Gratitude (Earth, Wind & Fire album)
Gratitude is a double album by the band Earth, Wind & Fire issued in November 1975 by Columbia Records.[1] The album rose to No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Soul Albums charts.[2][3] Gratitude has also been certified Triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA.[4]
Gratitude | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | November 11, 1975 | |||
Genre | R&B, funk, soul, jazz-funk | |||
Length | 66:22 | |||
Label | Columbia/Legacy | |||
Producer | Maurice White, Charles Stepney, Joe Wissert (Live shows) | |||
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
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Singles from Gratitude | ||||
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Overview
Gratitude was also co-produced by Maurice White and Charles Stepney. The LP consists of mostly live concert material together with some newly recorded tracks.[1]
Gratitude also spent six weeks atop the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart.[2][3]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Village Voice | (B)[6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Spin | (favourable)[8] |
NME | (favorable)[9] |
Billboard Magazine | (favorable)[10] |
New York Times | (favourable)[11] |
Uncut | |
Chicago Tribune | (favourable)[13] |
With a four out of five star rating Kit Aiken of Uncut called Gratitude "a kicking live album".[12] Tony Green of Spin exclaimed its "an album that's capable at any moment of landing an emotional killer blow."[8] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune found "an Ellingtonian fusion of styles on this live masterpiece."[13]
EWF went on to win a Rock Music Award in the category of Best Soul Album for Gratitude. The album's title track was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. [14][15]
Singles
With the LP came "Sing a Song" which rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 5 on the Hot 100 chart.[16] [17] Another single, "Can't Hide Love", got to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart.[18] "Can't Hide Love" was also nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Arrangement For Voices.[15]
Track listing
Original release
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Introduction by MC Perry Jones" | Perry Jones | 0:21 |
2. | "Africano/Power" | Larry Dunn (“Africano”), Maurice White | 5:56 |
3. | "Yearnin' Learnin'" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 4:16 |
4. | "Devotion" | Philip Bailey, Maurice White | 5:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Sun Goddess" | Jon Lind, Maurice White | 7:41 |
6. | "Reasons" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 8:23 |
7. | "Sing a Message to You" | Maurice White | 1:19 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "Shining Star" | Philip Bailey, Maurice White, Larry Dunn, Sonny Burke, Verdine White | 4:55 |
9. | "New World Symphony" | Maurice White, Verdine White | 9:28 |
10. | "Sunshine*" | Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Al McKay | 4:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Sing a Song*" | Al McKay, Maurice White | 3:23 |
12. | "Gratitude*" | Philip Bailey, Maurice White, Larry Dunn, Verdine White | 3:23 |
13. | "Celebrate*" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 3:06 |
14. | "Can't Hide Love*" | Skip Scarborough | 4:10 |
Note
- * indicates studio recording
1999 reissue
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Introduction by MC Perry Jones" | Perry Jones | 0:21 |
2. | "Africano/Power" | Larry Dunn (“Africano”), Maurice White | 5:56 |
3. | "Yearnin' Learnin'" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, M. White | 4:16 |
4. | "Devotion" | Philip Bailey, Maurice White | 5:07 |
5. | "Sun Goddess" | Jon Lind, Maurice White | 7:41 |
6. | "Reasons" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 8:23 |
7. | "Sing a Message to You" | Maurice White | 1:19 |
8. | "Shining Star" | Philip Bailey, Maurice White, Larry Dunn, Sonny Burke, Verdine White | 4:55 |
9. | "New World Symphony" | Maurice White, Verdine White | 9:28 |
10. | "Musical Interlude #1" | 0:15 | |
11. | "Sunshine" | Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Al McKay | 4:24 |
12. | "Sing a Song" | Al McKay, Maurice White | 3:23 |
13. | "Gratitude" | Philip Bailey, Maurice White, Larry Dunn, Verdine White | 3:23 |
14. | "Celebrate" | Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White | 3:06 |
15. | "Musical Interlude #2" | 0:27 | |
16. | "Can't Hide Love" | Skip Scarborough | 4:10 |
17. | "Live Bonus Medley: Serpentine Fire/Saturday Nite/Can't Hide Love/Reasons" | Sonny Burke, Verdine White, Maurice White, Al McKay, Philip Bailey, Skip Scarborough, Charles Stepney | 6:13 |
Note
- ”Live Bonus Medley” Recorded Live on February 11, 1978, at Hollywood Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California for a 1978 TV Variety Special starring Natalie Cole.
