SoulAlive said:

Heritage gets a bad rap from many people,but I don't think it's the big disaster that people say it is Yes,MC Hammer nearly ruins a couple of tracks,but there are some great songs throughout:

"Good Time" with Sly Stone

"Anything You Want"---great slow jam

"For The Love Of You"---I wish MC Hammer wasn't on this song but it's still a killer groove

"Daydreamin"---shoulda have been a single

I agree i probably would have dug those songs more. Heritage was solid but i just think

the lead single with the Boyz ruined it. I know they wanted to bring in the new( Hammer and The Boyz) with the old (Sly Stone) but the new just didn't work for on

this album. Takin Chances, Anything You Want, Good Time, and Daydreamin were

favorites for me. I don't know too many people that liked Millenium. Everyone i knew

liked Even If You Wonder and Sunday Morning and that was about it. I liked the first

half of the cd except Spend the Night. That was cheesy pop. I really didn't get into

the second half of the cd too much besides Superhero.

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said:

Heritage gets a bad rap from many people,but I don't think it's the big disaster that people say it is Yes,MC Hammer nearly ruins a couple of tracks,but there are some great songs throughout:

"Good Time" with Sly Stone

"Anything You Want"---great slow jam

"For The Love Of You"---I wish MC Hammer wasn't on this song but it's still a killer groove

"Daydreamin"---shoulda have been a single

I agree i probably would have dug those songs more. Heritage was solid but i just think

the lead single with the Boyz ruined it. I know they wanted to bring in the new( Hammer and The Boyz) with the old (Sly Stone) but the new just didn't work for on

this album. Takin Chances, Anything You Want, Good Time, and Daydreamin were

favorites for me. I don't know too many people that liked Millenium. Everyone i knew

liked Even If You Wonder and Sunday Morning and that was about it. I liked the first

half of the cd except Spend the Night. That was cheesy pop. I really didn't get into

the second half of the cd too much besides Superhero.

What's wrong with "Wouldn't Change A Thing About You","Love Across The Wire","Honor The Magic"? Why don't you like those songs? Please give it another listen.Millenium is a very solid album.

SoulAlive said:

phunkdaddy said:

I agree i probably would have dug those songs more. Heritage was solid but i just think

the lead single with the Boyz ruined it. I know they wanted to bring in the new( Hammer and The Boyz) with the old (Sly Stone) but the new just didn't work for on

this album. Takin Chances, Anything You Want, Good Time, and Daydreamin were

favorites for me. I don't know too many people that liked Millenium. Everyone i knew

liked Even If You Wonder and Sunday Morning and that was about it. I liked the first

half of the cd except Spend the Night. That was cheesy pop. I really didn't get into

the second half of the cd too much besides Superhero.

What's wrong with "Wouldn't Change A Thing About You","Love Across The Wire","Honor The Magic"? Why don't you like those songs? Please give it another listen.Millenium is a very solid album.

I do like Honor The Magic. That was the last song on the first side of the cassette. I

actually bought the cassette back in the day.

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said:

What's wrong with "Wouldn't Change A Thing About You","Love Across The Wire","Honor The Magic"? Why don't you like those songs? Please give it another listen.Millenium is a very solid album.

I do like Honor The Magic. That was the last song on the first side of the cassette. I

actually bought the cassette back in the day.

This thread is meaningless without Youtube clips.......

silverchild said:

TD3 said:

I had to back track on, "The Promise" album.

Love that album got E,W,& F sound written all over it.

The Promise is so vastly underrated, it's not even funny. That's what Illumination should've been more of, even though that was a good record as well. It is a traditional EW&F record with some of that modern flair that is dope.

What's interesting about The Promise is that it contains two old tracks from the 1978 I Am sessions: "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Dirty".I also suspect that the opening track "All In The Way" might be an older track,too.It sounds like something that might have been recorded in the late 70s/early 80s.

SoulAlive said:

silverchild said:

The Promise is so vastly underrated, it's not even funny. That's what Illumination should've been more of, even though that was a good record as well. It is a traditional EW&F record with some of that modern flair that is dope.

What's interesting about The Promise is that it contains two old tracks from the 1978 I Am sessions: "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Dirty".I also suspect that the opening track "All In The Way" might be an older track,too.It sounds like something that might have been recorded in the late 70s/early 80s.

The story I remember about "The Promise" is that at the last minute the Record Company or EWF themselves, realized that the album contained too many slow-tempo tunes (one other small issue I have with the album), so Maurice went back into the studio to work with Wayne Vaughn of Let's Groove fame to create a more uptempo track....the results of which was "All in The Way"...

Some EWF fans might recall that both Eric Benet and Wyclef Jean had worked with EWF on some stuff that was never put on the album....some of that work was featured on the Eagle Vision DVD of the group released somewhere around 2000.

I guess Maurice realized after listening to the tunes said ..."This is not EWF..."...(lol), we can do it better.....I can take the reigns back from these cats.....and the rest is history...

Quite rightly, as many of you have remarked, The Promise was a return to the EWF sound and sentiment that we all know as a hallmark of the group.....despite the few issues we have noted here...

Allnall said:

SoulAlive said:

What's interesting about The Promise is that it contains two old tracks from the 1978 I Am sessions: "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Dirty".I also suspect that the opening track "All In The Way" might be an older track,too.It sounds like something that might have been recorded in the late 70s/early 80s.

The story I remember about "The Promise" is that at the last minute the Record Company or EWF themselves, realized that the album contained too many slow-tempo tunes (one other small issue I have with the album), so Maurice went back into the studio to work with Wayne Vaughn of Let's Groove fame to create a more uptempo track....the results of which was "All in The Way"...

Some EWF fans might recall that both Eric Benet and Wyclef Jean had worked with EWF on some stuff that was never put on the album....some of that work was featured on the Eagle Vision DVD of the group released somewhere around 2000.

I guess Maurice realized after listening to the tunes said ..."This is not EWF..."...(lol), we can do it better.....I can take the reigns back from these cats.....and the rest is history...

Quite rightly, as many of you have remarked, The Promise was a return to the EWF sound and sentiment that we all know as a hallmark of the group.....despite the few issues we have noted here...

Actually Eric recorded a solo version of "I Wanna Be Loved" for his 2005 release, Hurricane. Wyclef put "Runaway" with EWF on his 2000 release, Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book.

SoulAlive said:

silverchild said:

The Promise is so vastly underrated, it's not even funny. That's what Illumination should've been more of, even though that was a good record as well. It is a traditional EW&F record with some of that modern flair that is dope.

What's interesting about The Promise is that it contains two old tracks from the 1978 I Am sessions: "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Dirty".I also suspect that the opening track "All In The Way" might be an older track,too.It sounds like something that might have been recorded in the late 70s/early 80s.

Yep. "Where Do We Go From Here" is vintage EW&F, as well as "Dirty," "All In The Way," "All About Love," and "Let Me Love You." Interestingly enough, they even reunited with The Emotions on some cuts. Have you heard some of the import bonus tracks from this album? Fascinating.

silverchild said:

SoulAlive said:

What's interesting about The Promise is that it contains two old tracks from the 1978 I Am sessions: "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Dirty".I also suspect that the opening track "All In The Way" might be an older track,too.It sounds like something that might have been recorded in the late 70s/early 80s.

Yep. "Where Do We Go From Here" is vintage EW&F, as well as "Dirty," "All In The Way," "All About Love," and "Let Me Love You." Interestingly enough, they even reunited with The Emotions on some cuts. Have you heard some of the import bonus tracks from this album? Fascinating.

Yes,I have the import copy with the two bonus tracks: "Soul" and "So Lucky".I'm thrilled that these two songs are included because the regular album is great,but perhaps there are too many ballads/slow jams.Having the two uptempo bonus tracks balances things out a little.

SoulAlive said:

silverchild said:

Yep. "Where Do We Go From Here" is vintage EW&F, as well as "Dirty," "All In The Way," "All About Love," and "Let Me Love You." Interestingly enough, they even reunited with The Emotions on some cuts. Have you heard some of the import bonus tracks from this album? Fascinating.

