Like a lot of second-wave funk bands, Earth, Wind & Fire were adept at balancing slickness and rawness. While their albums were occasionally spotty, the outfit achieved truly miraculous moments like the rocking "Shining Star" and the gloriously syncopated "September." (Come to think of it, the screaming guitar of the former was also nicely set off by its rhythmic flow.) In a have-you-never-been-mellow decade, their positivity seemed mostly realistic. With something like their powerhouse transformation of "Got to Get You into My Life"--pulling one of the great Beatles covers out of the awful Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie--they could make even the most churlish listener believe anything was possible. --Rickey Wright