Customer Reviews

Faces

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Simply the best.

I first bought "Faces" on 8-track to listen to in my Datsun B-210 hatchback. Back in the day, Jefferson-Pilot TV Sports liked EWF, and used their songs several times as bumper music for ACC basketball games, including the opening bars of "And Love Goes On." EWF's peppy songs set a high energy mood, and at the other end of the scale there's no substitute for one of Philip Bailey's smooth ballads.

It's the only EWF album (that I can see) that's not available at iTunes. That's so wrong.

The timing of this LP was terrible. In 1980, disco was a dirty word. And because EWF had so successfully mastered the form, critics (and Columbia) made up their minds they weren't going to push this one; it was bound to be just more disco. I don't think some of the critics even listened to it.

"Faces" is a song cycle, and it all works. . . you groove, you chill, you boogie and then head into the quiet storm. You're in the hands of the masters the whole time and it's a sweet ride.

Needs to be on iTunes! No EWF collection is complete without it.

This album was grotesquely underrated and overlooked for it's political and vintage EWF sound. Listen and it is a beautifully creative and one of their most enjoyable album. EWF and Maurice at its finest hour. Instead of being bullied into music they didn't want to put out, they continued the mastering of that strong, elevated and uplifted music. You name one band and I mean any band Black or White where ever song is of great quality and strength. Knocked for perfection...Knocked for humanity...Knocked because R&B was considered Disco. FOOLS I SAY!!!! Buy this album...It's great!!!! 5STARS!!!!!!!

I love this! My favorites on this project are "Love Goes On" & "Take It To The Sky."
The only other artist I enjoy as much as Earth Wind & Fire, is George Duke! This is a must have!

This was late 1980. In an unsuccessful attempt to discredit and classify all music by African-American artists as Disco, the genre that ruled from 1976 to 1979 was offically declared "Dead". Also in this racist plot was a music industry "recession" which I have yet to understand. Earth, Wind & Fire was caught up in all of this while recording and releasing what I consider a musical masterpiece called "Faces". This album should have been to them what "Thriller" was to Michael Jackson. Origionally released on vinyl as a double album, every song could have been a potential single if CBS had promoted it right. Instead it only was certified gold. All true EWF fans know what I am talking about when I say "Faces" ranks right up there with "That's the way of the world", "Spirit" and "All n All". If you haven't heard it, it's not to late to listen to this wonderfully made project by EWF.

It wasn't until the second time I bought this album, in Singapore, that I really fell in love with it. I listened to it on my Walkman on an SIA flight all the way back to London AND for hours after I'd arrived home, and never tired of it for a second. So why wasn't it the success it should have been?

I think it was because in many ways Faces was a departure from the format that stamped the band as a world class black phenomenon. Not worse-just different, and yet different in a way that might at first incline one to dismiss this album as something of an anticlimax after the mesmeric and meteoric brilliance of the two albums that preceded it. Though, let's "face" it, 'All 'n All' and 'I am' were indeed a hard act to follow.

One of its problems is that on an initial hearing it seems smoochy and limp-wristed. But it grows on you. And indeed, although Faces is also lacking overall in the raunchy funk-edge that tracks like Serpentive Fire, Jupiter and Magic Mind brought to "All 'n All", it more than makes up for this in offering a sound experience that while it's original in the way only EW&F can be, is also very cool and very sexy--even for EW&F--but equally, spiritually uplifting. I'm thinking here especially of 'Song in My Heart' and 'Take it to the Sky'.

With Faces, the band seemed to have finally reached an apotheosis in its drive to find the ideal "world music" blend and balance. It was neither cataclysmic yet dreamy like 'All n All', nor escapist in the way 'I am' was--it was anchored firmly on Planet Earth, and yet had foregone none of its ethereal, other-worldly, ambience that makes EW&F so unique for an African American band.

Ironically, Faces is EW&F at its best, only in a format that takes some adjusting to if you were expecting more of the same after its famous predecessors.

During Earth Wind & Fire's incredible run of great albums between "Head To The Sky" and "Raise", the album that seems to be most overlooked by people is 1980's "Faces". Released after the massive success of 1979's "I Am", this album features great cuts like "Let Me Talk", "And Love Goes On" and "You", which were all released as singles. Several great album cuts such as "Turn It Into Something Good", "Win Or Lose" and "You Went Away" make this a very strong package. Unfortunately, the albums lack of a strong crossover single(like "Boogie Wonderland" or "After The Love Has Gone" on "I Am")"Faces" only achieved gold status upon it's original release. This album is still strong and has held up well and definitely deserves more than it's initial response. True EWF fans know this album is great, for those who may have missed it, go back and check it out.

