Earth, Wind & Fire – Spirit

More images

Label:	Columbia – PC 34241
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country:	US
Released:	1976
Genre:	Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style:	Soul-Jazz, Soul, Funk

Tracklist

A1	Getaway Written-By – Bernard Taylor, Peter Cor	3:47
A2	On Your Face	4:34
A3	Imagination	5:17
A4	Spirit	3:12
B1	Saturday Nite	4:03
B2	Earth, Wind & Fire	4:41
B3	Departure	0:27
B4	Biyo	3:38
B5	Burnin' Bush	6:48

Companies, etc.

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CBS Inc.
Copyright © – CBS Inc.
Manufactured By – Columbia Records
Manufactured By – CBS Inc.
Produced For – Kalimba Productions
Recorded At – Wally Heider Recording Studio, Los Angeles
Recorded At – The Burbank Studios
Recorded At – Hollywood Sound Recorders
Recorded At – Westlake Audio
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Published By – Kalimba Music
Published By – Saggifire Music

Credits

Arranged By – Charles Stepney (tracks: A1, A3, B1 to B3), Jerry Peters (tracks: B4, B5), Tom Tom 84 (tracks: A4)
Bass Trombone – Lew McCreary
Cello – Dennis Karmazyn, Harry Shlutz, Marie Fera, Ronald Cooper
Concertmaster – Charles Veal*
Design, Illustration – Tom Steele*
Drums, Percussion – Fred White, Ralph Johnson
Engineer [Assistant At Wally Heider Studio 3] – Richard Goodman
Engineer [Assistant At Westlake Audio] – Dean Rod
Engineer, Remix – George Massenburg
French Horn – Art Maebe, David Duke, Marilyn Robinson, Sidney Muldrow
Guitar – Johnny Graham
Guitar, Percussion – Al McKay
Harp – Dorothy Ashby
Management – Cavallo-Ruffalo Management
Percussion – Harvey Mason
Photography By – Ethan Russell
Photography By [Assisted] – James M. Shea*
Piano – Jerry Peters
Piano, Organ, Synthesizer [Moog] – Larry Dunn
Producer – Charles Stepney
Producer, Vocals, Kalimba, Drums, Timbales – Maurice White
Saxophone – Don Myrick
Saxophone, Percussion – Andrew Woolfolk
Trombone – Charles Loper, George Bohanon, Louis Satterfield
Trumpet – Chuck Findley, Michael Harris, Oscar Brashear, Steve Madaio
Tuba – Tommy Johnson*
Viola – Barbara Thomason, David Campbell, Denyse Buffum, James Dunham, Linn Subotnick, Marilyn Baker, Paul Polivnick, Rollice Dale
Violin – Assa Drori, Carl LaMagna, Haim Shtrum, Harris Goldman, Joy Lyle, Kenneth Yerke, Sandy Seemore, Winterton Garvey
Vocals, Bass, Percussion – Verdine White
Vocals, Congas, Percussion – Philip Bailey
Written-By – Al McKay (tracks: B1, B4), Charles Stepney (tracks: A2, A3), Jerry Peters (tracks: B5), Larry Dunn (tracks: A4, B3), Maurice White (tracks: A2 to B4), Philip Bailey (tracks: A2, A3, B1), Skip Scarborough (tracks: B2)

Notes

Issued with custom inner-sleeves with lyrics and credits.

Includes Kalimba Productions logo on label.

On the back cover of some pressings, the track list isn't the same order as on the label.

Recorded Wally Heider Studios 3; Burbank Studios; Hollywood Sound Recorders; Westlake Audio, Los Angeles.

