The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 is an album by the band Earth, Wind & Fire issued in 1978 by Columbia Records.[1] The album rose to Nos. 3 & 6 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively.[2][3] The album has been certified Quintuple Platinum in the US by the RIAA,[4] as well as Platinum in the UK and Canada, by the BPI and Music Canada, respectively.[5]

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1
Cover art by Shusei Nagaoka
Greatest hits album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedNovember 23, 1978 (November 23, 1978)
GenreR&B, soul, jazz, pop
Length40:22
LabelARC/Columbia
Legacy (1999 reissue)
ProducerMaurice White, Charles Stepney
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
All 'n' All
(1977)		 The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1
(1978)		 I Am
(1979)
Singles from Vol. 1
  1. "Got to Get You Into My Life"
    Released: July 14, 1978
  2. "September"
    Released: September 29, 1978

Singles

The album produced three new songs and two singles. The LP's first single, "Got to Get You into My Life", preceded the album by a few months and was first included on the 1978 soundtrack Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from the feature film with the same title. The single reached Nos. 1 & 9 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively.[6][7] Got to Get You into My Life was Grammy nominated in the category of Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. The song went on to win a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).[8][9]

The second single, "September" rose to Nos. 1 & 8 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs and Hot 100 respectively.[10][11] September also got to No. 3 on the UK Pop Singles chart.[12]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Village Voice(A–)[14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[15]
High Fidelity(favourable)[16]
Los Angeles Times[17]
NY Daily News(favourable)[18]

The Los Angeles Times called the album "An excellent package with no extraneous or weak tracks".[17] Steve Huey of AllMusic said "But even if it's an incomplete hits collection, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 still ranks as a strong encapsulation of EWF the funk innovators. The singles gathered here constitute some of the richest, most sophisticated music the funk movement ever produced; when the absolute cream of the group's catalog is heard in such a concentrated fashion, the effect is dazzling." Huey added "1998's Greatest Hits now stands as the definitive single-disc EWF overview, but for the budget-minded and the disco-phobic, this still makes for an excellent listen."[13] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice found "Despite some annoying omissions, notably "Serpentine Fire," this sums them up--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".[14] The New York Daily News also claimed "Since its beginning, Earth Wind and Fire have been one of the slickest soul aggregations around, and this record is a well-paced showcase. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the combination of influences, ranging from Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder to the decidedly Chicagoesque horn arrangements, doesn't overcome the group, but its high spirits continually take it over the top. ".[18] Crispin Cioe of High Fidelity wrote "For pop/r&b mavens, this one's a must."[16]

Track listing

Adapted from LP liner notes.[19]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Got to Get You Into My Life" (From Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (soundtrack), 1978)John Lennon, Paul McCartney4:03
2."Fantasy" (From All 'n All, 1977)Eduardo Del Barrio, Maurice White, Verdine White3:46
3."Can't Hide Love" (From Gratitude, 1975)Skip Scarborough4:10
4."Love Music" (Previously unreleased)Skip Scarborough3:55
5."Getaway" (From Spirit, 1976)Peter Cor, Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor3:46
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."That's the Way of the World" (From That's the Way of the World, 1975)Charles Stepney, Maurice White, Verdine White5:46
7."September" (Previously unreleased)Al McKay, Allee Willis, Maurice White3:36
8."Shining Star" (From That's the Way of the World, 1975)Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White2:50
9."Reasons" (From That's the Way of the World, 1975)Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White4:59
10."Sing a Song" (From Gratitude, 1975)Al McKay, Maurice White3:23
Reissue bonus tracks[19][20]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."MegaMix 2000"Wayne Vaughn, Al McKay, Maurice White, Allee Willis7:38
12."MegaMix (Radio Edit)"Al McKay, Maurice White3:23

Personnel

Performance

Production
  • Earth, Wind & Fire – musical arrangements (3, 6, 8-10)
  • Philip Bailey – liner notes
  • George Calle – producer, recording engineer, audio mixing (12)
  • Mauro DeSantis – producer, recording engineer, audio mixing (12)
  • Larry Dunn – production assistant (2)
  • Howard Fritzson – art direction
  • David Gahr – Photography
  • Alan Hewitt – music programming, producer, recording engineer, audio mixing (11)
  • Paul Klingberg – producer, recording engineer, audio mixing (11)
  • Art Macnow – director
  • Cameron Marcarelli – assistant engineer (11)
  • Al McKay – producer
  • Shusei Nagaoka – artwork
  • Steve Newman – design
  • Joseph M. Palmaccio – mastering
  • Leo Sacks – producer (11), reissue producer, liner notes
  • Richard Salvato – director
  • Jim Shea – photography
  • Charles Stepney – producer, musical arrangements (3, 5-6, 8-10), synthesizer programming
  • Tom Tom 84 – horn arrangements, string arrangements (2, 4, 7)
  • Chris Walter – photography
  • Maurice White – producer (1-11), musical arrangements (1), recording engineer, audio mixing (11), liner notes
  • Verdine White – production assistant (2), liner notes
  • Mark Wilder – audio mastering
  • Joseph Wissert – producer[19][20]

Charts
Album
Year Chart Position
1979 U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums 3
U.S. Billboard 200 6
U.K. UK Albums 6[12]
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 13[21]
Japanese Albums (Oricon) 12[22]
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1978 "Got to Get You into My Life" Billboard Top Soul Singles 1
Billboard Hot 100 9
UK Singles 33[12]
Dutch Single Top 100 33[23]
1979 "September" Billboard Top Soul Singles 1
Billboard Hot 100 8
UK Singles 3[12]
Swedish Singles (Sverigetopplistan) 3[21]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[25] none 377,600 [26]*
Netherlands (NVPI)[27] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". 45worlds.com.
  2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  4. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". riaa.com.
  5. "British Phonographic Industry certification of The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". Bpi.co.uk.
  6. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Got to Get You into My Life (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  7. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Got to Get You into My Life (Hot 100)". Billboard.com.
  8. "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
  9. "Maurice White". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
  10. "Earth, Wind & Fire: September (Hot 100)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  11. "Earth, Wind & Fire: September (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
  12. "Earth, Wind & Fire". officialcharts.com.
  13. Huey, Steve. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  14. Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
  15. Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1. Rolling Stone Album Guide. Rolling Stone Magazine.
  16. Cioe, Crispin (May 1981). "Backbeat Superior Superdiscs" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 31 no. 3. High Fidelity. p. 128.
  17. "Pop Music". newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. December 17, 1978. p. 418.
  18. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. December 10, 1978. p. 355.
  19. The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1. ARC/Columbia. 1978.
  20. “The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1” (Reissue). Legacy’s Rhythm & Soul Series. Columbia / Legacy. 1999.
  21. "Earth, Wind & Fire". sverigetopplistan.se.
  22. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  23. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Got to Get You into My Life". dutchcharts.nl.
  24. "Canadian album certifications – Earth, Wind and Fire – The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". Music Canada.
  25. "French album certifications – Earth, Wind and Fire – The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  26. https://www.infodisc.fr/Ventes_Albums_Tout_Temps.php?debut=900
  27. "Dutch album certifications – Earth, Wind and Fire – The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  28. "British album certifications – Earth, Wind and Fire – The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  29. "American album certifications – Earth, Wind and Fire – The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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