Maps of Music

I Am (1979)

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

The album topped the soul chart, but on the Billboard 200 it stopped at number three.

Key places

Recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders (1979)

Recording site Sunset Sound — The album page credits Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood as one of the studios used for the recording sessions. The point marks the studio's exact location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Davlen Sound, North Hollywood (1979)

Recording site Schnee Studio — The album page also lists Davlen Sound in North Hollywood as a recording studio. The point is set at the city centre, so it does not show the building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• I Am is the ninth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire
• Released in June 1979 by ARC/Columbia Records
• Produced by Maurice White
• Features guest appearances by The Emotions and Toto's Steve Lukather
• Reached number one on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and number three on the Billboard 200

Background

• Certified double Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and Platinum in Canada by Music Canada
• "After the Love Has Gone" reached number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Songs charts
• "Boogie Wonderland", featuring The Emotions, reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on Hot Soul Songs
• Both singles were Grammy-nominated; "Boogie Wonderland" won in the R&B instrumental category, and "After the Love Has Gone" won Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group

Recording

• Recorded between 4 and 16 September 1978 in Los Angeles and Hollywood
• Studios credited on the album page: Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood and Davlen Sound in North Hollywood
• Track list includes "In The Stone", "Can't Let Go", "After the Love Has Gone", "Let Your Feelings Show", "Boogie Wonderland", "Star", "Wait", "Rock That!", and "You and I"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.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

• Eric Sieger of The Baltimore Sun called the album "faultlessly produced"
• Sieger noted the horn and string section, synthesizers, congas, and kalimbas, with material ranging from straight boogie to soulful ballads
• AllMusic's Alex Henderson said I Am was not a radical departure from its predecessor, All 'n All, but a rewarding album
• Phyl Garland of Stereo Review found the mystical imagery and the group's rhythmic drive intact, with some evidence of a move toward disco on "Boogie Wonderland"
• Robot A. Hull of Creem described the LP as "a rhythmic utopia"
• Ace Adams of the New York Daily News called the album a collection of numbers from disco to rhythm and blues and into a little jazz

Records

• Number one on Billboard Top Soul Albums, number three on Billboard 200
• New Musical Express placed the album sixteenth on its 1979 albums of the year list
• Melody Maker placed the album eighth on its 1979 albums of the year list
• "After the Love Has Gone" reached number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Songs charts
• Certified double Platinum in the US, Platinum in the UK, and Platinum in Canada

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Boogie Wonderland" was nominated for Best Disco Recording as well, and won in the R&B instrumental category
• Maurice White was also Grammy-nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
• The ballad "After the Love Has Gone" was Grammy-nominated for Record of the Year
• The Japanese title 『黙示録』 comes from the Book of Revelation, which the opening track "In the Stone" draws on

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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