Original Album Classics

A full history of EWF 70s producion

Oh Lordy! What a bargain this is. Some lucky bands hit a purple patch, at some point in their career, when they can do no wrong. To be fair, EWF rarely went too far wrong throughout any of the Seventies, but collected here is EWF at their peak. A five album streak that's up there with anything recorded by anybody at any time. Bursting with creativity their joy for music is palpable in every bar; their joy for life in every word. It's hard not to get sucked in. There's a uniformity of sound to EWF during this period and only real affacianados would probably hear the subtle differences from album to album. Yet, within that overall texture of sound we are treated to a variety of styles, so encompassing that it would be feasible to say that Earth Wind & Fire WERE black American music in the 1970's. Be it funk, smooth Soul, R&B, Jazz-Funk, ballads, instrumentals, dance floor fillers, whatever sounds you associate with this period and the then converging paths of popular music, the band were not only familiar with, but could have wrote and performed it all, in fact did, with aplomb. They are simply naturals that somehow absorbed all the contemperaneous sounds of black America and dipped into them at will. Whether they are harmonizing thereselves (and us) into soul heaven or snaking horn lines between the percussion, on some Jazzy workout, it sounds effortless. If there was one criticism that could be levelled at EWF (and really this is no criticism but a question of taste), it is that there's nothing particularly raw and stanky about any of their music. None of their Funk makes you shake your head and yell, "Goddamn!", like a James Brown or P-Funk record may. There's a sheen to all of EWF's music during this time and that may be a problem for some. Their brand of soul and all it's offshoots comes from a dreamy, polished place that hits you in the heart and the head as opposed to the heart and the scrotal sac. But, that's their style and they do it better than anyone. Their influence on music in the late Seventies must have been immense. Disco music was far more simplified than any of the danceable complexities that EWF served up, but EWF do have that 'nightclub atmosphere' in a lot of their dance music that Disco went on to reproduce. Where Disco, though, can be dismissed as being too superficial, for all of their gloss, Earth Wind and Fire's music is less limited: it's one to enjoy under the headphones as well. Magazines and fans have never agreed on the considered classic (although That's The Way Of The World' tends to get the nod), which in itself is a fitting testament to the quality running through all of these albums. To enjoy one of these records is pretty much to enjoy all of them, and that shouldn't be too difficult. It's infectious stuff.

'...my all time favourite band ... they have everything - horns, electric guitar, singers and more - in one band' - Miles DavisIt may seem a profoundly cheap of me to quote an established artist's views as if that somehow provides an unavoidable judgement, but considering that he is joined in this fanfare by the likes of Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder, the fact that this group is primarily remembered in the UK as the 'Boogie Wonderland' guys seems a particular shame.While Earth Wind & Fire had been a major fixture of the American Charts since 1975, they didn't really garner attention in the UK until their "disco" hits at the close of the decade. What may surprise new listeners to their albums is just how broad and accomplished their sweep of styles is - encompassing fiery "fusion", raw funk, gorgeous gospel balladry, electro-infused floor-fillers, well-integrated Cuban and Brazilian influences and anything else Maurice White saw as suitable to add to the evolving, colourful stew. I have read much criticism over the years - the 'Rough Guide to Rock & Pop' being particularly savage - of the band's motivational lyrical themes, the implication being that they are often too smugly "preachy"... but I think the aspirational, spiritual fervour of the lyrics actually adds to the sense of joy and wonder I get from these recordings. This is hardly Fundamentalist 'fire & brimstone' stuff anyway, there being a strong sense of will to encourage and unite, whatever your beliefs.Here we have five of their very best releases, comprising 4 studio albums from their late '70s heyday and an expansive, energetic live set. It is perhaps a measure of their consistency in this period that there isn't a critical consensus on which of these albums is the best (Soultracks.com's 'Greatest soul albums of the 70s' list singles out 'That's the Way of the World'; rating aggregator site Rateyourmusic.com has 'Gratitude' as the most widely praised; The Guardian's '1000 albums to hear before you die' particularly lauds 'All n All' and Mojo Magazine's recent '70 Best Soul Albums of the Seventies' claims that 'I Am' is where it's at). In fact the only one that doesn't often appear in lists and books is 'Spirit' which, for what it's worth, is probably my personal favourite!In all, this is a particularly superb set of recordings (which are nicely remastered here) by a group that combined a great many elements into a distinctive, complex and cohesive sound all their own. If you have even a slight taste for 70s soul, funk, or jazz-rock... I can't really recommend this package highly enough.

I bought this mainly for All 'n' All because I've always liked the singles from it, and these 5 Original Albums sets are always great value.

The contents of this little box catch EW&F in their hottest period(1975-1979) when they could do little wrong. There surely isn't a cheaper legal way of acquiring these five albums and they're all corkers - probably their best. For the uninitiated, they funk with a power, precision and sheer joy rarely achieved by anyone else, the vocals and horn arrangements are fabulous and the overall quality of the songs on all five albums shows that they're far more than a singles band.On top of this they're recently remastered and two of them (Spirit and I Am) contain bonus tracks. The packaging is basic - a little cardboard slipcase, with the individual albums in miniaturised replicas of the original lp sleeves - and in fact the only downsides are that there are no paper inners to protect the CDs from the cardboard sleeves and the track listings on these are either illegible or nearly so; however, the main box does feature legible track listings - it won't tell you anything beyond the titles but it does direct you to a website featuring the full details. But if you're considering buying this, you're probably not that bothered about ostentatious packaging, and it's worth noting that CD packaging doesn't get much greener than this, or much smaller for this many CDs.If you want to own these albums on CD this set is unbeatable, if you don't know much EW&F (as I didn't) it's a great way to get to know one of the finest funk and soul acts of their era. Stunning.

One of the greatest bands in musical history, crank it up!!!

Je suis fans de ce groupe depuis longtemps et jamais déçu...

Einfach der Sound ist gut

Buena recopilación

FULL RECOMMENDATION!