Electric Universe (album)
Electric Universe is the thirteenth studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1983 on Columbia Records.[1] The album rose to No. 8 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[2][3] Electric Universe also reached No. 17 on the Swedish Pop Albums chart, No. 18 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart and No. 22 on both the Dutch Pop Albums and Swiss Pop Albums charts.[4][5][6][7]
Electric Universe | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 4, 1983 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Studio | The Complex Studios, West Los Angeles, CA. | |||
Genre | New wave, synthpop, R&B, funk | |||
Length | 35:40 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Maurice White | |||
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
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Singles from Electric Universe | ||||
Overview
Electric Universe was produced by Maurice White for Kalimba Productions.[1] With Electric Universe came a unique new wave & synth pop sound for EWF.[8]
Artists such as David Foster, Martin Page, Michel Colombier and Pamela Hutchinson and Wanda Vaughn of The Emotions featured upon the album. The album was also reissued in 2015 with six bonus tracks and two demos.[8][9]
As well Electric Universe was featured in an August 2016 episode of Mass Appeal's YouTube series Rhythm Roulette.[10]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Village Voice | (B)[12] |
Rolling Stone | (favourable)[13][14] |
Atlanta Journal Constitution | (favourable)[15] |
Morning Call | (favourable)[16] |
Dallas Morning News | (favourable)[17] |
Record Mirror | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Wall Street Journal | (favourable)[19] |
Knight Ridder | (7/10)[20] |
Detroit Free Press | (favourable)[21] |
Omaha World Herald | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New York Times | (favourable)[23] |
Gary Graff of the Detroit Free Press exclaimed "Plug in the planets! This is the best disc this outfit has put together in quite some time."[21] Matty Karas of Rolling Stone described Electric Universe as being full of "sensuous, and at times, rock oriented dance material".[13][14] Lennox Samuels of the Dallas Morning News declared that "although most of the cuts here are characterized by mellow overtures, midway through the disc, colourful kalimba choruses and airy harmonies capture the high spirits of this nine member aggregation".[17] Roger Catlin of the Omaha World Herald gave the album a four out of five star rating and declared EWF "seems to be trying to continue to branch out under leader Maurice White. Catlin also stated "he's testing out yet another theory for worldwide unity too, on Electric Universe".[22] Pam Lambert of The Wall Street Journal exclaimed "after more than a decade together, Earth, Wind & Fire continue to chart new ground; their current album, "Electric Universe" (Columbia), deserves to win this black supergroup even more of a crossover audience than it has enjoyed in the past."[19] Rick Shefchik of Knight Ridder gave the album a 7/10 rating stating "Fearing more of Maurice White's cosmic pablum, I was glad to notice the shift to concrete r&b on Side One, while the band retains its breathy mix of horns and voices".[20] Prentis Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution called Electric Universe "EW&F's best album in recent years." Rogers also added that "in fact, the entire album holds up well lyrically and musically with a noticeable but not overpowering rock flavour".[15] Robert Palmer of The New York Times proclaimed that "the rich vocal harmonies and lapidary pop craftsmanship listeners have learned to expect from Earth, Wind & Fire are still in evidence, but the group's instrumental sound has been radically stripped down and rethought."[23]
The Chicago Sun Times also gave Electric Universe an honourable mention in their list of the top ten albums of 1983.[24]
Singles
The lead single, "Magnetic" peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[25][26] "Touch" reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[27][28]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Magnetic" | Martin Page | 4:19 |
2. | "Touch" | Jon Lind, Martin Page | 4:54 |
3. | "Moonwalk" | David Porter, Desmond O'Connor | 4:08 |
4. | "Could It Be Right" | Allee Willis, David Foster, Maurice White | 5:15 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Spirit Of A New World" | Brian Fairweather, David Foster, Martin Page, Maurice White | 4:29 |
6. | "Sweet Sassy Lady" | Lisa Vaughn, Maurice White, Wanda Vaughn, Wayne Vaughn | 4:08 |
7. | "We're Living In Our Own Time" | Allee Willis, Maurice White, Michel Colombier | 5:18 |
8. | "Electric Nation" | Brian Fairweather, Martin Page, Maurice White | 4:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Magnetic" (Extended Dance Remix) | Martin Page | 6:24 |
10. | "Magnetic" (Instrumental) | Martin Page | 5:49 |
11. | "Magnetic" (7" Version) | Martin Page | 3:52 |
12. | "Spirit Of A New World" (Demo Version) | Maurice White, Martin Page, David Foster, Brian Fairweather | 4:35 |
13. | "El Solitario (We're Living In Our Own Time)" (Demo Version) | Maurice White, Michel Colombier, Allee Willis | 5:14 |
