Earth, Wind & Fire
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Review by Cliff White, New Musical Express, 7 February 1976
PROOF AT LAST that EWF deserve all the acclaim that's been heaped on them in the last couple of years. ...
Review and Interview by Kit Aiken, Uncut, September 1999
THE SNAZZIEST, JAZZIEST dance crew of the period. Their one world spirituality, sunny mysticism and conspicuous musicality makes them a real genre one-off. Never as ...
Audio interviews
Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White (1979)
Interview by Cliff White, Rock's Backpages audio, March 1979
Mr. White waxes philosophical about uplifting consciousness; contributing to the musical community; Philip Bailey and himself as singers; his fantasy lyrics and metaphysical lyrical vibrations; perfecting rawness; EW&F's over-the-top stage show; and society's problems.
File format: mp3; file size: 36.1mb, interview length: 37' 34" sound quality: ***
Maurice White and Philip Bailey (1988)
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages audio, Fall 1988
Maurice White and Philip Bailey talk about the latest Earth, Wind & fire album Touch The World, changes in the band, outside producers and record company politics. Plus a short treatise on Egyptology!
File format: mp3; file size: 22.6mb, interview length: 24' 40" sound quality: ***
List of articles in the library
The Black-Latin-Jazz-Rock-Vocal Bands
Profile by Vernon Gibbs, Soul Sounds, November 1972
THERE SEEMS to be a definite increase of interest among young Black and Third World musicians, who are either not technically equipped or deeply enough ...
Isaac Hayes: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Vernon Gibbs, New Musical Express, 18 August 1973
Brilliant Hayes: the bald facts ...
Earth Wind & Fire: Memories of Trane & Motown
Interview by Vernon Gibbs, Rolling Stone, 6 December 1973
CINCINNATI — MAURICE White and Phillip Bailey, the two lead singers and percussionists for Earth, Wind and Fire, are sitting in a rented Pontiac parked ...
Various Artists: California Jam Festival: Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario CA
Live Review by David Rensin, Zoo World, 23 May 1974
"Bastion Of Ennui" nets record gate. ...
War: War Live (United Artists UALA193-J2); Earth Wind & Fire: Open Our Eyes (Columbia KC 32712)
Review by Vernon Gibbs, Crawdaddy!, July 1974
THE TRUE TEST of any band is in live performance. Prima donna "entertainers" can escape with sickly back-ups and pass muster simply on the force ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: 'Turn on the funk motor'
Profile by Bob Fisher, New Musical Express, 17 May 1975
...ordered Godfather James Brown, and the welter of street-funk bands has been unstoppable. EARTH WIND AND FIRE are this month's chart faves. BOB FISHER examines ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Sonic Elements
Report and Interview by Vernon Gibbs, Downbeat, 19 June 1975
PHILADELPHIA IS a violent town. In the hotel where Earth, Wind and Fire are staying, an enraged woman (who has been given a passkey by ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: A Creative Explosion
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 2 September 1975
TO UNDERSTAND the true power of Earth, Wind & Fire, you have to understand that these are nine people with a message. A universal message ...
Santana, Earth Wind and Fire: Hippodrome, Birmingham
Live Review by Bob Fisher, New Musical Express, 13 September 1975
Lift-off on schedule for Santana tour ...
Earth, Wind, Fire, Dry Ice and Conviction
Interview by Cliff White, New Musical Express, 20 September 1975
MAURICE WHITE, of the above qualifications, talks to CLIFF WHITE (no relation) about the New Thing in soul music. ...
Santana and Earth Wind and Fire at Hammersmith Odeon
Live Review by Max Bell, New Musical Express, 20 September 1975
ONE OF THE ironic features of Columbia's prestigious double billing, Earth Wind And Fire/Santana is that in America right now the kudos for star spot ...
