Maps of Music

Gratitude (1975)

Where the lyrics of Gratitude take you, and where it was really made.

Most of this double album is live recordings, yet it spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Place unknown

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Live and studio material are combined on one album
Credits list George Massenburg as recording engineer on all tracks
Musicians credited include Philip Bailey (vocals, congas, percussion), Maurice White (vocals, drums, timbales, kalimba, percussion), Verdine White (vocals, bass guitar, percussion), Larry Dunn (organ, piano, Moog synthesizer), Al McKay (guitar, percussion), Ralph Johnson (drums, percussion), Fred White (drums, percussion), Michael Harris (trumpet), Don Myrick (saxophone), Louis Satterfield (trombone), Johnny Graham (guitar), and Andrew Woolfolk (percussion, saxophone)
Earth, Wind & Fire are credited as arrangers on all tracks

Formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Maurice White, originating out of the Salty Peppers.
Known for a kalimba sound, a dynamic horn section, elaborate stage shows, and the contrast between Philip Bailey's falsetto and Maurice White's tenor.
Music spans jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop.

Prominent members include Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Roland Bautista, Robert Brookins, Sonny Emory, Ronnie Laws, Sheldon Reynolds and Andrew Woolfolk.
Maurice White, the founder, died on February 4, 2016.

Among the best-selling bands ever, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.
Won six Grammy Awards out of 17 nominations and four American Music Awards out of 12 nominations.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
Received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019, becoming the first Black group to be inducted.
Had a hiatus from mid-1984 to mid-1987.

Kit Aiken of Uncut gave a 4/5 review and called Gratitude "a kicking live album"
Mikal Gilmore of DownBeat gave a 3/5 review and wrote that Gratitude "is excellent filler"
Henry Edwards of The New York Times praised the music as carefully tooled, relentlessly good-natured rhythmic dance music, and noted the showmanship on the record
Will Smith of the Omaha World-Herald wrote that the album has the soul that many so-called soul groups lack, and that the jazz tinges keep the two-record set interesting
Alex Henderson of AllMusic gave a 4.5/5 review and wrote that the album brilliantly captures the excitement the group generated on stage at its creative peak
Cliff White of NME called the album proof that EWF deserve the acclaim they had received
Mike Kalina of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised superb rhythm and blues material with plenty of jazz overtones
Tony Green of Spin called the album capable of landing an emotional killer blow
Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune found an Ellingtonian fusion of styles on this live masterpiece

Six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart
Three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart
Certified Triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA
Won a Rock Music Award in the category of Best Soul Album
Title track nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

The single "Sing a Song" came with the LP and rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart, and No. 5 on the Hot 100 chart.
Another single, "Can't Hide Love", reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart.
"Can't Hide Love" was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Arrangement For Voices.
The album's title track was also Grammy nominated, in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Greg Kot's review called the record an Ellingtonian fusion of styles, and Mikal Gilmore's review said the band needed a release to coincide with the film That's The Way Of The World.