{"id":218,"date":"2013-07-30T16:55:42","date_gmt":"2013-07-30T16:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=218"},"modified":"2013-08-05T20:27:47","modified_gmt":"2013-08-05T20:27:47","slug":"486-earth-wind-and-fire-thats-the-way-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=218","title":{"rendered":"RS #486: Earth, Wind and Fire – That’s The Way of The World"},"content":{"rendered":"
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#486<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Earth, Wind and Fire,\u00a0That’s The Way of The World<\/em><\/h3>\n
Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a01975<\/div>\n
Previously Owned:<\/strong>\u00a0No
\nFirst Time Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/div>\n
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I guess it’s hard to fit nine band members on the front of the LP cover. Sorry, guys to the left!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Impressions:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Not sure why, but I had a feeling this was gonna be a monster. But, I realized for the benefit of the blog, I must manage expectations and approach this album dispassionately. I was so dispassionate that I went on Spotify and listened to the wrong album. As it turned out, I listened to the live version of this album first by accident, (which was awesome with tons of energy and air-tight funk showmanship)…then listened to he studio version and didn’t change my mind. All throughout, light, crazy high vocals with stone-cold funky grooves and possibly the finest horn section known to man. Their big hit “Shining Star” shows their funk bonafides, and they go from there. The title track grooves along and sounds like,\u00a0in the best possible way, a song to serve as a soundtrack while you pass away into the gates of heaven. They mix funk jams and ballads nicely and even though Maurice White sometimes sounds like he’s taking himself a little too seriously, the funk\/jazz\/r&b mix of music never disappoints. They even throw in some African and Latin sounds without sounding terrible. A pleasure throughout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Starred Songs:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0“Shining Star,” “That’s the Way of the World”
\nSneaky Track:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0“Reasons”<\/div>\n
Trivia: <\/strong>Originally, this was a soundtrack for a movie of the same name about the music industry that Harvey Keitel and featured a cameo by EWF. The band thought the movie was going to be a flop so they released the album before the movie came out to avoid being dragged down by the film.<\/div>\n
Should this album be on the list?<\/strong>\u00a0Absolutely.<\/div>\n
Will you listen to this again?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0“Yes.” “I can’t hear you, let me hear you say…”<\/div>\n
Verdict:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Sublime, gleaming ’70s funk by a powerhouse band the likes of which is rarely heard today.<\/div>\n
Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u26051\/2<\/div>\n
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