That's The Way Of The World

This became a 5 star album when Maurice White started preaching during All About Love.

Genuinely enjoyed every track. Even when it was just weird keyboard harmonies.

Many classic jams, especially in the first half. On the short side.

Great opening 1-2 punch. The singles hit hard. Rest of the album is clearly good, but a little “fillery.” Regardless, still love this group.

Amazing album no notes.

Carchy songs, good vocals, but very of their time… didnt really leave a lasting impression on me,

Like it. As I've got older I've started to appreciate this genre more and more. It's difficult to sit still to.

It's totally a weather thing, in the summer this would be a 4, but now it's 5° C raining cats and dogs, my hands are freezing so much I cannot make the skip gesture on my headphones and hate the album more every minute

I don't think these are the best songs by them. Too smooth for too long

Yep

bangs so god damn hard

Great antidepressant

i wish i was a black guy i love how raw and rough around the edges this album feels in comparison to the big hits

Decent but unspectacular. Sort of passed like a very gentle breeze.

Fun funky hits !

Favorite Song: Reasons Least Favorite: Yearnin’ Learnin’

Bastante entretenido, creo que su magia está en los instrumentos más que ser canciones pegajosas como usualmente las conocemos, sino que experimentan bastante con diferentes sonidos y géneros musicales

Pre Listen: First Earth, Wind & Fire album on here sick. I love these guys; I've listened through their "All n' All" and Greatest Hits album before and thoroughly enjoyed them both. Haven't heard this one, but fairly certain I'll love it. Higher expectations than typical resultingly. Notable Tracks: Shining Star - Oh, I had no idea this was Earth Wind & Fire. I have no idea why, but I always thought this was a Stevie Wonder song. Neat, good song! All About Love - Least favorite track. Too slow, too gooey, and too long. Love songs like this are icky! Africano - Favorite track, that's some damn good funky jazz. Enjoyed the Afro-Influence on it, absolute groove. Post Listen: An album which is 85% quality, but they made some.... interesting creative decisions here and there that bump it down just a little bit. As with every other Earth, Wind & Fire song I've had the pleasure to listen to, the instrumentation is totally amazing. The Brass, the Strings, the Bass, all done superbly well. The vocals too sound phenomenal, complimenting the instrumentation almost through the whole album. The slow song was pretty meh, but that's more of a personal taste thing than an issue with the quality. What irked me was some odd inclusions at the end of a few songs where they included these dizzying, discordant electronic bits? Sounded like something out of Earthbound, felt very out of place. Otherwise, a superb album. Will be adding Africano to my playlist. 4/5

I was hoping for a little more funk/soul, but this seemed to be more R&B/soul. Still good, just not my typical style of music.

A great funk album, with really jazz infused moments that make it brilliant!

gostei muito, bem groovie bom de ouvir pra descansar em qualquer ambiente, revisitaria

Great when it's soul, not for me when it goes disco. A decent album though

Evil, peaceful, great, terrible, and everything in between.

52

Just good funk & soul.

I liked it!

A cool groove album with plenty of soulful jazzy instrumentals. A couple of good songs start the album off n running.

The album cover is generic. Does not really say much and is not interesting. The first couple songs of this album are great, but the fall-off is not as bad, however it is still there. Overall a groovy album, and suprisingly their main song (September) not on this album, sounds very similar to what is presented here. I am suprised that Earth, Wind, & Fire does not have another MASSIVE song. Best Song: Africano. Worst Song: Yearnin' Learnin'.

What about water… 💦

Before this, I had never listened to a full Earth, Wind & Fire album, so I was surprised to hear a familiar sound that seems to have influenced Thundercat. The soulful and jazzy instruments and vocals are fun and groovy, and shine on tracks such as "Shining Star," "That's the Way of the World," and the amazing saxophone on "Africano." There are parts of songs that aren't at the same level, but there isn't a terrible song. Most songs are pretty good, but not spectacular. Overall, I like this album, but it doesn't fully stand out; I wouldn't go to play it, but also wouldn't mind if it came on. I’m glad I listened, but probably won’t go back.

YYYYYYYYYYYYESSIRRRRRRRRRRRR YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIRRRRRR WAHOO

"That's The Way Of The World" is amazing. And the complete album is so good!

