The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1

Infobox Album
Name = The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1
Type = greatest hits
Artist = Earth, Wind & Fire


Released = Start date|1978|November
Recorded =
Genre = R&B
Length = 40:14
Label = Columbia Records
Producer = George Calle, Mauro DeSantis, Al McKay, Leo Sacks, Charles Stepney, Joseph Wisert
Reviews = *Allmusic rating-5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:difqxqt5ldae~T1 link]
*Robert Christgau (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Earth%2C+Wind+%26+Fire link] '
*"Rolling Stone" rating-5|5 [http://books.google.com/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA269&lpg=PA269&dq=%22The+Best+of+Earth,+Wind+%26+Fire,+Vol.+1%22&source=web&ots=QA4_Le5v0v&sig=wdoxhBuxF3YAHyGLbUFKi0ERrAo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA269,M1 link]

"The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1" is a 1978 greatest hits compilation album collecting the charting singles of Earth, Wind & Fire. In addition to collecting previously charting songs, the album also presented two tracks for the first time on an Earth, Wind & Fire album, a cover of the Beatles' song "Got to Get You Into My Life" and the original track "September", both of which also became charting singles, the former also winning a Grammy Award. The compilation album itself placed on three Billboard charts, reaching #3 on Black Albums, #6 on Pop Albums and #74 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. [allmusic | id=10:difqxqt5ldae~T3 | label=The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1: Billboard Albums] It reached #6 on the album charts in Britain.cite book | first = Neil | last = Warwick | title = The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums | publisher = Omnibus Press | date = 2004 | isbn = 1844490580 | page = 361 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&pg=PA361&dq=%22The+Best+of+Earth,+Wind+%26+Fire,+Vol.+1%22&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0tm1j_6cLAxUQKW93dXfo-GPShQQ] In 2001, it certified 5X Platinum.

The album has been reissued many times, including with two bonus tracks: "Megamix 2000" and "Megamix."

ongs

The album collected a variety of songs, primarily charting hit singles, previously released by the band between 1975 and 1978. In addition to previously released songs, the album included several tracks which had never been on an Earth, Wind & Fire album before. Among them, a cover of the Beatles' song "Got to Get You Into My Life" recorded by the band for the film "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" had previously been published on the film's soundtrack, but "September" was new. Both of these songs also became charting singles. "Got to Get You Into My Life" reached #1 on the Billboard Black Singles chart, #9 on the Pop Singles chart and #33 on the British singles charts, while "September" reached #1 on Black Singles, #8 on Pop Singles and #3 on the British charts.allmusic | id = 10:difqxqt5ldae~T31 | label = The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1: Billboard Singles] "Got to Get You Into My Life" also won a Grammy Award for "Best Instrument Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)/Best Background Arrangement" for Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White. [allmusic | id=10:difqxqt5ldae~T32 |label= The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1: Grammy Awards]

Critical reception

Although EWF would go on to other charting hits, this volume is described by Allmusic as "still...a strong encapsulation of EWF the funk innovators."allmusic|id=10:difqxqt5ldae~T1] It is for this reason, their reviewer notes, that even though new and more definitive greatest hits albums have been released, this one has been reissued and remastered, as "for the budget-minded and the disco-phobic, this still makes for an excellent listen." Music critic Robert Christgau describes this volume as "the best album" EWF "ever released", with "ten exquisitely crafted pop tunes in which all the passion and resonance of black music tradition are blended into a concoction slicker and more sumptuous than any white counterpart since Glenn Miller." [cite web | first = Robert | last = Christgau | title = Earth, Wind & Fire | url = http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Earth%2C+Wind+%26+Fire | accessdate = 2008-10-08]

Track listing

tracklist
collapsed =
headline =

writing_credits = yes

title1 = Got to Get You Into My Life
note1 = first album appearance: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", 1978
writer1 = John Lennon, Paul McCartney
length1 = 4:03

title2 = Fantasy
note2 = first album appearance: "All 'N All", 1977
writer2 = Eduardo DelBarrio, Maurice White, Verdine White
length2 = 3:46

title3 = Can't Hide Love
note3 = first album appearance: "Gratitude", 1976
writer3 = Skip Scarborough
length3 = 4:10

title4 = Love Music
note4 = Previously unreleased
writer4 = Scarborough
length4 = 3:55

title5 = Getaway
note5 = first album appearance: "Spirit", 1976
writer5 = Peter Cor, Beloyd Taylor
length5 = 3:46

title6 = That's the Way of the World
note6 = first album appearance: "That's the Way of the World", 1975
writer6 = Charles Stepney, M. White, V. White
length6 = 5:46

title7 = September
note7 = Previously unreleased
writer7 = Al McKay, M. White, V. White
length7 = 3:36

title8 = Shining Star
note8 = first album appearance: "That's the Way of the World", 1975
writer8 = Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, M. White
length8 = 2:50

title9 = Reasons
note9 = first album appearance: "That's the Way of the World", 1975
writer9 = Bailey, Stepney, M. White
length9 = 4:59

title10 = Sing a Song
note10 = first album appearance: "Gratitude", 1976
writer10 = McKay, M. White
length10 = 3:23

title11 = Megamix 2000
note11 = Bonus track on reissue
writer11 = McKay, Wayne Vaughan, M. White, Allee Willis
length11 = 7:38

title12 = Megamix (Radio Edit)
note12 = Bonus track on reissue
writer12 = McKay, M. White
length12 = 3:23

Personnel

Performance

*Philip Bailey – vocals, percussion
*Roland Bautista – guitar
*Jessica Cleaves – vocals
*Rhamlee Michael Davis – trumpet, flugelhorn
*Larry Dunn – keyboards
*Johnny Graham – guitar, percussion
*Michael Harris – trumpet, flugelhorn
*Alan Hewitt – keyboards
*Ralph Johnson – drums, percussion
*Ronnie Laws – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute
*Al McKay – guitar, percussion
*Don Myrick – saxophone
*Louis Satterfield – trombone
*Dick Smith – guitar
*Fred White – drums
*Maurice White – vocals, drums, percussion
*Verdine White – bass
*Andrew Woolfolk – saxophone, flute

Production

*Philip Bailey – liner notes
*George Calle – producer, audio engineer, audio mixing
*Mauro DeSantis – producer, engineer, mixing
*Larry Dunn – production assistant
*Earth, Wind & Fire – arranger
*Howard Fritzson – art dDirection
*David Gahr – Photography
*Jay Graydon – songwriter
*Alan Hewitt – programming, producer, engineer, mixing
*Paul Klingberg – producer, engineer, mixing
*Art Macnow – director
*Cameron Marcarelli – assistant engineer
*Al McKay – producer
*Shusei Nagaoka – artwork
*Steve Newman – design
*Joseph M. Palmaccio – mastering
*Leo Sacks – producer, liner notes, reissue producer
*Richard Salvato – director
*Jim Shea – photography
*Charles Stepney – arranger, producer
*Tom Tom 84 – horn arrangements, string arrangements
*Chris Walter – photography
*Maurice White – arranger, producer, engineer, liner notes, sixing
*Verdine White – liner notes, production assistant
*Mark Wilder – audio mastering
*Joseph Wissert – producer

References

External links

* [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/earth_wind_fire/albums.jhtml?albumId=38274 Song samples and lyrics] , hosted with permission by MTV