Earth, Wind & Fire Live

Long before Tori Amos and Marilyn Manson were singled out as the music world's most likely aliens, these brothers from another planet were laying down ethereal R&B on their own astral plane. Captured live in Japan during a sold-out 1994 tour, this brief 60 minute concert sporting truncated tunes, low-budget staging, and a dazed-and-tired looking Maurice White on lead vocals (while brother Verdine, by way of contrast, appears to be channeling Rick James) is not Earth, Wind &Fire in finest form. Most of the biggies are trotted out here, including "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "Can't Hide Love," "Fantasy," "Shining Star," "Reasons," "Sing a Song," "That's the Way of the World" and "After the Love is Gone," with the only notable exclusion from this 17-song set being the fantastic Beatles' cover "Got to Get You Into My Life." The one true shining star here is co-lead vocalist Philip Bailey, whose energy onstage is only surpassed by his astounding ability to still hit the sustained high notes. Still, I suspect viewers would get more bang for the buck from the earlier, identically priced Earth, Wind & Fire--Live in Japan (1990) DVD, which features 30 more minutes of music. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)