Such a fun listen. I'm glad this challenge is introducing me to more funk

Fun and funky, as expected. I prefer the funk songs over their more soulful ones, but it's a solid album.

Some really great songs, but some filler songs too. Overall really good though, round up to a 4.

COMO AMO EL SOUL Y EL FUNK, una obra de arte 9/10

As a new bass player, I definitely appreciated what EWF brings to the table. Great, classic beats.

i was really surprised, always thought of them as kind of a “dad band”, but honestly that was some really good music

Apparently they’re not just “September”

Suuuuper funky. But those wedding band worthy slow jams really kill the flow. Negative star on that front.

Freaking good music

Ingen hits og disco er ikke min greie

A MARIMBA?!?! I love it. The musicianship. the rhythms. all of it. a BANGER of an album.

When shining star started you know I let out the yeeeeeeeeeeee!! Yea, dancing, vibing, and living. 4.4

Funky, wonderful, and filled with soul. 8/10 Most Excellent

Üksikud säravad lood (nt "Shining Star", "That's the Way of the World" või "Reasons"), ülejäänud pigem filler kraam, mis on ka hea, sest see on EWF, aga meh. 3.4/5

Started off strong, but then I drifted right out of it. Anyway. It's fine. Not 100% my thing, but completely adequate.

What an interesting album! The bass tone on this album is amazing, and there are some really cool and exciting musicals ideas but I also found it not that coherent I really loved the instrumental song and sections but wasn't a fan of a lot of the melodies on this album, not because they were bad melodies but I felt like a lot of the time they clashed with the underlying music. But when the melodies did hit, and especially with the harmonies then wow they were amazing. In summary, I have mixed feelings about this album but a lot of respect for the musicianship on it.

Just stellar work with elements of funk, jazzy, soul and disco music. The production is remarkably good as it has this clear and crisp quality like clean mountain air on a sunny day. Sometimes I can write 10 paragraphs why a record is good, but this is just evidently good and I have nothing more to say.

It is albums like this that make me desire the revival of disco. It's funky, it's alive, it builds on itself. Overall just an amazing album, both to listen to on your own, as well as to put up with others.

This list has really highlighted for me how great the disco/funk bands of the 70s are, especially CHIC and these guys. But this one, while great, doesn't seem to have the big hooks.

This was a good listen, though I don't see myself coming back to this. I'd like to hang out with these guys in the 70s and just see what happens.

This week has forced me to codify something I've never really thought about: It doesn't take long for falsetto singing to bother me. It's all over this album, particularly "See the Light," and I tire of it quickly. Which is a bummer because so much about Earth, Wind & Fire is great. I like "Shining Star," "Happy Feelin," and the instrumental "Africano," and the the "Let me rap atcha" love-talk "All About Love" is a glorious time capsule.

#473 I appreciate this more than I like it, there are some good moments on here, particularly the more jazzy, funky tracks. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die?❓ Fave track(s): Africano Rating: 5/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Funky pleasantness.

at all about love. Great vibes, funky af, unfortunately I am really angry right now so it does not fit my mood. Didn’t like the last song. I’ll give it another try when I’m in a better mood.

I loved this.

629/1089 - I knew them best for September before this. Very cool blend of RnB, Soul, Jazz, and great grooves.

First to tracks are great. Liked more the second. A great r&b ballad. Awesome vocals and huge bass on this one. 3 is a fast funky banger. Marimba lines go hard. 4 continues the banger-ballad balance, but I like it more than track 2. 5 is a nice funky one, not exceptional. 6 is very very melodramatic. A bit to much. But nice anyway. 7 is not a very inspired instrumental. See the light is quit an interesting closing track. With rhythm changes and Latin vibe. Maybe my favorite on the album. I was expecting for more. Mostly a middle of the road music unfortunately. Not unpleasant at all, though. The last track definitely added some points. It's a 3.3

3.5/5

The 3.5 average rating is correct, nothing exceptional but still good.

