That's The Way Of The World

This is good? I've no doubt that if this type of music is to your taste you'll love it. Enjoyed

When they're funky, they're great, but a bit too much easy listening on here to make it a total classic.

A fine record. Nothing too surprising on it. I am curious about the movie, though. Harvey Keitel is always interesting.

3.5

Shingles Star That's the way of the world Excellent musicians

Smooth soul grooves with some fantastic groovy singles mixed in a nice listen.

First time listening. Know the band for September and Boogie Wonderland. This is much more funk than disco though, abd very well put together. I imagine Prince liked it, can hear the influence. If more 'disco' was like it may have survived.

This album has a smooth, polished groove that’s hard not to enjoy. The band’s trademark mix of funk, soul, and jazz is all here, wrapped up in silky production and warm harmonies. It’s got a laid-back elegance that makes it easy to listen to, though at times it can feel almost too clean, like it’s missing a bit of raw edge. The title track is the obvious highlight, a perfectly crafted slice of soulful funk that still sounds timeless. “Shining Star” brings some extra energy and stands out as one of the more memorable moments. The rest of the album settles into a comfortable groove, never dipping in quality but also rarely surprising. That’s the Way of the World is an undeniably well-made record, smooth and confident from start to finish. It may not hit with the same force as the band’s best work, but it’s hard to deny the craftsmanship. A solid listen, even if it doesn’t fully catch fire.

Klingt ein wenig so, als wenn die Bee Gees eine Discosoulplatte gemacht hätten. Ein bisschen weniger glatt hätte mir besser gefallen.

Shining Star

3.5

EXPECTATIVAS ALTAS PRA ESSE AQUI JÁ COMEÇA COM UMA PEDRADA UOUUUUUUUUUU muito bom parabéns

It started great, kinda went downhill. Slow songs are long and boring for the most part.

It was funky, it was smooth, it was an amazing listening experience

Ça groove, c'est sympa mais on n'est pas surpris, toujours un peu pareil, groupe culte.

Je mets 4 car je suis persuadée qu’ils ont des meilleurs albums encore ! « Happy feeling » m’a fait rire car j’ai eu l’impression d’être sur la piste musicale de mario kart. Je connaissais que des sons en vrac, ça m’a confirmé que j’aimais ce groupe. J’adore la vibe qui en ressort ! Un côté un peu comedia del arte au passage..

J'ai vraiment aimé ! Des sonorités bien groovy, j'avais jamais écouté un de leurs albums en entier et franchement belle découverte. 5/5

The fact that this group is usually treated as a "two-song artist" is a crime against music. Massively underrated, kick ass songs. Funk was never as fun as when Water decided not to show up to rehearsal.

noooice, i like it

it’s a great album, the only problems are that the longer songs tend to overstay their welcome, but that’s it

Very fun album. It's as I expected from Earth, Wind, and Fire. Some funky dance grooves is about as much as you can ask!

EW&F have so much energy and great horns. Fun album

Nice soul/funk album, pretty fun and interesting listen, slower than expected throughout the middle. A perfect amount of 70s soul cheese talking 3.5/5

Super hudba, niečo medzi popom rockom a jazzom

Groovy but songs similar to eachother

Great band. Great songs. 38 Minutes. The first two songs are the best on the album.

Funky and pretty good

all of the time

first half stronger than second half

this album was so groovy and funky it knocked the rocks out of my socks

Not bad, but not as good as their usual work. Ryan describes it as "fine".

It just didn’t wow me. They’ve got a good groove, but nothing stood out to me in this album.

Muy buen funk / soul, suena increíble, la onda que manejan, pero no es mi estilo no me genera mucho 4/10

Classic!

3.7, slow and jazz. amazing range of octives. some songs are too long (5 mins plus). there is not a sudden vibe change, you can pradict the music. same vocals motion. same way to ending songs (lower it till you here nothing). album for early morning or watching the sunset or to fall asleep to.

Very good Nearly a 4, but it sorta drifts off towards the end. Good but not spectacular

Its good disco. Kinda got tired but a good album to return to. 4/5

a lot better than i was expecting

Not my kind of music really. A few good tunes and some good musicianship but not my taste.

they sound like they are enjoying themselves

Jako simpatičan album super sviranje

Great

Five stars. No notes. Just a whole lot of yessir

first two songs

MILS. Man I Love Soul. todo lo q esta bien, y ni siquiera estan sus canciones mas conocidas.

The world does not deserve this much funk. But we are grateful.

The faster songs are pretty great. Slow songs can be a little boring.

pretty solid, but wasn't mind blowing. was pretty distracted while listening, may play a part. 3/5

Interesting enough but not super engaging and not great.

