Touch the World is the fourteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on October 30, 1987, through Columbia Records. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Touch the World was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
Produced by the band’s leader Maurice White for Kalimba Productions. Touch the World has been certified gold in the US for sales of over 500,000 copies by the RIAA. Touch The World also marked the debut of former Commodores guitarist Sheldon Reynolds to the lineup.
Spawned from the album, the singles “System of Survival” and “Thinking of You” both went to number 1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts and System of Survival went to number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks while Thinking Of You went to number three. Touch the World was nominated for a Soul Train Award in the category of Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year.
Tracks 1 System Of Survival (Skylark) 5:00 2 Evil Roy (Philip Bailey, Attala Zane Giles, Allee Willis) 4:52 3 Thinking Of You (Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn, Maurice White) 4:41 4 You And I (Mark Mueller, Robbie Nevil) 4:03 5 Musical Interlude: New Horizons (Bill Meyers) 2:01 6 Money Tight (Danny Sembello, Maurice White, Allee Willis) 4:37 7 Every Now And Then (Jon Lind, Brock Walsh) 4:22 8 Touch The World (Oliver W Wells) 5:16 9 Here Today And Gone Tomorrow (Philip Bailey, Marti Sharron, Glen Ballard) 3:59 10 Victim Of The Modern Heart (Ian Prince) 3:48
Musicians
1 System Of Survival Drums (programming) - Skylark Drums (programming) - Preston Glass Guitar - Preston Glass Synthesizer - Skylark Synthesizer - Preston Glass Horns - Wayne Wallace Sax - Marc Russo Trumpet - Jerry Hey Trumpet - Gary Grant Vocoder - Maurice White Background Vocals - Skylark Vocals - Maurice White Vocals - Phillip Bailey
2 Evil Roy Drums (programming) - Attala Zane Gilles Guitar - Attala Zane Gilles Guitar - Sheldon Reynolds Programming - Rhett Lawrence Background Vocals - Attala Zane Gilles Background Vocals - Wayne Vaughn Vocals - Maurice White Vocals - Phillip Bailey
3 Thinking Of You Guitar - Ray Fuller Synthesizer - Rhett Lawrence Programming - Rhett Lawrence Background Vocals - Jeanette Williams Background Vocals - Wanda Vaughn Background Vocals - Phillip Bailey Vocals - Maurice White
4 You And I Bass - Nathan East Drums - Jeffrey Porcaro Guitar - Paul Jackson Jr Piano - Bill Meyers Programming - Larry Williams Programming - Rhett Lawrence Background Vocals - Maurice White Vocals - Phillip Bailey
5 Musical Interlude: New Horizons Drums (programming) - Bill Meyers Drums (programming) - Dan De Souza Keyboards - Bill Meyers Keyboards - Dan De Souza Synthesizer - Bill Meyers Synthesizer - Dan De Souza Sax - Andrew Woolfolk
6 Money Tight Drums - Ricky Lawson Drums (programming) - Daniel Sembello Guitar - Sheldon Reynolds Keyboards - Steve Lindsey Synthesizer - Daniel Sembello Sax - Dan Higgins Trombone - Bill Reichenbach Trumpet - Jerry Hey Trumpet - Gary Grant Background Vocals - Phillip Bailey Vocals - Maurice White
7 Every Now And Then Bass - Nathan East Drums - Jeffrey Porcaro Guitar - Paul Jackson Jr Keyboards - Larry Williams Piano - Bill Meyers Synthesizer - Rhett Lawrence Programming - Larry Williams Programming - Rhett Lawrence Background Vocals - Phillip Bailey Vocals - Maurice White
8 Touch The World Bass - Nathan East Drums - Ricky Lawson Guitar - Sheldon Reynolds Synthesizer - Rhett Lawrence Piano - George Duke Programming - Rhett Lawrence Background Vocals - Edwin Hawkins Background Vocals - Lynette Hawkins Background Vocals - Walter Hawkins Vocals - Maurice White Vocals - Phillip Bailey
9 Here Today And Gone Tomorrow Bass - Nathan East Drums - Ricky Lawson Guitar - Sheldon Reynolds Piano - George Duke Synthesizer - Rhett Lawrence Programming - Rhett Lawrence Background Vocals - Maurice White Vocals - Phillip Bailey
10 Victim Of The Modern Heart Drums (programming) - Ian Prince Guitar - Sheldon Reynolds Synthesizer - Ian Prince Sax - Dan Higgins Trombone - Bill Reichenbach Trumpet - Gary Grant Trumpet - Jerry Hey Background Vocals - Phillip Bailey Vocals - Maurice White
Liner Notes
Producer – Maurice White (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) Producer – Preston Glass (Track 1) Producer – Bill Meyers (Track 5) Co-producer – Philip Bailey (Tracks 2, 8, 9) Co-producer – Wayne Vaughn (Track 3) Arranged By – Jerry Hey (Tracks 1, 6, 10) Arranged By – Attala Zane Giles (Track 2) Arranged By – Maurice White (Tracks 3, 10) Arranged By – Bill Meyers (Tracks 4, 5, 7) Arranged By – Oliver Wells (Tracks 8, 9) Arranged By – George Duke (Track 9) Arranged By – Philip Bailey (Track 9) Arranged By – Ian Prince (Track 10) Art Direction – Tony Lane, Nancy Donald Photography – Max Aguilera Hellweg Mixed At Larrabee Sound Studios Mixed At Lighthouse Studios Recorded At Studio Ultimo Recorded At Studio D Recorded At Different Fur Studios Recorded At Soundcastle Phonographic Copyright CBS Inc Copyright CBS Inc