Book Excerpt by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 30 September 1975
SO BRITAIN has finally tasted the elements. Earth Wind & Fire, nine piece California-based self-contained band/group, have been described by most American music journalists at ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Signs Rise for Shining Stars
Interview by David Rensin, Rolling Stone, 29 January 1976
LOS ANGELES – "Music is a sacred thing and we take it very seriously," Earth Wind & Fire founder/percussionist Maurice White offers during a rehearsal ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
Live Review by Tom Vickers, Rolling Stone, 26 February 1976
Cosmic Come-On: Earth, Wind & Too Much Fire ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Soul & Inspiration
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 10 August 1976
Earth, Wind & Fire is all about inspiration, says bass player Verdine White... about saying something relevant to the people. And, despite their huge success, ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
Fiery ELP of soul ...
Earth Wind & Fire: Spirit (CBS 81451)
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 14 December 1976
IT HAS taken a mighty, mighty album to knock Stevie Wonder off the top spot in the States — albeit for one week because Stevie ...
Earth, Wind & Fire, the Emotions: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 14 December 1976
EW&F: simply magnifico! ...
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, 16 December 1976
THE SONGS OF Earth, Wind and Fire combine pure urban fantasy with the type of facile brotherhood messages that also crop up in the music ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Spirit (CBS); The Blackbyrds: Unfinished Business (Fantasy)
Review by Cliff White, New Musical Express, 29 January 1977
Cliff White on recent soul ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Spirit (CBS 81451) ****
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, February 1977
A PLATEAU album for Maurice White's group, and with the death of co-producer Charles Stepney, that raises a few questions for the future. On the ...
Rappin' with Maurice White (of Earth, Wind and Fire)
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 24 May 1977
JUST AS their American run of successes seems to be on a temporary wane, so supergroup Earth Wind & Fire achieve their British breakthrough – ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Musical Giants
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 20 December 1977
ONE OF the gratifying success stories of this musical decade belongs unquestionably to a group who have literally become giants in the music world. We ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: All 'n All (CBS 80051)
Review by Barry Cain, Record Mirror, 7 January 1978
Smooth as their sequined shirts ...
Maurice White: From Sessionman To Producer
Interview by Sam Sutherland, Record World, 7 January 1978
EVEN IF Maurice had chosen to retire as a musician in the early '70s, his mid-decade emergence as a producer would guarantee him prominence: White's ...
Earth Wind and Fire: All 'n All
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, 26 January 1978
AT THEIR WORST, Earth, Wind and Fire indulge in some of the most pretentious excesses in current black music. As on past Earth, Wind and ...
Earth Wind & Fire: All 'N' All (CBS 86051)
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 31 January 1978
ANY ALBUM that can go straight into the American charts at No. 1 and sell more than two million in its first month can't be ...
Earth Wind & Fire: All 'n All (Columbia JC 34905)
Review by Bruce Malamut, Crawdaddy!, February 1978
EARTH WIND & Fire have come a long way from the jazzed-out horns, elasticized rhythms and coolness (unique for avant-soul) of their first album. ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: All 'n All
Review by Cliff White, New Musical Express, 11 February 1978
CBS HAVE A problem. To be sure, it's the sort of ticklish little teaser that most record companies would be glad to scratch, but a ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: How does he do it?
Report and Interview by Barry Cain, Record Mirror, 18 February 1978
Barry Cain doesn't know either ...
Earth, Wind and Fire, Deniece Williams, Pockets: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale NY
Live Review by Wayne Robins, Newsday, 22 February 1978
Earth, Wind and Fire puts on a flashy show ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Flying Sorcerers
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
Earth, Wind & Fire are the biggest soul group in the world – their albums now go platinum. But Britain will have to wait until ...