Not a bad record. Of course shining star is a classic, and I really liked Africano and See the Light, but many of the others didn't hold my attention. Still, good overall. 3/5

Not my cup of tea

Big RIP to Water, the fourth element that just evaporated into fuckin steam upon getting too close to Fire. There was talk of a manslaughter charge but it was dropped due to the judge’s affinity for that September song. “Ah what they hey. These guys are funky as hell. Let’s call it even. Case dismissed.” One of the biggest miscarriages of justice in American history. Shining Star - This is pretty damn funky. Murder coverup aside. This is a pretty decent track. That’s the Way of the World - Now we’re into the extended boredom I expected upon seeing this pop up in my embattled browser. Happy Feelin’ - Hey everybody! Let’s love everybody and golly gee whiz it sure would be nice if we could all live in peace and harmony! *glockenspiel solo*. All About Love (First Impression) - Don’t laugh like that. Oh my sweet lord this sucks. When he asked me to stop whatever I’m doing (listening to this album), I wished I could’ve. Yearnin’ Learnin’ - True G’s don’t need to use g’s when they type. I’ve been an idiot all these years spellin’ correctly. Fuck sakes. Thankfully the phone has increased my typo percenta’e tenfold. I’m not sure we should’ve let this fella sing. Reasons - Hoo boy, these guys make romantic love sound like a death sentence. Besides that flute solo. Africano - Adding O’s to words will never not be funny. Italian using our language, one vowel at a time. Saxophone right out of a late show outro. Thank you for tuning in everybody, we have a great show for you next week, Taco Bell will be making a public apology for the Gordita Surprise mishap, and Chuckles Muldoon will be here doing a beanbag routine that will blow your socks off. Bring a change of wigs! See you next week. See the Light - Some of the funniest falsetto going. Well. We’ve made it through another one. Listen, these guys are mostly likeable and seem to be pretty excited about the music they’re making here. That can be charming if it’s not completely self-indulgent. The peace and love stuff is just noise at this point but the music had some variety here and there. Too many bad moments to call this a good record but enough intrigue to maybe commit to memory that these guys are NOT Kool & The Gang. One step at a time. 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Shining Star, Africano

Pretty enjoyable listen actually, groovy but not my type of music

It was ok, nothing to write home about but nothing to switch off in a hurry. Philip Bailey has a good voice but capable of more.

I like it. It doesn't pull me in as much as I'd hoped, but I can't fault it. I'd happily listen to any of the individual tracks again.

Great album!

Enjoyed this one even if it perhaps sounds a little dated now. As ever with me, it’s all about the bass with this genre, and it’s on point here. Some of it reminded me of that Eddie Izzard bit from years ago about ‘sexy tunes’.

Fantasy by Earth, Wind and Fire is one of my guilty pleasures. There was nothing here which reaches that level. They are a great singles band but the singles from this are not up to the standard of their later work.

Some songs find a good groove but it just doesn’t hit the same heights of some of their other work. Personally, I quite like the jazzy noodling that turns up every now and then but would have probably been better standalone as it just ends up detracting from the vibe it’s otherwise trying to give off.

Loved how diverse the tracks got

I think having heard September my too many times for too much of my life has ruined a lot of their upbeat flavor. Undeniable in their genre I suppose. Loved the horns.

Didn’t do it for me

It's funky, it's 70s, it definitely sounds like them. I see how this was maybe the more radio-friendly foil to Parliament back then. Shining Star is definitely the "hit" and probably the best song too. Overall I feel it just wasn't as good as some of their other albums, but I did enjoy it.

ОБОЖАЮ

Meh.

Sons connus *

3.5

2.5

EWF starts off with two of their all timers "Shining Star" and the title track. The rest of the album even though it doesn't live up to the first two tracks are for the most part pretty good. (8.25) ★★★★

Really cool. Funky soul 4 stars

I'm not very high on this at all. I knew "Shining Star" going in and it's a decent track. The only others that really did anything for me were "Yearin' Learnin'" and "Africano". The rest just was not my cup of coffee. 2.5 stars.

3.5

EWF are definitely the supremest of funky funk soul bands and this one really kickstarts their classic era which lasts all the way up to 1981’s Let’s Groove. The band is just sensational from this point on - from the on point horns and many zesty layers of percussion, Larry Dunn on keys, Verdine White thunkin and a plunkin on bass or Maurice White getting down on kalimba. Phillip Bailey is the funkiest funk soul eunuch brother and you definitely get to feel his talents soar to giddy heights on the beautiful wailing second-half highlight Reasons. You have the two very special, star making hits right at the beginning and with other strong-uns like Yearnin Learnin and Happy Feeling it’s mainly top notch… right until the last two tracks which take their funky foot off the gas and have more a pondering jazz fusion thing going on. There are also some very freaky squiggly synth interludes which almost could have come from Boards Of Canada if they had afros. As great as this is overall I do consider the holy trinity of EWF to be The Best Of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol 1, I Am and Faces. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The song Africano whips.

Amazing.

