Customer Reviews

Shining Stars - The Official Story of Earth Wind & Fire

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Earth Wind & Fire is my favorite band of all time. Period. This video was a welcome addition to my collection of their albums, CDs and concert videos. Like the first reviewer, I enjoyed seeing the footage of "Reece" with Ramsey Lewis and hearing the story of how the "elements" were born. I was especially happy to see some of the original members discussing their musical experiences with EWF. (Larry Dunn, Louis Satterwhite, Al McKay, Freddie White, Phillip, Ralph and my favorite bass player, Verdine) Maurice White is one of a kind and no one can duplicate his extraordinary contribution to the music world. The Official Story shows how Egypt influenced the sound, message and look of EWF & we see footage and pictures from their tours and travels. There are clips of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction at the end of this tape, showing all the remaining members together again. There's even snippets from the concert where Verdine levitates and the band enter/exit the stage in space pods. The Official Story is a must have for any EWF lover. My only complaint is that I wanted more! More footage from different concerts. More footage of behind the scenes on and off the road. More feedback from the original members. Who was the prankster of the group? Who was the serious one? Who was the ladies man? Why didn't they do shows like Soul Train or award shows? Why weren't there Earth Wind & Fire TV Specials? What are the older members doing now and how do they feel about each other? How did their families feel about their music? Will there ever be a reunion with ALL the original members? 90 mins is not enough! We're talking about a band that is three decades old and still going! I loved the in studio footage of Wyclef and Eric Benet. Hopefully there will be more in-depth documentaries made on EWF because they are legends and have touched so many lives. The new generation truly can learn a few things from these music masters.
Peace. Clarissa L.B.

I was happy to finally add this DVD to my collection, and it was worth the wait. This DVD allows fans of EWF to hear from each group member, and learn about the roots of this legendary band. Maurice White is the star of this project, and his fight with Parkinson's Disease didn't prevent him from talking about EWF's past (as well as the future plans). You also get to see rare footage of Maurice in the 50's & 60's, as well as 'clips' from EARLY EWF concerts (before they crossed over!!

Overall, the DVD sounded great (some segments were mono, but it wasn't too bad!), and the old footage looks good. In addition to historical coverage of the 'classic EWF lineup', you get a sneak peek into their upcoming CD. There are comments from Wyclef Jean & Eric Benet, who were to co-produce the next EWF CD (but in the end, their songs didn't make it onto 'The Promise' CD).

The only drawback(s) involve the DVD packaging (no inserts, booklet, etc!!), and the 'bonus' concert footage is not rare at all!! It comes from the 1990 EWF Live In Tokyo DVD that is already on the market. Buyers are led to believe that the bonus footage will come from the classic EWF lineup concerts in the 1970's (The Gratitude Tour!!). Overall, I would reccomend this DVD to all EWF fans (especially the long time admirers!!). And these new schoolers need to see this for a much needed lession on what REAL BANDS are all about!
Peace, SD (of 'Chaka's World')

This is a must see if you were a fan of EW&F in their prime. It contains some excellent clips of early EW&F live. It also is interesting to hear the history of the band as they tell it. My only complaint is that there is not enough footage of them live in their prime. They sample a lot from the 1981 concert, which is also sold as a separate DVD, yet this tour took place after they were already past their peak. As they fully admit on this DVD, they had lost their magic and were getting too commercial, and Al McKay had already left the band. Why then do they use that concert footage so much? Their earlier concerts were much less cheesy, with better choreography, costumes, and special effects. Also, they don't showcase Verdine White enough, who is one of the greatest bassists in the last 50 years (not only can he play, he can dance). I wish someone would come out with a best of EW&F in concert DVD, which would show large portions of their earlier concerts. Lastly, I don't care much about seeing or hearing what EW&F did later in the 1980's or 90s, as none of it compared to the magic of the seventies.

Lots of great background info on one of my favorite groups. I though the first 10 minutes or so dragged, however, it picked up speed and became very intriguing soon after that. Lots of great clips - I learned stuff I never knew before about the group. worth ordering.

The thing that I like about this DVD is that it's
straight from the people who made the legend come to life!
Maurice, Verdine, Phillip, Larry, Al, Johnny,
Fred, Ralph, Andrew and the surviving members of
the Phoenix Horns all have their say and cover
their miraculous career / journey in somewhat
intimate detail. There are home movies of the band on tour
during their hey-day, backstage footage, etc.
as well as some well-placed snipets of the music itself.
E,W & F, to me, will always be the baddest band of all time!
Those classic albums from 1973's "Head To The Sky" to 1981's
"Raise" are etched into my DNA and still provide joy
and inspiration! A worthwhile addition to your DVD collection
if your are into documentaries of the great artists who shaped
their times and future times to come!

