Faces (Earth, Wind & Fire album)

Faces is the tenth studio album by the R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire released on October 14, 1980 on ARC/Columbia Records.[1] The album reached number 2 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, number 10 on the Billboard Top Soul albums chart and number 10 on the UK Pop Albums chart.[2][3][4] Faces was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[5]

Faces
Studio album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedOctober 14, 1980
RecordedMarch-July 1980
GenreR&B, Pop, Funk, Post-disco, Dance
Length60:34
LabelARC/Columbia
ProducerMaurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
I Am
(1979)		 Faces
(1980)		 Raise!
(1981)
Singles from Faces
  1. "Let Me Talk"
    Released: August 1980
  2. "You"
    Released: November 1980
  3. "Back on the Road"
    Released: November 1980
  4. "And Love Goes On"
    Released: January 1981

Overview

Faces was partly recorded in the Caribbean island of Montserrat and produced by EWF leader Maurice White.[1]

Artists such as Fred Wesley and Toto's Steve Lukather guested on the album.[6]

When asked in a 2007 interview which Earth, Wind & Fire album is his favorite, Maurice White replied "Probably Faces because we were really in tune". White also went on to proclaim that on the LP EWF were "playing together and it gave us the opportunity to explore new areas".[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Smash Hits(8/10)[9]
Los Angeles Times(favourable)[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Stereo Review(favourable)[12]
Record Mirror[13]
Musician(favourable)[14]
High Fidelity(favourable)[15]
The Times(favourable)[16]
Village Voice(C+)[17]
Chicago Sun Times[18]
Melody Maker(favourable)[19]

Dennis Hunt of The Los Angeles Times declared "Faces is the R&B album of the year." Hunt added "Faces is expertly written, produced and performed and is considerably better than any of this year's hardcore R&B albums. Just about every song on "Faces," which is nearly all upbeat, is high quality. Its danceability rating is as high as any you'll find on an album in this post-disco era. Sparkle and Turn It Into Something Good are the best of this classy lot."[10] Nelson George of Musician stated "Faces re-affirms EW&F's role as the world's finest progressive soul band. While not an innovative work, the beauty of Faces is the band's feeling of renewed vigour and spirit, qualities that separate them from the many other good self-contained black bands".[14] Paul Sexton of Record Mirror gave the album a three out of five star rating and proclaimed "they're burning hot enough".[13] Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone gave a two out of five star rating saying "Faces is an effervescent pop-funk pageant with lots of color and not much substance."[11] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote "Earth Wind & Fire's new release, the two -disc set "Faces," has all the impact of a live volcano, but, unlike natural eruptions, this one is carefully controlled and every stunning effect is meticulously calculated." Garland also added "all these forces might have gotten in each other's way and produced a monstrously cluttered set, but the way White has choreographed them everything fits together so well that the listener need only sit (or lie) back and enjoy."[12] Richard Williams of The Times wrote "Earth, Wind & Fire are arguably the most popular soul band in the world and Faces, following the enormous successes of All n' All and I Am, will certainly reach their unusually broad market. The mixture is familiar: reassuringly melodic songs delivered by the outstanding falsetto of Philip Bailey and the plainer tenor of Maurice White with creamingly opulent arrangements featuring a hair-trigger rhythm section and flashy horns. Faces, is however, a two-record set and for all the brilliance of the playing and recording it is hard to sustain deep interest over the distance."[16] Paul Willistein of The Morning Call wrote "this group's latest two-record set of 15 exceptional funk, R&B and fusion numbers is simply exhilarating".[20] Elise Bretton of High Fidelity wrote "Soul Disco like April in Paris cannot be reprised. And when it is transcribed, no matter how accurately, no pianist I know would want to tackle all those syncopated eight and sixteenth notes while singing in the funky, get down style that makes Earth, Wind & Fire the nation's No. 1 nonet".[15] Bev Hillier of Smash Hits gave Faces an 8 out of 10 rating and found that "Their repertoire ranges from dreamy ballads through funk with a capital F, with numerous other styles incorporated en route. Every member's contribution is vital but Verdine White's bass in particular takes direct control of the feet and the horn section make Dexys sound like the Pied Piper. If you think disco's faceless, you ain't heard this".[9] With a three out of four star rating Chuck Pratt of the Chicago Sun Times exclaimed "this fine funk soul group puts its best face forward on this ambitious and generous double pocket set of intricately produced, high gloss funk".[18]