Another 3. I liked it but did not love it.

Alright, must be first funk and disco album, these guys are legends for sure. I find the first 2 songs significantly more memorable than the rest 6, but still is some solid music right here. Not even sure what to rate it, 4 stars seems a bit too much and 3 stars too little - a bit torn on this one. For RYM - 3.5/5.0

Bit smooth and jazzy for my tastes.

I didn't mind this album. The first song was perfect for my walk outside in the sunshine and I liked the instrumental song 'Africano' as well but the album had a bit too much falsetto for my liking.

Some great songs but overall, not really for me. I was also doing some plumbing work while it was in so I may have to give it another spin.

Never really got into Earth, Wind and Fire. Mid to late 70’s soul is just not an era I really connect with. Sounds too smooth.

This made me feel good as shit. Me rikey.

That's The Way Of The World was quite refreshing. I positively recognized "Shining Star" and that made me feel warm and fuzzy. Booties may be shaken.

Buenas canciones, con alguna sorpresa que ya conocía, pero sin destacar ninguna en especial.

4.5

Quality

I love the funky tunes, the ballads are also nice but they're more typical 70s mainstream. This album doesn't contain the hits I've previously heard before by this band. Good album, close to 4 stars.

Standout Songs: Shining Star That’s The Way Of The World Reasons

I miss great crossover music.

Seven out of eight songs really worked for me, and the one exception isn't bad (just not interesting enough for me). Some songs have weird tails that feel incongruous but don't break immersion. It's a solid soulful album with some grooves and feel-good optimism.

Superb album - full of funky delights

First song is a banger. Rest of the album is just ok.

Not great for me - bit low energy was expecting some disco beat and umph!

So much soul within the last few days! This one a tad mediocre after a promising start. There's only so much soul i can handle anyway before I pine for the blues.

WOW

Jest poprawny, ale bardzo spokojny, bez wyskoków

si estuviera haciendo una pelicula estadounidense de los 80-90s con una escena del protagonista entrando a la ciudad de los angeles en un descapotable, usaria este album

Some classic 70s soul and funk on here, but interspersed with forgettable tracks. High 3

Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 album *That's the Way of the World* is widely regarded as a masterpiece of spiritual soul, notable for its uplifting themes, sophisticated musical fusion, and pristine production. While it has few discernible flaws, some critiques touch on its ambitious scope. | **Category** | **Details** | | :--- | :--- | | **Release Date** | March 15, 1975 | | **Label** | Columbia Records | | **Producer(s)** | Maurice White, Charles Stepney | | **Chart Performance** | #1 on Billboard 200; First multi-platinum smash | | **Singles** | "Shining Star" (#1 Pop), "That's the Way of the World" (#12 Pop), "Reasons" | ### 🎵 Musical Composition and Production The album's sound is a rich tapestry of diverse genres, seamlessly blending **funk, soul, jazz, gospel, and African music** into a cohesive and innovative whole. - **Instrumentation and Arrangement**: The band's large lineup allowed for a powerful and textured sound. Tracks are built on **Verdine White's melodic basslines** and **Larry Dunn's jazzy keyboards and synthesizers**. The songs are elevated by an **exuberant horn section** and Charles Stepney's sophisticated string arrangements, creating a sense of grandeur and soulful majesty. - **Vocal Performance**: A defining characteristic is the vocal contrast between **Maurice White's earthy baritone** and **Philip Bailey's soaring, superhuman falsetto**. This dynamic is used to great effect, particularly on ballads like "Reasons" and the title track. - **Production and Recording**: The album was recorded in about three weeks at the famed **Caribou Ranch in Colorado**. This secluded environment was highly conducive to creativity, with the band living and working together intensely. The production by Maurice White and Charles Stepney is clean and expansive, giving each instrument room to breathe while serving the song's spiritual message. ### 📝 Lyrical Themes and Message Lyrically, the album avoids simple love songs in favor of **philosophical and uplifting themes** centered on love, hope, and human nature. - **Hope and Resilience**: The title track presents the album's core message: while the world can corrupt innocence ("**Child is born with a heart of gold / The way of the world makes his heart so cold**"), the solution is to look inward for strength and "**plant your flower and you grow a pearl**". It argues that peace is found by staying "young at heart" despite a cold world. - **Love and Positivity**: Tracks like "Shining Star" encourage self-worth, while "All About Love" frames love as a beautiful, internal force to be shared. This consistent positivity is both disarming and inspiring. - **A Darker Undercurrent**: Some interpretations suggest the lyrics also touch on societal issues like **racism and intolerance** as forces that corrupt innocence, adding depth to the otherwise optimistic message. ### ✨ Influence and Legacy *That's the Way of the World* was a pivotal commercial and artistic breakthrough that cemented Earth, Wind & Fire's legacy. - **Breakthrough Success**: The album made Earth, Wind & Fire the first African-American group to top both the US singles and album charts simultaneously. "Shining Star" won a Grammy, and the album has been certified triple platinum. - **Enduring Impact**: The album established the definitive EWF template that would influence countless artists, including Prince. It is consistently included on lists of the greatest albums of all time. Its timeless message of hope ensures it remains relevant for new listeners. ### 👍 Pros and Cons #### Pros - **Musical Mastery**: The fusion of genres, exceptional musicianship, and inventive arrangements create a timeless and unique sound. - **Uplifting Theme**: The positive, philosophical lyrics offer a message of hope and resilience that transcends its era. - **Pristine Production**: The clean, expansive production allows every element of the complex compositions to shine. #### Cons - **Ambitious Scope**: Some critics might find the band's grand, positive ambitions occasionally sound a bit **noncommittal** or lack the gritty edge of other funk acts of the era. - **Perceived Imbalance**: A minor point, but the massive popularity of "September" has sometimes overshadowed the title track's acclaim in modern assessments, which some fans consider a travesty given the latter's quality. ### 💎 Final Verdict *That's the Way of the World* is a landmark album with very few weaknesses. It represents Earth, Wind & Fire at their creative peak, successfully executing a grand vision of **spiritual, uplifting music** through impeccable songwriting, performance, and production. Its cons are largely matters of stylistic preference rather than objective flaws. It is an essential listen for anyone interested in the best of 1970s soul, funk, and popular music.

