Raise!

Raise!

Cover art by Shusei Nagaoka
Studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire
Released November 14, 1981
Recorded May 1981
Studio ARC/George Massenburg Studio, West Los Angeles, CA
Sunset Sounds Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA
Genre R&B, soul, funk
Length 38:08
Label ARC, Columbia
Producer Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Faces
(1980)		 Raise!
(1981)		 Powerlight
(1983)
Singles from Raise!
  1. "Let's Groove"
    Released: October 21, 1981
  2. "I've Had Enough" / "Kalimba Tree (Instrumental)"
    Released: 1982
  3. "Wanna Be With You"
    Released: January 19, 1982
Back cover
The back cover of Raise!

Raise! is the eleventh studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, produced by the band's leader Maurice White for Kalimba Productions, and released in 1981 on CBS Records. Raise! has been certified platinum in the US by the RIAA for sales of over a million copies and gold in the UK and Canada by the British Phonographic Industry and Music Canada respectively.[1][2]

Raise! was the bestselling R&B album of 1982.[3] The album featured the #1 R&B and # 3 Pop hit "Let's Groove". The single "Wanna Be With You" won EWF a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group.[4] Raise also marked the return to the band of rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, last heard from on 1972's Last Days and Time.

Raise! would be the final EWF album to be released on ARC. The label would be discontinued by Columbia Records the following year.

Artwork

The album art was designed by Roger Carpenter and Raise! was illustrated by Shusei Nagaoka. The front cover of Raise! features a presumed Egyptian female figure. The name of the band is present on the front cover, but the title is not.

On the back cover there is an illustration of a female figure in a sarcophagus, which is also divided into a purple left side and a blue right side. The sarcophagus appears to be hyper-modern. The title of the LP is presented in the top left corner of the back cover.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Robert ChristgauB+[7]

Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone describes Raise! as a reflection of "street-gritty black pop" and that on "Let's Groove" and the fast, cutting "Lady Sun", the horn section screams like a car running a red light". Music critic Robert Christgau says that on the album, he felt "a show of strength was due".[8][9]

Track listing

Side one[10]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let's Groove"  Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White5:37
2."Lady Sun"  Beloyd Taylor3:39
3."My Love"  Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White4:35
4."Evolution Orange"  David Foster, O'Byrne, Maurice White4:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Kalimba Tree"  Maurice White0:25
6."You Are a Winner"  Beloyd Taylor4:09
7."I've Had Enough"  Philip Bailey, Greg Phillinganes, Brenda Russell4:36
8."Wanna Be With You"  Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White4:36
9."The Changing Times"  Beloyd Taylor5:54

Personnel

Adapted from Discogs.[10]

  • Verdine White – bass, production assistant
  • Frederick Seykora – cello
  • Jerome Kessler – cello
  • Larry Corbett – cello
  • Mary Louise Zeyen – cello
  • Paula Hochhalter – cello
  • Selene Burford – cello
  • Philip Bailey – co-producer, lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion
  • Concertmaster – Assa Drori – concertmaster
  • James Getzoff – concertmaster
  • Fred White – drums, percussion
  • Johnny Graham – guitar
  • Roland Bautista – guitar
  • Billy Meyers – keyboards
  • David Foster – keyboards
  • Wayne Vaughn – keyboards
  • Larry Dunn – piano, synthesizer, production assistant
  • Tom Saviano – saxophone
  • Don Myrick – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Andrew Woolfolk – tenor saxophone
  • Michael Boddicker – synthesizer, vocoder
  • Bill Reichenbach – trombone
  • Charles Loper – trombone
  • Dick Hyde – trombone
  • George Bohanon – trombone
  • Lew McCreary – trombone
  • Louis Satterfield – trombone
  • Chuck Findley – trombone
  • Gary Grant – trumpet
  • Jerry Hey – trombone
  • Larry G. Hall – trombone
  • Michael Harris – trombone
  • Oscar Brashear – trombone
  • Rahmlee Michael Davis – trombone
  • Viola – Alan DeVeritch – viola
  • Allan Harshman – viola
  • Gareth Nuttycombe – viola
  • Pamela Goldsmith – viola
  • Virginia Majewski – viola
  • Violin – Anton Sen – violin
  • Arkady Shindelman – violin
  • Arnold Belnick – violin
  • Betty LaMagna – violin
  • Brian Leonard – violin
  • Denyse Buffum – violin
  • Endre Granat – violin
  • Haim Shtrum – violin
  • Henry Ferber – violin
  • Irving Geller – violin
  • Jerome Reisler – violin
  • John Wittenbert – violin
  • Mari Tsumura Botnick – violin
  • Marvin Limonick – violin
  • Myra Kestenbaum – violin
  • Nathan Ross – violin
  • Norman Leonard – violin
  • Reginald Hill – violin
  • Ronald Folsom – violin
  • Sheldon Sanov – violin
  • Thomas Buffum – violin
  • William Hymanson – violin
  • William Kurasch – violin
  • Ms. Pluto – background vocals
  • Beloyd Taylor – background vocals, guitar
  • Ralph Johnson – background vocals, percussion
  • Maurice White – producer, lead and background vocals, kalimba, drums

Production

  • Billy Meyers – horn arrangements (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Jerry Hey- horn arrangements (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8–9)
  • David Foster – string arrangements (Track 4), & Billy Meyers (1, 3, 7)
  • Mick Guzauski – art direction, design
  • Ken Fowler – engineer
  • Ron Pendragon – engineer
  • Stephen McManus – assistant engineer
  • Mick Guzauski – engineer (horns, string overdubs)
  • Tom Perry – engineer (vocal overdubs), mixing
  • Shusei Nagaoka – illustration

Charts

Album – Billboard
Year Chart Position
1981 Black Albums 1
Pop Albums 5
Year Chart Position[12]
1982 United Kingdom 11
Singles – Billboard
Year Single Chart Position
1981 "Let's Groove/I've Had Enough" Club Play Singles 3
"Let's Groove" Black Singles 1
Pop Singles 3
"Wanna Be With You" Black Singles 15
Pop Singles 51

Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to Raise! is adapted from rocklistmusic.co.uk.[13]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
NME U.K Albums of the Year 1981 16

See also

References

  1. ↑ RIAA Certification for Raise!
  2. ↑ British Phonographic Industry certification for Raise!
  3. ↑ Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums of 1982
  4. ↑ www.earthwindandfire.com/bio_awards.html
  5. ↑ Allmusic review
  6. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  7. ↑ Robertchristgau.com
  8. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire Raise! album review". rollingstone.com. February 4, 1982. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Consumer Guide Album Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise!". robertchristgau.com. 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Raise on discogs.com
  11. ↑ Raise (Expanded Edition) on discogs.com
  12. ↑ "Raise!". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  13. ↑ rocklistmusic – 1981 NME Lists
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