Earth Wind & Fire: Maurice White
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 28 February 1978
WITHOUT A shadow of doubt, Earth Wind & Fire is the most successful group that our music has ever given the world. In fact, after ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: One Nation Under a Groove
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, 24 February 1979
COSMIC KARMA QUESTIONNAIRE COMPILED BY SYLVIE SIMMONS ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by David Hancock, Evening News, London, 5 March 1979
Down to Earth... the Fire is dying ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Paul Morley, New Musical Express, 10 March 1979
WOW!!! SHEER excellence!!! You weren't there? You are square!!! (you thought it was the other way round? You still living to those snobby chic guidelines? ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Maurice White's Band of Hope
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Melody Maker, 10 March 1979
There's more to America's biggest soul band than bread and circuses. VIVIEN GOLDMAN followed them to Staffordshire to talk about the Bible, spinal fluid, reincarnation, ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, 10 March 1979
PITY THE poor reviewer covering a show of the astonishing calibre of Earth, Wind & Fire's weekend extravaganza at the Empire Pool. ...
Profile by Cliff White, Smash Hits, 31 May 1979
Would you believe that this lot are out to improve your minds? Gosh, and here were we thinking that they'd come just to boogie! ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Progress Is The Key
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1979
THERE SEEMS TO BE absolutely no question that in terms of consistency, universal and international acceptance and popularity, Earth, Wind & Fire have no peers. ...
Review by Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone, 23 August 1979
MAURICE WHITE, Earth, Wind and Fire's presiding genius, ranges across popular music like a robber baron, selecting only the tastiest artifacts for his collection. ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: I Am (ARC/Columbia); Teddy Pendergrass: Teddy (Philadelphia International)
Review by Robot A. Hull, Creem, September 1979
Dear brothers and sisters: If you are interested in being a part of the Universal Community of Mellow Truth, sip a glass of wine and please pay attention. In ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: When you feel the feeling you're feeling
Interview by Barry Cain, Record Mirror, 29 September 1979
BARRY CAIN gets that feeling when he meets Earth, Wind and Fire's Maurice White ...
Review by Danny Baker, New Musical Express, 25 October 1980
ANY GROUP can only pack so much stuff. The stuff that oils and inspires their moves, greases songs, a magic stuff that flows through a ...
Maurice White: How the Black Man Bleached his Soul…
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, New Musical Express, January 1981
... or how Earth, Wind & Fire guru Maurice White deserted Memphis to achieve Nirvana in Hollywood. ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Raise! (CBS)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, New Musical Express, 14 November 1981
RAISE HIGH THE COSMIC BOOTY ...
Whites Are Missing Good Rock By Blacks
Overview by Geoffrey Himes, Baltimore Sun, 15 November 1981
IF YOU LISTEN to Baltimore's album-oriented rock (AOR) radio stations or any of dozens of similar stations around the country, you're unlikely to hear any ...
Earth Wind & Fire: Omni Coliseum, Atlanta GA
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 17 November 1981
THIS WAS the first time that Atlanta had seen Earth Wind & Fire in over a year and there was much speculation about their widely-publicised ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: Living On A Met-Plane
Interview by Danny Baker, New Musical Express, 21 November 1981
EARTH, WIND & FIRE'S MAURICE WHITE GETS METAPHYSICAL. BRINGING QUESTIONS OF HIS OWN DANNY BAKER ASKS: DO YOU BELIEVE MY FRIEND IN WHAT YOU CLAIM? ...
Earth, Wind and Fire Return to Form
Interview by Vernon Gibbs, Rolling Stone, 4 March 1982
NEW YORK CITY — Maurice White, the guiding force behind Earth, Wind and Fire, is seated in the middle of a posh Manhattan hotel suite. A party ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Mick Brown, The Guardian, 11 March 1982
IN THE last 10 years, black music in America has moved steadily away from raw, personal expression towards a more sophisticated presentation which acknowledges show ...
Earth Wind And Fire: Ecstasy At The Dawn Of Creation!
Live Review by Gavin Martin, New Musical Express, 20 March 1982
Earth Wind And Fire: Wembley Arena, London ...
Earth Wind & Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by David Hepworth, Smash Hits, 1 April 1982
OVER THE TOP WITH EARTH WIND & FIRE AT WEMBLEY ARENA OUR MAN IN BLOCK E: DAVID HEPWORTH ...
The Superstar: Much More Than The Just The music
Overview by Vernon Gibbs, Billboard, 5 June 1982
IT MAY be one of the most frequently misused of the music industry's accolades, since in a business full of stars there are few genuine ...