Quite funny and really funky. Some basslines are really really incredible. Overall a good record!

Absolutely disgusting, vomit fest. I had feared this coming up.

Pure nostalgia. Great from top to bottom.

Everyone knows the two singles from this album (Shining Star and That’s the Way of the World), but the last two tracks are the best on this record in my opinion. ‘Africano’ sounds like a theme song and/or background music from a 1970s action TV show. Overall it’s pleasant listening and rates three stars.

They gave us this one 2 days too late!!! (I must say, I have seen enough of the 'September' gif this year to last me a lifetime, but I do like the song. So I'm feeling positive about this album -- even though I know 'September' is not even on it.) I love 'Shining Star', but that's because it's in "Muppets from Space", one of my letterboxd top 4. It is a bop though. Plus, Gonzo gets a happy ending!!! (spoilers). I'll be honest, I assumed some of the vocals in this song were dubbed in muppets, but no, it's just the original :'D The rest of the songs are solid. Good energy, fun. The beep bloop robot ending of 'All About Love' made me chuckle. Could do without the falsetto of 'Reasons', but it's not the worst. I couldn't take my time with this one, so it's just a high 3, but it's very solid. I just don't think I'd listen to it outside of this (but I could see myself bumping it up to 4 on another day). Highlights: 'Shining Star', 'Africano' (groovy)

I don't like the high pitched vocals on some songs. Musically almost pleasant but not exactly my jam.

i do like earth, wind & fire, but as I've gotten older and more into funk and soul, it's hard to not hear them as the more commercial and slick version of many of their contemporaries. it's fun, but there's just not a lot for me to latch on to, no crags or rough surfaces, to stretch an analogy. plus, i would say that this album doesn't even particularly stick out compared to other ew&f I'm familiar with. it's fine, but I'm not gonna get up in a lather about it

I'll get my criticisms out of the way first. Folks call this "soul music", which is fair enough, I suppose. But it's a little too close to disco for my liking. Each song is about 2 minutes longer than it really needs to be. Earth, Wind and Fire leans pretty heavily (too heavily) on singing in a falsetto, which gets grating. But, as far as disco (or disco-adjacent) goes, this is one of the better representations of the genre. I still don't love it, but parts of this record are pretty tolerable. There's some incredible musicianship on display on this record with a wide range of instruments. I'll never revisit it, but I guess I'm not sad it showed up here. 2.8/5

Very funky album, I love this type of music!

groovy

Fun listen. Very funky. Standout songs: Shining Star Africano See the Light

None of the EWF tunes that I know are on here but I enjoyed it. Africano a stand out track.

This album is such a tonic in tough times.

4/10

I like disco music, I liked this album. I think it was just one of those albums you put on without realising huge distinctions between the songs, and then before you know it it’s over. A pleasant listen, though I can’t claim to say it was anything too special that made me think anything fantastic of it. A good relaxing listen.

I'm not going to give this much time as I'm not a disco or soul person but Earth, Wind & Fire have pleasantly surprised me with this album. It is fun, groovy and I enjoyed listening. It's still not my genre and I won't be listening again anytime soon but thanks EW&F showing me I'm not completely soulless.

Some of these songs are really tight and solid, and some are a real loose mess.. This album is kinda all over the place.

Album that I like much less than I respect it. It’s good it’s just not my thing.

Shining Star is just amazing as is Way of the World. The rest, despite being dated sound pretty good, but those two tracks are stand outs.

