What does it sound like?:
A bit of a Christmas curiosity, a first time vinyl release of a 2 cd set that originally appeared way back in 2002. Stevie’s run of albums in the seventies, climaxing with the mighty Songs In The Key of Life, is unparalleled really (I’m drawing a veil over his last release of that decade the frankly rather odd The Secret Life of Plants!) Although the original cd set had a generous 38 tracks, this has been pared to a mere 21 here, presumably to fit on a double album, and frustratingly a few of the pieces are edited single versions rather than the full length versions, meaning songs like Living For The City and As are somewhat lacking their full majesty. The first three sides are full of great music, but the set is somewhat let down by a rather insipid last side, which concentrates on his rather less than inspiring later work. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of super music to focus on, all of which has been remastered for the occasion, with the likes of Superstition, Higher Ground and You Haven’t Done Nuthin’, but points must be deducted for omitting Pastime Paradise, Happy Birthday and Ain’t Gonna Stand For It to pick out just a few. A decent selection overall then for those embarking on a voyage of discovery of the man’s body of work, or simply wanting to remind themselves of some of the highlights of his career.
What does it all *mean*?
An artist that had a great seventies but whose rather patchy subsequent albums, few and far between as they were, couldn’t live up to the supremely high standards he’d set for himself.
Goes well with…
Digging out that old cd version, or even better the original albums, to remind yourself of what a great back catalogue he has.
Release Date:
Out now
Might suit people who like…
Not too sure who this is aimed at, presumably the Christmas market for vinyl enthusiasts and Wonder completists, or maybe new casual fans wanting an introduction to his work.
I have the CD set and it encouraged me to go back and purchase some of the great ’70s albums.
A recent Ace compilation ‘Meteor Rockabilly ‘ came out on the dreaded v. with 18 tracks, albeit not so riotously expensive, at £20, as most vinlys.
Can’t help feeling that the 42-track (!!!) CD set, with copious sleeve-notes rather than just a single page, is the much, much better option.
There are two versions of this compilation, a 21-track single-CD with edits and a different sleeve (at least in the UK) which is now pressed on vinyl.
The 38-track 2CD version had fewer edits and a different sleeve which, confusingly, is now used on this 21-track 2LP set.
The mastering isn’t great on either. There was a later DSD master, using “US original” master tapes, in 2019, for the now-defunct MQA format and a Japanese CD.
The long and short of it is that Stevie owns his masters and rarely lets them out of his vault, which explains the lack of Super Deluxe Editions of his albums and the less-than-audiophile sound quality of most.
Don’t know what the review copy was – but (at least in Germany) »Living In The City« and other 70s tracks are the full album versions. And no wonder that »As« is lacking its full majesty: it isn’t even included! 😉
My only complaint is that they didn’t use the 10-minute mix of »I Just Called To Say I Love You« which is the proper punishment for someone who buys compilations like this.
Not unusual for different territories to have different track listings for albums like this depending on which songs the record company think are the most popular in those countries.
Now, here’s the track listing according to Amazon.co.uk and JPC.de:
Side 1
1 Fingertips – Pt. 2
2 Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
3 Hey Love
4 I Was Made To Love Her
5 For Once In My Life
6 My Cherie Amour
7 Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
Side 2
1 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (single mix)
2 Superstition
3 Higher Ground (single edit)
4 Living For The City
Side 3
1 You Haven’t Done Nothin’
2 Boogie On Reggae Woman (single mix)
3 I Wish
4 Sir Duke
5 Master Blaster (Jammin’)
Side 4
1 That Girl
2 Do I Do (single edit)
3 I Just Called To Say I Love You (single edit)
4 Overjoyed
5 Part-Time Lover (single edit)
I have that CD comp for the car. It comprises one of the most astonishing runs of bangers possible:
1. “Superstition” 4:28
2. “Sir Duke” 3:54
3. “I Wish” 4:14
4. “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” 5:09
5. “Isn’t She Lovely” (Radio edit) Songs in the Key of Life 3:21
SHIT 6. “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (Single version) 4:23