Publishing:
A1: Kalimba Music (ASCAP)
A2, A3, B1 to B5: Saggifire Music (BMI)

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Price Code (Spine): X698
Rights Society (Track A1): ASCAP
Rights Society (Tracks A2 to B5): BMI
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): AL 34241
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): BL 34241
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched - Variant 1): PAL 34241 1D TML-S K
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched - Variant 1): PBL 34241 1E TML-S c B
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched & stamped - Variant 2): PAL 34241 1E TML M
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched & stamped - Variant 2): PBL 34241 1D TML-5
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched & stamped - Variant 3): PAL 34241 1D TML-S
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched & stamped - Variant 3): PBL 34241 1D TML-S
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout stamped - Variant 4): PAL 34241 1D; TML-S
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout stamped - Variant 4): PBL 34241 1C; JML -M
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched - Variant 5): PAL 34241 1A TML-M B4
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched - Variant 5): PBL 34241 1K TML-M A8
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched - Variant 6): PAL 34241 1A TML-M
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched - Variant 6): PBL 34241 1A TML-M

Other Versions (5 of 85)

View All

	Title (Format)	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
Recently Edited	Spirit (LP, Album, 54 Price Code)	CBS	CBS 81451	Europe	1976
Recently Edited	Spirit (Cassette, Album)	CBS	40-81451	UK	1976
Recently Edited	Spirit (LP, Album)	CBS	S 81451	Spain	1976
Recently Edited	Spirit (LP, Album)	CBS	SBP 234864	Australia	1976
New Submission	Spirit (LP, Album)	CBS	CBS 81451	UK	1976

Recommendations

That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
1975 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
Gratitude
Earth, Wind & Fire
1975 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
Thriller
Michael Jackson
1982 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
1979 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
All 'N All
Earth, Wind & Fire
1977 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
Purple Rain
Prince And The Revolution
1984 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
1984 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
I Am
Earth, Wind & Fire
1979 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album
Shop
Silk Degrees
Boz Scaggs
1976 US
Vinyl —
LP, Album, Stereo
Shop
The Best Of Earth Wind & Fire Vol. I
Earth, Wind & Fire
1978 US
Vinyl —
LP, Compilation, Stereo
Shop

Reviews

isaacmusicman Sep 7, 2022
Edited 11 months ago
Album Revolution #5:

Riding high on success can't stop real life from happening ....That's what happened to "Earth Wind & Fire"....Just in the mist of recording "Spirit", co-producer and mentor, "Charles "Step" Stepney" took ill and suddenly passed away....Even with that sad situation, "Maurice White" and Co. bravely finished this classic....

The album starts with the upbeat and Crown Jewel, "Getaway"...

The 2nd Crown Jewel, "On Your Face", is another thought provoking jam....

"Saturday Nite" (another Crown Jewel) holds this album down nicely...

And for those that thought that the group lost their "Jazz" roots at this time (sorry can't let that go), there is the Instrumental joint,"Biyo" and the "Interlude" "Departure" (I have the long version of this on 45, I wish it was on here).....

The last 4 songs are just Ultimate Crown Jewels...

"Imagination" is another "Philip Bailey" performance that just STUNS your brain, and is another "Isaac D. Body Sway" joint!!!

That also goes for the "Title Track" (dedicated to "Step")...

Their theme song, "Earth, Wind & Fire" took a "Maurice" performance to the next level....The Music is SOOOO inviting, and again "Reese's" Vocals takes you into OUTSPACE!!!!!!

That goes double for him with "Burnin' Bush"...This joint makes my spine SHIVER every time I hear it, especially with its "Larry Dunn" Keyboard finish....

There was no filler here and each song really took a meaning of their own (even though this was a concept album)....I am pretty sure this one was tough for the group, but when you listen to this, you find out how close of a unit this group really was....It's been like that since "Open Our Eyes, and you could tell that they had each others backs....

PS: 7/5/2024.....Again, "Sony/Legacy" NEEDS to GET ON THEIR JOB!!!!! A 2 LP Re-Issue NEEDS to happen with these "Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks" from a 2001 CD Re-Issue:

"Saturday Nite (Alternate Mix)"
"Seraphim" (An OUTSTANDING FUNKY JAZZY JAM)
"Imagination (Angels Mix)"
"Departure (The Traveler)" (which I mentioned earlier about having it on 45)
"African Symphony" (which on extension of "Departure", in fact I would FUSE those together)
staplesdcc Dec 29, 2017
This is a really nice album overall. In particular Imagination, Spirit, and Burnin' Bush are great tracks. This marks the end of the Charles Stepney era of EWF and is definitely worth a listen.