Earth, Wind & Fire – The Eternal Dance

Continuing to review Compilations and Box Sets, I have the memory on how I reacted when I first got my hands on the, "Earth, Wind & Fire – The Eternal Dance" Box Set....I LOST IT!!!!! I just couldn't believe that I would have a VERY VAST Collection from "The Greatest Band of ALL TIME"!!!!!!

At that time, it being that the group was around for 22 years, having a Collection in my hands, with the HITS and GREAT Album Cuts (plus AWESOME Outtakes) was PURELY unimaginable!!!!! But to that 21 year old, who ALWAYS LOVED "Earth, Wind & Fire", IT WAS EVERYTHING!!!! It was one of the BEST CD Collections at that time!!!!

The first Disc, "Volume I (1971 - 1975)" covered from the beginning to the start of their SUPERSTARDOM!!!!! And I do mean the BEGINNING!!!!! Yes, the first 3 Tracks ("Fan The Fire", "Love Is Life" and "I Think About Lovin' You") were from the groups "Warner Bros." albums, "The Self Titled" and "The Need Of Love" (the albums that MOST People forgot about at that time!!!!)....That was before , "Phillip Bailey", "Larry Dunn" and "Ralph Johnson" ed the Band...Then it goes into material from "Last Days and Time" ("Time Is On Your Side", "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" and "Power"), with "Phillip", "Larry" and "Ralph", along with "Roland Bautista" (Guitar), "Ronnie Laws" (Saxophone and Flute), and "Jessica Cleaves" (from "The Friends of Distinction")....

After that, the Band got modified with "Ronnie" and "Roland" leaving, and "Al McKay", "Johnny Graham" and "Andrew Woolfolk" ing...With that "Evil" and "Keep Your Head To The Sky" represents the "Head To The Sky" album NICELY.....Even though "Jessica" disappeared (only to resurface in "Parliament- Funkadelic" years later), the HEYDAY of this Collection started with tracks like "Mighty Mighty" and "The Title Track" from the "Open Our Eyes" album....Also in between the last 3 albums mentioned was TERRIFIC Unreleased "Interludes", one simply called "Interlude" (with "Larry Dunn" on Piano and Organ), from the "Last, Days And Time" Sessions, and "Hey Girl" (with FANTASTIC Flute playing from "Andrew") from the "Open Our Eyes" Sessions.....

Then the SUPERSTARDOM starts at the end one Disc 1!!!!! Adding "Maurice" and "Verdine's" younger Brother, "Fred White" (who just finished playing Drums with "Donny Hathaway"), the material from the groups BEST album (in my opinion), "That's The Way Of The World" is represented with, the Jam Session "Happy Feelin'', their BEST Ballad EVER in "Reasons", their 1st HUMMUNGEST HIT (and only #1) "Shining Star" and the STUNNING "Title Track"....It also has an Alternate Version to "Shinning Star".....

The 2nd Disc, "Volume II (1975 - 1977)", starts with the material coming from their groups VERY FIRST SUPER TOUR!!! Hearing the Live performances of "Kalimba Story / Sing A Message To You" (with "Sing A Message To You" being from the "Gratitude" album), "Head To The Sky / Devotion" ('Devotion" also from "Gratitude"), "Sun Goddess" (from "Gratitude") and the OUSTANDING Live Version of "Mighty Mighty" are SO BREATHTAKING, that I SERIOUSLY had to stop the Disc and CATCH MY BREATH (I'm NOT lying!!!!)!!!!!! Like I said in my "Gratitude" review, it made me wish that I WAS THERE!!!!

Continuing with Disc 2 was the Studio Sessions from "Gratitude"..."Can't Hide Love", "Sing A Song" and "Sunshine" will just make you SHAKE YOUR HEAD and SMILE!!!!! 3 songs represent the album, "Spirit", in the form of "Getaway", "Saturday Nite" and the STUNNING "Title Track"....., those were the songs the group did around the time Co-Producer and Mentor, "Charles "Step" Stepney" took ill and suddenly ed away...Those ts are PRICELESS!!!

