Earth, Wind & Fire’s “New World Symphony” From Their 1975 Album Gratitude

From Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1975 release Gratitude, here’s the track “New World Symphony.”

“New World Symphony”
Written by Maurice & Verdine White

Maurice:
With the (live) recordings in the can, Bob (Cavallo) and I, along with Bruce Lundvall, who was head of Columbia Records America, decided to put together a live album with a few new studio cuts, to be released before Christmas of 1975. The two-record set Gratitude would be the result.

The live Gratitude album opens up with the instrumental “Africano/Power,” a bass, saxophone, and percussion-driven jam we had been developing in the studio and on stage since 1971. “Africano/Power” incorporated jazz fusion, Afro-Cuban jazz, funk, and even more power than our fans had ever heard from us on a record.

The double album Gratitude was released on November 1 (1975).

Our live album Gratitude gave the public a window into our arena concert experience, while it also robustly increased our ticket sales.

Gratitude spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart.

– Maurice White. My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire, by Maurice White with Herb Powell, 2016.

—

Maurice’s message from the album;

With much love, we extend our
Gratitude to you –
This is our gift to you, remembering
Beautiful moments we shared with you
At our live concerts. Also featured
In this album are new songs of joy,
Written and composed with you in mind –
Try a smile today and celebrate your
Life in a positive way –
God Will Bless You
Maurice White

—

Earth, Wind & Fire is…
Maurice: Vocals, Kalimba, Drums, Timbales
Verdine White: Vocals, Bass, Percussion
Philip Bailey: Vocals, Congas, Percussion
Larry Dunn: Piano, Organ, Moog Synthesizer
Ralph Johnson: Drums, Percussion
Al McKay: Guitars, Percussion
Johnny Graham: Guitars
Andrew Woolfolk: Saxophones, Percussion
Fred White: Drums, Percussion
Horns – Don Myrick: Saxophones, Louis Satterfield: Trombone, Michael Harris: Trumpet