Yes,I have the import copy with the two bonus tracks: "Soul" and "So Lucky".I'm thrilled that these two songs are included because the regular album is great,but perhaps there are too many ballads/slow jams.Having the two uptempo bonus tracks balances things out a little.

Co-sign!

Yeah....those 2 imports available on the Japan version of the CD were really good...

As Maurice sang, "....And the horns said..."

Regarding Eric Benet.....I actually liked the version of I Wanna be Loved he did with Phil....not sure why Maurice didnt go with it, other than he wanted to keep EWF without outside singers.....

Wyclef was another story.....if I recall the Eagle vision DVD correctly, there is a shot of Maurice in the studio listening to Wyclef's version of Runaway....

I always laughed when I watched that point in the video, cause I felt...Maurice must be saying...What the hell is this mess that Wyclef is creating.....this is not EWF....

And, that tune was relegated, as has been pointed out here...to Wyclef's album....so that may tell U what the general consensus was of the results....

Anybody here recall the EWF song Whatever Happened? Whenever I listen to it, I always try to see if I can hear Maurice's voice.....cause the main singer was neither Reese nor was it Phil.....I almost think I hear Maurice towards the end....laughing...

I always wondered why it was called an Earth, Wind and Fire tune, because other than the sound of the vocal stylings, it didnt seem to include any EWF vocalists....nor was it written by the gang...

funkdoctorrock said:

1975-1980..was Earth,Wind and Fires greatest creative period. Starting with Thats the way of the world(*my fav) Gratitude Spirit All N All Best of vol.1 with (September & Got to get you in my life and Love Music) I am Faces (In my opinion Ewf's last Ewf sounding album). Dont know why it didnt do as well. It was All n all and I am combined. I love or like their albums for the most part..Some more than others. Their Ramsey Lewis and The Emotions produced albums are great too. Larry Dunn productions with Ronnie laws,Caldera,Stanley Turrentine lp are great. Ewf is my fav R&b band.. I think they were the greatest as far as Music and accomplishments..Funk,jazz,rock,pop,disco,gospel. Not many have put out diverse material.Kool and the gang comes close.But EWF is the best I love all their cds..some more than others I love them all in different ways

100% agree......dont forget Maurice's involvement with Deniece Williams..."Free" comes to mind.....

Yep...EWF were all that.....they did it all........the only area I wish Maurice had mined a little more was rock.......yeah, they had guitars in alot of their tunes, but for the most part they were not at the forefront....."Changing Times" was close....

They get short shrift because the songs were so polished, so upbeat....and danceable, that they were "Disco" and so were not considered as important...despite the fact that so many current and past artists include them as primary influences.........

how is that possible if you are not unique......

Yep...for me, they were the best band in the land....their songs had layers upon layers of sounds and rhythms......they had no scandals (that we knew of), they were professional musicians who were great at their craft, and who sounded better live than on CD.....

I feel the same way,when I watch that part! you can tell that Maurice is thinking "What the hell is this crap?!" LOL

Allnall said:

Wyclef was another story.....if I recall the Eagle vision DVD correctly, there is a shot of Maurice in the studio listening to Wyclef's version of Runaway....

I always laughed when I watched that point in the video, cause I felt...Maurice must be saying...What the hell is this mess that Wyclef is creating.....this is not EWF....

funkdoctorrock said:

To :All n all I dont think deniece got the better end of their productions...I love Free tho.They also produced Dj rogers, the pockets.collabed with Gene Harris. Rock wasnt their main element..but introducing elements of rock was..Johnnie Graham and Roland Bautista would go off on their solos tho. Disco can be considered as a negative to some artists in those days. Like u say cause its danceable or too upbeat which is BS

Well, I have to be honest that outside of Free, I am not too familiar with the production they laid out for Deniece.....one thing...generally, Maurice was a beast when it came to producing female singers...Emotions, etc....

I always felt that despite the success of Phil B. in his solo effort with Phil Collins and his first solo effort, that only Maurice knew how to cast his vocals in the right light.....

