Day 21: Earth, Wind & Fire – All ‘n All

Album cover courtesy of Columbia Records

A very happy Earth, Wind & Fire day to all. I, in fact, did not remember the 21st night of September, but was luckily reminded of it, so I thought it’s only fitting to do Earth, Wind & Fire today.

I chose All ‘n All because I saw it described as the quintessential Earth, Wind & Fire record. Released in 1977, All ‘n All is the eight studio album released by the band, and it charted at number 3 in the US at the time of its release.

Earth, Wind & Fire is one of those bands where you know many more songs by them than you initially expected. I thought I only knew the hits, but I’d heard quite a few of them. The other thing that surprised me is that I’d never realised how much the band leans on spiritual themes – the band was even got its name based on founder Maurice White’s astrological sign, which has the elements of earth, air and fire. They’re a pretty full-on woo-woo band lyrically, which I have no issue with. Please tell me more about being visited by the planet Jupiter.

It’s impossible to sit still while listening to All ‘n All, so much so that it could be a challenge on a game show to sit through the album without bobbing any part of your body. I would fail within seconds, as the first few songs are absolute floor-fillers. The album opens with “Serpentine Fire,” a joyous funk song about kundalini energy that sets the tone of the rest of the record, followed by the all-time banger “Fantasy,” which you’ve probably heard, even if you think you haven’t.

On All ‘n All, there are songs with spiritual lyrics, crooning songs about love (or love-making) along with a few excellent instrumentals – I especially love the jazzy instrumental “Runnin’” but I’m a big fan of all of it. Earth, Wind & Fire is one of those bands where you just know your day will be better if you listen to them. All ‘n All is easily a 9/10 for me.