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having read the stevie "missing album" thread it made me wonder [[sorry!)which stevie was best.the original pre 71 or the 72 to present day version.
i like just about everything [[few i cant stand)up to 1982 original musiquarium.but to me he was at his at his absolute best when he was being guided/produced by others.
having said that my all time favourite is superstition.
which do you prefer?
Since my favorite Stevie Wonder song has been, and still is, “That Girl”, I guess, 1972 –beyond Stevie. Also love “Superwoman”, “You and I”, “Tuesday Heartbreak”, “Maybe Your Baby”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, “Don’t You Worry Bout’ A Thing”, “Isn’t She Lovely”, “As”, “Knocks Me Off My Feet”, “Master Blaster [[Jammin’)”, “Happy Birthday”, “ I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It”, “Do I Do”, “Part-Time Lover”, “Overjoyed”, “You Will Know”, “Fun Day”…goes on and on, his genius since.
But then again, time-to-time, also love a good “Fingertips”, “Uptight”, “A Place In the Sun”, “I Was Made To Love Her”, “You Met Your Match”, “For Once In My Life”, “My Cherie Amour”, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours”, and “If You Really Love Me”; “With A Child’s Heart” is great too, but well, love Michael Jackson’s better.
The answer has to be 72 and post surely. The four albums from Talking Book thru to Songs In The Key Of Life are pure genius.
On that subject, these albums were last "remastered" in 2000. It turns out that these reissues were not mastering from the original copies [[since Stevie has those). The same applies I think to the recent "24 carat gold" reissues.
What we need is a proper "complete albums" reissue program with Stevie involved. These 4 albums would form the centreprice of such a program.
I like some of his self produced stuff beginning with Superstion but mostly the pre-'72, Motown produced.
Of course
I like some of his 60s work, but, for me, the best period is from 1972-1982. He did no wrong in that time.
I think Stevie's best period was from 66-70. There was just something about the quality of his voice mixed in with the Classic Motown sound that just does it for me. I could only imagine his unreleased material from this time frame...
I agree with Soulster, as would Stevie himself! :-)
I think we're comparing two different artists. The material from the beginning up to Where I'm Coming From was typical of Motown artists of the time. 99% of it was music on pulse with the time and strictly produced according to the Motown formulas. This is what I bumped and grooved with.
Where I'm Coming From and Music of My Mind were explorations where he began to define the music as uniquely his by sharing insight to his personality and life experiences. For me this period was hit and miss, with the hits being a glimpse into the future and the misses being rooted in not fully understanding what he was expressing.
Beyond 1972, Stevie Wonder was in his element where he gave definition to what popular music was about. One of the more memorable Grammy acceptance speeches was given by Paul Simon where he thanked Stevie Wonder for not having delivered an album that year. My opinion is that there are three loosely defined epochs of his music. Each can only be appreciated for the artistic development that occurred and not compared to the others.
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I much prefer Little Stevie from "Contract on Love" through about 1970 or so. But that isn't surprising, as I like little music made after 1970, [[and most of that is Jazz instrumentals).
A good question, the output prior to 1971, was the the era I would be interested in if there were a set of unreleased material unearthed. While there were a lot of faulty judgement in retrospect at the beginning of his career, and when he captured his stride form 1965 on there was adherence to "the formula". However, if I had to listen to Blowing in the Wind, I would rather hear Stevie, [[and Clarence Paul), do it, ditto for For Once In My Life.
The four early to mid 70's monsters were basically recorded at around the same time, so it could have been a 5 album set, had such a marketing strategy been feasable back then. But we were at a wonderfull time when an artist routinely put out 2 albums a year. Though the former Chicago Transist Authority had a 4 record Live @ Carnegie Hall set that I believe sold well in 1971-72. But they initially put out 2 Lp sets so it wasn't as much of a stretch. Where Stevies core audience,[[me) would have not been able to afford such an outlay of cash for vinyl.
Stevie is a true music icon, however, a lot of his best work was produced with others early in his career, where later he wrote and produced most of his output himself and the highs were high, but he may have benefited from input from another perspective.
I'd say I love both 'Stevie's' but I do recall when I bought 'Music Of My Mind' it just blew me away. There are certainly two very distinctive genres. Nope, couldn't say I prefer either - just love 'em both!
there is genius all through Stevie's career but my personal 'favourite' period was when he was teamed up with Syreeta
it is as if he was 2 different people there is a shut off from one to another not a slow fade out with the old and in to the new stevie.Quote:
Originally Posted by ivyfield
which was his discovery of/and use of the TONTO [[the original new timbral orchestra) with its british inventors. malcolm cecil and robert magouleff from uk.
I prefur all the eras of stevie. :) Cause If I limited my self to pre-1971 music, I'd drive myself crazy.I'm sorry but I prefur not to put a end year of which songs to listen.
I guess now that I think about it there really are some distinct artistic periods of Stevie Wonder. I'd break them down into the 1961- pre-Uptight period [[Little Stevie Wonder), the Uptight [[1965) thru his May 1971 period [[Classic Motown period), his post - 1971-1976/7 period, which consolidated his status as an artist and widely viewed as an innovator, 1980-89 period, commerical/successful period, maybe not as cutting edge as the 70's, but some really memorable material and the period from 1990- today, his Legacy/Icon period.
I'm sadly on my own here - anything that Hank Cosby produced on Stevie.
Can we go for '71 to date? "Where I'm Coming From" is an immensely underrated LP and I'd love to hear outtakes from this period - I understand that this is something Motown could do with an expanded reissue of it as it predates his renegotiation of his contract.
The outtakes I have circa "Fulfillingness' First Finale" are better than the majority of that album.
From 1972 forward, with the caveat that I give "Superstition" a special mention.
The growth that Stevie displayed from that point forward was ridiculous, if not just downright phenomenal.
I don't believe that anyone at Motown could've dreamed, much less imagine just how much Stevie was going to elevate his game. This is such a blowout that it isn't even a fair comparison to make. The differences between Steve before 1972 & after is like the difference between night & day.
Absolutely phenomenal!