SHIT 7. “Ebony and Ivory” (Duet with Paul McCartney; written by McCartney) Tug of War, 1982 3:42
8. “As” (Single version) Songs in the Key of Life 3:29
9. “Never Had a Dream Come True” (Wonder, Cosby, Moy) Signed, Sealed & Delivered 3:13
10. “I Was Made to Love Her” (Wonder, Cosby, Moy, Hardaway) I Was Made to Love Her, 1967 2:37
11. “Heaven Help Us All” (Miller) Signed, Sealed & Delivered 3:13
12. “Overjoyed” In Square Circle 3:44
13. “Lately” Hotter than July 4:07
14. “For Your Love” Conversation Peace, 1995 5:02
15. “If You Really Love Me” (Wonder, Wright) Where I’m Coming From, 1971 2:59
16. “Higher Ground” Innervisions 3:44
17. “Do I Do” (Edited version) 5:05
18. “Living for the City” (Single version) 3:41
19. “Part-Time Lover” 4:14
Disc 2
No. Title From the album Length
1. “For Once in My Life” (Miller, Murden) 2:48
2. “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (Moy, Paul, Wonder) 2:53
3. “We Can Work It Out” (The Beatles cover; written by John Lennon, McCartney) Signed, Sealed & Delivered 3:15
4. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” (Garrett, Hardaway, Wonder, Wright) 2:38
5. “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” (Miller, Bryan Wells) My Cherie Amour 3:04
6. “I’m Wondering” (Wonder, Cosby, Moy) Non-album single, 1967; later released on At the Close of a Century, 1999 2:54
7. “My Cherie Amour” (Cosby, Moy, Wonder) 2:52
8. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” 2:58
9. “I Don’t Know Why (I Love You)” (Wonder, Paul Riser, Don Hunter, Hardaway) For Once in My Life 2:47
10. “A Place in the Sun” (Miller, Wells) Down to Earth 2:49
11. “Blowin’ in the Wind” (Bob Dylan cover; written by Dylan) Up Tight 3:04
12. “Send One Your Love” Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants”, 1979 4:02
13. “Pastime Paradise” Songs in the Key of Life 3:28
14. “I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It” Hotter than July 4:39
15. “Fingertips, Pts. 1 & 2 (Live)” (Paul, Cosby) Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius 6:55
16. “Boogie On Reggae Woman” 5:13
17. “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” 3:23
18. “He’s Misstra Know It All” Innervisions 5:34
19. “Happy Birthday”
Disc 1 tracks 6 and 7 are quickly skipped, and the reason why is not even spoken of, but otherwise you can’t complain. Personally, I think he should have done more like “Contusion” on SITKOL, but that’s me.
Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing is the most joyful song ever recorded.
The man is genius.
I hear you and likewise adore the man, but surely “was sometimes” a genius?
Not a lot after “Hotter than July”, really. (Have I missed something? I’d be glad if I had, as there’s that to catch up on.) I am guessing there could be a killer CD compiled of the best bits of his work in the past 44 years (I do hope so), but compared to the previous decade and a bit …
IMHO, this is pretty standard for musical artists. I feel the same about Miles Davis, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones; an astonishing decade (and a bit, if you are generous), then rather more erratic creative bursts. Who IS a genius in popular music? Is it better to say moments of genius, and for those like SW, years of genius? Am I lost in semantics here?
Yes.
So, to put it in terms we really understand, Dave Stewart’s contribution to Egg, Hatfield and the North, National Health, and Bruford was genius. Is he still a genius in his work after that nifty run?
Yes, in the Eurythmics
Very good of you to put it in terms we understand, Vincent. It’s all much clearer to me now…
But aren’t you conflating the work and the worker? If Einstein had stacked shelves in the local grocer in the years after he had produced the theories of relativity, would he no longer have been a genius?
His earlier work was genius, but his egg stacking not a patch on relativity?
You make my point, in terms retailers understand…
Is it the man or the work? CAN one just stop being a genius, even if one loses the popular egg-stacking vote?
They were genius always.
If you’re looking to build the case for Stevie Wonder being a genius beyond his 70s albums, then you can always go backwards as well as forwards. His 60s stuff is always underrated: he had released two Greatest hits albums by the time he had recorded Talking Book, and the second one , Greatest Hits Volume 2, which covers 1967 – 71, is full of big hitters. We always overrate albums and underrate singles in this place. Have a listen to the Mono Singles compilation that came out as a DL a few years back. It’s fantastic. The man is a genius. Ebony and Ivory doesn’t change this fact.
