Maps of Music

Raise! (1981)

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

The front cover shows a figure in Egyptian style, but the album title is not printed on the front, only the band name.

Key places

Sunset Sounds Recording Studio, Hollywood (1981)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Sunset Sounds Recording Studio in Hollywood is one of two Los Angeles studios credited with recording Raise!. The other is ARC/George Massenburg Studios in West Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Raise!: eleventh studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire
• Released October 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records
• Topped the Billboard Top R&B albums chart for 11 weeks; peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200
• Certified Platinum in the US, Gold in the UK and Gold in Canada

Background

• Produced by bandleader Maurice White
• Marked the return of rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, who last played on 1972's Last Days and Time
• Single "Let's Groove" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100
• "I've Had Enough" peaked at No. 29 on the UK Pop Singles chart

Recording

• Recorded May to September 1980, per French Wikipedia
• Sessions split between ARC studios in Hamburg, West Germany, and in Los Angeles
• Los Angeles work done at George Massenburg and Sunset Sound studios
• Discogs credits ARC/George Massenburg Studios in West Los Angeles and Sunset Sound in Hollywood
• Mastering location listed as The Mastering Lab, Hollywood
• Produced by Maurice White; Philip Bailey co-produced track 7

Cover

• Art designed by Roger Carpenter; illustrated by Shusei Nagaoka
• Front cover: presumed female Black Egyptian figure; band name shown, title not
• Back cover: female figure in a sarcophagus, split into purple left and blue right; title in the top left corner

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

• The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the album 3 out of 5 stars
• Fred Dellar of Smash Hits gave it 7 out of 10
• Hugh Wyatt of the New York Daily News described the LP as a real gem
• Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said the album reflects the current wave of street-gritty black pop
• Alan Coulthard of Record Mirror gave it four out of five stars
• Richard Williams of The Times wrote that EW&F return to something like their best form
• Barney Hoskyns of NME called it a thundering collection of the best noises around

Reappraisal

• Critics praised the production and the blend of funk and rock across the record
• Reviewers singled out the mellow ballad "My Love" and the upbeat "Let's Groove"

Records

• Spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Top R&B albums chart
• Peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200
• Certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Gold in the UK by the BPI and Gold in Canada by Music Canada

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Wanna Be with You" peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
• People praised the instrumental Kalimba Tree, which leads into the LP's best cut, You Are a Winner, where White's lead vocals trade places with Philip Bailey's.
• Michael Boddicker is credited with synthesizers and vocoder, and Paulinho da Costa with percussion.
• Roland Bautista's return marked his first album with the band since 1972's Last Days and Time.
• Philip Bailey co-produced track 7 alongside bandleader Maurice White.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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