After a decade and a half of making some of the most essential music of the 1970s and early 80s, Earth, Wind & Fire went on a hiatus in 1984. The magic that made the band the among the most compelling act in popular music appeared to be fading. Their 1983 album Electric Universe was middling by their standards, peaking at 10 on the R&B charts. Members used the time apart to reignite their creative juices by working on different projects.
Phillip Bailey released three R&B albums and scored a big hit with “Easy Lover,” the duet with Phil Collins. He also won a Grammy Award for his gospel album Triumph. Bailey wasn’t the only one. These talented artists were busy and productive between 1984 and their victorious return in 1987 with the Touch the World album.
Band leader and founder Maurice White produced projects by Barbara Streisand and Ramsey Lewis. He also released his self titled album in 1985, which had two Top 20 hits, a cover version of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and the stunning ballad “I Need You,” featured in this Lost Gem segment.
“I Need You” is an absolute power ballad that finds White moving from an air of cool detachment about a woman to a full throated acknowledgment that this is a woman he cannot live without.
Maurice White was warmly received by critics and fans alike, and it would have been interesting to see how White would have evolved as a solo artist. However, he was focused on producing other artists and – as it turned out – getting his band back together. Check out “I Need You” by Maurice White here.
By Howard Dukes