The Guardian the other day reckoned Jungle Fever is his late-career high mark.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/dec/17/must-listen-late-albums-bob-dylan-aretha-franklin-bruce-springsteen
I’ve tried and tried with Jungle Fever, but it hasn’t really convinced me yet. I think his last album, A Time 2 Love, is his best album after Hotter Than July.
I think one thing to remember is that Stevie is always going to try to release a record that sounds contemporary at the time. He’s a pop artist. He’s never going to make a Time Out Of Mind or Heathen. If you approach the layer albums like that you tend to enjoy them more. For example, In Square Circle is a good mid-80s pop album. Nothing wrong with that.
The dreaded “return to form” review. Often, I suspect, a marketing ploy.
His “latest” album (A Time To Love from 2005) is rather good IMHO. It’ll never match the imperial period, but what will?
The lead single off of it, So What The Fuss, is a favourite of mine. The ballads don’t tip over into I Just Called To Say territory.
Jeff Lynne was asked by an interviewer how he feels about being called a genius. He said something like “I’m not one of those, I’m just very good at one thing and crap at everything else.” I had even more respect for him after that. It is a very overused word. There is absolutely no reason to be anything more than someone who is very, very good at pop music.
That applies to Stevie Wonder; good at pop music and very clever at bringing elements of other music into it. Excellent harmonica player, singer, keyboard player. To me that’s high enough praise for anyone.
I read Boy George’s autobiography recently (it was ok, Elton’s was a much better read) and in it he says that he finds it funny when people talk about “genius” songwriters, knowing how easy it is to write songs. Says he writes them all the time. The obvious retort being that he hasn’t written anything nearly as good as I Wish (for example). In fact most of his songs that I’ve heard I’d describe as pretty crap. But then, of course, that’s subjective opinion. And while he may not have written anything as good as I Wish, songs like DYRWTHM?, Black Money and Bow Down Mister are, again in my subjective opinion, far better than the embarrassing drivel that is IJCTSILY. So he sort of has a point.
Picasso’s response to being called a genius. “I often paint a lot of fakes.”
Stravinsky was asked to name the 20th century’s three geniuses. He replied something along the lines of “There’s me, Picasso and of course, Fred Astaire”.
I just finished Trevor Horn’s book and now I’m wondering how much difference the producer makes. According to Trev, a lot, but then he would say that. He was quite generous in his comments about the people he produced, even Frankie Goes to Hollywood and he comes across as quite likeable.
As an aside, The Trevor Horn Band are terrific if you get the chance to catch them ( they are back at Cropredy this year) – banger after banger and huge fun!
Seconded, rotating cast of fantastic musicians in the band, and Trevor is not remotely po-faced. Lol Creme is there to gently take the piss.
TH is really an old-fashioned grafter from the 70s show band era, who has real musical chops. He learned how to get the right talent together and to trust his ear and instincts. Enough of an ego to carry it off when the ‘act’ needs a push. I know some of the people involved and can confirm that he really is ‘as he seems’.
I enjoyed the book.
Quite like The Secret Life of Plants, me.
That makes two of us.
Re: “Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants”
Disc Two better than Disc One.
“Quite like” is not a term you’d use to describe “Innervisions” or “Songs In The Key Of Life”, though. Is it?
It’s a soundtrack album. It’s also deliberately in a different style from SITKOL, taking into account new wave and electronic influences that were current. I’m glad we have it. It’s a good album.
Hotter Than July, which came out the following year showed that he could still make a great album.
I wouldn’t class “Hotter Than July” as “great”, though I would say it’s very good.
TSLoP is an enjoyable oddity, as an album. A sidestep.
My comment above was more about the phrase “quite like” than about any of the albums themselves. Faint praise.
I’m a master (blaster?) of understatement. “Quite like” is high praise from me
I really like the melody of Send One Your Love. Not so keen on the sloppy lyrics.
Stevie fans will enjoy “The greatest night in pop” doco on Netflix. It’s about writing and recording the US famine relief song and Stevie is all over it. The bit where he showed Bob Dylan what’s expected of him by sitting at the piano and doing a note perfect Dylan impersonation is worth the price of admission alone.
My introduction to Stevie Wonder was ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’ – which was enough to put me off for life, frankly. “Isn’t She Lovely”, ‘Ebony and Ivory’, “Part-Time Lover” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” ‘Happy Birthday’ just seemed to confirm him as a deliver of sickly-sweet saccharine platitudes that I associate with Michael Jackson – isn’t the world a wonderful place, y’all?
