Understated, Versatile: The Magic of Philip Bailey.
The mid to late 70’s were the days of Disco, Funk, R&B, and the like. Everyone was big into James Brown, The O’Jays, Commodores, Sly & the Family Stone, Barry White, etc. Being more of a nerd, and less a party guy, I held out into ‘digging’ this groove.
Thapson
Opting instead to wear out the American Teenage 50s and 60s Classics vinyl LPs I was introduced to by an exiled (rather stuck in Zambia) South African lady next door. How she came to be stuck outside her beloved South Africa is a story unto itself.
“Being more of a nerd, and less a party guy, I held out into ‘digging’ this groove.”
But ‘resistance was futile’, so I also had to appreciate what was contemporary then; lest I be declared an outcast by my peers. One of the groups that was big then was ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’. They had a few monster hits including “September,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “Boogie Wonderland,” etc. I am choosing the last one here to introduce the artist of the moment. The band was founded by the late Maurice White who kicks of this number. But it’s the person who appears at 1:07 and lends the cool falsetto voice at around 1:53 I want to talk about. Yep, Philip Bailey is my special guest from my “Music Vault.”
Earth Wind & Fire / YouTube
Born back in 1951, in Denver Colorado, Philip Bailey joined “Earth, Wind & Fire” (EW&F) in 1972, but was destined to make a name for himself later. And I think he needs to be recognized for his bit to the music world. And I am going to do that with some of his songs that I like.
And what better way to celebrate him than to simply let his music do the talking and for me to just play the VJ. There’s no order to how I’m going to play them. Or maybe there is some subconscious one that’s in the back of my mind. Like probably the order in which I have likely experienced Philip Bailey’s music in my life. Thanks to YouTube for giving me the opportunity to share these treasures in both audio and video formats.
“I Know” (1983)
This was the first song where I noticed Philip Baily for the first time on his own. Although he had always been a major player on EW&F, I got to enjoy his prowess to carry his own here. Released back in 1983, the music video is pretty cool in itself. Philip Bailey plays a hard on his luck Cab driver who picks up a former love interest who’s apparently gone on to the “big life.” But this accidental meeting brings them together again. Wonderfully produced back in the heyday of music videos, it will always remain among my favorite of all of music video productions at a time when it was still an art. Sophisticated cinematography for sure! In the YouTube comments section, you can see some interesting information on the production of this video by Paul Flattery. And why does Paul Flattery know everything about it? Because he produced it! How radical is that? Definitely an immortal classic.
Naoto Hosoya / YouTuble
“Walking on the Chinese Wall” (1984)
Another great production from Philip. His voice sounds like it was created for this song. Although, to be fair, Phil Collins played a big part in its sound with his backing vocals and drumming. But all the same, I would still like it give it to Philip Bailey and it is he who comes to mind whenever you listen to it. The song itself is poetic and can lend itself to many levels of interpretation but I just want to enjoy it for the overall feel it generates. The video that goes with this song is another story. I personally feel it has dated somewhat. It’s obvious it was shot somewhere in California or at least the States. And it has that feel of many of the TV shows from the 80s including MacGyver, The A-Team, and the like. Due to the same reason, much of the cast does not look authentic enough to pass as Chinese or even Asian enough for that matter. So, if I were Chinese, I might feel mildly offended. But then I’m not, but still somewhat squeamish when seeing it. However It’s rescued by the presence of Bailey himself in some shots. But make no mistake: the song is big and it sounds big. It seems to say, “now sit down, and listen to me!” Which is why this is another big one I feel Philip Bailey should always be remembered for.
Aussiebattlervideos2 / YouTube
“Photogenic Memory” (1984)
There’s an interesting story regarding this song. It’s purely a Philip Bailey sound here and hence the reason why I like it so much. But let me get to the story. I was rushing out of the house when this song was playing on TV. I knew it was Philip Bailey. I liked the tune. But I didn’t catch the song title or the lyrics either. And that was the start of all my problems. This tune became an earworm song for me. I kept humming the tune without a clue to the lyrics. It had me and I could do nothing about it. There was no internet then so I couldn’t search it up. Occasionally I would hum the tune to a friend or acquaintance and ask if they’d heard it. Thy usually shook their head and stepped a few feet away with a bewildered look. So the quest continued for over a decade. Eventually I forgot until the magic of “Google and YouTube”. So I had new tools in my armory. Eventually I hit pay dirt! It didn’t resemble my humming ‘to a tee’ – hence the likely confused looks from everyone. But I was close enough. It was an anticlimax of sorts. I guess the hunt was the fun of it. But the song is top notch giving us another example of Philip Bailey’s versatility. Hence, I’m adding to my list of Bailey favorites here. No music video here, but enjoy the audio version:
Ahmed Essa / YouTube
“Easy Lover” (1984)
The most know song by Philip Bailey I’m sure. And that’s because of the coming together of two big artists to make it. Created back in the 1984, this became a monster hit. And so did the video along with it for its’ unique style of a video within a video style of production. Another all-round cool production from Paul Flattery bringing two big names together to create an 80s classic. Cheers to you if you were around in that decade, you both heard AND seen this song for the first time.
Earth Wind & Fire / YouTube
So, there you have it. My tribute to the star that is Philip Bailey. This was just a personal sampling. Another example how versatile a singer he is. After the passing away of Maurice White, Barry actually stepped in to do his vocals along with his own part when singing “Boogie Wonderland” with EW&F. He’s played parts in movies and TV shows, sang in sports events. These days, Philip Bailey is still active on music on some level. What’s interesting to note is that one of his son is also a member of the current lineup of EW&F. It’s neat how things have come full circle. So whenever you remember the late 70s through the 80s, do remember Philip Bailey and his important contribution to the sounds of that time. I’ll return with more stuff from my “Music Vault”.
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