Shining Star instantly reminded me of that scene in Austin Powers. Everything else was just so 70s and I was there for it.

The first have sure was fun and groovy but the second half was a bit more annoying to me.

Pretty groovy, yeah.

Don't think I've listened to single Earth, Wind & Fire album in full, it's a very good and funky album. I need to listen to more of them. Some great instrumentals as well, damn.

Good stuff, the hits are nice, but there isn’t really anything that made me stop what I was doing. Standard 3 stars.

Not bad, but I know I'd pick and choose the 3/4 songs I liked best for a funk playlist rather than listening to the whole album

I liked this well enough, but nothing really jumped out at me.

friday mood!

Super cool album. E,W & F have so many classic songs, so I enjoyed this one.

Nice groovy music, fun to listen to

some great, some not so great

Shining star - 6/10 Title Track - 8/10 Happy Feelin' - 7/10 All About Love - 8/10 Yearnin Learnin - 9/10 Reasons - 10/10 Africano - 6/10 See the Light - 7/10

They're a big deal for a reason. This album was solid front to back. From the hits to the B-Sides. Happy Feelin was a great introduction to me. Also, the bass lines in this album are so think and rich. Might have to put this one back on if I want to move around

Goes down smooth, but ultimately didn't grab me.

Nothing amazing, some decent tracks and who doesn’t like a bit of jazz flute every now and then?

Shining Star is just one hell of a way to start your day. Which is what I did listening to this on the way to work. Simpsons: Yes

This was ok, but it seems they were just missing something to take them to the top level. Maybe another element would make them better!

Came for the Earth and Wind, stayed for the Fire.

Not too bad but not enough of the hits to be a standout.

eclectic mix of soul, funk and disco with ample amounts of falsetto. nice balance of uptempo and slower songs.

3.5

Falsetto fatigue really set in by the end, otherwise a fantastic album.

Good

okay

5/10 - it's alright, a bit too low key romantic disco, I wish it went full on proper disco instead

Some good songs. The falsetto singing got old.

I really liked it, although everything's worse than the mighty "September"

If Earth, Wind, and Fire had only released this album, it would have been enough to cement their status as Soul & Funk pioneers. It's difficult to overstate the impact Shining Star has had on music. The first opening bars are iconic and work as the album's thesis. That's The Way of the World might be one of the most moving songs ever composed. Happy Feelin' is as full of joy as the title suggests. All About Love has the most lush instrumentation of the album with a horn section that elevates the song. Yearnin' Learnin' is the exemplification of the band's signature sound. Reasons is another album highlight, that encapsulates what the sunrise must sound like. Africano and See the Light propel the album into the African rhythms that are foundational to the genre. This was Earth, Wind, and Fire six albums deep into their career, and they were just getting started.

EWF is always fun, right? everyone loves them. this is a fun little romp through the big styles of rnb from the mid 70s, and the mid 70s may just be the best decade for rnb. no way this would've sucked. you got soul, funk, a little disco, some fusion occasionally popping up as an influence. my favorite song is the instrumental Africano deserves to be one of the 1001? probably, but if it's included, another one of their higher concept ones from the late 70s should to

Classic Earth Wind and Fire

3.7

Dated but okay

Super funk

The funky is alive with this one. Great album. I feel like there are some other gems in their back catalogue as well.

Not my kind of music, but this jumps.

Was alright, probably wouldn’t listen to again

A lot more legible as a piece of pop music than Parliament or Funkadelic, but there’s still the sense I am listening to some other folks having fun. I am invited, for sure, but it’s still documentation of a party...elsewhere.

Earth, Wind & Fire always have the best melodies. Harmonic singing backed up by amazing funk & groove, or is it the other way around?

Honestly didnt expect much going into this,but its insanely groovy and calming and bound to get you in a good mood.An absolute staple of the disco movement and one ill be returning to if im in the mood to dance 8.1

Expected to love this, but it was just ok for me, some good tunes and easy listening

1 stern

Timeless

dominerede hitlister. viste at soul funk sort musik godt kunne få et gennembrud. i 70'erne var der generelt en mere dunkel og mørk tone i teksterne, men dette handler om krælighed og sjæl. SYnes det er et decent album, kan godt lide soul of funk i det rigtige humør - det er jo meget festligt. Groovy base og funky guitar med wah-wah lyd er jo bare mega fedt.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 is smooth, elegant, and clearly an important moment in 70s soul-funk, but outside of 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 little really sticks. It flows nicely as background, yet feels more like atmosphere than substance.

I don't know, maybe I got supercharged by listening to good music right before this, but it was really nice

Way sexier jazz than I had imagined. I didnt know these guys got down like that

Yikes!

I generally love funk! This was a fun album

hell ya

Its Earth Wind and Fire so you know it will have some great tracks.