Earth Wind & Fire is my favorite band of all time. Period. This video was a welcome addition to my collection of their albums, CDs and concert videos. Like the first reviewer, I enjoyed seeing the footage of "Reece" with Ramsey Lewis and hearing the story of how the "elements" were born. I was especially happy to see some of the original members discussing their musical experiences with EWF. (Larry Dunn, Louis Satterwhite, Al McKay, Freddie White, Phillip, Ralph and my favorite bass player, Verdine) Maurice White is one of a kind and no one can duplicate his extraordinary contribution to the music world. The Official Story shows how Egypt influenced the sound, message and look of EWF & we see footage and pictures from their tours and travels. There are clips of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction at the end of this tape, showing all the remaining members together again. There's even snippets from the concert where Verdine levitates and the band enter/exit the stage in space pods. The Official Story is a must have for any EWF lover. My only complaint is that I wanted more! More footage from different concerts. More footage of behind the scenes on and off the road. More feedback from the original members. Who was the prankster of the group? Who was the serious one? Who was the ladies man? Why didn't they do shows like Soul Train or award shows? Why weren't there Earth Wind & Fire TV Specials? What are the older members doing now and how do they feel about each other? How did their families feel about their music? Will there ever be a reunion with ALL the original members? 90 mins is not enough! We're talking about a band that is three decades old and still going! I loved the in studio footage of Wyclef and Eric Benet. Hopefully there will be more in-depth documentaries made on EWF because they are legends and have touched so many lives. The new generation truly can learn a few things from these music masters.
Peace. Clarissa L.B.

I was happy to finally add this DVD to my collection, and it was worth the wait.This DVD allows fans of EWF to hear from each group member, and learn about the roots of this legendary band.Maurice White was the star of this project, and his fight with Parkinson's Disease didn't prevent him from talking about EWF's past (as well as the future plans).You also get to see rare footage of Maurice in the 50's & 60's, as well as 'clips' from EARLY EWF concerts (before they crossed over!! Overall, the DVD sounded great (some segments were mono, but it wasn't too bad!), and the old footage looks good.In addition to historical coverage of the 'classic EWF lineup', you get a sneak peek into their upcoming CD.There are comments from Wyclef Jean & Eric Benet, who will co-produce EWF. The only drawback(s) involve the DVD packaging (no inserts, booklet, etc!!), and the 'bonus' concert footage is not rare at all!! It comes from the 1990 EWF Live In Tokyo DVD that is already on the market.Buyers are led to believe that the bonus footage will come from the classic EWF lineup concerts in the 1970's (The Gratitude Tour!!). Overall, I would reccomend this DVD to all EWF fans (especially the long time admirers!!).

As a collector of DVD life stories and documentaries of Musicians and vocalists, I must tell you that I was really impressed with this DVD....You will not be dissapointed...Enough said!!!

This video is a must for any die-hard EW&F fan. Seeing pictures of Reece as a child, in performance with the Ramsey Lewis Trio, the personal as well as rare band photos, and all of the old performance footage of "Time is on Your Side", "Power", "C'mon Children" (at California Jam) make this tape worth the money!!! It was great to hear from Freddie, Larry, Johnny, Andrew and Al and I enjoyed seeing the band in the studio with Eric Benet and Wyclef and hearing some of the new material.
The tape loses its star because the 4 remaining members of the band are still upset at the lack of props they feel they deserve from the media. Believe me, your fans know how AMAZING you guys were and are, and that should matter the most. I was hoping to hear more about life on the road with the band over the last 30 years, or what it was like to have women in the band or why certain members, who weren't involved in the "wonder years" (1975-1980) came and went. What was it like recording certain albums or touring with certain artists over the years (Santana, Sly, etc.)?? What was life like outside of Earth Wind and Fire?? For a band who was very spiritual and uplifting, broke barriers and sold millions of records to millions of fans, it's unfortunate that after 30 years, they still let the media's and the record industry's ignorance get to them. Note to the director: I also thought that there was too much footage from the 1982 concert, because it seemed like almost half of the performances on this video were taken from that one show. Any coincidence that it coincides with the recent release of that video?
Overall, this is a great video and if you're a fan, you'll really enjoy this!!! It may not be a time-line of the band's career, but it is a great watch.

What can I say, this documentary is the real deal. Never has there been anything done like this on Earth Wind & Fire. Maurice White and company will give it too you straight on the band and it`s history. I have already seen clips of the film, and it`s fantastic. I myself helped with this documentary by sending in rare footage to the film company.

"SHINING STARS" gives rare insight into the career of this remarkable band, now celebrating there 30th year together. Get ready for the greatest film ever made on the best group in the world " EARTH WIND & FIRE "