Music journalist Mike Freedberg also named Faces in his ballot for The Village Voice's 1980 Pazz & Jop critics poll.[21]

Singles

The track, "Let Me Talk", reached No. 8 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and No. 29 on the UK Pop Singles chart.[22][4] The song, "You", peaked at Nos. 10 and 30 on the Billboard R&B Singles and Adult Contemporary charts, respectively.[23][24] A third single, "And Love Goes On", reached No. 15 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.[25]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let Me Talk"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Ralph Johnson, Al McKay, Maurice White, Verdine White4:09
2."Turn It Into Something Good"Valerie Carter, James Newton Howard, Maurice White4:10
3."Pride"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Freddie White, Maurice White, Verdine White4:11
4."You"David Foster, Brenda Russell, Maurice White5:10
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Sparkle"Philip Bailey, Eduardo del Barrio, Maurice White3:50
6."Back on the Road"Al McKay, Maurice White3:33
7."Song in My Heart"Garry Glenn, Brenda Russell, Maurice White4:17
8."You Went Away"Philip Bailey, Ross Vannelli4:24
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."And Love Goes On"Larry Dunn, David Foster, Brenda Russell, Maurice White, Verdine White4:05
10."Sailaway"Philip Bailey, Eduardo del Barrio, Roxanne Seeman, Maurice White4:37
11."Take It to the Sky"Larry Dunn, Garry Glenn, Maurice White3:50
12."Win or Lose"Jean Hancock, Jerry Peters3:53
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Share Your Love"Garry Glenn, Maurice White3:17
14."In Time"Arlene Matza, Howard McCrary, Maurice White4:13
15."Faces"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Verdine White8:02

2010 Reissue (Bonus Tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let Me Talk (12" Long Version)"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Ralph Johnson, Al McKay, Maurice White, Verdine White6:45
2."You (Alternative Mix)"David Foster, Brenda Russell, Maurice White3:47
3."And Love Goes On (Alternative Mix)"Larry Dunn, David Foster, Brenda Russell, Maurice White, Verdine White3:38

[26]

Columbia Masters Reissue
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let Me Talk"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Ralph Johnson, Al McKay, Maurice White, Verdine White4:09
2."Turn It Into Something Good"Valerie Carter, James Newton Howard, Maurice White4:10
3."Pride"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Freddie White, Maurice White, Verdine White4:11
4."You"David Foster, Brenda Russell, Maurice White5:10
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Sparkle"Philip Bailey, Eduardo del Barrio, Maurice White3:50
6."Back on the Road"Al McKay, Maurice White3:33
7."Song in My Heart"Garry Glenn, Brenda Russell, Maurice White4:17
8."You Went Away"Philip Bailey, Ross Vannelli4:24
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."And Love Goes On"Larry Dunn, David Foster, Brenda Russell, Maurice White, Verdine White4:05
10."Sailaway"Philip Bailey, Eduardo del Barrio, Roxanne Seeman, Maurice White4:37
11."Take It to the Sky"Larry Dunn, Garry Glenn, Maurice White3:50
12."Win or Lose"Jean Hancock, Jerry Peters3:53
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Share Your Love"Garry Glenn, Maurice White3:17
14."In Time"Arlene Matza, Howard McCrary, Maurice White3:47
15."Oriental (Interlude)"Arlene Matza, Howard McCrary, Maurice White0:27
16."Faces"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Verdine White7:38
17."Pipe Organ (Interlude)"Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Verdine White0:25

