hopefully,the tracklist will look something like this...

In The Stone
Can't Let Go
After The Love Has Gone
Let Your Feelings Show
Boogie Wonderland
Star
Wait
Rock That!
You And I

Bonus tracks---
***"Diana" (a previously unreleased song recorded during these sessions;co-written and co-produced by David Foster)

***"Where Do We Go From Here" (recorded in fall 1978,this song was revived for their recent CD 'The Promise'.But,except for Philip Bailey's vocals,that version was slightly updated.I'd like to hear the original 1978 version,with no "modern" touches).

***"You And I" acoustic demo version (the guys usually recorded demo versions consisting of just vocals with only one or two instruments.The 'All N All' remaster includes a killer,stripped down demo version of "Love's Holiday",so I'm betting that there is a similiar version of "You And I")

***"In The Stone" (demo version)


Can't wait for this!!
[This message was edited Fri Jan 9 6:57:43 PST 2004 by DavidEye]

btw,this means that most of Earth Wind and Fire's essential albums have all been remastered...

'Open Our Eyes'(1974)
'That's The Way Of The World'(1975)
'Gratitude'(1975)
'Spirit' (1976)
'All N All' (1977)
'Best Of Volume 1'(1978)
'Best Of Volume 2'(1988)
'I Am' (1979) (due in April 2004)


They've done a GREAT job with these remasters,and each CD comes with several bonus tracks.Hopefully,they will get to these albums next...

***'Last Days And Time'(1972)---the first EW&F album to feature Philip Bailey.Worth it just for the song "I'd Rather Have You".

***'Head To The Sky'(1973)---this album is mind-blowing from start to finish.How cool would it be to finally hear "Clover" remastered? Oh lawd!

***'Faces'(1980)---actually,this album is being remastered as we speak.Not sure when it will come out.

***'Raise'(1981)---probably their most consistent album of the 80s.

Bring 'em on!!!

DavidEye said:

Yeah,I want "Head to the sky".What a great album that is!
/peace Manki

manki said:

Yeah, the 'Head To The Sky' album is excellent,their first masterpiece.Tracks like "Evil","This World's A Masquerade",the title track,and my favorite "Clover" are just superb.

now if only they'll re-release the remastered version on vinyl as well as cd... i don't like i am as much as gratitude or head to the sky, but it's still a great album.

i'ma call my dad and tell 'im this.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Here's my little review of the 'I Am' album...


The word I would use to describe this album is "bright".It reminds me of a hot summer day,for some reason.The songs are focused,consistent,with strong melodies that linger in your head forever.I've heard some people say that this is the album where they "sold out",and yes,this album is a little more "poppy" than the more experimental 'All N All' project.But it's an amazing work,with several tracks that eventually became EW&F classics.

Released in 1979,during the height of the disco era,it's probably their most committed dance album ever.The bouncy "Boogie Wonderland" has alot more muscle than your average late-70s disco song.The opening "In The Stone" is classic EW&F...dramtatic,horn-driven intro,soon followed by inspirational,uplifting lyrics and rich harmonies."Can't Let Go" keeps the groove going,with it's mesmerizing arrangement,while "Let Your Feelings Show" gets even funkier.

But the big classic here is the Grammy-winning ballad "After The Love Has Gone".A true masterpiece! The vocal arrangement here is just stunning.I love Maurice White's lead vocal,followed by Philip Bailey on the chorus.But the other slower tracks are just as good."Wait" and especially "You And I" are underrated gems that kick ass.Either one of those tunes could have been a single.

DavidEye said:

This album and All n All are my favorite EWF albums. Can't wait!

The first three tracks on this album are quite possibly the best album opening tracks ever...

Good news. Thanks for posting this David. You are becoming my official source for EWF news lol. I'll be picking this up but Faces is the one I really want. There are some real slept on gems on that one like "Take It To The Sky" and "And Love Goes On"

jtgillia said:

U KNOW! The way "In the Stone" moves in that little interlude and then on to "Can't Let Go" is classic! I can't listen to those song any other way than together.

intha916 said:

I wonder,since 'Faces' was originally a 2-LP set,will they even have room to add bonus tracks on the remaster? I'd love the hear the outtakes from this project.

jtgillia said:

I remember,back in the vinyl days,I played Side One over and over and over...

"In The Stone"
"Can't Let Go"
"After The Love Has Gone"
"Let Your Feelings Show"

Without question,that is one of the strongest openings of ANY album.And I love how the songs segue into each other.

I love EWF, but this was when they were kinda getting into their 'adult contemporary' mode. 'After The Love Has Gone' was just a little blecch for me after they had dropped legit jams like 'Reasons', 'Devotion', 'All About Love', 'Can't Hide Love', 'I'll Write A Song For You' and 'Love's Holiday'.

violator said:

Ahhh,but the 'I Am' album contains "You And I",which is as soulful as those previous slow jams you mentioned.While it's true that they may have gone in a more pop/adult contemporary direction with "After The Love...",the soulful R&B jams didn't really stop.In subsequent years,they gave us stuff like...

"My Love"(1981)
"I Wanna Be With You"(1981)
"Sailaway"(1980)
"Take It To The Sky"(1980)
"Turn It Into Something Good"(1980)
"Side By Side" (1983)
[This message was edited Tue Jan 6 2:23:15 PST 2004 by DavidEye]

violator said:

true, that's why i haven't really warmed up to this album. that, and "boogie wonderland" has been played out so much... "after the love has gone" is still my jam, tho'.

I love "After the Love". It's one of my favorite ballads ever. Probably mostly because of the chord change and the strings.

ewf are just magical.no doubt.their harmonies and musical brilliance are really mindblowing.they get a lot of respect,but i think not enough!they are one of the greatest bands and musical entities in the history of the world!i think some of the brilliance is taken for granted because they were so big and sold so many records,but they truly are incredible!they created and played on a super high level and pushed themselves to grow,yet,all the while,keeping it fun and light and hummable and danceable.what a feat!!i cannot sing their praises enough!

jtgillia said:

I LOVE this album, I had the vinyl and got the cd last year. There's so many good songs that havent been overplayed so I still love them. "Can't Let Go" "Wait" every song is funky and great. Sure it's SLICK, but for the disco era this album was top notch!

Except for "In The Stone" I don't remember digging this album that much.

They were becoming too 80s Kool & The Gang pop-ish for my tastes.

DMSR said:

you know what,this is now officially my FAVORITE EW&F album.In years past,I woulda said 'All N All' was my fav,but lately I've been playing 'I Am' like crazy and it's just brilliant.EVERY song is top-notch! Yesterday,I put the song "You And I" on continuous repeat and listened to it over and over and over.What a GREAT track!! This is one of those rare albums that just sounds better and better with time.

DavidEye said:

Nothing beats the combination of Phillip's falsetto with Maurice's funky low voice.. Come to think of it, Prince can do both!

DMSR said: