144. Wanz Discusses Earth, Wind & Fire, I Am

Send us Fan MailSeattle-based musician, singer, rapper and songwriter Michael Wansley (aka Wanz) drops in on YMAAA for the first of two episodes to talk about Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1979 album, I Am. Wanz talks about his lifelong EWF fandom, what he loves about I Am, and how it compares to other EWF albums. He also explains how the album is a reflection of the changes in the music industry that were occurring in the late ‘70s. Wanz and Al also discuss other bands that were popular around the same time, including Toto, The Police and Rush.Wanz’ TEDx Talk, "You, Too, Can Be a Unicorn," is outstanding. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGPy-bbpRfMAl mentioned that he had interviewed Steve Lukather, David Paich and Joseph Williams of Toto. The interviews were for a couple a pieces for American Songwriter, which are linked below.https://americansongwriter.com/toto-talks-toto-to-celebrate-their-debut-albums-45th-anniversary/https://americansongwriter.com/6-toto-songs-that-are-miles-away-from-yacht-rock/Wanz is on Instagram and Threads at @teewanz!Also be sure to check out Want’s music and more at thewanz.comAl is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/1:36 Wanz joins the show2:26 Wanz has worked many different jobs to support his music3:52 Wanz has a collection of EWF t-shirts6:17 An EWF promo poster connected Wanz with an early bandmate7:58 Wanz paid close attention to EWF over a span of 10 albums8:51 Wanz talks about EWF’s progression through the albums leading up to I Am15:20 EWF was the first concert Wanz ever went to19:10 Wanz and Al talk about the Police and Sting’s Bring on the Night documentary21:35 Wanz blames one album for changing radio23:16 Wanz singles out the decision EWF made that led to their commercial demise26:24 Maurice White’s death gave Wanz a reason to deep-dive into the EWF catalog again27:21 Wanz talks more about how radio changed in the late ‘70s31:10 Wanz remembers how he was introduced to Rush32:51 Wanz explains what makes “Boogie Wonderland” a perfect song36:09 Wanz loves the whole second side of I Am39:15 Wanz explains why I Am is a different-sounding EWF album43:01 Did the right tracks get released as singles?46:34 Transcribing “Rock That!” in the pre-digital era was not an easy task48:12 Al and Wanz talk about the Toto connections to I Am49:57 Wanz explains how Phil Collins got connected with EWF53:57 Steve Lukather’s memoir changed the way Wanz understands how the recording industry used to work57:34 The interludes are one of Wanz’s favorite parts of I Am1:01:10 Wanz finds some interesting names in the album creditsOutro music is from Wanz, “Go Where the Love Is.”Support the show