Earth, Wind & Fire formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 led by founder Maurice White. The band celebrated their heyday in the 1970's during the decadent era's funk and disco boom. They've won ten Grammy Awards and registered ten Top 40 hits in Britain and sixteen in the US. Their sound is a blend of styles that befits their name. Latin jazz, soul, funk, R&B, pop; they incorporate all the elements that go into making good music.
In 1997 and 1998, Earth, Wind & Fire had the unusual honor of being invited to play the Montreux jazz festival two years in a row. With original band members Philip Bailey (vocals), Verdine White (bass) and Ralph Johnson (vocals, drums) in tow, the band took their always spectacle-laden show to the world-famous festival.
There was certainly no shortage of energy in 1997, the show captured here on this Blu-ray release from Eagle Rock. Proving that there was no need for bellbottoms, platform shoes and afro wigs to party down, Earth, Wind & Fire trotted out a couple of slinky dancers along with some of their most-beloved radio hits, such as "Saturday Night," "September," the nasty funk of "Let's Groove," and even their surprising hit ballad, "After the Love is Gone," which did not have the effect of lowering the energy level.
Phillip Bailey's vocals were still on target, able to hit notes that just don't seem possible, and the band was tight overall laying down silky 70's grooves that just never seem to age. I say it's time to get out the polyester leisure suits and boogie down.
The Picture
Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at Montreux 1997 offers a solid video presentation on Blu-ray. The concert captured in 1997 in high definition appears in a 1080i HD AVC/MPEG-4 encoding from Eagle Rock Entertainment. Details in close-ups are strong, black levels are stable, if not quite inky, and motion artifacts are slight. Objects tend to soften a bit in the background and video noise is more noticeable in darker areas, but overall it is a quite good-looking presentation for a twelve-year-old high definition capture.
The Sound
The sound is provided in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless, LPCM 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.1 varieties. Apart from a little harshness in the upper registers, Earth, Wind & Fire sounds fairly easy on the ears. The DTS-HD 5.1 mix is relatively dynamic, with a solid midrange and musical low frequencies. Percussion has some punch, but at times it could use a little more "oomph" to help emphasize the funky rhythms. Vocals are a tad on the thin side and tend to get lost a bit in the mix amidst the driving brass section, and stereo separation across the front channels is little narrow. Vocals are bit more present in the LPCM 2.0 mix, which has an overall better balance, but lacks a little depth of field.
The Extras
The disc is provided with a set of bonus performances from the band's 1998 performance at Montreux, which should be a boon to fans looking for more material. Unfortunately, the footage is all in standard definition.
Earth, Wind, & Fire: Live at Montreux 1997 keeps the groove movin' with a solid audio and video transfer from Eagle Rock Entertainment capturing an exciting live performance. It's party time, and EWF has the tunes.
Product Details
Actors: Earth, Wind & Fire
Directors: Gavin Taylor
Video Codec:AVC/MPEG-4
Video Resolution: 1080i/60
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio/Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, LPCM 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1