Nice album, full of funk and uplifting music. Loved the instrumentation and it really was just a fun vibe. Nothing super deep or thought provoking but not everything needs to be

In 1976 Len Houmous caused a real drama back stage at an Earth Wind & Fire gig. He’d been drinking lager and eating curry all day. He thought it would be funny to try to fart on a candle. Set fire to the entire dinner table. Luckily followed through and put the flames out. He brushed it off so wel. Just looked around the room and said ‘Earth, Wind & Fire - That’s The Way Of The World’ 4.4 7/8 Africano

5 Its Alive!!!

Very Motown vibes. Easy to listen to. I did it the disservice of listening in the shower so can't comment on lyrics much. Overall enjoyed it.

Everything here is a BOP. Orchestration and instrumentation is great across the board (listen to Reasons and tell me I'm wrong!) and the singing is soulful and more than competent. I love the weird jazzy experimental synths on All About Love. Africano goes hard as the album's instrumental banger, and the title track is a funky jam. Great album, would spin again no question. May need to add this one to my collection.

I really enjoyed this listen and found it hard not to be tapping me feet along to the songs. Good mix of disco funk and soulful ballads and the quintessential groove I expected throughout. Lyrically hit or miss (some gems but a lot where the words didn’t feel meaningful and it was all about the groove) and the album ends a bit rocky but all in all it’s a great album. Standout tracks for me were Reasons and Shining Star.

This was fun. Heavy disco feel was more entertaining than I expected.

Favorite tracks: Yearnin' Learnin', Africano Fun beats, but annoyingly repetitive lyrics. I had to skip the end of a couple of these songs I was so sick of them by the end.

This one ran hot to OK but it was enjoyable overall.

I like this one. Funky, smooth and just feels good

Spodziewałam się że będzie lepszy

Pretty cool

8/10

Tale of two halves for me on this one - I definitely prefer the fast and funky side of this band rather than the slow-jam soul side of this band, and it seemed like they were consciously trying to rotate back and forth between every track. Overall the musicianship is impeccable, and they just exude tightness, with every horn stab and guitar lick in just the right place for maximum groove on the faster tracks (bass playing in particular is a standout). Shining Star is a 70s funk classic for good reason, and Happy Feelin and Africano are great. The slow side loses me a bit though, even though I can sort of see the seeds of 90's R&B here (the talking part on All About Love?!). Closer could have been more interesting with fun time signature to start but then sort of devolves into a basic bossa nova. Overall a pleasant enough listen but I wanted more as a whole album honestly.

When the songs hit, they REALLY hit. The open spaces are as tight as the horn hits are. Beats and grooves are great. But then some songs are total misses and feel stuck in time (Reasons). Surprise hit was Africano, loved it.

3/5. Appreciate the funk

Nothing special, but good listen

Funky to the core

9.4

So boring.

Drags a small bit with the ballads. But who gives a fuck. Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower Of Power occupy an almost completely isolated echelon of the funk genre, and this album is the perfect example of why. You just can’t. Not. Move. Fave songs: - Shining Star - That’s the Way of the World - Happy Feeling - Yearnin’ Learnin’ - Africano - See the Light Edit: egh, alright, maybe it's not perfect. Some tunes kind of go on too long, and I hardly find myself reaching for this one too often. Alas.

pretty good but i probably wouldn’t listen again. i love lets groove though

Always had a place for early 70s funk/Soul. I would have had more on my personal list. Good band, much better than they get labelled probably because they moved into a more disco sound and all that, good album 4 Star

Apart from the great songs, the synth parts surprised me.

Funky. Ikke det beste albumet deres, men hadde nok gitt deres ypperste samme karakteren uansett..

I prefer their More disco albums over this one, Although you can still definitely appreciate the musical skill on display here

Rocks more than I would have guessed.

Full of bops, and some surprising experimental pieces. Definitely worthy of a place on this list.

Funk is one of my favorite genres of music, but I prefer the sound of modern funk more to this. Still a great album though

It’s fine.

Wonderful album to do calculus 3 work to. Wish I listened to it a little more carefully.

3/5 ew&f bängää mut ei niiden paras albumi

Great musicianship, creativity, joy, love, and love. Some all-time hits. Not all great though.

A fine funk album, but I've definitely heard better. Shining Star is definitely the best song on the album. The rest of the tracks kind of overstay their welcome; there's too much falsetto throughout and it loses it's luster/charm. I do really enjoy the variety of instruments in this album (marimba, harpsichord/dulcimer?). As a fan of the funk/ genre, I feel like this falls a bit flat for Earth, Wind and Fire.

I really liked song 1, "Shining Star", but then the album is pretty mellow. It's great though, really good band.

For all my love for disco Earth, Wind & Fire has never done too much for me. I like their instrumentation and danceyness but the way that songs come together often leave me feeling decidedly neutral. Maurice White is a good vocalist he just does not grab me often. The title track feels quite bloated as does See the Light neither feeling like they earn the six minutes. Standout tracks Happy Feeling and Yearnin Learnin.