[27]

Charts

Albums
Year Chart Position
1980 U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums 2[3]
U.S. Billboard 200 10[2]
UK Pop Albums chart 10[4]
Dutch Albums (Dutch Album Top 100) 8[28]
Norwegian Albums (VG-Lista 15[29]
Sweden Albums
(Veckolista Album)		 23[30]
New Zealand Albums Chart 40[31]
German Albums
(Offizielle Top 100)		 46[32]

Singles
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1980 "Let Me Talk" U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles 8[22]
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 85
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 44
UK Pop Singles 29[4]
"You" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 48
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles 10[23]
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 30[24]
1981 "And Love Goes On" N.L. Dutch Single Top 100 25[33]
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles 15[25]
B.E. Belgian Singles (Ultratop 50 Singles) 26[34]
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 57
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 59

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to Faces is adapted from SoulTracks.com.[35]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Soultracks U.S. The 75 Best Soul Albums of the 80s 2009 29

References
  1. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". 45worlds.com.
  2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces (Billboard 200)". Billboard.com.
  3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard.com.
  4. "Earth Wind & Fire". officialcharts.com. Official Charts.
  5. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". riaa.com. RIAA.
  6. Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces. Columbia Records. October 1980.
  7. "MAURICE WHITE: STILL BURNING BRIGHT". bluesandsoul.com.
  8. Wynn, Ron. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  9. Hillier, Bev (October 30, 1980). "Albums". archive.org. Vol. 2 no. 22. Smash Hits. p. 33.
  10. Hunt, Dennis (November 30, 1980). "EARTH, WIND & FIRE FACES THE MUSIC". newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. p. 324.
  11. Holden, Stephen (March 5, 1981). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
  12. Garland, Phyl (March 1981). "Popular Music (Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces)" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 46 no. 3. Stereo Review. p. 122.
  13. Sexton, Paul (October 25, 1980). Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces. Record Mirror. p. 20.
  14. George, Nelson (February 1, 1981). "Record Review: RECORD REVIEWS - Earth, Wind & Fire". proquest.com. No. 30. Musician. p. 82.
  15. Bretton, Elise (July 1981). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". Vol. 31 no. 7. High Fidelity. p. 84. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  16. Williams, Richard (October 25, 1980). "Stevie Wonder proves his return to form". gale.com. The Times. p. 9.
  17. Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". robertchristgau.com. The Village Voice.
  18. Pratt, Chuck (January 29, 1981). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". Des Moines Tribune. Chicago Sun Times. p. 36 – via newspapers.com.
  19. Arundel, Jim (March 26, 1994). "Faces by Earth, Wind & Fire". Vol. 71 no. 12. Melody Maker. p. 37. ProQuest 223508582. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  20. Willistein, Paul (December 13, 1980). Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces. The Morning Call. p. 67.
  21. The Year of the Lollapalooza. robertchristgau.com. The Village Voice. February 9, 1981.
  22. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Let Me Talk (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  23. "Earth, Wind & Fire: You (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  24. "Earth, Wind & Fire: You (Adult Contemporary Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  25. "Earth, Wind & Fire: And Love Goes On (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  26. Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces. Columbia Records. 2010.
  27. Earth, Wind & Fire: The Columbia Masters. Columbia Records. 2011.
  28. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". dutchcharts.nl.
  29. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". norwegiancharts.com. VG-Lista.
  30. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". sverigetopplistan.se.
  31. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". charts.nz. Official New Zealand Music Chart.
  32. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Faces". offiziellecharts.de.
  33. "Earth, Wind & Fire: And Love Goes On (Dutch Top 40)". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
  34. "Earth, Wind & Fire: And Love Goes On (Ultratop 50 Singles)". ultratop.be. Ultratop.
  35. "80s Poll Results". Soul Tracks.com.
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