Personnel
- Philip Bailey - vocals, congas, percussion
- Larry Dunn - organ, piano, Moog synthesizer
- Johnny Graham - guitar
- Michael Harris - trumpet
- Ralph Johnson - drums, percussion
- Perry Jones - talking voice (1)
- Al McKay - guitar, percussion
- Don Myrick - saxophone
- Louis Satterfield - trombone
- Fred White - drums, percussion
- Maurice White - vocals, drums, timbales, kalimba
- Verdine White - vocals, bass, percussion
- Andrew Woolfolk - percussion, saxophone[19][20]
Production
- Earth, Wind & Fire - arrangers (all tracks)
- Maurice White - audio mixing, remix producer (17), original recording producer (All tracks), original album producer
- Joe Wissert - producer (original recording - live tracks), original album producer
- Charles Stepney - arranger (studio tracks), producer (original recording - studio tracks), original album producer
- Leo Sacks - producer (reissue), audio mixing (17)
- Joy Gilbert - project director
- Richard Salvato - director, direction
- Art Macnow - direction
- Howard Fritzson - art direction
- Steve Hall - mastering
- Mark Wilder - mastering
- Paul Klingberg - remix producer, audio mixing (17)
- George Massenburg - recording engineer (all tracks), mixing
- Cameron Marcarelli - assistant engineer, mixing assistant (17)
- Shusei Nagaoka - artwork
- Steve Newman - design
- David Redfern - photography, inlay photography
- Michael Cimicata - packaging manager[19][20]
Charts and certifications
Charts
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1976 | US Billboard Top Soul Albums | 1 |
US Billboard 200 | 1 | |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 58[21] | |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | "Can't Hide Love" | Black Singles | 11 |
Pop Singles | 39 | ||
"Sing a Song/Gratitude" | Club Play Singles | 1 | |
"Sing a Song" | Black Singles | 1 | |
Pop Singles | 5 |
Certifications
Country | Award |
---|---|
US (RIAA) | Triple Platinum[4] |
Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to Gratitude is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net, www.rockhall.com and rocklistmusic.co.uk.[22][23][24]
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various writers | United States | Albums: 50 Years of Great Recordings | 2005 | * |
Rickey Vincent | United States | Five Star Albums from "FUNK: The MUSIC, the PEOPLE, and the RHYTHM | * | |
National Association of Recording Merchandisers and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | United States | The Definitive 200 | 2007 | 141 |
New Book of Rock Lists | United States | The 50 Best Number One Albums (1955–93) | 1994 | * |
* denotes an unranked list |
See also
- List of number-one albums of 1976 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1976 (U.S.)
References
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude". 45worlds.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude (Billboard 200)". billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude". riaa.com. RIAA.
- Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
- Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude. Rolling Stone Album Guide. Rolling Stone Magazine.
- Green, Tony (November 2003). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude". Vol. 19 no. 11. Spin Magazine. p. 62. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - White, Cliff (February 7, 1976). Earth Wind & Fire: Gratitude. New Musical Express.
- "Album Reviews (Spotlight)". Billboard Magazine. December 6, 1975. p. 60. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - "Hark! The Pop Cash Register Rings". nytimes.com. December 14, 1975.
- Aiken, Kit (September 1, 1999). "Albums: Elemental journey". proquest.com. Uncut. p. 86.
- Kot, Greg (October 26, 1997). "LEARNING FROM SCRATCH". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
- "Mccartney, Ronstadt top in annual rock awards". Montreal Gazette. 1976. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sing A Song (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sing A Song (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Can't Hide Love (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
- Earth, Wind & Fire. “Gratitude”. Columbia. 1975.
- Earth, Wind & Fire. “Gratitude” (Remastered). Legacy's Rhythm & Soul Series. Columbia / Legacy. 1999.
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude". acclaimedmusic.net.
- Definitive 200 - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Archived 2008-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
- New Book of Rock Lists rocklistmusic.co.uk