#493 Earth, Wind & Fire- That's the Way of the World (1975)

A week into this blog journey, and I'm still finding my way.  Seeking a happy balance between what a song means to me, past vs. present; what I know about an album vs. what I'm learning; sharing what insight I have about a group vs. revealing my unfamiliarity.  My only hope is that somehow through this balancing act, I have inspired you to revisit, or perhaps visit for the first time, some of the amazing and diverse works I'm discussing. Each blog has a comment section, and I do invite you to share your thoughts and insights, and help me in my musical enlightenment.

Earth, Wind & Fire's breakthrough album of 1975, was actually the soundtrack to a flop of a movie of the same name that year, that starred Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs & Pulp Fiction) as a music producer.  The band rushed to release the album before the movie came out, in fear of being associated with the bomb.  The album made it to #1 months before the lackluster movie was released.

Shining Star- Walt Disney in the 70's with a 4 inch fro!  This funky grammy winning #1 hit has it all: horn section, layered guitars, bass, fretless bass (that I can't help but focus my attention on), and an A Capella vocal break.  It's uplifting, infectious, and tight.

That's the Way of the World- the title track and second single released from the album, is a slow groove that sounds like it would be perfect opening music for a talk-show or perhaps movie credits.  More realistically I'll be using it on the back porch for sipping wine on breezy fall nights by the fire pit.

Happy Feelin'- this uptempo tune features solo's on the kalimba, an African thumb piano.  EWF named their production company Kalimba, and included the instrument on each of their albums.  I'm not sure I understand the weird organ break/transition at the end though.

All About Love- A slow tender ballad that reminds me of the Willy Wonka song Pure Imagination, that is until the HORNS BLAST IN; startled me a little.  Side one ends, with a few minutes of what seems like a drunk lounge singer chattin' you up at the end of the night "you are as beautiful as your thoughts, right on?"  Oh yeah, and there's that crazy organ thing again.

Yearnin' Learnin'- Thick and wide horns; there should be a car chase soon, or some crossfire, in what sounds like perfect plot movement music from a 70's blaxploitation flick.

Reasons- Yum, here's the gem from this album that I sadly hadn't discovered before tonight.  Soulful falsetto singing in a way that the BeeGee's would have killed for, this song sounds like it could have been a Motown hit for the Temptations or the Four Tops 10 years earlier.

Africano-  Flutes swirl around my stereo mix, and there's the kalimba again during the intro.  Trippy.  Abrupt cut to the movie chase again.  Sax solos, wah wahs, trumpet stabs; I'd rent that flop of a movie just to see if and how they integrated this song into the action.  When was CHiP's on TV?

See the Light-  I haven't been keeping track, but I'm pretty sure the 7/8 meter latin/jazz intro to the album closer is the first departure I've heard to straight time since I started my blog project.  Some of the electronic keyboards sound rough and dated to me, but it doesn't take away much from the warm smile inducing groove.  oh.. someone tell me WTF that weird organ now turned African chant thing is, and what's so funny.

I'm quickly realizing that the numerous "greatest hits" CD's in my collection provided me quick access to the likes of EWF, but they also did me a disservice by circumventing the deeper cuts.  It reminds me of how the interstate highways and toll roads made travel across the states easier, but lost was the charm and identity of the small towns along the way.  My old cassettes back then got one thing right, they were linear, you listened to songs one by one in order.  Now that everything in our world is "on demand" we tend to fall victim to our own synaptic rutting.

Next Up- #492 Pearl Jam- Vitology (1994)