14. | "Here's To Love" (Instrumental) | Maurice White | 4:22 |
15. | "Club Foot" | Maurice White | 3:59 |
16. | "Milky Way" | Maurice White | 5:23 |
Credits
- Backing vocals - Beloyd Taylor, Pamela Hutchinson & Wanda Vaughn
- Bass Guitar - Verdine White
- Drums, percussion - Fred White
- Engineer [Assistant] – Barbara Rooney, Murray Dvorkin
- Engineer, Mixed By – Mick Guzauski
- Rhythm Guitar - Roland Bautista
- Keyboards - Brian Fairweather, David Foster, Larry Dunn, Martin Page, Michel Colombier, Robbie Buchanan, Wayne Vaughn
- Lead & backing vocals - Philip Bailey
- Lead & backing vocals, drums, kalimba - Maurice White
- Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
- Mixed By – George Massenburg
- Percussion - Ralph Johnson
- Piano - Larry Dunn
- Saxophone - Andrew Woolfolk
- Simmons drums - John Gilston[9]
Reissue
- Coordinator [Artist/Musician Interview] – Randy Mahon
- Coordinator [Reissue] – Jeff James
- Coordinator [Release] – Craig Turnbull
- Design [Package Design] – Roger Williams
- Liner Notes, Research – Alex Henderson
- Mastered By – Sean Brennan
- Production Manager [Reissue] – Matt Murphy
Reissue Producer – Tony Culvert[9]
Charts
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1983 | U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums | 8 |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 40 | |
Sweden Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 17[4] | |
UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums | 18[5] | |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 20[29] | |
Dutch Albums (Dutch Album Top 100) | 22[6] | |
Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade) | 22[7] | |
German Albums (Offizielle Charts) | 37[30] | |
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | "Magnetic" | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 10[26] |
Belgian Singles Ultratop 50 Singles | 16[31] | ||
N.L Dutch Single Top 100 | 18[32] | ||
U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs | 36[27] | ||
US Billboard Hot 100 | 57 | ||
U.K. Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles | 23[33] | ||
"Touch" | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 23[25] | |
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs | 36[28] | ||
"Moonwalk" | R&B Singles | 67 |
References
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". 45worlds.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire". sverigetopplistan.se. Sverigetopplistan.
- "Top British Soul Albums". No. 398. Blues & Soul. December 27, 1983. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". hitparade.ch. Swiss Hitparade.
- V. Henderson, Alex (June 2015). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe [Expanded Edition]". alexvhenderson.com.
- Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe (Expanded Edition). Columbia Records. 2015.
- "Rhythm Roulette: Iman Omari". youtube.com. Mass Appeal. August 18, 2016.
- Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
- Karas, Matty (February 16, 1984). Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe. The Rolling Stone Review (1985). Rolling Stone. p. 93.
- Karas, Matty (February 16, 1984). Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe. The Rolling Stone Review (1985). Rolling Stone. p. 93.
- Rogers, Prentis (December 31, 1983). Record Reviews. newspapers.com. Atlanta Journal Constitution. p. 71.
- Willistein, Paul (December 17, 1983). Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe. newspapers.com. Morning Call. p. 82.
- Samuel, Lennox (December 1, 1983). "Triumphant Rock from the Rolling Stones". newspapers.com. Dallas Morning News. p. 9.
- Hill, Simon (December 17, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". Vol. 30 no. 51. Record Mirror. p. 14. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - Lambert, Pam (19 January 1984). "Prime Cuts: Noteworthy Rock Records". Wall Street Journal. ProQuest 397920155.
- Shefchik, Rick (January 12, 1984). Waylon's latest shows why he used his friends. Muncie Evening Press. Knight Ridder. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
- Graff, Gary (December 4, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. p. 74.
- Catlin, Roger (December 18, 1983). "Latest English Beat Album Is Like a Collection of Hits". newsbank.com. Omaha World Herald. p. 14.
- Palmer, Robert (December 7, 1983). "The Pop Life". nytimes.com. New York Times.
- McLeese, Don (January 5, 1984). "Top Ten: Critics picks 83's best pop discs". newspapers.com. Chicago Sun Times. p. 61.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Magnetic (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Magnetic (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Touch (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
- Adult Contemporary. Billboard Magazine. March 3, 1984. p. 23.
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Electric Universe". offiziellecharts.de. Offizielle Charts.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Magnetic". ultratop.be.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Magnetic (Dutch Top 40)". dutchcharts.nl.
- "Top British Soul Singles". No. 397. Blues & Soul. December 27, 1983. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help)