| The Ultimate Collection | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | July 1999 | |||
| Genre | R&B, disco | |||
| Label | Columbia Records | |||
| Producer | Maurice White, Charles Stepney | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Ultimate Collection | ||||
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The Ultimate Collection is a compilation album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in July 1999 on Columbia Records. [1] The album reached No. 34 upon the UK Albums Chart. [2]
The album cut "September '99" reached No. 1 on the RPM Canadian Dance Songs chart, No. 4 on the UK Dance Singles chart and No. 25 on the UK Pop Singles chart. [3] [4] [5] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| Uncut | [8] |
| Mixmag | [9] |
With a 5 out of 5 stars rating Kit Aiken of Uncut called the album "near perfect" and "invaluable". [8] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating and noted "A truly "ultimate" Earth, Wind & Fire compilation would offer a larger assortment of highlights from the band's catalog, but this is a decent one-disc/20-track overview." [6] With a 4 out of 5 stars rating, Toby Manning of Mixmag wrote "Earthy, Fiery? No just elemental." [9] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian also gave a 5 out of 5 stars rating and declared "in fact, apart from ballads like 'That's the Way of the World', its hard to find a track on The Ultimate Collection that doesn't sparkle on the dance floor." [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boogie Wonderland" | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Shining Star" | 2:50 |
| 3. | "That's the Way of the World" | 5:43 |
| 4. | "September" | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Can't Hide Love" | 4:08 |
| 6. | "After the Love Has Gone" | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Got to Get You into My Life" | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Sing a Song" | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Gratitude" | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Serpentine Fire" | 3:50 |
| 11. | "Fantasy" | 4:37 |
| 12. | "In the Stone" | 4:26 |
| 13. | "Reasons" | 4:59 |
| 14. | "Saturday Nite" | 4:02 |
| 15. | "Let's Groove" | 5:36 |
| 16. | "Getaway" | 3:57 |
| 17. | "September '99 (Phats & Small Remix)" | 3:43 |
| 18. | "Let's Groove (Merchant of Menace remix)" | 3:45 |
| 19. | "Boogie Wonderland (Stretch/Vern remix)" | 3:43 |
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Pop Albums [2] | 34 |
Earth, Wind & Fire are an American band who have spanned the musical genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, EDM, Latin, and Afro pop. They have been described as one of the most innovative and are among the most commercially successful acts in history. With sales of over 90 million records, they are one of the world's best-selling bands of all time.
Maurice White was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
Raise! is the eleventh studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 14, 1981, by ARC/Columbia Records. The album spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Top R&B albums chart and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. Raise! has been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Gold in the UK by the BPI and Gold in Canada by Music Canada.
Gratitude is a double live album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, issued in November 1975 by Columbia Records. The album spent six weeks atop the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. Gratitude has also been certified Triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
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.
Faces is the tenth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire released on October 14, 1980, on ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, number 2 on the Billboard Top Soul albums chart and number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. Faces was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
"September" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire released as a single in 1978 on ARC/Columbia Records. Initially included as a track for The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, "September" was very successful commercially and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song remains a staple of the band's body of work and has been sampled, covered, remixed, and re-recorded numerous times.
The Promise is the eighteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in May 2003 on Kalimba Music. The album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
"Fantasy" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, which was issued as a single in 1978 by Columbia Records.
"Serpentine Fire" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire which was issued in October 1977 by Columbia Records. The single rose to numbers 1 and 13 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs and Hot 100 charts, respectively.
Powerlight is the twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1983 by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. Powerlight was also certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
This following is a comprehensive discography of the band Earth, Wind & Fire.
Touch the World is the fourteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1987 on Columbia Records. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Touch the World was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
In the Name of Love is the seventeenth studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in July 1997 on Rhino Records. The album reached No. 19 on the UK R&B Albums chart and No. 25 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart.
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.
"Fall in Love with Me" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1982 upon Columbia Records as the first single from their twelfth album, Powerlight (1983). It rose to No. 4 on the US Billboard R&B Singles chart, No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 14 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. "Fall In Love With Me" was Grammy nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Greatest Hits Live is a live album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire issued in 1996 on Rhino Records.
"Wanna Be with You" is a song by R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire issued as a single in December 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records. The single rose to No. 15 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart, No. 7 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles chart and No. 40 on the RPM Canadian Pop Singles Chart.
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.
"When Love Goes Wrong" is a song by R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in 1997 on Rhino Records from the album In the Name of Love. It reached No. 33 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart.
