The Need of Love

The Need of Love is the second studio album by the band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1971 by Warner Bros. Records.[1] The album reached No. 35 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.[2]

The Need of Love
Studio album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedNovember 1971
Recorded1971
StudioSunset Sound Studios, Hollywood
GenreFunk, soul, jazz fusion
Length31:41
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerJoe Wissert
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Earth, Wind & Fire
(1971)		 The Need of Love
(1971)		 Last Days and Time
(1972)

Overview

The Need of Love was produced by Joe Wissert and recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood.[1]

Artists such as Jean Carne sang on the album.[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Village Voice(C+)[5]
Billboard(favourable)[6]
Chicago Sun Times(favourable)[7]
Jazz Journal[8]

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."[7] 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.".[4] Billboard noted that the album would "is certain to make people more aware of their presence".[6] 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".[8]

Covers

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.[9]

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 Scott5:58
5."Everything Is Everything"Richard Evans, Phil Upchurch6:46

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Billboard Top LPs & Tape 89
Billboard Top Soul LPs 35
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References
  1. Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need Of Love. Warner Bros. Records. November 1971.
  2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com.
  3. "JEAN CARNE: A REVELATION REUNION". bluesandsoul.com. Blues & Soul.
  4. Bush, John. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need Of Love". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  5. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
  6. "Album Reviews". Vol. 83 no. 49. Billboard. December 4, 1971. p. 46 – via Google Books. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. Rudis, Al (December 3, 1971). "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love". newspapers.com. Chicago Sun Times. p. 43.
  8. Lindsay, Bruce (July 9, 2019). "Earth, Wind And Fire: Earth, Wind And Fire / The Need Of Love". jazzjournal.co.uk. Jazz Journal.
  9. "Earth, Wind & Fire: I Think About Lovin' You Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
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