Raise!

Raise! is the eleventh studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire issued in October 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records.[1] The album rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2][3] 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.[4][5][6]

Raise!
Cover art by Shusei Nagaoka
Studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire
Released	October 1981
Recorded	May–September 1981
Studio	ARC/George Massenburg Studio (Los Angeles, California) Sunset Sounds Recording Studio (Hollywood, California)
Genre	R&B, soul, funk, post-disco
Length	38:08
Label	ARC/Columbia
Producer	Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Faces (1980) Raise! (1981) Powerlight (1983)
Singles from Raise!
"Let's Groove" Released: September 1981 "Wanna Be with You" Released: December 1981 "I've Had Enough" Released: January 1982
Back cover
The back cover of Raise!

Overview

Raise! was produced by bandleader Maurice White. The album spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Top R&B albums charts.[2][7]

Raise! marked the return to EWF of rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, who last played upon 1972's Last Days and Time. The LP was also reissued in 2015 with seven bonus tracks.[8]

Singles

Off the album came the single "Let's Groove" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[9][10] A song called "I've Had Enough" also got to No. 29 on the UK Pop Singles chart.[11]

Another song entitled "Wanna Be With You" rose to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.[12] Wanna Be With You also won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Rolling Stone	[15]
Village Voice	(B+)[16]
The Times	(favourable)[17]
NME	(favourable)[18]
Baltimore Sun	(favourable)[19]
Musician	(favourable)[20]
People	(favourable)[21]
Philadelphia Inquirer	[22]
LA Weekly	(B-)[23]
Smash Hits	(7/10)[24]
New York Daily News	(favourable)[25]

With a 4 out of 5 stars rating Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone called Raise! "city music" which "reflects the current wave of street-gritty black pop".[15] Hugh Wyatt of The New York Daily News described the LP as "a real gem".[25] The Philadelphia Inquirer gave a 3 out of 5 star rating calling the album "a session of class music, fortified by strong melodies and appealing lyrics".[22] With a seven out of ten rating Fred Dellar of Smash Hits found that "White's production is impeccable; the vocals float and flare, the horns urge you onto the dance-floor and the rhythms make you stay there".[24] People exclaimed EW&F's "New Age songs are ingenious sonic tapestries that blend tribal chants, zesty horns, brilliantly varied percussion, funky-flavored guitar rhythms and 2001-ish synthesizer sounds. Here an instrumental called Kalimba Tree melds into the LP’s best cut, You Are a Winner, which has White’s lead vocals bobbing and weaving with Philip Bailey’s. The lyrics are mostly power-of-positive-thinking messages that might thrill Norman Vincent Peale but are no match for the music’s complexity."[21] Richard Williams of The Times wrote "Paring away the overachievement of Faces, EW&F return to something like their best form".[17] Variety noted that "breathtaking production and a perscussive, non stop fusion of funk and rock power light up the entire album".[26] Barney Hoskyns of NME said "Raise! is a thundering collection of the best noises around, urgent, controlled and meticulously glossy. Horns pump and spurt in golden ecstasy, percussion stamps and cracks through the usual mass of nibbling guitars and synthesizers, and White's voice is as strong and soaring as ever".[18] The Village Voice's Robert Christgau proclaimed EWF "turn their sparkling harmonies and powerful groove into a pure, contentless display of virtuosity".[16] As well J.D. Considine of the Baltimore Sun wrote "Raise! puts Earth, Wind & Fire back on the rock and roll road".[19]

Music critic Nelson George also placed Raise in his ballot for the 1981 Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll.[27]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Let's Groove"	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	5:37
2.	"Lady Sun"	Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor	3:39
3.	"My Love"	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	4:35
4.	"Evolution Orange"	David Foster, Nan O'Byrne, M. White	4:37

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Kalimba Tree"	Maurice White, Verdine White, Jerry Hey	0:25
6.	"You Are a Winner"	Beloyd Taylor	4:09
7.	"I've Had Enough"	Philip Bailey, Greg Phillinganes, Brenda Russell	4:36
8.	"Wanna Be with You"	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	4:36
9.	"The Changing Times"	Beloyd Taylor, Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	5:54

[1]

2015 Expanded Version Bonus Tracks[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Wanna Be With You" (Single Version)	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	3:58
11.	"Kalimba Tree" (12" Long Version)	Jerry Hey, M. White	3:49
12.	"Let's Groove" (Special Remixed Holiday Version)	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	6:44
13.	"Let's Groove" (Single Version)	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	4:07
14.	"Let's Groove" (Instrumental)	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White	4:01
15.	"I've Had Enough" (7" Version)	Philip Bailey, Greg Phillinganes, Brenda Russell	3:53
16.	"The Changing Times" (7" Version)	Beloyd Taylor	4:45

Personnel

Maurice White – lead vocals, background vocals, kalimba, drums Philip Bailey – lead vocals, background vocals, percussion Ms. Pluto – additional background vocals Michael Boddicker – vocoder, synthesizer, keyboards Verdine White – bass played by, additional background vocals Selene Burford – cello Larry Corbett – cello Paula Hochhalter – cello Jerome Kessler - cello Frederick Seykora – cello Mary Louise Zeyen – cello Assa Drori – concertmaster James Getzoff – concertmaster Ralph Johnson – drums, percussion, additional background vocals Fred White – drums, percussion Roland Bautista – guitar Johnny Graham – guitar Marlo Henderson - guitar Beloyd Taylor – guitar, additional background vocals Larry Dunn – keyboards, piano, synthesizer, synthesizer programming Greg Phillinganes - keyboards David Foster – keyboards Billy Meyers – keyboards Wayne Vaughn – keyboards Paulinho Da Costa - percussion Don Myrick – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone Tom Saviano – additional saxophone Andrew Woolfolk – tenor saxophone Bill Reichenbach – trombone Charles Loper – trombone Dick Hyde – trombone George Bohanon – trombone Lew McCreary – trombone Louis Satterfield – trombone Chuck Findley – trumpet Gary Grant – trumpet

