Gratitude (Rm) (W/1 Live Bonus [Import, Live]

 

 

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They don't make them like this anymore. EWF has always been known for their live performances. Unfortunately, hardly any were recorded in those days and even fewer video taped. Which makes this classic disc even more of a keeper. As always, let's look at it song by song:
Intro/Medley (Africano/Power): This album was all about the excitement of being at a concert and that excitement starts from the very beginning. The crowd is cheering, overwhelmed by anticipation. MC Perry Jones announces them, "Presenting, Earth!...Wind!...and Fire! With that, the band comes in with that funky/jazz style that would later become their trademark. They launch into Africano first. In the midsection, the horns bellow out (literally) the intro to Power. The title fits the song, trust me. As usual, Verdine is really thumping that bass on this one. All in all, a great intro. Yearnin'and Learnin': One of my favorite songs by EWF and it's done even better live. During this time, the band had two drummers and if you listen closely, you can hear one set of drums in one speaker and the other set in the other speaker. The horns, always a strong point with EWF, really sour and bite hard on this one. Again, a great song made better live. Devotion: One of the more spiritual songs from the group, this song done live shows the communal part of an EWF show. When the ladies are singing "Yeah, yeah, yeah", it sounds like the ocean itself. Truly amazing. If you're a fan it makes you feel like you're there. If you're another musician, you envy it! Sun Goddess: This is a cut originally done with Ramsey Lewis, Maurices old stomping partner. Again, the sound of the crowd is as musical as the band itself. Larry Dunn's keyboard solo is great and just as good as Ramsey's original. Of course, Verdine just keeps rumbling along. Reasons: This live version I feel is one of the best songs of the 70's. The band is so much in sync, the crowd is again completly into it, and Philip Bailey's falsetto has never been better. Besides the the sax solo, which is grea, listen to the bass part. Verdine keeps it interesting to say the least. Sing A Message To You: This is a live interlude. It last about a minute and is repetitive but still cool. Check it out. Shining Star: Okay, I know I'm going to get it for this but.... this is probably my least favorite performance from the live set. Don't get me wrong, I love the song and think it's one of the best of the decade but in it's original studio form. Shining Star is such a studio creation that it just doesn't sound right outside of the studio. The best Shining Star live performance I've heard is on the EWF Greatest Hits Live disc but even that doesn't get a complete thumbs up from me. New World Synphony: This is a gift. From EWF to us, the listener. It is the best cut on the album. It shows the band as the jam session band that they were. It also shows the jazz influences they possessed. The last section is the best. Verdine White, or as he's known to his friends, the Fire, takes over on bass here with a lenthy solo that finnaly burst at th seams in the climax. But wait, that's not all! The band comes in to re-state what Verdine just did and finally the song is over. The cheers and screams heard at the end of this masterpiece is amazing. When Maurice says to the crowd "Can you say yeah?", they answer with a deafening sound. Again, a gift. Sunshine: A good, catchy pop song, with a great performance by Philip Bailey. Sing A Song: Another good pop tune with a sing-a-long type chorus. Nothing really special though. Gratitude: This is just low down funk. Verdine lays it down on the bass and Maurice takes care of the main vocals. Celebrate: Another funky yet eird tune about celebrating life in general. Chek it out and see what you think. Can't Hide Love: The best new song on the disc. Another gift from the elements. Maurices singing is awesome, Verdines bass intro is amazing and the horns, well, they're the EWF horns! The new CD includes a live set from a TV show but it pales to the concert. My only regret about this album is that the entire thing wasn't live. But if that was the case, we wouldn't have gotten Can't Hide Love in the package. So let's leave it like it is.

And the "message" is positive energy over the funkiest tunes in town!Over it's live side "Graditude" just drips of EWF's early
funk flavors-ripping through the frenetic "Power/Africano",a
far faster,funkier rendition of "Yearnin',Learnin'",the to-the-point but energetic "Sing A Message To You" and a mighty version
of "Sun Godess"-the overall effect is more like that of a ritual
then a concert!And the studio cuts have classic hits like
"Singasong","Can't Hide Love" and other trancendant chestnuts such as the deeply grooving tital song,the latin-ish "Celebrate"
and the happy vibe of "Sunshine".Just throughally remarkable from
beginning to end and a true testement to what this band really
thinks of its many fans and fellow travellers!

This is the kind of live album that shows that Earth, Wind & Fire was a strong combo on stage, featuring a dynamic set with lots of improvisation and hot playing. Just listen to Sun Goddess, Africano or Reasons. Unbelievable! isn't it? Definitively of one the best live albums ever.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Recomendado
El ci di la llea cabros es pulento ,

chao huashos...

Published on Sep 23 2002 by Pablo

5.0 out of 5 stars I feel like I'm there!
I love this album because it makes you feel like you're at the concert. It also sounds like they love to perform and you can hear how excited the band and the audience sounds. Read more

Published on Aug 24 2002 by Niccole A. Hatcher

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Ever
This has got to be one of the best albums ever put together. From the opening introduction which sets the stage for an explosive concert setting. Read more

Published on Jan 24 2002 by kwade

5.0 out of 5 stars Peak Elements
I wonder if Peter Frampton heard this Album&the folks that bought His Album in Droves??Because this is the most Have Live Album to Have. Read more

Published on Oct 12 2001 by A customer

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic live album filled with spirit and soul
Being one of the best selling soul bands of the 1970s, it's not hard to imagine the large arenas that Earth, Wind & Fire were filling at the time of these recordings. Read more

Published on Sep 9 2001 by Nathan

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it now!
I own almost every Earth, Wind & Fire disc made including Maurice's solo album, which is out of print, and Philip Bailey's Chinese Wall. Read more

Published on July 18 2001 by Compton Norm

5.0 out of 5 stars EWF's Best Effort
Hey, I was a high schooler and college student in the 70s, and Earth, Wind & Fire was THE BAND, even better than P-Funk. Read more

Published on Feb 21 2001 by soonersoulbro

4.0 out of 5 stars EWF Live
EWF released some excellent albums in the 70's, but their real fortay was as a live band. Much of the group had jazz backgrounds and in concert they got to show off their... Read more

Published on Aug 21 2000 by Thomas Magnum

5.0 out of 5 stars If This CD Doesn't Cheer You Up, You're Already Dead
I love EWF, but if I had to pick one album it would be "Gratitude", newly remastered by the fine people at Columbia/Legacy. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2000 by C. Manson

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential EW&F
As fine as their four previous studio albums had been, Earth Wind And Fire were clearly on fire as a live act, as evidenced on "Gratitude". Read more

Published on May 27 2000 by Michael Topper

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