All 'N All

''All 'n All'' is the eighth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 1 on the US BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.
''All 'n All'' has also been certified Triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Gold in Canada by Music Canada and Silver in the UK by the BPI.

Background

''All 'n All'' was produced by Maurice White for Kalimba Productions. A month-long trip to Argentina and Brazil served as his main source of inspiration. All 'n All was also recorded at the Hollywood Sound Recorders and The Burbank Studios, both located in Los Angeles, California. A 1999 reissue of the album features two demos of Love's Holiday and Runnin' respectively. As well as a live rendition of Brazilian Rhyme.

Singles

" Serpentine Fire" reached number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single, "Fantasy", peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and number 14 on the UK Pop Singles chart. "Fantasy" also earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song.

Critical reception

Joe McEwen of ''Rolling Stone'' opined, "As on past Earth, Wind and Fire records, ''All 'n All'' is filled with leaded brotherhood platitudes, ''Star Trek'' sci-fi and stiffly poetic love songs. This sounds overwrought and depressing (and maybe it is). But there's a catch: I like the record, for like much current black music, ''All 'n All'' elicits a schizophrenic response. If the album represents some of the worst in black music, it also has more than its share of the best." The ''Los Angeles Times'' said that "''All n All'' includes only two ballads and for a change both are as nifty as the R&B rockers. Possibly EW&F's finest collection."

Robert Christgau of ''The Village Voice'', in a B+ review, remarked, "Focusing soulful horns, high-tension harmonies, and rhythms and textures from many lands onto a first side that cooks throughout. Only one element is lacking. Still, unsympathetic as I am to lyrics about conquering the universe on wings of thought, they make me shake my fundament anyway." Within a 4/5 stars review, Barry Cain of ''Record Mirror'' hailed the album, saying, "the spirit of Maurice White reigns supreme...the singer, writer, and producer casts his giant bird like shadow across every note, every peerless piece of slickery, every eye - blinking device. If anyone can claim to be the Fellini of funk It's Maurice White..."It's an EW&F album and I like it. Unashamedly."

Phyl Garland of ''Stereo Review'' noted that "the music is delightfully earthy in its appeal, an aural collage of rich vocal and instrumental textures underscored by highly danceable rhythms that never surrender to triteness. Though the very name of this group partakes of astrological symbolism, and though the lyrics of their songs often hint of galactic mysteries, the nine men who compose Earth, Wind & Fire play a kind of music that might be called neo-progressive soul, for it is a full light-year beyond what most groups are doing these days, soaring to celestial heights while sending out waves of mundane thrills." John Rockwell of ''The New York Times'' said, "''All 'n All'' shows Maurice White and his cohorts pushing their music ever more in a febrile jazz-rock direction. There are parallels, here, to white rock groups like Queen and Yes, but the very sophistication and single-mindedness of Earth, Wind and Fire's vision sets it apart from the bulk of rock-and-roll." Monroe Anderson of the ''Chicago Tribune'' wrote that "the soul group's latest album release, ''All 'N All'' (Columbia), is a rare blend of poetry, passion, and artistic progression...''All 'N All'' is a nice indication that EW&F is trying to expose its fans to other forms of American music and take them across international and cultural borders."

A retrospective review by ''The Guardian'' lauded the album, saying, "Maurice White began his career as a drummer, and his band can sound like one enormous kit, where every crash and beat has its funky place...the whole shebang is punctuated beautifully by Milton Nascimento's Brazilian Rhyme." Alex Henderson of AllMusic commented, "Earth, Wind & Fire's artistic and commercial winning streak continued with its ninth album, ''All 'n All''...(the diverse jewel) was a highly rewarding addition to EWF's catalog."

''All 'n All'' won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. The album's instrumental, "Runnin", won a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental. ''All 'n All'' was also nominated for an American Music Award in the category of Favorite Soul/R&B Album.

Track listing

Original release

1999 Reissue

Personnel

*Dorothy Ashby – harp
*Phil Ayling – flute
*Philip Bailey – vocals, percussion, congas
*Blanche Belnick – violin
*Roger Bobo – tuba
*George Bohanon – trombone
*Oscar Brashear – trumpet
*Garnett Brown – trombone
*Ronald Clark – violin
*Ronald Cooper – cello
*Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
* Eduardo del Barrio – piano
*Eumir Deodato – horn arrangement, string arrangement (7, 10)
*Warren Dewey – additional recording engineer
*David Duke – French horn
*Larry Dunn – assistant producer, piano, Moog synthesizer, Oberheim synthesizer
*Chuck Findley – trumpet
*Norman Forrest – viola
*Harris Goldman – violin
*Jack Gootkin – violin
*Janice Gower – violin, concertmaster
*Johnny Graham – guitar solo (5), additional guitars
*Terry Harrington – flute
* Michael Harris – trumpet solo (9), additional trumpets
*Ruth Henry – violin
*Fred Jackson Jr. – flute
* Ralph Johnson – drums
*Jan Kelly – cello
*Richard Klein – French horn
*Paul Klingberg – audio mixing (12–14)
*Renita Koven – viola
*Betty LaMagna – violin
*Carl LaMagna – violin
*Mary D. Lindquist – violin
*Linda Lipsett – viola
*Art Macnow – direction
*Steve Madaio – trumpet
*Cameron Marcarelli – mixing assistant (12–14)
*George Massenburg – recording engineer
*James M. McGee – French horn
*Al McKay – guitar solo (9), additional guitars
*Abe Most – flute
*Don Myrick – saxophone solo (9), alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
*Susan Ranney – acoustic bass
*Alan Robinson – French horn
*Gale Robinson – French horn
*Marilyn Robinson – French horn
*Jack Rouben – assistant recording engineer
*Meyer Rubin – acoustic bass
*Leo Sacks – audio mixing (12–14), reissue producer
*Richard Salvato – direction
*Sheldon Sanov – violin
*Louis Satterfield – trombone
*Skip Scarborough – piano
*Haim Shtrum – violin
*Daniel Smith – cello
*Barry Socher – violin
*Lya Stern – violin
*David Stockhammer – violin
*Barbara Thomason – viola
*Tom Tom 84 – horn arrangement, string arrangement
* Marcia Van Dyke – violin
* Fred White – drums
*Maurice White – audio mixing (12–14), original recording producer, vocals, drums, kalimba
*Verdine White – assistant producer, vocals, electric bass
*Mark Wilder – mastering
*Andrew Woolfolk – tenor saxophone

Charts

Albums

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

Accolades

(*) designates lists that are unordered.

See also

* List of number-one R&B albums of 1977 (U.S.)
* List of number-one R&B albums of 1978 (U.S.)

References

{{Authority control

1977 albums
Earth, Wind & Fire albums
Albums produced by Maurice White
Columbia Records albums
Albums with cover art by Shusei Nagaoka