Head to the Sky

Head to the Sky
Studio album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedMay 1973
Recorded1973
StudioClover Recorders, Hollywood, California
GenreProgressive soul, jazz fusion[1]
Length36:51
LabelColumbia
ProducerJoseph Wissert
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Last Days and Time
(1972) 		Head to the Sky
(1973) 		Open Our Eyes
(1974)
Singles from Open Your Eyes
  1. "Evil"
    Released: June 1973
  2. "Keep Your Head to the Sky"
    Released: October 1973

Head to the Sky is the fourth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in May 1973 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. Head to the Sky has also been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.[2][3][4][5]

Overview

Head to the Sky was produced by Joe Wissert with bandleader Maurice White serving as a musical director on the album. The LP was also recorded at Clover Recorders Studios, Hollywood, California.[2]

Singles

"Evil" peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart and No. 25 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart.[6][7] "Keep Your Head to the Sky" also reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [9]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[10]
Village Voice(B–)[11]
Billboard(favourable)[12]
Variety(favourable)[13]
Pittsburgh Press(favourable)[14]

Tony Palermo of the Pittsburgh Press noted "Folks like to compare this bunch with War, but the first difference that hits you with E,W&F's brand of jazz-rhythm and blues is the smoothness of Jessica Cleaves' vocal work. Then, the extra slug of R&B in their style".[14] Billboard noted that the band "does everything well" on the LP.[12] Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone declared "Been having a lot of music dreams lately but this one’s not too surprising since I’ve been playing the Earth, Wind & Fire album pretty constantly for the past week, certainly beyond all expectations. With a cover like this one — the eight men in the group shirtless, the one woman all in white, surrounded by a starburst arrangement of cut flowers, repeated with slight variations in the centerfold — I’m surprised I even broke the shrinkwrap. And this group started in Chicago?".[10]

Robert Christgau of the Village Voice in a B− review claimed, "Most of the first side keeps up the good work..But the mood jazz excursion on side two exposes White's essential fatuousness. "Zanzibar," it's called, as befits a travelogue; its saxophone solo (by Ronnie Laws's replacement, Andrew Woolfolk) could make Alice Coltrane blush."[11] Alex Henderson of Allmusic, in a 3/5 stars review wrote "Maurice White's very spiritual and ambitious brand of soul and funk was starting to pay off commercially...EWF still had what was basically a cult following, but that was beginning to change with Head to the Sky. And when EWF took off commercially in 1974 and 1975, many new converts went back and saw for themselves just how excellent an album Head to the Sky was."[9] Variety also described the record as "a movin' new package.[13]

Issac Hayes called Head to the Sky one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings.[15] Erykah Badu paid tribute to the album within the music video of her 2008 single "Honey".[16][17]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Evil"Philip Bailey, Maurice White5:00
2."Keep Your Head to the Sky"Maurice White5:10
3."Build Your Nest"Maurice White, Verdine White3:17
4."The World's a Masquerade"Skip Scarborough4:48
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Clover"Larry Dunn, Maurice White5:27
6."Zanzibar"Edu Lobo13:09

Personnel

Charts and Certifications

Singles – Billboard
Year Single Chart Position
1973 "Evil" Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs 19
Billboard Black Singles 25
Billboard Hot 100 50
"Keep Your Head To The Sky" Billboard Black Singles 23
Billboard Hot 100 52

Certifications

Country Award
US (RIAA) Platinum[5]

References

  1. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (May 16, 1990). "Records". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky". 45worlds.com.
  3. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com.
  4. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky (Billboard 200)". billboard.com.
  5. ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky". riaa.com. RIAA.
  6. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Evil (Adult Contemporary Songs)". billboard.com.
  7. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Evil (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
  8. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Keep Your Head to the Sky (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com.
  9. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  10. ^ a b Aletti, Vince (August 17, 1973). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
  11. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Head To The Sky". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
  12. ^ a b Top Album Picks. Vol. 85. Billboard Magazine. May 26, 1973. p. 52.
  13. ^ a b Record Review: Nilsson, 'Superstar', Womack, Kirk, Lobo, Savoy, 'Good Times', Cody, Roberts, founders Top New LP's. Vol. 271. Variety. June 20, 1973. p. 50. ProQuest 963287955.
  14. ^ a b Palermo, Tony (July 29, 1973). "E,W&F Shows War-Like Imagination". newspapers.com. Pittsburgh Press. p. 111.
  15. ^ Hayes, Issac (July 7, 1995). Essentials: Issac Hayes on Earth, Wind & Fire. The Guardian. p. 39.
  16. ^ "NEW VIDEO: ERYKAH BADU, 'HONEY'". mtv.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Erykah Badu: Honey". youtube.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  18. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  19. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1973". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1973". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
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