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The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1

by Earth, Wind & Fire

Released: November 23, 1978

R&B, soul, pop, jazz, disco

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Breakthrough.

The Album

A reissue of the album in 1999 featured two bonus tracks, MegaMix and MegaMix 2000. "The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1" is the first greatest hits album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 23, 1978, by ARC/Columbia Records.

Inside the Recording

Produced by Maurice White, the album marked the first release by ARC Records, White’s own record label.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The album included three new songs and two…

The album included three new songs and two singles.

The first single, Got to Get You into…

The first single, Got to Get You into My Life, was a cover of The Beatles song and preceded the album’s release.

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Essential Tracks

Got to Get You Into My Life

The first single, Got to Get You into My Life, was a cover of The Beatles song and preceded the album’s release.

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Explore the Album

Earth, Wind & Fire - The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1

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Then

Reception

The album was a major commercial success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 6 on the Top LPs chart. It was certified Quintuple Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA, and also achieved Platinum status in both the UK and Canada. It appeared on the 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 9 on the Hot 100.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1" is the first greatest hits album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 23, 1978, by ARC/Columbia Records. The album was a major commercial success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 6 on the Top LPs chart. It was certified Quintuple Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA, and also achieved Platinum status in both the UK and Canada.

Produced by Maurice White, the album marked the first release by ARC Records, White’s own record label. A reissue of the album in 1999 featured two bonus tracks, MegaMix and MegaMix 2000.

The album included three new songs and two singles. The first single, Got to Get You into My Life, was a cover of The Beatles song and preceded the album’s release. It appeared on the 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 9 on the Hot 100. The track was also nominated for a Grammy and won in the category of Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.

The second single, September, was another major hit for the band, peaking at No. 1 on the Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 8 on the Hot 100. The song also achieved success in the UK, where it reached No. 3 on the UK Pop Singles chart.