Text Fire

Toronto's Quest For Fire conjure up the original root of psychedelia with the raunch, muscle, and oscillations of Hawkwind and Comets On Fire, and Pink Floyd's sensory panorama, all resting on a simplistic, plodding Spacemen 3 thump. The band's sound comes across fully realized, they possess a signature sound, something a band usually gets to once they're already a couple of records deep.

The second collection covering hit singles from the '70s top funk and soul band, Earth, Wind & Fire. This anthology has recently been supplanted by a box set covering virtually all of their big Columbia singles and some early Warners material. If you enjoyed their disco and late '70s cuts more than the early tracks, this anthology is worth getting.

This top notch Dutch band from The Hague had their pinnacle during the early Seventies when they delivered some outstanding 24 carat symphonic rock albums. EARTH AND FIRE was founded by the twin brothers Chris (guitar) and Gerard (keyboards) Koerts in '68. Soon bass player Hans Ziech, drummer Kees Kalis and singer Lisette joined them. Unfortunately Lisette had to give up singing because of a serious eye-disease and Kees Kalis left…

Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1978 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass). The band's musical style emerged from the post-punk scene, but stood out due to their heavier approach, and has been cited as a key influence on industrial rock. Their style evolved over many years, at times incorporating elements of gothic rock, synth-pop and electronic music, often bearing Walker's prominent guitar and Coleman's "savagely strident vocals". Killing Joke have influenced many later bands and artists, such as Metallica, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden.

Columbia's 1998 collection of Earth, Wind & Fire's Greatest Hits in many ways stands as the group's definitive compilation. Even though there have been more extensive overviews of the group's work, such as the triple-disc set The Eternal Dance, this is the first collection to contain all of the group's biggest hits on one disc. All but one ("Love Music") of the ten songs from 1978's The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire are included, while six of the ten songs from The Best Of, Vol. 2 are featured; the remaining two cuts on the 17-track collection are the minor early single "Kalimba Story" and the album cut "Gratitude." These are fine additions to the album, but the true meat of the collection lies in the hits – "Shining Star," "That's the Way of the World," "Sing a Song," "Getaway," "Got to Get You Into My Life," "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "After the Love Has Gone," "Let's Groove," and so many others. They might not be presented in chronological order (the only flaw in this otherwise flawless collection), but it's a sheer delight to have all of the hits on one terrifically entertaining and valuable disc.

The popularity of Earth, Wind & Fire's biggest hits - 'September', 'Boogie Wonderland', 'Let's Groove', 'Got To Get You Into My Life', 'Fantasy' and 'After The Love Has Gone' - will never diminish! Formed in Chicago in 1969 by Maurice White, with a blend of soul, funk, R&B, pop, rock, jazz and ultimately disco, they had hits in the US and UK through the '70s and '80s. Aside from the unique combination of White's baritone and Philip Bailey's falsetto vocals, the ensemble also featured the tightest horn section ever, playing the most exciting arrangements. The band won six Grammys, and sold over 90 million records. This 45-track compilation contains their 17 UK hits and 38 US hits, and features extended 12" versions of 'Boogie Wonderland' and 'Let's Groove'.

This Dutch band featured female vocalist Jerney Kaagman, twin brothers Chris and Gerard Koerts (Chris handled the guitars and Gerard handled the keyboards), bassist Hans Ziech, and drummer Ton v.d. Kleij. Earth & Fire had quite a few hits, like "Seasons" (1969), "Ruby is the One" (1970), "Wild & Exciting" (1970), "Invitation" (1971, released only as a single at that time), "Memories" (1972), and many more…