by Alex Henderson
Earth, Wind & Fire has delivered more than its share of excellent albums, but if a person could own only one EWF release, the logical choice would be That's the Way of the World, which was the band's best album as well as its best-selling. Open Our Eyes had been a major hit and sold over half a million units, but it was World that established EWF as major-league, multi-platinum superstars. Fueled by gems ranging from the sweaty funk of &Shining Star& and &Yearnin' Learnin'& to the gorgeous ballad &Reasons& and the unforgettable title song, EWF's sixth album sold at least five million units. And some of the tracks that weren't major hits, such as the exuberant &Happy Feelin'& and the gospel-influenced &See the Light,& are equally powerful. There are no dull moments on World, one of the strongest albums of the 1970s and EWF's crowning achievement. [The 1999 CD reissue has five previously unreleased &sketches& from late 1974, including much briefer instrumental run-throughs of &Shining Star& and &That's the Way of the World,& the first take alternate vocal of &All About Love,& an alternate of &Happy Feelin',& and the jazz-oriented jam &Caribou Chaser& (the only one of the five not to be represented in a different version on the proper album).]