Customer Reviews

Gratitude [Vinyl]

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They don't make them like this anymore. EWF has always been known for their live performances. Unfortunately, hardly any were recorded in those days and even fewer video taped. Which makes this classic disc even more of a keeper. As always, let's look at it song by song:
Intro/Medley (Africano/Power): This album was all about the excitement of being at a concert and that excitement starts from the very beginning. The crowd is cheering, overwhelmed by anticipation. MC Perry Jones announces them, "Presenting, Earth!...Wind!...and Fire! With that, the band comes in with that funky/jazz style that would later become their trademark. They launch into Africano first. In the midsection, the horns bellow out (literally) the intro to Power. The title fits the song, trust me. As usual, Verdine is really thumping that bass on this one. All in all, a great intro. Yearnin'and Learnin': One of my favorite songs by EWF and it's done even better live. During this time, the band had two drummers and if you listen closely, you can hear one set of drums in one speaker and the other set in the other speaker. The horns, always a strong point with EWF, really sour and bite hard on this one. Again, a great song made better live. Devotion: One of the more spiritual songs from the group, this song done live shows the communal part of an EWF show. When the ladies are singing "Yeah, yeah, yeah", it sounds like the ocean itself. Truly amazing. If you're a fan it makes you feel like you're there. If you're another musician, you envy it! Sun Goddess: This is a cut originally done with Ramsey Lewis, Maurices old stomping partner. Again, the sound of the crowd is as musical as the band itself. Larry Dunn's keyboard solo is great and just as good as Ramsey's original. Of course, Verdine just keeps rumbling along. Reasons: This live version I feel is one of the best songs of the 70's. The band is so much in sync, the crowd is again completly into it, and Philip Bailey's falsetto has never been better. Besides the the sax solo, which is grea, listen to the bass part. Verdine keeps it interesting to say the least. Sing A Message To You: This is a live interlude. It last about a minute and is repetitive but still cool. Check it out. Shining Star: Okay, I know I'm going to get it for this but.... this is probably my least favorite performance from the live set. Don't get me wrong, I love the song and think it's one of the best of the decade but in it's original studio form. Shining Star is such a studio creation that it just doesn't sound right outside of the studio. The best Shining Star live performance I've heard is on the EWF Greatest Hits Live disc but even that doesn't get a complete thumbs up from me. New World Synphony: This is a gift. From EWF to us, the listener. It is the best cut on the album. It shows the band as the jam session band that they were. It also shows the jazz influences they possessed. The last section is the best. Verdine White, or as he's known to his friends, the Fire, takes over on bass here with a lenthy solo that finnaly burst at th seams in the climax. But wait, that's not all! The band comes in to re-state what Verdine just did and finally the song is over. The cheers and screams heard at the end of this masterpiece is amazing. When Maurice says to the crowd "Can you say yeah?", they answer with a deafening sound. Again, a gift. Sunshine: A good, catchy pop song, with a great performance by Philip Bailey. Sing A Song: Another good pop tune with a sing-a-long type chorus. Nothing really special though. Gratitude: This is just low down funk. Verdine lays it down on the bass and Maurice takes care of the main vocals. Celebrate: Another funky yet eird tune about celebrating life in general. Chek it out and see what you think. Can't Hide Love: The best new song on the disc. Another gift from the elements. Maurices singing is awesome, Verdines bass intro is amazing and the horns, well, they're the EWF horns! The new CD includes a live set from a TV show but it pales to the concert. My only regret about this album is that the entire thing wasn't live. But if that was the case, we wouldn't have gotten Can't Hide Love in the package. So let's leave it like it is.

"Gratitude" is a bold example of how bands don't work onstage like they used to. It's also a clever packaging idea, the album offers both hits & new material, and it offers live & studio recordings (the bulk of the album is live). Hearing this album - or even looking at the sleeve photos - will really make you wish you saw them live in the 70's. The band is in top-notch form, playing loud & loose but never letting go of the groove. "Devotion" features an especially impressive vocal performance. The instrumental songs performed live sound better (and longer!) than they do on their original albums. Of the studio contributions, the new songs are just as favorable. "Can't Hide Love" once again displays EWF's supreme talent for harmony arrangements, the song fades in a "Hey Jude" style that suggests it could go on forever.

After this album, the band would record "All 'N All", altering their sound and slowly moving away from funk. This is a must have for EWF fans or anyone looking to hear what it must have been like to hear a concert from the 70's heyday of funk.

This is one of the few recordings I've owned in 8-track, cassette, vinyl, and now CD formats. The live cuts are so superbly tracked it sounds as though you are standing on the stage with the band. I love the slighly overdriven bass speaker cabinet, especially. Gorgeous vocals and an audience that came to celebrate... a must-have among your must-haves!

I was introduced to EW&F's music while I was growing up. My dad has always been a huge fan of their music; he played their songs all the time. This album along with 'Spirit' really made me see that EW&F can't be touched when it comes to pleasing people musically. When I was really young I loved this album, and to this day I still love this album. In my opinion, 'Gratitude' is the best live album that I've ever heard and believe me, I've listened to many live albums. I also would like to add that this album includes the live versions of two of my favorite EW&F songs, 'Reasons' and 'Devotion.' I prefer the live versions of these songs better than the studio versions.