Shining Star is a hell of a way to start an album but it goes downhill pretty quickly after that. Too many overly sincere piano ballads and disco and not enough funk.

2.0 Made me think of Semi-Pro ,I think Shining Star plays during the credits. Thats really the only song to write home about for me. CORNDOGS JACKIE, CORN DOGS FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE Whoa whoa whoa!!! There's no need to be calling people JT's my man! That's crossing the line! What a funny, funny movie

It's an amazing album from beginning to end

meh

Fou banger, rien à dire

C’est groovy tout ça

Tellement groovy et soulful, excellent!

Classic Earth, Wind & Fire. The one album you should own for this R&B powerhouse.

Loved it

Could not stop bobbing my head

Much to the chagrin of my wife, I just can't feel with these guys. This album did not change my mind. Incredible grooves and the quality of vocals and harmonies are next level, but it's just music I don't enjoy listening to

A little corny, but charming nonetheless.

Not bad but not really my cup of tea.

Börjar mycket bättre än den slutar. Lättlyssnat och lättsmält men sen tappar det och blir mindre lattjo. Så tre får det bli å så var det med det.

Börjar riktigt bra och härligt funkigt. Mattas av lite under andra halvan dock med ett par utfyllnadslåtar, men sammanvägt kan jag nog ändå sträcka mig till en svag fyra.

Very funky. Good “getting ready for a night out” music.

This is such a hard band to review sometimes cause at the end of the day they just harmonize so well and they sound so angelic and relaxing. The only complaint I have is that there are a few skips/filler songs that don’t add a lot to the album but they don’t really water down the album cause there are so few of them on such a short album. As always I prefer when an album has some genre variety, and while you won’t find that on this album, you won’t be thinking about it cause you will be so distracted by the heavenly music that Earth, Wind & Fire continue to create. I also think this album is heavily carried by Shining Star but that is ok, it’s literally a flawless song.

I've known Earth Wind & Fire since I was a teenager. I couldn't appreciate their music back then. I didn't know what to do with funk and soul. That has since changed. The album I'm listening to now for the first time is pretty good. I find the ubiquitous disco sound of the time a little annoying. There are also a few very strong tracks on the album. I'll listen to it again. 4/5

top song: africano

Funky

the fire in the name is accurate

Very good, high 3. First song was the best one.

It's good and has a great variety of songs. Instrumentals are the highlight. Favourite Song: Africano Honourable Mention: Yearnin' Learnin'

pretty good, liked "All About Love" the most

It's hard to feel sad when you're listening to something so damn funky. Wish this had September on it though Shining Star is good too. I wouldn't listen to this all the time though or it would lose that cheering you up magic

The only song I knew was Shining Star which just makes me think of Elaine dancing on Seinfeld! That was really the only song I enjoyed. Some of the songs were long which is never a good thing in my book.

bah

A bit anonymous

This album is killer from the start. “Shining star” grooves hard. Four songs in and this album really slowed down. Africans had a great groove.

Excellent album.

Groovy tunes

Fine. Not quite ska, not quite new wave... just kinda whatever. Our House is great though

OMG If you want to know what Soul was like in the 70’s start with this album. A masterpiece

Nah. Not quite funky enough to listen to, but too intrusive for elevator music. Plus occasionally irritating vocal gymnastics. Two stars from me.

Pretty good. Should listen to it again. Probably 3 to 4 stars.

First time listening to EW&F. Funky and fun.

Cool vibe

I want to give this a 4 star rating, but listening to the trumpet is so grating on good equipment it's genuinely a hindrance to the rest of the music. If there was a better remaster, I'll revisit this review.

Not for me

4.5/5 Wonderful album

If there is any disco collective that is able to stand the test of time, it would be Earth, Wind & Fire. They always tend to release banger after banger and this album proves it’s no different. Also makes me think of Superbad too. But I really like this album. Definitely a staple in the disco genre! Favorite Tracks: Shining Star, That’s The Way of the World, Happy Feelin’, All About Love Rating: 4/5

If there’s only a few things in life you can count on, one of them has to be Earth, Wind, & Fire putting you in a good mood “That’s The Way Of The World” does exactly that with some classic 70s upbeat tracks like Shining Star and Happy Feelin’ while also knowing how to slow it down and connect with the audience through songs like All About Love Although I couldn’t give it more than a 3 due to not having many stand out songs (you can blame my grading system for that), it’s a fun album that meets every expectation you have when diving into the wonderful world of Earth, Wind, & Fire Favorites: Shining Star Honorable Mentions: Happy Feelin’, Africano

Funky, fantastic, fun, fellatio, furries, frick, frock knock on that clock

You can put whatever you want in the wrapper, and I will eat it and lick my fingers afterward.

