1.Street Corner Symphony - 4:35 (Ronald Bell-Kool & The Gang)
2.Fruitman - 5:22 (Richard Westfield-Kool & The Gang)
3.Rhyme-Tyme People - 3:21 (Dennis Thomas-Penni Saunders-Kool & The Gang)
4.Light Of Worlds - 4:23 (Claydes E.X-Kool & The Gang)
5.Whiting H. & G. - 3:20 (Ronald Bell-Kool & The Gang)
6.You Don't Have To Change - 2:40 (Robert Mickens-Kool & The Gang)
7.Higher Plane - 4:58 (Ronald Bell-Kool & The Gang)
8.Summer Madness - 4:16 (Robert Mickens-Alton Taylor-Kool & The Gang)
9.Here After - 2:56 (Ronald Bell-Kool & The Gang)
This album was released August/September, 1974 (official site says the first date, reissue liner notes use the second) and climbed to #16 R&B and #63 Pop and as most Kool & The Gang releases did in this period went gold and thus became the bands second gold LP.
This LP is their spiritual album. It contains numerous tracks about life and living it and two or maybe three ("Fruitman", "Whiting H. & G." and "Street Corner Symphony") are food related (shops on street corners often sell food).The tracks released from it were "Higher Plane" which reached #1 R&B, #37 Pop (a second number one with the B-side being "Wild Is Love") and Rhyme-Tyme People that reached #3 R&B and #63 Pop (The B-side being Father, Father)and surely some others that I do not yet know about (cue request for help from readers - "e-mail me please")."You Don't Have To Change" and "Summer Madness are actually different parts of the same track that were that were separated before the album was released - the move that probably resulted in "Messenger of Wisdom" disappearing from the album not to resurface until 1997 because the band were after a nine track album not a ten track one because in a typically spiritual move they wanted the number of tracks to reflect the number planets known in our solar system (thanks to JudgeFunky for reminding me the importance of this fact)and if anyone is wondering why they couldn't have a track to represent the sun they have the fall back reason that it also happens to be their ninth LP release (seven albums and two compilations), but I could be wrong.
As mentioned before this is a spiritual album with a spiritual theme.
Robert "Kool" Bell - Bass/Vocals
Ronald "Captain" Bell - Tenor Saxophone/Piano/Clavinet/Arp 2600/Synthesizer/Percussion/Kalimba/Mellotron/Electric Piano/Acoustic Piano/Bass/Alto Flute/Vocals
Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas - Alto Saxophone/Percussion/Clavinet/Congas/Vocals]
Robert "Spike" Mickens - Trumpet/Flugelhorn/Vocals
Claydes "X-Man" Smith - Guitar/Percussion/Vibes
Richard Westfield (Rick "Hollywood" West") - Piano/Electric Piano/Vocals
George "Funky" Brown - Drums/Percussion/Gong/Kettle Drums/Vocals
and also
Ed[ward] Pazant - Oboe/Alto Saxophone
Al[vin] Pazant - Trumpet
Alton Taylor - Vocals
Herb Lane - Vocals
Richard Shade - Vocals
Kenn[y/eth] Banks - Vocals
Penni [Phynjuar] Saunders - Vocals
[Champagne (Sheila Felton, Debra Morris and Althea Rogers ) - Vocals]
[Noel Pointers Strings]
Now continue to (...) Greatest Hits or Spirit Of The Boogie.