Singles Reviewed by MARK COOPER
Review by Mark Cooper, Record Mirror, 22 January 1983
THE GAP BAND 'Outstanding' (Polygram) Yet another soul concerto from The Gap Band with a monstrously hard-hitting handclap from the engine room and a vocal ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight (CBS)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, New Musical Express, 12 February 1983
I SAY, let's not groove tonight. Sometimes Earth, Wind & Fire get down on a groove and flashily mess it around. Sometimes they just lie ...
Jennifer Holliday: Feel My Soul (Geffen)
Review by Steve Bloom, Record, January 1984
FEEL MY Soul is the best Earth, Wind & Fire album to come along in four years; produced by Maurice White, EW&F's founding father, it ...
Maurice White: White in Flight
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 11 September 1984
Maurice White talks to B&S — about EW&F's pause for thought, about his own solo album, about his productions for Barbra Streisand, and about some ...
Interview by Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, 31 January 1985
Earthy Wind and Fire singer scores a hit ...
Philip Bailey: Labours of Love Made Easy
Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, New Musical Express, 6 April 1985
PHILIP BAILEY used to sing with Earth Wind And Fire. Now he's teamed up alongside Phil Collins to reach Number One with 'Easy Lover'. SIMON ...
Philip Bailey: Rocky Mountain Soul from a Bible Belter
Interview by Rob Tannenbaum, Musician, July 1986
"Flute and harp add sweetness to a song; better than either, a sweet voice." (Ecclesiasticus 40:21) ...
Interview by Simon Witter, New Musical Express, Fall 1988
Monarchs of mind expansion and celestial 70s grooving, EW&F were the world's biggest pre-Wacko black superstars. Now they're back, as a 'people band', with a ...
A Schism Divides Black Pop Radical Rappers And Soul Stars – Or The Street Vs. The Sweet
Comment by Jim Sullivan, The Boston Globe, 31 December 1989
MYRIAD GENRES and subgenres make up the world of pop music, some complementary, some clashing. Look around, and you'll find heavy metal, hard rock, post-modern, ...
Earth Wind & Fire: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Paul Lester, Uncut, September 1997
NO ONE levitates tonight. Nor are there any Sphinxes. And the sequinned Egyptological-spaceman costumes are conspicuous by their absence. But we do get 12 instrumentalists ...
Earth Wind And Fire: Beacon Theater, New York
Live Review by Kandia Crazy Horse, PopMatters, 15 2003
MY TRAGEDY AS a music fanatic has always been one of being a spirit out of time. I have spent a goodly portion of my ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise
Review and Interview by Paul Lester, Uncut, June 2004
Doyens of orchestral disco celebrate 35th birthday with best album for aeons. ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: Relighting the Fire
Report and Interview by Robert Sandall, Daily Telegraph, 15 September 2005
MAYBE IT'S AN effect of the baking late-August heat, but the concert scene in Houston, Texas has gone all topsy-turvy. ...
Earth, Wind and Fire: The Way of the World
Profile and Interview by Bill DeYoung, Goldmine, July 2006
WITHOUT MAURICE WHITE, the 1970s wouldn't have been nearly as interesting. ...
Singing the cyber blues: Janelle Monaé's Metropolis
Overview by Kandia Crazy Horse, San Francisco Bay Guardian, 7 May 2008
AFROFUTURISM BEGAN in earnest with those "20 odd Negroes" brought to Jamestown. Truly, long-ago Africans brought to New World shores invented modernity on the fly, ...
Earth, Wind & Fire 'Promise' to Keep Rocking
Interview by Michael A. Gonzales, Ebony, 5 August 2013
WHEN EARTH, Wind and Fire's bass player extraordinaire Verdine White speaks affectionately about his influential group playing shows in the mid-1970s, one is instantly transported ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Adam Sweeting, Sunday Telegraph, 20 October 2013
Funk Pop's most durable act are still as interested in theatrics as music ...
see also Philip Bailey
see also Maurice White
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