The Need of Love

Last updated
The Need of Love
Theneedoflovealbum.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1971
Recorded1971
Studio Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood
Genre
Length31:41
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Joe Wissert
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Earth, Wind & Fire
(1971)
The Need of Love
(1971)
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
(1971)

The Need of Love is the second studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. [2] The album reached No. 35 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart. [3] The Need of Love would be the band's final album for Warner Bros. until 1993's Millennium on Reprise Records.

Contents

Overview

The Need of Love was produced by Joe Wissert and recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood. [2]

Artists such as Jean Carne sang on the album. [4]

The track, "Everything Is Everything", is a cover of the Donny Hathaway song.

Singles

"I Think About Lovin' You" reached No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Village Voice (C+) [7]
Billboard (favourable) [8]
Chicago Sun Times (favourable) [9]
Jazz Journal Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Al Rudis of The Chicago Sun Times wrote "Their second album, The Need of Love again displays some unusual music that might be called avant garde were it not so melodic and entrancing. The nine-member group mixes excellent jazzy instrumentals with harmony singing and chanting, some big band sounds and some free-form parts as well as solid soul beats. It all works beautifully, and while the elements of Earth, Wind and Fire aren't new, this mixture of them is a unique sound." [9] With a three out of five star rating John Bush of AllMusic stated "The ambitions of Earth, Wind & Fire only increased after their stellar debut, and the group brought an abstract sense of composition to their sophomore record, The Need of Love. The opener, a ten-minute piece named "Energy," is proof enough, with several extended passages inspired by everything from free jazz as well as in-the-pocket funk like Kool & the Gang. The next song up, "Beauty" is also positive and intriguing, though in an overly similar groove as "Fan the Fire" from the first album. The closer, a cover of Donny Hathaway's gloriously funky "Everything Is Everything," does justice to the original (and that's saying a lot). Compared to the debut, The Need of Love lacks a sense of exuberance as well as a passel of solid songs and performances.". [6] Billboard noted that the album would "is certain to make people more aware of their presence". [8] Bruce Lindsay of Jazz Journal also gave The Need of Love a 3.5 out of 5 star rating, saying "as evidence of a tight, stylish, band in the early stages of its career this is a worthwhile album". [10]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Energy" Wade Flemons, Sherry Scott, Maurice White, Don Whitehead9:39
2."Beauty"Wade Flemons, Maurice White, Don Whitehead4:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
3."I Can Feel It In My Bones"Wade Flemons, Maurice White, Don Whitehead5:04
4."I Think About Lovin' You"Sherry Scott6:02
5."Everything Is Everything"Richard Evans, Phil Upchurch 6:46

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1972)Peak
position
Billboard Top LPs & Tape89
Billboard Top Soul LPs35

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth, Wind & Fire</span> American musical group

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.

<i>Earth, Wind & Fire</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire is the debut studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in March 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. The album got to No. 24 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donny Hathaway</span> American singer-songwriter (1945–1979)

Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who Rolling Stone described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Little Ghetto Boy". Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of "A Song for You", "For All We Know", and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", along with "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. He has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy Award from four nominations. Hathaway was also posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lalah Hathaway</span> American singer from Illinois

Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway is an American singer. In 1990 Hathaway released her first album titled Lalah Hathaway. After releasing another album, titled A Moment (1994), it debuted at number 34 on the Top R&B albums chart. In 1999 she collaborated with Joe Sample on the album The Song Lives On. After a five-year hiatus, she returned with her fourth album, Outrun the Sky (2004). The single "Forever, For Always, For Love" peaked at number 1 on the Hot Adult R&B Airplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice White</span> American musician (1941–2016)

Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Bailey</span> American musician (born 1951)

Philip James Bailey is an American singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his four-octave vocal range and distinctive falsetto register, Bailey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Bailey was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work with the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leela James</span> American singer-songwriter from California

Alechia Janeice Campbell known professionally as Leela James, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California.

Reginald Grant Lucas was an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. Lucas is perhaps best known for producing the majority of Madonna's 1983 self-titled debut album, and for playing rhythm guitar with the Miles Davis electric band during the first half of the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Mtume</span> American jazz and R&B musician (1946–2022)

James Forman, known professionally as Mtume or James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Upchurch</span> American jazz and blues guitarist

Philip Upchurch is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">After the Love Has Gone</span> 1979 single by Earth, Wind & Fire

"After the Love Has Gone" is a song by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in 1979 as the second single from their ninth studio album I Am on ARC/Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. "After the Love Has Gone" was certified gold in the US by the RIAA and silver in the UK by the BPI.

<i>Spirit</i> (Earth, Wind & Fire album) 1976 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Spirit is the seventh studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on September 28, 1976, by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Soul Albums charts. Spirit has also been certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph MacDonald</span> American musician (1944–2011)

Ralph Anthony MacDonald was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer.

<i>Open Our Eyes</i> 1974 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Open Our Eyes is the fifth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in March 1974 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 15 on the Top Pop Albums chart. Open Our Eyes has been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<i>Head to the Sky</i> 1973 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Head to the Sky is the fourth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in May 1973 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. Head to the Sky has also been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<i>Millennium</i> (Earth, Wind & Fire album) 1993 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Millennium is the sixteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in September 1993 on Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, No. 39 on the US Billboard 200, No. 18 on the Japanese Pop Albums chart and No. 29 on the Dutch Album Top 100. Millennium has also been certified Gold in Japan by the RIAJ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Johnson (musician)</span> American drummer

Ralph Randolph Johnson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Johnson is a member and percussionist of the funk/soul/disco band Earth, Wind & Fire.

<i>Another Time</i> (Earth, Wind & Fire album) 1974 compilation album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Another Time is the first compilation album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in September 1974 on Warner Bros. Records. It reached No. 29 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

<i>Now, Then & Forever</i> 2013 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Now, Then & Forever is the twentieth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on September 10, 2013, by Legacy Recordings/Sony Music. The album reached No. 11 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

"I Think About Lovin' You" is a song by the band Earth, Wind & Fire released as a single in January 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. The song peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.

References

  1. Coleman, Mark; Soults, Franklin (2004). "Earth, Wind & Fire". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 269–270. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  2. 1 2 3 Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need Of Love. Warner Bros. Records. November 1971.
  3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com.
  4. 1 2 "JEAN CARNE: A REVELATION REUNION". bluesandsoul.com. Blues & Soul.
  5. "Earth, Wind & Fire: I Think About Lovin' You Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  6. 1 2 Bush, John. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need Of Love". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  7. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
  8. 1 2 "Album Reviews". Billboard . Vol. 83, no. 49. December 4, 1971. p. 46 via Google Books.
  9. 1 2 Rudis, Al (December 3, 1971). "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love". newspapers.com. Chicago Sun Times. p. 43.
  10. 1 2 Lindsay, Bruce (July 9, 2019). "Earth, Wind And Fire: Earth, Wind And Fire / The Need Of Love". jazzjournal.co.uk. Jazz Journal.