Maps of Music
Spirit (1976)
Where the lyrics of Spirit take you, and where it was really made.
The album is titled Spirit in dedication to Charles Stepney, the band's longtime collaborator who died during its recording sessions.
View on the mapKey places
The Burbank Studios (1976)
Recording site The Burbank Studios — The Burbank Studios in Burbank is listed among the studios where Spirit was recorded in 1976. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Hollywood Sound Recorders (1976)
Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Hollywood Sound Recorders is listed as a recording studio for Spirit in Los Angeles. The map point marks only the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Westlake Audio (1976)
Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Westlake Audio in West Hollywood is listed as one of the studios where Spirit was recorded in 1976. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Spirit: seventh studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire
- Released September 28, 1976, by Columbia Records
- Rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and Top Soul Albums charts
- Certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA
- Title dedicated to the band's longtime collaborator Charles Stepney
Background
- Stepney, a composer who had supported the band since its early days, died of a heart attack on 16 May 1976 during production
- Production was temporarily halted after his death
- Maurice White went on to mostly arrange and produce the album
- The LP was entitled Spirit in dedication to Stepney
Recording
- Recorded in 1976 at Hollywood Sound Recorders and Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles, Westlake Audio in West Hollywood, and The Burbank Studios in Burbank
- Credits list George Massenburg as engineer and remix engineer, and Charles Veal Jr. as concertmaster
- Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.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
- Blues & Soul's John Abbey called it a mighty album that showed the power of the nine-piece group
- Billboard found the arrangements, songs, vocal harmonies and instrumental phrases impeccable
- Rolling Stone's Joe McEwen saw a high level of artistic competence but compared the record to a bean-sprout salad that is nutritious but hardly filling
- Vibe's Craig Werner gave it 4.5/5 and called it one of the group's defining moments
- Music Week said it had a more spiritual, ethereal feel than the group's six earlier albums
- Stereo Review's Joel Vance dismissed it as sappy, with hackneyed arrangements
- The Village Voice's Robert Christgau gave a B-grade review
- AllMusic's Alex Henderson gave 4.5/5 and said the band did not let anyone down, commercially or creatively
Reappraisal
- Isaac Hayes called Spirit one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings
- Rick Atkinson of The Record placed it at number 5 on his list of the top 15 albums of 1976
Records
- Billboard 200: number 2
- Top Soul Albums: number 2
- United States: Double Platinum certification from the RIAA
- Getaway: number 1 on Billboard Hot Soul Songs, number 12 on Hot 100 and Disco Action Top 30
- Saturday Nite: number 4 on Hot Soul Songs, number 21 on Hot 100, number 12 on Disco Action Top 30, number 17 on UK Pop Singles
- American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Album
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Spirit was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
- The song Earth, Wind & Fire received a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition.
- Getaway reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart, and Saturday Nite peaked at No. 4 on the same chart.
- Isaac Hayes named Spirit one of the group's five essential recordings.
- Rick Atkinson of The Record placed Spirit at number 5 on his list of the top 15 albums of 1976.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org
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