Recorded 1975-1978 The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1
(1978) I Am
(1979) Release date 23 November 1978 | Length 40:22 Artist Earth, Wind & Fire Label Columbia Records | |
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Released November 23, 1978 (November 23, 1978) (LP)
January 1, 1986 (January 1, 1986) (CD)
July 27, 1999 (July 27, 1999) (Reissue) Genres Soul music, Rhythm and blues, Jazz, Pop music Producers Maurice White, Charles Stepney Similar Earth - Wind & Fire albums, Rhythm and blues albums | ||
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 is a 1978 compilation album collecting the charting singles of Earth, Wind & Fire. In addition to collecting previously charting songs, the album also included three new tracks for the band: 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, and "Love Music."
Contents
The compilation album itself placed on three Billboard charts, reaching No. 3 on Black Albums, No. 6 on Pop Albums. It reached No. 6 on the album charts in Britain. The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 has been certified as quintuple platinum in the US by the RIAA for sales of over 5,000,000 copies. The album has also been certified platinum in the UK and in Canada by the British Phonographic Industry and Music Canada respectively.
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 is ranked numbers 30 and 44 on AllMusic's list of the Top urban and R&B albums of all time respectively.
Songs
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's 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 No. 1 on the Billboard Black Singles chart, No. 9 on the Pop Singles chart, and No. 33 on the British singles charts, while "September" reached No. 1 on Black Singles, No. 8 on Pop Singles, and No. 3 on the British charts. "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. Also, the Skip Scarborough-penned "Love Music" was also a new album track. The album has been reissued with two bonus tracks: "MegaMix 2000" and "MegaMix (Radio Edit)."
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." 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."
Samples
Love Music was sampled by Ghostface Killah on his track Good featured on his 2006 album More Fish. "September" has been sampled by Crystal Waters on her track "Say...If You Feel Alright" from her 1996 album Crystal Waters.
Performance
Production
Songs
1Got To Get You Into My Life4:03
2Fantasy3:46
3Can't Hide Love4:10