I have the Essential Earth Wind and Fire 2 CD set which is phenomenal, but I realised that this band was so good that I really needed to pick up some of their albums.

I have to pick up All n' All and That's the Way of the World next, but my first purchase was "I Am" which is truly EWF at the peak of their powers. This CD is a non-stop party. I love how most of the songs segue into each other. Truly a classic album, not a dud among these tunes. Enough to make my current top 20 for the time being. What are your thoughts on this album, and also are there any EWF releases after "I Am" that are worthy of picking up?

jtgillia said:

You gotta love In The Stone. That intro sends shivers down my spine every time i hear it. What a way to start the album.

WildheartXXX said:

Preach it! Why dont marchging band s utilize this tune! Rock That! is also great! They used to use Rock That on the sports hilites shows I remember. The whole album is badazz. Star, Wait, After The Love is Bye Bye, Cant Let Go etc..actually the nly letdown for me is that damn Boogie Wonderland--which was aight for back then but its so damn extended on the album-cd etc. Yawn.

"can't let go", "after the love is gone" and "let your feelings show" are my cuts!

"boogie wonderland"...i cannot stand that song.

whoa!!! stop right now!!! go 2 the pre-commercial e,w,&f if you want 2 hear them at their true power
suggestions:
earth,wind and fire
in the need of love
last days and time
head to the sky
open our eyes
that's the way of the world
gratitude
spirit

all of these albums will leave you breahless...also check out the official documentary.."shining stars"
peace and enjoy

My absolute favourite EWF album is
That´s the way of the worldfrom 1975.
it´s their masterpiece the whole album thru.
Then U need 2 get Gratitude.
Their livealbum from 1976 with some studiocuts
on their as well.Like Can´t hide love.
/peace manki

'I Am' is a wonderful Earth Wind and Fire album,filled with some of their catchiest,most accessible music ever.Jams like "In The Stone","Can't Let Go" and "Let Your Feelings Show" feature killer grooves and arrangements that just hypnotize you,while the pop ballad "After The Love Is Gone" remains one of their classic performances.Another great song from this album is the mid-tempo "Wait".The song "Boogie Wonderland" is often considered to be their "disco song",but it's actually more distinctive and impressive than most Disco songs from that era.My favorite song from the album is the closing track "You And I",a brilliant R&B slow jam that should have been a single.It's an incredible song! And yes,I love the way most of the songs segue into each other.The funky little interlude between "In The Stone" and "Can't Let Go" kicks ass too!

Here are the EW&F CDs that you should buy next...


***'Spirit'(1976)---I think this is probably my favorite EW&F album.The songs flow very well together.It features one of their funkiest jams ever,"Getaway",and one of their most beautiful slow jams ever,"Imagination",in which Philip Bailey's vocals just soar.It also includes the mesmerizing,uplifting "Earth Wind and Fire" (yes,a song named after them!).It was re-mastered a few years ago and the bonus tracks are amazing too!

***'Open Our Eyes'(1974)---Wait until you hear the song "Tee Nine Chee Bit",that's one of the funkiest EW&F jams ever and it's hilarious as well.Also,check out the jazzy,breezy "Feeling Blue",and the take-no-prisoners funk fest "Mighty Mighty".There are a few jazzy instrumentals that are impressive as well.It was also re-mastered a few years ago,with several bonus tracks.

Oh and by the way,I hate to break this to you but...



The 'I Am' CD has just been re-mastered and it will be released sometime this year.Don't you hate when CDs become re-mastered RIGHT AFTER YOU JUST BOUGHT THEM?

Yeah, I just read about that! In fact, it's supposedly coming out this month. Oh well. I'll probably buy it anyhow, after I get Open Our Eyes through All n' All...

Do you have their 3-CD box set 'The Eternal Dance',which came out in 1992? Eventually,you may wanna check that out.It contains all the hits,plus many rarities,live tracks,and alternate versions.It's a great package.


But yeah,get the CDs from 'Open Our Eyes' through 'All N All'.They have all been re-mastered with bonus tracks.I'm waiting for the albums 'Head To The Sky'(1973),'Faces'(1980) and 'Raise'(1981) to be re-mastered too.




...
[This message was edited Mon Mar 3 0:52:45 PST 2003 by DavidEye]

DavidEye said:[quote]'I Am' is a wonderful Earth Wind and Fire album,filled with some of their catchiest,most accessible music ever.Jams like "In The Stone","Can't Let Go" and "Let Your Feelings Show" feature killer grooves and arrangements that just hypnotize you,while the pop ballad "After The Love Is Gone" remains one of their classic performances.Another great song from this album is the mid-tempo "Wait".The song "Boogie Wonderland" is often considered to be their "disco song",but it's actually more distinctive and impressive than most Disco songs from that era.My favorite song from the album is the closing track "You And I",a brilliant R&B slow jam that should have been a single.It's an incredible song! And yes,I love the way most of the songs segue into each other.The funky little interlude between "In The Stone" and "Can't Let Go" kicks ass too!


