Earth Wind and Fire and the Emotions.

[Exit Stage Left]

I've always wondered which of the disco acts got the most people on stage. We were at the Leyland Cricket Club for a charity quiz on Sunday, the stage is tiny, we reckoned it would take Erasure, but not Yazoo, the Pet Shop Boys were another possibility.
The least likely act was EW&F and the Emotions doing Boogie Wonderland. I've tried to pin down how many of them there are in this video,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jLGa4X5H2c
I think I've got them all sussed and another trumpet player turns up, somewhere there is someone on glockenspiel. What is the definitive answer, and were they ever outnumbered by Kool and the Gang?

[Jaded]

This one might be OK?

[Exit Stage Left]

This one might be OK?

Very reminiscent of the costumes the Emotions were wearing in 1979. It gives a lovely warm feeling to the piece, so welcome in the current cold snap. I just heard that dreary version of 'My Song' on the radio, calls to the Samaritans must shoot up when that comes on.
I wonder if we could get Boogie Wonderland to number 1 by downloads.

[Exit Stage Left]

The knock on benefits for musicians from an Earth Wind and Fire revival could be enormous. A tribute band would require two guitars, three percussionists, two sax players, two trumpeters, a trombonist, a bass player, a keyboard player, a random bloke in a sci-fi costume who twirls across the stage and whose function is unclear, two lead singers and three female backing singers capable of doing the Emotions' back catalogue. Unemployment would be a thing of the past.

[Exit Stage Left]

My favourite Emotions track is Blind Alley, the opening drum, bass guitar and Fender Rhodes break has been sampled many times.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/FR_nhRxxN-U&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/FR_nhRxxN-U&rel=1</a>

[clarion]

There were up to a dozen regular members of EW&F.  And three Emotions, natch.  IIRC there were about ten in The Gang. 

Parliament were bigger.  It was a bit difficult to pin down, but I believe they regularly had fifteen people on stage.

If you were to open it out beyond disco/funk, there's the Polyphonic Spree, and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards who've been in the charts with more members.

[MattH]

I remember counting the musicians credited on the back of an EW&F album. There were over 80!

[Mr Larrington]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Human Sexual Response once had seven guitarists at the same time.

[Torslanda]

I was going to nominate Jamiroquai but their live band seems to have only a dozen or so members.

[nicknack]

Big bands are all very nice and evryfink, but the bigger the band the smaller the cut.

[Exit Stage Left]

Big bands are all very nice and evryfink, but the bigger the band the smaller the cut.

That must be a perrenial problem in your line, the Here Come the Girls thing I got dragged to the other week at least gave a three man horn section some work.
I must say I do feel a queasy about going to a comedy gig when one person gets the proceeds from an audience of  2,000 at £30 each. It'd be nice for it to be shared out a bit.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

How many were in the Ike Turner band?

[Exit Stage Left]

How many were in the Ike Turner band?

No heterosexual male would have the faintest idea, with the sheer amount of thigh that was on display.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VN_Aq2W2Yi0&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/VN_Aq2W2Yi0&rel=1</a>

[Mr Larrington]

My grate frend Dai Infidel reckoned there were about fifteen people in the version of Godspeed You! Black Emperor she saw a Several of years ago but only about half of them bothered to turn up last week.

[Exit Stage Left]

The best thing about Boogie Wonderland is that the average age of the whole ensemble is clearly over 35 at the time of recording, so even the original video is a dad-dancing epic.
So you can't go wrong at a family do. Until you have a cardiac arrest 5mins 30 sec into the 7 minute, 12 inch version, the DJ has put on.