Earth, Wind & Fire - Raise! (1981)

Ask yourself: "Should I listen to more Earth, Wind & Fire?" Inevitably, the answer is yes. I mean, who doesn't want to hear somebody telling you that 'you are a winner' every morning?

Earth, Wind & Fire followed up the wonderful I Am album with the watered-down Faces double LP in 1980, but made a strong comeback with this release. Raise! is an album that throws potent groove after groove at the listener. Heck, the big hit from the album is not only titled Let's Groove, it only offers a single two-measure bass line groove that's so freakin' fantastic it's used under the verse and the chorus, only letting up for the middle 8. The whole album is full of typical EWF horns percussion, syncopation, and falsetto plus a gaggle of guest players/writers including Brenda Russell, David Foster, and Jerry Hey. And if you can keep still while listening to this album, I don't think we should see each other anymore.

I initially wanted to accuse the album of being too brief, but it clocks in at 39 minutes - a respectable run time for albums of the time. So I guess what I should say is that this thing leaves me wanting more.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "E,W&F's eclecticism and optimism are still refreshing"
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "reflects the current wave of street-gritty black pop"
• Smash Hits (7 out of 10): "the vocals float and flare, the horns urge you onto the dance-floor and the rhythm makes you stay there."
• Stereo Review: "formula-ridden and terribly repetitious"
• Robert Christgau (B+): "As long as they hew to a few simple rules--up on the tempos, down on the bullshit, etc.--there's no reason why these fellows can't turn their sparkling harmonies and powerful groove into a pure, contentless celebration of virtuosity."
• Record Mirror (★★★★): "a most satisfying return to form"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #5
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #5
• Rolling Stone: #6

Tracks: Track 1, the aforementioned Let's Groove (#3 pop, #1 R&B, #3 dance) was nominated for The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1982, losing to The Dude. But never fear! Track 8, Wanna Be With You (#51 pop, #15 R&B), would win that same award the following year. Now that's some staying power (or good timing). I have no idea what the song Evolution Orange means, but I'm guessing it means "this song has the best horn parts and best chorus hook on the album." Ballads need not apply, but things do slow down a bit with My Love and Wanna Be With You, which have a more relaxed groove than the other tracks.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD (lifted directly from a previous post): You damn right we played an arrangement of Let's Groove in my high school marching band (mainly a percussion/tuba feature rather than full band, but let's not nitpick). Thanks to the wonders of technology, here's a screen capture of a grainy VHS recording of a performance of that tune from the fall of 1982. Other songs included in the same halftime show were Satin Doll, Theme from Hill Street Blues, On Broadway, and, as always, ending with the school's fight song (a.k.a. Notre Dame Victory March).

Previously revisited for the blog:
Illumination (2005)
The Eternal Dance (1992)
I Am (1979)
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (1978)
All 'N All (1977)
Gratitude (1975)