Yep..rock was not their forte....and critics were too quick to dismiss their pop success as disco or otherwise not critically acclaimed for all the reasons we have listed here......there is no denying the length and breadth of the musical landscape that Maurice and crew mined with absolute success.....

You want to learn about music, understand what it takes to craft a tune that has elements of texture, and nuance, and harmony, and just plain old fierce instrumentation? IMHO, you would be hard pressed to find another artist whose output could very well serve as clinics for musical excellence....

And this is not at all denigrating the impact of legends such as Stevie, Prince, Michael and other luminaries and contemporaries of the Mighty Elements.....artists whom I cherish and have most of their albums.....among my top 5 artists....it is just that to my ears the Mighty Elements rule in so many ways....

[Edited 6/20/12 18:09pm]

funkdoctorrock said:

Faces (In my opinion Ewf's last Ewf sounding album). Dont know why it didnt do as well. It was All n all and I am combined.

I wonder the same thing.Considering that the previous album (I Am) was a double-platinum smash,it's shocking that Faces barely went gold.Maurice has pointed out that the music industry was experiencing a recession at that time,and plus the fact that it was a 2-record set,made it harder to move units.

I also wonder if maybe the wrong singles were released "Let Me Talk" is an okay song but I wouldn't have chosen it for the first single.I would have released "Pride" as the first single."Sailaway" and "Win Or Lose" would have made excellent follow-up singles.

SoulAlive said:

funkdoctorrock said:

Faces (In my opinion Ewf's last Ewf sounding album). Dont know why it didnt do as well. It was All n all and I am combined.

I wonder the same thing.Considering that the previous album (I Am) was a double-platinum smash,it's shocking that Faces barely went gold.Maurice has pointed out that the music industry was experiencing a recession at that time,and plus the fact that it was a 2-record set,made it harder to move units.

I also wonder if maybe the wrong singles were released "Let Me Talk" is an okay song but I wouldn't have chosen it for the first single.I would have released "Pride" as the first single."Sailaway" and "Win Or Lose" would have made excellent follow-up singles.

Interestingly, at the time FACES was released, the NY radio stations were playing multiple cuts from the album......but funnily enough, Let Me Talk was not apparently radio-popular....although it comes accross great in concert...

They played:

Turn it Into Something Good

You (they played this alot)

Back on The Road (This also featured quite heavily)

And Love Goes on

Sailaway

and somewhat infrequently Win or Lose...(Those were the days when a listener could call up the radio stations and request any album cut they wanted!!!!)

They did not play Pride......

One of the other album cuts i thought might have been a safer, more EWF friendly (and pop) tune was Share Your Love...which is uptempo, EWF-sounding, and yeah, safe....but who knows....

Faces took the best from All N all and I am.And was a Super Monumental EWF.

I Love Let Me Talk,You,Song in my Heart,And love goes on..I remember i played that song like 50times one day.lol "You" was After the love was gone part II wit Don Myricks beautiful solo again.

Pride was good too.They used those horn breaks from it in their 81' HBO concert.

Share your love is very good.Take it to the sky(Thats the way of the world II).Win or Lose was Philip's best dancegroove song since "Celebrate" off Gratitude.I say that cause philip usually got ballads or slower material on those Ewf albums.well that changed with Faces and albums to follow..

In Time was the bomb..Those swirling horns wit Maurices' cool

and Then the title cut instrumental Faces..Love It..Reminded me of Runnin..I always love their instrumentals showcasing the band's sound..They would shorten their instrumentals or not have any on albums to follow.Whether reduced to segue's or whatnot.

The album was great.Like I said Tha last Pure EWF sounding album.Raise,Powerlight,Electric Universe were very different sounding albums in that 81-83 timespan.

the title track is my favorite song on Faces.I wish the album had more stuff like this on it.....long,instrumental jams in which they explore their jazzy/latin/fusion roots.An entire side of the album should have went in this direction.That's the cool thing about 2-record sets....the artists have alot of room to branch out and try new things.