Electric Universe (album)
Electric Universe is the thirteenth studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1983 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 8 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Electric Universe also reached No. 17 on the Swedish Pop Albums chart, No. 18 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart and No. 22 on both the Dutch Pop Albums and Swiss Pop Albums charts.
Overview
Electric Universe was produced by Maurice White for Kalimba Productions.With Electric Universe came a unique new wave & synth pop sound for EWF.
Artists such as David Foster, Martin Page, Michel Colombier and Pamela Hutchinson and Wanda Vaughn of The Emotions featured upon the album. The album was also reissued in 2015 with six bonus tracks and two demos.
As well, Electric Universe was featured in an August 2016 episode of Mass Appeal's YouTube series Rhythm Roulette.
Critical reception
of the Detroit Free Press exclaimed "Plug in the planets! This is the best disc this outfit has put together in quite some time." Lennox Samuels of the Dallas Morning News declared that "Electric Universe shows the bands resilience. Unlike the previous offering Powerlight this LP should please fans." Samuels added "Although most of the cuts here are characterized by mellow overtures, midway through the disc, colourful kalimba choruses and airy harmonies capture the high spirits of this nine member aggregation". Although calling it a "letdown" Robert Christgau of the Village Voice gave the album a B grade. Roger Catlin of the Omaha World Herald gave the album a four out of five star rating and declared EWF "seems to be trying to continue to branch out under leader Maurice White. Catlin also stated "he's testing out yet another theory for worldwide unity too, on Electric Universe in which electricity or magnetism plays a big role in getting everybody together - perhaps through static cling". With a three out of five stars review Matty Karas of Rolling Stone described Electric Universe as being full of "sensuous, and at times, rock oriented dance material". Pam Lambert of The Wall Street Journal exclaimed "after more than a decade together, Earth, Wind & Fire continue to chart new ground; their current album, "Electric Universe", deserves to win this black supergroup even more of a crossover audience than it has enjoyed in the past." Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote "Although 'Electric Universe' does not scintillate with Earth, Wind & Fire's usual brilliance, it's skilfully crafted and worth a listen". Rick Shefchik of Knight Ridder gave the album a 7/10 rating stating "Fearing more of Maurice White's cosmic pablum, I was glad to notice the shift to concrete r&b on Side One, while the band retains its breathy mix of horns and voices". Shefchik added "White relinquished his songwriting role on the first three songs, and even the ones he did write seem to benefit from a less starry-eyed perspective. Unless, of course, you count Electric Nation and Spirit of a New World." Prentis Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote "In fact, the entire album holds up well lyrically and musically with a noticeable but not overpowering rock flavour. It may not signal a return to the group's standard of staying a note or two ahead of its contemporaries, but this is EWF's best album in recent years."Robert Palmer of The New York Times proclaimed that "the rich vocal harmonies and lapidary pop craftsmanship listeners have learned to expect from Earth, Wind & Fire are still in evidence, but the group's instrumental sound has been radically stripped down and rethought."
Don McLeese of The Chicago Sun Times also gave Electric Universe an honourable mention in his list of the top ten albums of 1983.
Singles
The lead single, "Magnetic" peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Touch" reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart.Track listing
Credits
- Backing vocals - Beloyd Taylor, Pamela Hutchinson & Wanda Vaughn
- Bass Guitar - Verdine White
- Drums, percussion - Fred White
- Engineer – Barbara Rooney, Murray Dvorkin
- Engineer, Mixed By – Mick Guzauski
- Rhythm Guitar - Roland Bautista
- Keyboards - Brian Fairweather, David Foster, Larry Dunn, Martin Page, Michel Colombier, Robbie Buchanan, Wayne Vaughn
- Lead & backing vocals - Philip Bailey
- Lead & backing vocals, drums, kalimba - Maurice White
- Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
- Mixed By – George Massenburg
- Percussion - Ralph Johnson
- Piano - Larry Dunn
- Saxophone - Andrew Woolfolk
- Simmons drums - John Gilston
Reissue
- Coordinator – Randy Mahon
- Coordinator – Jeff James
- Coordinator – Craig Turnbull
- Design – Roger Williams
- Liner Notes, Research – Alex Henderson
- Mastered By – Sean Brennan
- Production Manager – Matt Murphy
Charts
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
| 1983 | "Magnetic" | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 10 |
| 1983 | "Magnetic" | Belgian Singles Ultratop 50 Singles | 16 |
| 1983 | "Magnetic" | N.L Dutch Single Top 100 | 18 |
| 1983 | "Magnetic" | U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs | 36 |
| 1983 | "Magnetic" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 57 |
| 1983 | "Magnetic" | U.K. Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles | 23 |
| 1984 | "Electric Nation" | Dutch Single Tip | 7 |
| 1984 | "Touch" | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 23 |
| 1984 | "Touch" | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs | 36 |
| 1984 | "Moonwalk" | US Billboard Hot Soul Songs | 67 |