If there was a 3.5/5 star option I would use it. Great album, very soulful. Corny song with the narration knocked the album down .5 stars for me

So much fun!

One of the tightest rhythm sections in music. Sadly this band is know for wedding and club dance tunes and not respected enough for their musicianship. They have better albums but this one wasn't that bad.

Love the bass line on Happy Feelin.

Fun, pleasant, but nothing spectacular. Africano was my favorite.

Classicccccc

Phenomenal!

Awesome

I like Earth, Wind, and Fire. I wanted to like this album. But it was just flat. Totally boring.

A few too many sappy ballads, but when they're cooking it's pretty good.

Groovy AF

It was alright but not really my thing

This one was okay. A lot of the tracks seemed to be kind of noodling rather than a more composed track. There wasn't much that stood out to me instrumentally, lyrically, or vocally in most tracks. Really liked the rhythm, horns, band marimba in Happy Feelin' (this was actually the only track that really seemed to all work).

Forgot how funky they were

Reasons is one of Earth Wind and Fire's best songs, easily the best on this album. Undeniably funky soul.

Macht gute Laune, die Lieder sind richtig schön und zwingen fasst dazu, dass man sich im Takt bewegt oder mitklatscht. Außerdem sind die Instrumente echt cool

4.0 - Very Good

Su estilo inconfundible, aires Funk dominan su repertorio. Pasa

I think without earth wind or fire I could not even make tea and for that reason, it gets 3 stars.

Love a bit of Earth wind and fire... but where's the water?? I've heard a couple of their songs before so I might be biased, but guessing that's what makes them actually famous and having an impact on music

This album created a solid vibe for relaxing. There were a few similar songs, all in all I enjoyed it. I just found it was a little dated, and fell into the repetition loop a little

Why couldn't I have gotten this album in September

bien funk bien sympa

Cool bass lines

A consistent beauty throughout.

Favorite tracks: Shining Star, reasons Heard before: shining star 3

Starting off with a classic, the wonderful Shining Star. And then downhill from there. The rest of the album was just kind of ok, fine as background noise, but not really all that interesting. And it ended on a total dud, See The Light. Best song: Shining Star

It's fun album but it is just not there top work and is a bit of the middle of the road.

Easy to listen to

Llegamos a la mitad de la semana con esta banda que ubico por sus hits: toca por primera vez escuchar un álbum completo de ellos. Banda clásica del disco y del funk, es un trabajo muy chill y de a momentos más bailable, en el que todo el tiempo destacan las voces súper armoniosas de la banda. Hasta mañana.

I knew it would be cool, and it was cool.

I understand the appeal, they’re obviously good at what they do... But it’s really, really not my kind of music. I have a deep-rooted allergy to disco music (and by proxy to the disco side of soul), and I was sincerely hoping Earth Wind & Fire could change my mind. But despite my best efforts, I just couldn’t get into it. I enjoyed a couple of tracks, then it became exhausting ; the high-pitched chorus and syrupy voices are just too grating for me, and I had to (painfully) force myself to listen to the end. Sorry, maybe next time...

Groovy and smooth R/B and soul, virtuosic playing, but still accessible from a pop perspective.

I want to like this... But it's just not catching my interest. Totally fine, but I'm just really mid on this. - Funky! At least it's not classic rock - Fun, but a bit aged. Maybe one of those bands where they defined a new genre that was then overdone

Funk at it's best. Love me some Fire.

thoughts: this was fantastic. goes so much deeper than “shining star” (which is great on its own). loved the slower stuff, really got into the celebratory tone of the upbeat tracks. i was very pleasantly surprised by this. songs: “that’s the way of the world”, “all about love (first impression)”, “africano” rating: 8.7/10

Earth wind & fire, Ik dacht dus dat dit een soort rock band was, but i was wrong. Niet mijn stijl muziek, vrij experimenteel. 2 sterren.

Earth, Wind and Fire is the GOAT!

Earth, Wind & Fire are alright, not exactly earth-shattering but enjoyable all the same.

This is what funk and soul is about. Makes me want to get up and move. A solid album with delicious harmonies and catchy melodies.

It's absolutely joyous. Such easy listening. Favourite tracks first listen was Shining Star, Yearnin' Learnin' and Reasons. Would definitely revisit. 4 Stars.

bomboclaat

Slick vocals, classic EWF

God

I love EW&F!!!!! And this is such a great album of theirs! It's so fun, it's so interesting, they work so well together. By this album, they were already a well-oiled machine. Love love.

Groovy. Favorite track: That's The Way Of The World 3.5/5

groovy

Lovely lyrics, the whole album has a vibe that just can’t be found anymore. The guitar work is phenomenal and stands out.

Shining Star is such a high energy start, and then go into just...good groove.

certified bop

Not my usual type of music but still a great listen and very enjoyable

Funky but doesn’t bring me back for more