The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2
Greatest hits album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedNovember 1988[1]
GenreR&B
Length54:33
LabelColumbia/Legacy
Producer
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Touch the World
(1987) 		The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2
(1988) 		Heritage
(1990)
Singles from The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2
  1. "Turn on (The Beat Box)"
    Released: November 14, 1988

The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2 is the second greatest hits album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1988 on Columbia Records. This album has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[1][2]

Overview

The album is the follow-up to the Quintuple Platinum album The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, containing singles from the band's later career throughout the late 1970s and the 1980s. It also features the song "Serpentine Fire", which was not included on Vol 1., as well as the album version of "Fantasy".

Alongside the singles, the album contained a previously unreleased song entitled "Turn on (The Beat Box)", which was released as a single and reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
PopMatters(favorable)[5]
Village Voice(A−)[6]
Billboard(favorable)[7]
New York Daily News(favorable)[8]
Cincinnati Post[9]
Tom Hull – on the Web(A-)[10]

Ron Wynn of AllMusic in a 4.5 out of five stars review wrote, "If you enjoyed their disco and late '70s cuts more than the early tracks, this anthology is worth getting".[4] Ben Varkentine of Popmatters noted "Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. II can't be reviewed so much as announced. If you want this CD, you know what at least some of it sounds like, if not, you don't."[5] David Browne of the New York Daily News exclaimed, "Not as solid as Vol. I, but separates the wheat from the chaff of their later albums. 'After the Love Is Gone' and 'Boogie Wonderland' are here, but last year's comeback, 'System of Survival', isn't.[8] With a 4 out of 5 star review Larry Nager of the Cincinnati Post claimed "Like most second-volume best-ofs the set is second best but with the sweet vocals of Philip Bailey the uncompromising groove of Maurice White and the EWF horns..second best is more than good enough."[9] With an A− grade, Robert Christgau of the Village Voice described the album as "some slick, soulful fun".[6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Turn on (The Beat Box)" (Previously unreleased)Rhett Lawrence, Martin Page, Maurice White4:39
2."Let's Groove" (From Raise!, 1981)Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White5:34
3."After the Love Has Gone" (From I Am, 1979)Bill Champlin, David Foster, Jay Graydon4:24
4."Fantasy" (From All 'n All, 1977)Eduardo del Barrio, Maurice White, Verdine White4:36
5."Devotion" (From Open Our Eyes, 1974)Philip Bailey, Maurice White4:48
6."Serpentine Fire" (From All 'n All, 1977)Sonny Burke, Maurice White, Verdine White3:49
7."Love's Holiday" (From All 'n All, 1977)Skip Scarborough, Maurice White4:21
8."Boogie Wonderland" (From I Am, 1979)Jon Lind, Allee Willis4:47
9."Saturday Nite" (From Spirit, 1976)Philip Bailey, Al McKay, Maurice White3:59
10."Mighty Mighty" (From Open Our Eyes, 1974)Maurice White, Verdine White3:01
Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Keep Your Head to the Sky" (From Head to the Sky, 1973)Maurice White5:10
12."I'll Write a Song for You"Philip Bailey, Steve Beckmeier, Al McKay5:23

Charts

Albums

Year Chart Peak
position
1988 US Billboard 200 190
US Billboard Top R&B Albums 74

Singles

Singles
Year Title Chart Position
1988 Turn on (The Beat Box) US Billboard Hot R&B Singles 26[3]
N.L. Dutch Singles (Dutch Single Top 100) 30[11]

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[2] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Earth, Wind & Fire (November 1988). The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2 (album). Columbia Records.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2". riaa.com. RIAA.
  3. ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: "Turn on (The Beat Box)" (Hot R&B Singles)". billboard. Billboard.
  4. ^ a b Wynn, Ron. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2". AllMusic.
  5. ^ a b Varkentine, Ben. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol.II". PopMatters.
  6. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
  7. ^ "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 49. December 3, 1988. p. 60.
  8. ^ a b Browne, David (November 20, 1988). "Greatest Hits". New York Daily News. p. 210 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Nagar, Larry (December 3, 1988). "Great greatest hit for Christmas giving". Cincinnati Post. p. 18 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Hull, Tom (April 26, 2021). "Rock (1970s) (Reference)". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Turn On The Beat Box". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
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