Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: R&B Bands, #2 Earth, Wind & Fire

Everybody has a top five list of something.  Sports cars...TV girlfriends...sitcoms...rom-coms...cartoon characters...sneakers...candy bars...you think of it and I guarantee that you have it.  Even if you have to sit around and think of it for hours on end like the madman that you are, you can come up with several lists nevertheless.  Because I am that obsessive madman-slash-nerd, I have been pondering for the past week as many top five lists as I possibly can and I'm nowhere near finished.  My formula is very simple: if I'm stuck on an island for at least the next five years and I'm only stuck with five particular people, artists, albums, songs, movies and the like, then these are the five that I choose pursuant to the subject.  Note that there will be times when I break down the technical quality less often than I will speak on how the subject of my affection makes me feel or transports me to a certain place and time.  Hence, I bring you my new weekly series, "Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five", and begin with my favorite R&B bands of all time.

In a time when it seems like people in the spotlight and even producers often prefer to be lone rangers, listening to a good band reminds me of the beautiful synergy that can occur between different personalities to make one sweet sound.  There are very few bands in the annals of music history who have made music at the elite level of harmonious fusion as Earth, Wind & Fire.  With legends like Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Dionne Warwick hailing EWF as their favorite band of all time, it's hard to deny their spirited sound, vivid imagery and cultural influence.  Now, the most astute reader might have noticed their rank and thought two things: 1) why are you doing your No. 2 band before your bottom three and 2) if Earth, Wind & Fire is your No. 2, then who the heck can you possibly have as your No. 1?  First, considering that the late, great Maurice White passed away last Thursday at the age of 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, I had to disrupt the order a bit.  Second, you'll have to wait until the March 10th edition of New Problem Tuesdays to find out who's the top dawg.  Anyways, with a catalog of music that spans over 40 years, there are so many great songs from which to choose, but it was fairly easy to do so.  Without further ado, let's see what songs make my cut...

#5 "SUN GODDESS" (with Ramsey Lewis) (Gratitude, Columbia, 1975).  Truth be told, songs like "Reasons (Live)", "Devotion" or "Keep Your Head to the Sky" nearly took this spot.  However, like most EWF songs during their classic period between 1973 and 1980, the music in "Sun Goddess" is absolutely phenomenal.  Leading off with the guitar, easing in the synthesizer and keys and eventually smoothing it out with some of the most gorgeous vocals ever recorded with Philip Bailey leading the charge, this is just a song that moves once the drums and percussion come into play.  Add solos of Don Myrick on sax and Ramsey Lewis on keys smack dab in the middle of the groove and you have a certified classic that you can play over and over again.  Not to mention that this is back in the day when a band could get away with making a predominantly instrumental song and it was either a hit or a song in high demand at concerts.  Straight drop, slim...

#4 "LOVE'S HOLIDAY" (All 'N All, Columbia, 1977).  Whenever I hear this song, I always think about riding up I-95 to Pennsylvania with Mrs. Scribbler a few years ago and getting so siced as if I had never heard this song a day in my life.  It's just one of those "I'm with my favorite girl" type of joints that when those horns warm you up, Philip Bailey builds the momentum with his signature scats and Maurice White hits that first "would you mind" lines, you just wanna be somewhere secluded or just cruising with your boo thang.  Admiring the vulnerability of the lyrics, some of my favorite lines on the sneak are, "Would you mind...if I looked into your eyes 'til I'm hypnotized...and I lose my pride."  Truth be told, this is one of my favorite vocal performances by White because it signifies what he does best: he understands how to take a song from a smooth valley to a picturesque climax while allowing the music to work in concert with his voice and not going too much over the top.  Good stuff right chea...

#3 "ALL ABOUT LOVE" (That's the Way of the World, Columbia 1975).  Back in '95, my high school girlfriend and I were riding in the car with her mother (God rest her soul) and listening to The Original Quiet Storm on WHUR 96.3 FM.  In the midst of a bunch of talking, this song came on and I stopped rambling long enough to be like, "What...is...THIS???"  However, although Quiet Storm hosts are known for telling you every song in their set, I never caught the name of it and spent the better part of ten years trying to figure it out.  (Too bad SoundHound wasn't out then, huh?)  Long story short, I ended up purchasing several EWF greatest hits albums before finally buying the Elements of Love: The Ballads compilation sometime in the mid-2000s and finally finding it--giving me an immediate senses of nostalgia and personal triumph.  As for the song, it actually makes me laugh because Mrs. Scribbler is not a huge fan of monologues in songs, but I am and this is one of the many songs that cements my island-like position.  Maurice White goes from talking about the inner self that studies "all kinds of occult sciences and astrology and mysticism and world religion" to the outer self "that like to go to parties, one that like to dress up and be cool and look pretty, on ego trips and all this" and tying it all in with the overarching umbrella of love.  Like, the dude is really rapping on this joint, young, and I kinda dig it.

#2 "FANTASY" (All 'N All, Columbia, 1977).  Whenever I hear "Fantasy", three thoughts come to mind.  First, among my co-hosts and I, this may have been our favorite EWF song to play on our weekly slow jams radio show, The Midnight Storm, while attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.  Second, because of the growing love for this song after my college days, I swore up and down that I was gonna sample this...that is, until Just Blaze sampled it for Jay-Z's "As One" from The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse.  (Not the first time that somebody in Jay-Z's camp beat me to a sample job, but I suppose great minds think alike.)  Third, one of my friends from college sent me a video from his wedding with his long-time high school sweetheart and this was the song as the backdrop for their presentation.  (SIDEBAR: between this genius inclusion, being the only dude I knew with the Lil' Kim Hard Core promo cover on his dorm room wall and having an extended conversation about how he wanted to hear more growth and experience on DMX's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood album, dude had to be one of the hippest White dudes I ever met in my entire life.)  I mean, what else can I say about this musical masterpiece?  Everything about it lives up to the title from start to finish, especially with Philip Bailey being a vocal monarch butterfly in and out of the melody.  Yet another song that moves with effortless fluidity and mystical perfection.  Truth be told, this was my favorite EWF song for years until I really sat down and kept listening to...

#1 "BE EVER WONDERFUL" (All 'N All, Columbia, 1977).  Anyone who knows my musical taste knows that I am a sucker for quite a few musical elements, and flawless horn arrangements are definitely among those aspects that render me helpless.  Combine that with Philip Bailey doing what he does best when he's the supporting vocalist and Maurice White giving perhaps my favorite performance of his and "Be Ever Wonderful" is an undeniable tour de force record.  Lyrically, my absolute favorite part is when White sings, "Stay as you are...won't you stay in your own sweet way...don't let the world change your mind."  If this were the only song that EWF ever recorded, then I wouldn't be disappointed one bit because it's one on which so many aspiring artists wish that they could build a legacy.  After losing one of the greatest legends in the music industry, it is totally fitting that Maurice White is the one singing lead on my favorite Earth, Wind & Fire song.  May he rest in peace knowing that 1) he no longer has to suffer and 2) he left the world with greatness like this to enjoy for the rest of our lives.

Whelp, it's back to the actual order next week as I reveal band No. 5 and their five songs that resonate the most with me.  Meanwhile, "Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five" is meant to be an interactive series, so PLEASE feel free to comment with your "rave & favorite five" EWF songs!