This has got to be one of the best albums ever put together. From the opening introduction which sets the stage for an explosive concert setting. You can feel the "fire" as the rhythmns thump in your heart. Each and every song leaves you with satisfication. Although most groups never sound like their songs do when they record them in in the studio, this "live" reproduction sounds like the originals. You can hear voices, notes, horns, the whole works. As a musician myself, I can appreciate the "tightness" of each piece. This album will forever go down as one of the best "live" recordings ever!

EWF released some excellent albums in the 70's, but their real fortay was as a live band. Much of the group had jazz backgrounds and in concert they got to show off their improvisational skills. Gratitude captures these skills beautifully. The live versions of "Yearnin' Learnin'", "Devotion" and "Sun Goddess" (which they wrote and was recorded by jazz legend Ramsey Lewis) are funky and jazzy. The standout live track is "Reasons" where Phillip Bailey treats us to a vocal tour-de-force. The original album was 3 sides live and one side new studio material and these songs are vintage EWF as well. The best of the bunch are the two hits, the bouncy "Singasong" and the ballad "Can't Hide Love". On this album you get the best of both EWF's worlds and is a bargain as its a double album on a single disk.

Alive in '75 and Gratitude both showcase the phenomenal sound of EWF on their 1975 world tour. The Super Audio CD(SACD) format is the ultimate playback format. Both SACD's have clarity, dynamic range and a sense of being eveveloped in the sound.

I love this album because it makes you feel like you're at the concert. It also sounds like they love to perform and you can hear how excited the band and the audience sounds. My favorite songs on the CD are "Can't Hide Love", Maurice makes you feel kind of guilty for denying that you are in love. "Shining Star (live)" is better than the original one. "Sun Goddess", "Devotion" and "Sing a Message to you" are also my favorites. This is a must have. Trust me, you will feel like you are there and you will want to get a lighter and wave it in the air.

I wonder if Peter Frampton heard this Album&the folks that bought His Album in Droves??Because this is the most Have Live Album to Have.nothing like catching a Act in Peak Position&the Elements are in top Form Here.Maurice White Had things down pat.Phllip Bailey is Slamming.The Horns are Hitting it on the One.Verdine is tight.Larry Dunn&Crew are Bringing it on."Sun Goddess" is Crystal Clear Live."Reasons" Hall of Fame Jam&still a Twisted Song that is still Powerful.TOur De Force from start to finish.this is also the Last EWF Album that had that Raw Vibe.when you hear there Music you can't put it into a Category it's without Limits as this Set Showcases.this Album should have Been Called "Gratitude" The Elements Come Alive.Peter Frampton had a Good Album but this My Friend is a Classic.to really appreciate the Talent&Depth of this Band you gotta Hear it Live.the Instrumentation is Unstoppable as is the Groove&Vibe.

Being one of the best selling soul bands of the 1970s, it's not hard to imagine the large arenas that Earth, Wind & Fire were filling at the time of these recordings. This superb album, originally released as a double-LP but now issued on a single CD, captures the excitement they generated on stage at their creative peak, and is probably the closest that younger fans such as myself who were not around back in heyday will get to being able to experience the sunny and uplifting vibe that so obviously was in the air. The horn-powered funk grooves of 'Yearnin Learnin' and 'Shining Star' seem to just explode with their communal spirit, especially when coupled with the enthusiastic audiences they were playing to. And when they delve into beautiful and inspirational slow jam classics like 'Devotion' and a stellar and absolutely priceless performance of 'Reasons' which boasts not only Phillip Bailey's stunning, other-worldly vocals, but a memorable alto sax solo by guest Don Myrick, I can guarantee you there would not be a dry eye in the entire crowd. The final quarter of this album is comprised of studio recordings that were completed before this tour and those songs harness their own explosive energy, as is evidence on the moody and emotional classic 'Can't Hide Love' and, one of my personal favorites, the sunny, summertime happiness anthem 'Sing a Song', which is impossible to listen to without smiling.

I do not hesitate in saying that 'Gratitude' is one of EWF's finest accomplishments, and even the most casual fan should not deprive themselves of it. I would have crawled on my hands and knees to a concert of their's back in their '70s funk heyday, and this album displays their dynamic stage show as excellently as you could hope for. The genius mind and vision of Maurice White may lead this musical ensemble, but he never acts as if it belongs to him anymore than it belongs to the next guy. He wanted it to belong to everyone. Listen to him as he yells back to the crowd "We love y'all too" and leads everyone in clappin' their hands and singin' out for love. He wanted every single person in those arenas to feel it, to feel the vibes and the good energy that he and the crew were putting off. This was back in a time when it was really about the music. Music that lifted people's spirits and brought people together. Almost anyone you talk to will tell you that as captivating as EWF's original albums are, there is absolutely nothing like being at one of their live shows. After hearing this album, you will believe just as I do.