Earth Wind And Fire LP

Maurice White rebuilt his old group the Salty Peppers into something denser, friction between gospel shout and jazz drift, and brought his brother Verdine White in on bass. Warner Bros. released the result as Earth, Wind & Fire's self-titled debut. Critics couldn't settle on a label: one asked if it was "Afro-gospel-jazz-blues-rock," while DownBeat's Larry Ridley gave it five stars and called the group "a strong musical organization." It reached Billboard's Top Soul Albums chart and went Gold in France.