Jerry Hey – trumpet Larry G. Hall – trumpet Michael Harris – trumpet Oscar Brashear – trumpet Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet Alan DeVeritch – viola Pamela Goldsmith – viola Allan Harshman – viola Virginia Majewski – viola Gareth Nuttycombe – viola Arnold Belnick – violin Denyse Buffum – violin Thomas Buffum – violin Henry Ferber – violin Ronald Folsom – violin Irving Geller – violin Endre Granat – violin Reginald Hill – violin William Hymanson – violin Myra Kestenbaum – violin William Kurasch – violin Betty LaMagna – violin Brian Leonard – violin Norman Leonard – violin Marvin Limonick – violin Jerome Reisler – violin Nathan Ross – violin Sheldon Sanov – violin Anton Sen – violin Arkady Shindelman – violin Haim Shtrum – violin Mari Tsumura-Botnick – violin John Wittenbert – violin[1]

Production

• Philip Bailey – co-producer (7)
• Tony Calvert - reissue producer
• Roger Carpenter - art direction, design
• Larry Dunn – production assistant
• David Foster – string arrangements (4)
• Ken Fowler – recording engineer (basic tracks)
• Mick Guzauski – recording engineer (horn and string overdubs), audio mixing
• Jerry Hey- horn arrangements (2, 4, 6, 8–9)
• Stephen McManus – assistant engineer (basic tracks)
• Billy Meyers – horn arrangements, string arrangements (1, 3, 7)
• Shusei Nagaoka – illustration
• Ron Pendragon – recording engineer (basic tracks)
• Tom Perry – recording engineer (vocal overdubs), audio mixing
• Maurice White – original recording producer
• Verdine White – production assistant[1]

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1981	US Billboard Top Soul Albums	1
	US Billboard 200	5
	Dutch Albums (Dutch Album Top 100)	3[28]
	Sweden Albums (Veckolista Album)	9[29]
	UK Pop Albums	11[11]
	Norwegian Albums (VG-Lista)	18[30]
	German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	30[31]
1982	New Zealand Albums Chart	19[32]

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"Let's Groove/I've Had Enough"	US Billboard Dance Club Songs	3
	"Let's Groove"	US Billboard Hot Soul Songs	1
		US Billboard Hot 100	3
		UK Pop Singles	3[11]
		Dutch Singles (Dutch Single Top 100)	5[33]
		Belgian Singles (Ultratop 50 Singles)	9[34]
1982	I've Had Enough"	UK Pop Singles	29[11]
	"Wanna Be With You"	Billboard Hot Soul Songs	15
		Billboard Hot 100	51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[35]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[38]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
NME[39]	U.K	Albums of the Year	1981	16
Village Voice[40]	U.S	Dean's List	1981	49

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1981 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1982 (U.S.)
• Billboard Year-End

References

1. Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!. ARC/Columbia Records. 1981.
2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise! (Top R&B Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise! (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard.
4. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". riaa.com. RIAA.
5. "BPI Certification for Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". British Phonographic Industry.
6. "Music Canada Certification for Earth, Wind & Fire". Music Canada.com.
7. Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums of 1982
8. Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!(Expanded Edition). Funky Town Grooves/Columbia Records/Sony Music. 2015.
9. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com.
10. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove (Hot 100)". billboard.com.
11. "Earth, Wind & Fire". officialcharts.com. Official Charts Company.
12. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be With You (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
13. "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
14. Rhulmann, William. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
15. Tucker, Ken (February 4, 1982). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
16. Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
17. Williams, Richard (November 6, 1981). "Jazz/Rock". The Times. p. 40.
18. Hoskyns, Barney (November 14, 1981). Raise High The Cosmic Booty. New Musical Express. p. 37.
19. Considine, J.D. (November 15, 1981). "There is more to black rock music than meets the white audience's ears". newspapers.com. Baltimore Sun. p. 60.
20. Palmer, Don (January 1, 1982). "RECORD REVIEWS: Earth, Wind & Fire". proquest.com. No. 39. Musician. p. 83 & 84.
21. "Picks and Pans Review: Raise!". people.com. People. January 18, 1982.
22. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise". newspapers.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 22, 1981. p. 114.
23. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise". newspapers.com. LA Weekly. December 24, 1981. p. 19.
24. Dellar, Fred (November 12, 1981). Albums. Smash Hits. p. 25.
25. Wyatt, Hugh (December 13, 1981). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 322.
26. "Music Records: Record Reviews - Albums". proquest.com. Vol. 305 no. 5. Variety. December 2, 1981. p. 89.
27. "The Eighth (or Ninth) Annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice. February 1, 1982.
28. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
29. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". swedishcharts.com. Sverigetopplistan.
30. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". norwegiancharts.com. VG-Lista.
31. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment charts.
32. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". charts.nz. Official New Zealand Music Chart.
33. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove (Dutch Top 40)". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
34. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove". ultratop.be. Ultratop.
35. "Canadian album certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Raise". Music Canada.
36. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Earth, Wind & Fire; 'Raise')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
37. "British album certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Raise". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Raise in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
38. "American album certifications – Earth, Wind & Fire – Raise". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
39. "Albums and Tracks of the Year". nme.com. New Musical Express.
40. Christgau, Robert. "Pazz & Jop 1981: Dean's List". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.