Maps of Music

Powerlight (1983)

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

The album was recorded at two Los Angeles-area studios, yet its title points to the chakras, the body's centres connecting to cosmic power, the idea Maurice White gave for the record.

Key places

Recorded at The Complex, West Los Angeles (1983)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Discogs names The Complex Studios in West Los Angeles as one of two recording locations for the album. French Wikipedia gives the recording period as July to November 1982. The map point sits at the city centre, not the studio's exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Oceanway in Hollywood (1983)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Discogs names Oceanway Recording Studio in Hollywood as the second recording location for the album. French Wikipedia also places the recording at Ocean Way in Hollywood. The map point sits at the city centre, not the studio's exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Powerlight: twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire
• Released February 1983 by Columbia Records
• Produced by band leader Maurice White
• White linked the title to the chakras, the body's centres that connect us with cosmic power
• Guests include Robert Greenidge, Maxayn Lewis and Zakir Hussain
• Discogs release notes carry the copyright line 1982, 1983 CBS, Inc.

Background

• Fall in Love with Me reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Hot R&B Songs chart
• Fall in Love with Me was also Grammy nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
• Side by Side reached No. 15 on the Hot R&B Songs chart
• Straight from the Heart was released as a single in the Netherlands

Recording

• Recorded at The Complex Studios in West Los Angeles and Oceanway Recording Studio in Hollywood
• French Wikipedia gives the recording period as July to November 1982
• Mick Guzauski handled recording and mixing
• Mastered at A&M Recording Studios, Hollywood

Cover

• Art direction by Roger Carpenter and Monte White
• Illustration by Shusei Nagaoka

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

• AllMusic: critic Craig Lytle gave four out of five stars
• Lytle wrote that the group was still blazing when the album came out, contemporary sound and all
• Lytle said White's unifying message is fuelled by aggressive rhythms and relaxing melodies
• Vanity Fair found the album even more relentlessly cheerful than its predecessor Raise!
• Daily Mirror's Tony Prince named it album of the week and said the group's high arrangement standards are predictable
• The Village Voice's Robert Christgau gave an A− grade
• Los Angeles Times critic Connie Johnson said it shows why EWF is one of the masters of studio pop
• The Philadelphia Inquirer's Ken Tucker gave three out of five stars and praised its glossy sheen
• Knight Ridder's Rick Shefchik gave a 7/10 review
• Musician's Chip Stern called it a testament to White's mastery of production
• Dave Marsh gave four out of five stars, noting the power of the playing
• Smash Hits' David Hepworth gave 8/10 and said the band was firing on all cylinders

Reappraisal

• Issac Hayes called it one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings
• Robert Christgau placed it at No. 36 on his dean's list of 1983

Records

• Billboard Top R&B Albums chart: No. 4
• Billboard 200: No. 12
• Certified Gold in the US by the RIAA

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

Trivia

• Robert Christgau placed the album at No. 36 on his dean's list of 1983.
• Issac Hayes called it one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings.
• Maurice White tied the title to the chakras, the body's centres that connect us with cosmic power.
• Discogs notes that the release was manufactured by CBS/Sony in Tokyo and produced for Kalimba Productions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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