From all of the above comments, that seems to be a false impression. What one song would be the vinegar to sharpen the syrup?
If you spurn Isn’t She Lovely you have a heart of stone. It’s just a joyous, beautiful tune. Be gone!
I thought I might have mislistened after your comment, so put it on just now. It’s ladelled with spoonfuls of trademark Wonder harmonica, which I can’t stand. I appreciate the sentiments behind the song, but it’s an awful listen for me. Hallmark lyrics.
I feel my granite-like core resisting its ‘charms’.
As he was introduced at the 1974 Grammys, ” Ladies and gentlemen, the 8th wonder of the world. Mr Stevie Wonder…”
Superstition just gets me every time. Stevie plays pretty much everything (except horns). The clavinet work was revolutionary at the time. What Funk!!!
Wasn’t the clavinet manufacturer going to go bust, just ahead of Superstition, with solvency then guaranteed as others clamoured for that sound?
You don’t like his harmonica playing? I can I just check that I read that correctly? Miles’ trumpet playing? Aretha’s singing?
I feel like I’m starring one of H.M. Bateman’s ‘The Man Who…’ cartoons.
No, I don’t enjoy Stevie Wonder’s harmonica playing. Fingernail on a blackboard for me.
Miles Davis’s trumpet playing? Not sure. ‘On The Corner’ I really liked, but I don’t get the universal love for ‘Kind of Blue’.
Aretha Franklin’s singing? Very impressive, but I far prefer Nina Simone, Etta James, or even Etta Jones.
Will you be placing a black ball in the AW club membership ballot now?
I can sympathise, finding my tastes on the wrong side of the fence here, on multiple occasions.
Oh, and have an ‘up’ for the Bateman reference!
Thanks, fs!
(quietly…) I’m not a great fan of his voice sometimes. Generally I find melisma annoying so for example “Don’t you worry ’bout a thing” is torture.
Surely no one can possibly dislike Master Blaster (Jammin’)? I’m not a big SW fan, but I Wish, Superstition and Sir Duke are fantastic. The bassline on Sir Duke’s intro is a thing of astonishing splendour in itself.
A bit “there’s always been a reggae element to our music”, surely? They were all doing it in 1980. A good single of its time, but lacks the funk and pizzaz of his best. I thought “Happy Birthday” was better, and more joyous.as are the three bangers which are unimpeachable.
Master Blaster was the first record I ever bought. For full disclosure I should also say it was the coolest record I bought for several years too.
“S’alright” sniffs a Root Note Plodder.
Hah! Yes, when I rehearsed in a mouldy basement in Ongar, there was a band in the next-door damp hole who would warm up with it. I’d be the flicking the Vs at the wall and playing Wob’s Public Image.
You am I @fentonsteve!
His classic album run is, of course, stupendous, but there are more than a few mawkish land mines scattered through it that you have to learn to avoid. He also dropped right off a cliff (Songs in the Key of Life is his final, undisputed classic; Secret Life of Plants is weird; Hotter than July is good, but not like before). Like Prince, he seemed to sow the seeds of a lot of crap that followed in his wake. But honestly, listen to I Wish, or I was Made to Love Her or just watch him on Sesame Street doing Superstition, one of the greatest live performances I’ve ever seen (genuinely).
Edited to add that if you just want to try one album, go for Innervisions.
no one ever mentions this one, but it’s one of my favourites of his
Somewhat irrelevant to the thread, but I just wanted to say that even now when I play my vinyl copy of SITKOL it bugs me that they paired sides 1 & 3 and 2 & 4 together.
Works perfectly on your old Dansette with autochanger, tho’…
Maybe once…
Isn’t it 1 and 4 and 2 and 3? Very common for double albums in North America for reasons @fitterstoke mentions
I’ve just checked and you’re right. I suppose I will have to play it now and get slightly irritated, either that or play it out of order which would be wrong.
Quadrophenia is the same
As is Electric Ladyland too.
It was A Thing in the days of record autochangers, like what was in your Dansette or your dad’s Raidiogram.
You played side A from the first disc followed by side B from the second one, then you could flip the pair of them over together and play side C followed by side D.
You ended up with scratches/scuffs on sides A and C. But if you were stacking your records on an autochanger to play in sequence, you obviously weren’t bothered much about that.
I got the 2 CD in a charity shop for £1.50.
Never play the awful Blue collaboration that starts disc 2 though…