Foster, Brenda Russell, M. White, V. White | Faces | 4:04 |
| 13. | "You" | Foster, Russell, M. White | Faces | 5:30 |
| 14. | "Let's Groove" | Wayne Vaughn, M. White | Raise!, 1981 | 5:32 |
| 15. | "Fall In Love With Me" | Wanda Vaughn, Wayne Vaughn, M. White | Powerlight, 1983 | 5:49 |
| 16. | "Side by Side" | Wayne Vaughn, M. White | Powerlight | 5:31 |
| 17. | "Boogie Wonderland" (with The Emotions) | Jon Lind, Willis | I Am | 4:48 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sun Goddess" | M. White, Lind | Gratitude | 7:41 |
| 2. | "Celebrate" | M. White, Bailey, Stepney | Gratitude | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Spirit" | M. White, Dunn | Spirit | 3:12 |
| 4. | "On Your Face" | M. White, Stepney, Bailey | Spirit | 4:33 |
| 5. | "Imagination" | M. White, Stepney, Bailey | Spirit | 5:16 |
| 6. | "Runnin'" | M. White, Dunn, del Barrio | All 'n All | 5:51 |
| 7. | "Jupiter" | M. White, V. White, Dunn, Bailey | All 'n All | 3:11 |
| 8. | "System of Survival" | "Skylark" | Touch the World | 5:01 |
2014 reissue
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mighty Mighty" | M. White, V. White | Open Our Eyes | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Devotion" | Bailey, M. White | Open Our Eyes | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Keep Your Head to the Sky" | M. White | Head to the Sky | 5:10 |
| 4. | "Kalimba Story" | M. White, V. White | Open Our Eyes | 4:02 |
| 5. | "Shining Star" | Bailey, Dunn, M. White | That's the Way of the World | 2:50 |
| 6. | "That's the Way of the World" | Stepney, M. White, V. White | That's the Way of the World | 5:47 |
| 7. | "Reasons" | Bailey, Stepney, M. White | That's the Way of the World | 4:59 |
| 8. | "Sing a Song" | McKay, M. White | Gratitude | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Can't Hide Love" | Scarborough | Gratitude | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Getaway" | Cor, Taylor | Spirit | 3:45 |
| 11. | "On Your Face" | Bailey, Stepney, M. White | Spirit | 4:34 |
| 12. | "Saturday Nite" | Bailey, McKay, M. White | Spirit | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Got to Get You into My Life" | Lennon, McCartney | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | 4:03 |
| 14. | "September" | McKay, M. White, Willis | The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 | 3:35 |
| 15. | "Serpentine Fire" | Burke, M. White, V. White | All 'n All | 3:51 |
| 16. | "Fantasy" | DelBarrio, M. White, V. White | All 'n All | 4:38 |
| 17. | "I'll Write a Song for You" | Bailey, Beckmeier, McKay | All 'n All | 5:24 |
| 18. | "Drum Song" | M. White | Open Our Eyes | 5:09 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boogie Wonderland" (with The Emotions) | Lind, Willis | I Am | 4:49 |
| 2. | "In the Stone" | M. White, Foster, Willis | I Am | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Can't Let Go" | Myers, M. White, Willis | I Am | 3:29 |
| 4. | "After the Love Has Gone" | Champlin, Foster, Graydon | I Am | 4:39 |
| 5. | "You and I" | Foster, M. White, Willis | I Am | 3:33 |
| 6. | "Let Me Talk" | Bailey, Dunn, Johnson, McKay, M. White, V. White | Faces | 4:08 |
| 7. | "And Love Goes On" | Dunn, Foster, Russell, M. White, V. White | Faces | 4:05 |
| 8. | "You" | Foster, Russell, M. White | Faces | 5:31 |
| 9. | "Let's Groove" | Wayne Vaughn, M. White | Raise! | 5:39 |
| 10. | "Fall in Love with Me" | Wanda Vaughn, Wayne Vaughn, M. White | Powerlight | 5:52 |
| 11. | "Magnetic" | Martin Page | Electric Universe, 1983 | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Dance Dance Dance" | Taylor, M. White | Rock & Rule soundtrack, 1986; released as a digital single in 2012 | 3:13 |
| 13. | "System of Survival" | "Skylark" | Touch the World, 1987 | 5:00 |
| 14. | "Sunday Morning (Radio Mix)" | Sheldon Reynolds, M. White, Willis | Millennium, 1993 | 4:12 |
| 15. | "Pure Gold" | Bobby Avila, Issiah Avila, Tony Tolbert, James Harris III, Terry Lewis | Illumination, 2005 | 4:41 |
| 16. | "The Way You Move" | Patrick Brown, Carlton Mahone, Antwan Patton | Illumination | 4:17 |
| 17. | "My Promise" | Siedah Garrett, Austin Jacobs, Darrin Simpson | Now, Then & Forever, 2013 | 3:22 |
Personnel
- Maurice White – vocals, kalimba, timbales, drums, producer, compilation producer
- Verdine White – vocals, bass, percussion
- Philip Bailey – vocals, congas, percussion
- Larry Dunn – piano, organ, synthesizer, programming
- Ken Yerke – violin
- Harris Goldman – violin
- Rollice Dale – viola
- Dennis Karmazyn – cello
- Harry Schultz – cello
- Fred Jackson Jr. – saxophone
- Herman Riley – saxophone
- Jerome Richardson – saxophone
- Tommy Johnson – tuba
- Harvey Mason – percussion
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Beloyd Taylor – background vocals
- Joe Wissert – producer
- Charles Stepney – producer
- Al McKay – producer
- Leo Sacks – compilation producer[2]
Accolades
The following accolades attributed to The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire.[11]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | U.S. | 500 CDs You Must Own: Rhythm & Blues | 2003 | Alphabetical order |
References
- ↑ Blender Staff (May 2003). "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die!". Blender. New York: Dennis Publishing Ltd. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- 1 2 Earth, Wind & Fire: The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire. Columbia/Legacy. July 2002.
- ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire". RIAA. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
- ↑ Earth, Wind & Fire: The Essential Earth Wind & Fire (Remix Sampler). Columbia Records. October 2002.
- ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Remix Sampler". officialcharts.com.
- 1 2 Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- 1 2 "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire". blender.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-24.
- 1 2 Anthony Neal, Mark. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire". popmatters.com. PopMatters.
- ↑ Adams, Genetta M. (November 7, 2002). "Making out your holiday gift list? Consider these greatest hits albums". Press and Sun-Bulletin. Newsday. p. 47 – via newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Dukes, Howard (August 8, 2002). "Earth, Wind & Fire - The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire (2014)". popmatters.com. PopMatters.
- ↑ 500 CDs You Must Own: Rhythm & Blues. Blender Magazine. March 15, 2003.
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