Pretty fun in places, really liked the upbeat and funkier stuff, thought some of the ballads were a bit boring and straightforward though. but at its best really enjoyable!

very good very groovy. made me happy. 7/10

It is a very groovy, soulful record with a lot of merit that makes for a really interesting listen. However, beyond clear highlights like the opener 'Shining Star', it falls short of some of their later records. 8/10 [KEEP]

Production is insane for the mid 70s

It might have been the mood I was in, but nothing hit from this.

gotta go again had no time 3

Intriguing in that it doesn’t really have any of Earth, Wind & Fire’s biggest hitters (other than maybe Shining Star) but it’s still consistently enjoyable. Doesn’t hit the highs I know the band is capable of, but it’s a breezy listen.

4.5/5 Favorite Songs: Shining Star That's the Way of the World Happy Feelin' Yearnin' Learnin' Africano See the Light

Generic disco funk

Not for me

I have a very unique genre of music but and this one is something i will never listen normally but I weirdly love the vibe but I get bored very fast with this album

Outstanding

This album is great, at least 4 stars. I might have only given 4 stars though but I realised Earth Wind and Fire don't have any other albums in this list. I can think of two albums of theirs even better than this one! So I felt they deserve 5 as a kind of career achievement award.

Highlight: Shining Star

Soul, funk, progressive soul, pop.

While it might not have their well-known songs, this is still a damn fine piece of soul and funk. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 10. I mean, it just kept getting better & better throughout the album; ironically, I think the weakest point is the title track, and only because it’s just a little long for what it is. Going into this, I was a little skeptical it would be THAT great; I knew it would be good, but my initial thought was surprise that “I Am” wasn’t one of the picks on the list, in favor of an album that only had one track I knew (Shining Star). After listening, Shining Star isn’t even the best track on the album. Hell, it might not even be in the top 4 for me, which is crazy to say. I think every track here is good to great, but from “Happy Feelin’” onward, it just keeps growing & growing & making you feel it – every sax run, every keyboard hit, every bassline, and every pitch of their harmonized vocals. When they preach, you listen. There is an otherworldly positivity radiating from this album that, when combined with their musical prowess, feels like a musical hit of serotonin I so desperately needed in the middle of a rainy & dreary week. If anything, my biggest complaint is that it’s too damn short. I think “Africano” & “See the Light” could’ve gone another 5 to 10 minutes, and I almost never want tracks to go that much longer unless there’s something THAT infectious in the groove. It’s crazier to say that on an album where almost every track is 5 minutes, but it’s almost impossible to feel that length as a burden. It is unbelievable how good they are on this album. I don’t know why I was initially concerned about this album, and if anything, I think it’s shown me that I need to listen to way, way, way more Earth, Wind & Fire. I’m actually out of words. It’s just that damn good. If you can feel it, you’ll know why. I hope everyone can feel it. It’s a 10.

It's a great album in terms of energy and the bass is really cool. Not sure it's something that I would be able to listen to without feeling silly. It feels like it was an influence on Steely Dan or vice versa at points. It's pretty ok.

Unobtrusive funk, perfectly good for what it is.

Smooth.

Estos no negros no fallan!!

Earth, Wind & Five Stars

I don’t think you have a soul if you don’t enjoy this on at least some level

normalito

lowkey kinda boring

Not bad. Easy enough to listen to in the background but not a particularly strong track that you'd say would be a good single.

Shining star ✨

- liked Happy Feelin’, Yearnin’ Learnin’ (reminded me of Brick House) - loved Africano (my favourite on the album)!!! - last song was very long and I only liked the last 20 seconds or so

Just good stuff

There is a mix of slow jams and fast grooves on this record. I like the fast grooves, slow jams are not my vibe.

No es el album que mas me gusto de ellos

What a dreamy album. It starts out strong with "Shining Star" and "That's the Way of the World," then I like how it transitions into an eerie sound before coming back up toward the end. These songs are much better in my opinion than "September," even though that is a good song, too.

Great album

Shining Star was the most fantastic choice to kick off this album. Gorgeous vocals, groovy, funky and soulful beats, it all flowed so well. 4.5 Top tracks: Shining Star, That’s the Way of the World, Happy Feeling, Reasons, Africano

Started really good then faded

That's The Way Of The World is an iconic album by an iconic group.

Its verry chill and like a background music tipa thing its not entirely my style but its interesting

I’m a fan. 4 Boolean: True

Classic. How can you not love it?