Then Disc 2 brings us to the material from the STUNNING "All 'N All" album...."Fantasy", "Serpentine Fire", "I'll Write A Song For You" and "Be Ever Wonderful" (with the LONGER Outro that SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE ALBUM!!!!), will just make you SHAKE YOUR HEAD AGAIN, and say "These Fellas just could DO NO WRONG!!!!" It also has the "Long" version of the Interlude "Ponta De Areia - "Brazilian Rhyme" (that was before "Be Ever Wonderful" on the album), and the WORLD FAMOUS "Beijo (Interlude)".. that was the one that was EASY to SING ALONG with because of the "Ba Di Ya's".....

Disc 2 ends with the groups cover of "The Beatles", "Got To Get You Into My Life", which was from the HORRIBLE "The Bee Gees" version of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Movie....Even though the Movie was TERRIBLE, "EWF" put a TERRIFIC spin on "The Beatle" Classic!!!!! Honestly though, I am singling this one out because, on this Collection, the ending has the Music phasing out with it having "Maurice" and "Phillip" singing the outro with only "Al McKay" GETTING DOWN on Guitar!!!! THIS IS NOT FAIR!!! Why???? Because this is THE ONLY COLLECTION, I can find this version ON!!!!!! I haven't heard it ANYWHERE SINCE!!!!!

Now we come to Disc 3, "Volume III (1978 - 1989)", where we continue the HEYDAY into the sliding, but STILL GOOD material....It Starts with the NOW, the groups 20 Year ANTHEM, "September"...."That's The Way Of The World" used to be their anthem, but HEY WHAT CAN YOU SAY, IT'S THE JAM!!!!!

Then we go into the "I Am" Sessions, with "Boogie Wonderland" (featuring "The Emotions"), "After The Love Is Gone" and the t that could be in EVERY Motion Picture, "In The Stone" (it was in a BUNCH of them, like "Drum Line").....It also has on Unreleased Interlude from these Sessions called "Dirty" (featuring Blues Artist "Junior Wells")....I found the FULL LENTH version on the album "The Promise" in 2003, and the "I Am", "Sony Legacy" Expanded CD in 2004....This time I won't suggest that it be on this Collection though...I think the "Interlude" is JUST PERFECT for this!!!!!

Then we go into material from the groups MOST UNDERRATED album, "Faces", ("Let Me Talk" and "And Love Goes On")....It also has the song, "Pride", but I really don't feel that one so much....I would have preferred "Turn It Into Something Good" or the TERRIFIC Ballad "You", but AS USUAL, that's just me....

Then we go into the LAST of the HEYDAY with material from the "Raise!", the album that "Verdine" said they "SHOULD HAVE STOPPED AT"!!!! You have one of the GREATEST Dance Anthems in "Let's Groove", along with the Groovy "Wanna Be With You" and an Unreleased "Demo"...Also from the album "Powerlight", you have a GREAT Special version of "Fall In Love With Me" (not the album version), but that's it...I feel like it could have at least put "Side By Side" (but again, that's me), but it does have an Outtake Interlude in "Little Girl" and a Groovy t called "Night Dreamin'" from those Sessions.....

The Disc and Collection winds down with lesser but STILL enjoyable material like: "Magnetic" (from "Electric Universe"), "System Of Survival" and "Thinking Of You" (from "Touch The World")....It also has a VERY FUNKY B-Side of the single of "Heritage" (the album that it seems ONLY I like), "Gotta Find Out", then FINALLY ends with an OUTSTANDING Live Performance of "That's The Way Of The World, from the "Earth, Wind & Fire, Live On HBO" show in 1982.....

I know this Collection seems to be OVERWHEMING, but for fans like myself, it was a GIFT when it first came out....I can even envision this as a 6 LP Vinyl Set....Yes, I calculated the Tracks, and it would fit PERFECTLY!!!! It would be VERY EXPENSIVE though!!!!

Come on, You Guys know I am WIRED VERY DIFFERENTLY!!!!