LP Review: Last Days And Time
Released: 1973
LP Charts: #15 R&B, #87 pop
Okay, now we’re cooking.
After their two failed albums on Warner Brothers, Earth, Wind & Fire switched over to Columbia Records, basically reformed the band from the ground up, and immediately their sound improved. Not saying the departed band members were the problem, but leader Maurice White seemed a bit more determined on Last Days and Time to make a mark.
For your musical pleasure, the EWF lineup changes…
Maurice White — vocals, kalimba, drums, percussion
Verdine White — bassMichael Beal — guitar, harmonica—> Roland Bautista — guitarLeslie Drayton — trumpetWade Flemons — vocals, piano— > Philip Bailey — vocals, percussionPhillard Williams — percussion—> Ralph Johnson — percussionAlexander Thomas — tromboneChester Washington — saxophone—> Ronnie Laws — flute, saxophoneDon Whitehead — piano—> Larry Dunn — piano, clavinet, organSherry Scott — vocals—> Jessica Cleaves — vocals
That determination is only partly successful.
The band still hasn’t mastered the art of catchy songcraft, but things are markedly better on this album that sees EWF begin making the transition from weirdo psychedelic funk-rock to elegant funk-pop. There are actual songs about romantic love (their first concession to pop sensibilities) in addition to the metaphysical, spiritual, and social love that would continue marking EWF records for years to come.
A good example of this emerging transition is “Time Is On Your Side”. It still has prominent electric guitar and chanted vocals, but Maurice actually crafts a catchy vocal hook for the first time. And the guitar riff is actually the song’s main hook. You can easily see where future hits like “Shining Star” descend from this track. Oh, this song also has the first appearance of Philip Bailey. His vocals are a godsend giving the band some greater depth.
Even better is the band’s first great song: “Power”. An eight-minute instrumental that begins with spacy kalimba, there are choppy guitar licks, a smoky saxophone solo, busy clavinet, a chirpy flute, and more kalimba that never let the groove rest on this funk-rock jam. Furthermore, Verdine White’s bass really gets to shine as well. He gets in some good thumps here.
“Mom” with its bossa nova flavor also finds the band earnestly experimenting for the first time with Latin sounds. Keep a tab on this development. Many future EWF hits would owe to borrowing from great Brazilian musical traditions.
Despite all the progress, there’s still some of the imperfections and downright flaws of their earlier albums.
Jessica Cleaves turns in a good vocal performance on “I’d Rather Have You”. Despite her vocals and the tender arrangement, the song still feels undercooked. “They Don’t See” and “Remember the Children” are mildly preachy instead of uplifting. But “They Don’t See” still comes off well. “Remember the Children”? Meh.
“Make it With You”, yes a cover of the Bread song, is pleasant if unremarkable. Not pleasant at all is an inexplicable cover of “Where Have All The Flowers Gone”. Philip Bailey’s tenor/falsetto is painful to hear on that one.
ALBUM GRADE: C+
Side 1 of this album is pretty damn solid while Side 2 is where the troublesome songs pop up and slow the album’s roll. Still, this is a big improvement from EWF’s first two LPs.
Song Scores
Time Is On Your Side: 7/10
They Don’t See: 6.5/10
Make It With You: 6/10
Power: 8/10
Remember the Children: 5/10
Where Have All The Flowers Gone: 3/10
I’d Rather Have You: 6/10
Mom: 7/10