What people search:
 | Title : Earth Wind & Fire: Greatest Hits
Author : Earth Wind & Fire
Release Date : 19981117
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.49
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Editorial Reviews :
It's the most complete single-disc collection of EWF chart rockers, and Greatest Hits' splendid remastering makes one of the major exponents of '70s funk positivity sound sparkling. From the driving 'Shining Star' to the syncopated mastery of 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' to the slow-jam heaven of 'After the Love Is Gone,' this is a reminder of what made the group so special.
Buyer Reviews :
Mid-1970s black music seemed dominated either by fun, mindless party jams like 'Jungle Boogie' and 'Skin Tight,' or dour warnings like 'Future Shock' and 'Living For The City.' Stevie Wonder sang his share of life-affirming music but Earth, Wind & Fire, here with a definitive one-disc greatest hits, made such positive strength the heart of their musical identity.
Some of the era's most needed, heeded messages ran deep and sweet atop Verdine White's bass grooves (front and center on 'Getaway'), brother and leader Maurice's drum and percussion tracks honed over years with Chess Records' rhythm section ('Saturday Nite,' 'Kalimba Story,' 1977's dazzling 'Serpentine Fire'), Louis Satterfield's horn section scrambling through jazz-rock mazes every track (becoming a 80s rock stalwart backing Phil Collins), and Phillip Bailey's high, clear falsetto on 'After The Love Has Gone,' the prom dance standard 'Reasons,' the soaring chorus of 'September,' and the elegant 'Fantasy' which, with 'Serpentine Fire,' gave R&B one of its best 1-2 LP opening tracks. (It's restored to album length here, with Larry Dunn's superb keyboard intros, after being edited on two previous best-ofs).
Messages like 'You're a shining star...shining bright to see what you can truly be,' 'If you sing a song today, you will make a better way,' 'Try to resist all the hurt that's all around ya...' moved feet and hearts, misinterpreted by spiritual seekers and hedonists alike in the 'Me' decade's last discofied days. The Whites understood disco's falsity: 'Morning deals a bad hand to a woman who has made too many bets,' Maurice sings on 1979's galloping disco smash 'Boogie Wonderland,' adding, 'You dance and shake the hurt.' But by early 1982, needing a hit after a slow-selling double-LP the year before, EWF gave in to the dance grooves and party-down lyrics of 'Let's Groove,' their last Top 5 hit.
Despite a generous 18 tracks (and an excellent geneology of the group by Kevin Goins), longtime fans will miss 'In The Stone,' 'Fall In Love With Me,' 'Head To The Sky,' 'Let Me Talk,' and others. These are found on 1995's 'Eternal Dance' box, the 'Elements of Love' ballads collection, or two previous best-ofs. This 'Greatest Hits' packs their best-known pop songs into an exceptionally sounding disc (thanks to Mark Wilder's remastering), providing an essential introduction to one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's most surprising, satisfying member groups.
(by trivialtony )
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