Thaks David. You just saved me an "s" load of typing because I agree with everything you just said lol. This is a very special album to me because it marked a point in my life when I got seriously into music. I remember feeling great everytime I played this album. It was a "feel good" record in the truest sense.

74-79 Prime Time EWF IMHO.loved the Horns&Maurice White really put this down.this was there Last Knocked Me Out ALBUM!!!

Can't Let Go is, IMO, the best track on there. Damn I wish I wrote that song!

mistermaxxx said:

I wouldn't say their last. Changing Times was the shit too now.

intha916 said:

You Know they are My Favorite Band Ever but after 79 IMHO:"Faces" was a Hit/Miss Version of "I Am" but all over the Place.dug "Raise" but It was Really Good but Not Great IMHO."PowerLight" was a Decent Album but got stuck on the Formula that was "Raise" IMHO.after that decent songs&Hit&Miss material made them playing 2nd-fiddle for a really long time.Technilogy got the Best of them as did Ego within the Band but during there 70's Run they were SuperBad IMHO.

intha916 said:

'The Changing Times'(1981) is a great song indeed! They were addding a little rock to the mix in that one.I love the entire 'Raise' album.

DavidEye said:

Sorry I mixed the song up wit the album name. I was talking about the album raise. I did like the song changing times though.

I'm guessing from the praise that I should also get the Raise album too.

As for Faces, that album would be really good if it was a few songs shorter. Where it's 15 songs, it should really be 9 or 10, then it would probably like it a lot better.

jtgillia said:

"Raise" was Real good."Evolution Orange" was My Jam&"I had it Enough" as well.both Songs feature Phillip Bailey Wailing away&those Horns were Tight!!!

jtgillia said:

Faces was a double album. I remember really being let down by this album at the time but I have since grown to like it. "Take it to the Sky" is one of the best EWF songs out there. The problem is it came right after "I AM" and right before "Raise" Faces isn't bad at all it just got pinned between two monster albums.
[This message was edited Tue Mar 4 14:35:05 PST 2003 by intha916]
[This message was edited Tue Mar 4 14:36:11 PST 2003 by intha916]

intha916 said:

I think "Faces" is stuck on alot of Re-Thread which isn't always a Bad thing but it did seem like overkill on this Album at times&also some tracks were Over-Produced&glossy for there Own Good IMHO.also alot of stuff seemed over-Mixed.Maurice White was pretty much told to bring some Hits with "Raise"&He did."Faces" is Hit&Miss for me&Cluttered.

intha916 said:

I was also disappointed by the 'Faces' album (1980).It's a two-record set so they had LOTS of room to stretch out,experiment and try new things.But for the most part,there isn't much experimenting going on.Most of the songs follow the same formula and it gets boring real quick.The last track on the album(the Latin/jazz/funk title track)is great,it's the type of music that is sadly missing from the rest of the album.

But,having said that,I must admit there are a few gems on this album.The ballad "Sailaway" is gorgeous,and "Back On The Road" takes the guys in a cool rock direction.

>I was also disappointed by the 'Faces' album (1980).It's a two-record set so they had LOTS of room to stretch out,experiment and try new things.But for the most part,there isn't much experimenting going on.Most of the songs follow the same formula and it gets boring real quick.The last track on the album(the Latin/jazz/funk title track)is great,it's the type of music that is sadly missing from the rest of the album.

But,having said that,I must admit there are a few gems on this album.The ballad "Sailaway" is gorgeous,and "Back On The Road" takes the guys in a cool rock direction.<

Exactly. That's why I think if this had been a nine or ten track single album, it would've been a worthy successor to "I Am". Cut out the fat and get to the real meat of the album! Include the four singles, and the songs Faces, Sailaway, Back on the Road, Turn it into something good, and a couple others.

jtgillia said:

it would have Been a Really Good Album but still not Great because what "Faces" was trying to do"All-N-All" Captured with Less.

earth wind and fire are awesome love music is their all time favorite song of mine

jtgillia said:

Exactly! I think 'Faces' should have been just one album,with these ten songs on it...

"Pride"
"Turn It Into Something Good"
"Sparkle"
"Back On The Road"
"You"
"And Love Goes On"
"Sailaway"
"Take It To The Sky"
"Share Your Love"
"Faces"


With those songs,it would have been a strong,consistent collection (although still not one of their best albums).But by removing the fat,you have an album that's more focused and probably would have been more successful.