Gratitude [Extra tracks][Live][Original recording reissued][Original recording remastered]

Earth Wind & Fire

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 27, 1999)
• Original Release Date: December 1975
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000JQFL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,406 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Earth, Wind & Fire were consolidating their jazz influences into a tighter meld of funk and rock when Gratitude appeared near the end of 1975. Still, the improvisatory spirit burns hard on the three-quarters of the set taken from concert performances in the wake of That's the Way of the World's success. Highlights include hot takes on "Shining Star" and "Sun Goddess," as well as the studio cuts "Sing a Song" and "Can't Hide Love." --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Digipak reissue of 1975 album. 2001. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Give you Gratitude EW&F, December 3, 2003

By	Ronald Washington (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A type of live album people just don't make anymore, March 4, 2000

By	MilesAndTrane (Chicago, Il USA) - See all my reviews

"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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The quintessential sound of the era, December 31, 2005

By	Dave L (WA United States) - See all my reviews

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!