Man this album rocks. I love the ballads, You and You Went Away. I also really dig the intro of And Love Goes On. I recently discovered this album just a few years ago but I have never heard any song played from it on the radio. Such good songs and how sad the record company didn't step up to the promotions. EWF is one heck of a band..you don't see stuff like this today i tell ya.

I have been looking for this cd for some time now and I love the songs that are on it, EWF has always been one of my favorite groups. This cd is like one of the lost episodes of the best tv show you can imagine. I used to sing the song "You" to my son when he was a born and he would laugh and go right to sleep. That's the soothing comfort & love in this cd. I hope to one day see them perform this cd along with the other best of EWF songs.

Let me talk and say that this album(cd) is by far my favorite of all time. I was 12 when it came out. My dad was a musician and loved EWF. He took me to see them in 1978 and at 10 I was blown away by the music and the style. Then this came out. I still have my dad's album version, have bought the cd(an import only at the time) and just bought it on itunes, which FINALLY put it up, YES!!
I think everybody has that person that they know they would just be speechless to meet. I work in the radio industry and have met a lot of people too big to mention. Maurice White is my absolute hero. I don't know how I would react to meeting him. It's tragic what he is going thru physically, and I only wish the best for him.
To this album...the last 26 years has afforded the ability to have a different favorite at one time or another. And Love Goes On was the first fav, then You, cuz it applied to me at the time, then You Went Away, for the same reason(same girl, lol).
But right now, it's easily the title track. God, when I wanna take in a real percussive/brass jam, you can't do much better!
I think for the reasons previously stated, the album didn't do well. That shouldn't and doesn't take away the absolute need for someone to have Faces. If you just like EWF or just like music, GET THIS!!

If you are thinking about buying this album, let me be the deciding vote in favor of it. In the history of EW&F, Faces represents the group's first real commercial failure since 1972's Last Days And Time. My immediate thought when I first played this album was "What was the world thinking?". You could probably blame a million things (An "everybody" group in the "Me" generation, album too long/expensive, poor choice of singles, stupid audience, or what have you), but this album is hardly short on strong material. In fact, you will find some of the most powerful tracks you've never heard on Faces. While I Am was probably the group's most sucessful album commercially, it also contained very limited subject matter, thanks to money-hungry outside songwriters and label execs.

Faces is an attempt to right this wrong both lyrically and musically. Starting with '73's Head To The Sky, the 1st 2 tracks on EW&F albums have been huge, and Faces is no exception. The first single, "Let Me Talk" snatches you back to the blistering funk missing from much of 1979's I Am, and addresses issues of the 80's. It's almost scary how Maurice says, "Fifty million voices mumbling from the street/Talkin' about the eighties and who it will mistreat", then you realize that he was part of the discussion! "Turn It Into Something Good" is the inspirationally airborne creativity you should expect from a group of this caliber, and should have been a single. You don't make songs like this overnight. After "Pride" you will be unable to comprehend why this album was considered a failure.

One reason why is apparent on the next track, "You", which is a musical knockoff of "After The Love Has Gone", and not quite as good, I might add. This is the first sign that EW&F were beginning to get too settled musically. Other musical knockoffs on this album, though all good are "Share Your Love" (September), the very danceable "Song In My Heart" (Singasong) and though one of my favorite cuts on the album, "Take It To The Sky" (That's The Way Of The World). To be honest, I will take a million "That's The Way Of The World"'s. One could argue that "Sparkle" is a knockoff of "Reasons", "Imagination" and "Keep Your Head To The Sky" in that it is yet another brilliant vocal performance by Philip Bailey overlooked by the masses. How could Columbia sleep at night without making THIS a sinlge?

Other standout cuts are the road-trip compatible "Back On The Road", the easy listening "Sailaway" and the very welcome jazz collage, "Faces". Even "In Time", which is the worst cut on the album, is still listenable. All in all, while this album lacks the total cohesiveness of All 'N All, it packs more quality material than a few of more heralded EW&F albums. Faces as a double LP only went gold, meaning 1.75 million more people own the double platinum I Am. All I can say is that they are missing out on what represents the last of the true EW&F sound.