Columbia/
Legacy's double-disc set
The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire lives up to its title by offering 34 tracks of the groundbreaking
funk band at its peak. All of the hits, whether they're
R&B or tunes that crossed over to the
pop charts, are here, along with important album tracks that capture the range and depth of
EWF. Since this focuses on their peak of the '70s and early '80s, there's very little here that doesn't qualify as "essential," which makes it a better bet than their box set. The single-disc
Greatest Hits remains the choice for the casual and the curious listener due to its concise concentration of classics, but anybody who wants a thorough retrospective should choose this. [A 35-track double disc set was released in 2014.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine