The Best Of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol.1
When it was originally released in 1978, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 was a succinct, ten-track collection of the group's best and biggest singles up to that point. There was one brand-new song, the excellent "September," which soon became a hit in its own right, plus the non-LP Beatles cover "Got to Get You Into My Life," which was recorded for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film, makes its first appearance on an EWF album here. EWF s commercial prime hadn't yet ended when this collection appeared; thus, it's missing several crucial latter-day hits, including the slinky funk of "Serpentine Fire," the ballad "After the Love Has Gone," and the disco smashes "Let's Groove" and "Boogie Wonderland." 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. That's why The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 was remastered and reissued along with the rest of EWF s catalog, even though it's been supplanted by more extensive single-disc (Greatest Hits , double-disc (The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire , and triple-disc (The Eternal Dance anthologies. 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. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Philip Bailey - Liner Notes
Earth, Wind & Fire - Arranger
Earth, Wind & Fire - Main Performer
Maurice White - Arranger
Maurice White - Producer
Maurice White - Engineer
Maurice White - Liner Notes
Maurice White - Mixing
Mauro DeSantis - Producer
Mauro DeSantis - Engineer
Mauro DeSantis - Mixing
Larry Dunn - Production Assistant
Jay Graydon - Songwriter
Paul Klingberg - Producer
Paul Klingberg - Engineer
Paul Klingberg - Mixing
Al McKay - Producer
Joseph M. Palmaccio - Mastering
Jim Shea - Photography
Charles Stepney - Arranger
Charles Stepney - Producer
Tom Tom 84 - Horn Arrangements
Tom Tom 84 - String Arrangements
Verdine White - Liner Notes
Verdine White - Production Assistant
Mark Wilder - Mastering
Joseph Wissert - Producer
Leo Sacks - Producer
Leo Sacks - Liner Notes
Leo Sacks - Reissue Producer
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
David Gahr - Photography
Alan Hewitt - Programming
Alan Hewitt - Producer
Alan Hewitt - Engineer
Alan Hewitt - Mixing
Chris Walter - Photography
Steve Newman - Design
Shusei Nagaoka - Artwork
Richard Salvato - Director
George Calle - Producer
George Calle - Engineer
George Calle - Mixing
Cameron Marcarelli - Assistant Engineer
Art Macnow - Director
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