Maps of Music

Head to the Sky (1973)

Where the lyrics of Head to the Sky take you, and where it was really made.

Isaac Hayes named this record one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings, yet it peaked only at No. 27 on the Billboard 200.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1973)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — The LP was recorded at Clover Recorders Studios in Hollywood, California. The map point sits at the city center, not on the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Head to the Sky: fourth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire
• Released May 1973 on Columbia Records
• Produced by Joe Wissert, with bandleader Maurice White serving as musical director
• Charted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 on the Billboard 200
• Certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA
• Listed as Earth, Wind & Fire's fourth studio album in Italian and Korean references

Background

• Single 'Evil' reached No. 19 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart and No. 25 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart
• 'Keep Your Head to the Sky' also reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart
• Credited band lineup: Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Maurice White, Jessica Cleaves, Johnny Graham, Al McKay, Larry Dunn, Ralph Johnson, Andrew Woolfolk
• Oscar Brashear appears as guest trumpet on 'Zanzibar'
• The side-two track 'Zanzibar' runs 13:01 and is credited to Edu Lobo

Recording

• Recorded at Clover Recorders Studios, Hollywood, California
• Engineer credited: Robert Appère
• Mastering credited to Bernie Grundman and A&M Studios

Cover

• Album cover design and photo credited to Lee Lawrence
• Floral cover design credited to Kim Canazzi

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• 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.

Members

• 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.

Career

• 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.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Tony Palermo of the Pittsburgh Press noted the smoothness of Jessica Cleaves' vocal work and the extra R&B in the group's jazz-rhythm and blues style
• Billboard wrote that the band 'does everything well' on the LP
• Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone said he had played the album constantly for a week and was surprised by its cover of shirtless men and a woman in white
• Robert Christgau of the Village Voice gave a B− review, saying most of side one kept up the good work
• Christgau criticized the mood jazz excursion on side two, which he said exposed Maurice White's fatuousness
• Christgau singled out the saxophone solo on 'Zanzibar' by Andrew Woolfolk, Ronnie Laws's replacement
• Alex Henderson of AllMusic gave a 3/5 stars review
• Variety described the record as a movin' new package

Reappraisal

• Henderson wrote that Earth, Wind & Fire still had a cult following before this album
• Henderson wrote that the group's commercial success in 1974 and 1975 sent many new listeners back to this album
• Isaac Hayes called the album one of the band's five essential recordings
• Erykah Badu paid tribute to the album in the music video of her 2008 single 'Honey'

Records

• Billboard Top Soul Albums: No. 2
• Billboard 200: No. 27
• Certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Isaac Hayes called Head to the Sky one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings.
• Erykah Badu paid tribute to the album in the music video of her 2008 single 'Honey'.
• Oscar Brashear played guest trumpet on 'Zanzibar', the album's long side-two track.
• Christgau's review singled out the saxophone solo on 'Zanzibar' by Andrew Woolfolk, who replaced Ronnie Laws.
• The Italian track listing gives 'Zanzibar' a length of 13:01 and credits it to Edu Lobo.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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