Celebrating 35 years -- Songs in the Key of Life!

[jdwheat]

Celebration time! Thirty-five years ago this week -- and the next, and the next, all the way to January 15 -- Stevie Wonder's magnificent "Songs in the Key of Life" sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, one of the longest ever #1 runs for an LP.

The album's reign started the week after it was released, beginning on October 8, 1976, when it DEBUTED at #1, only the third album at that time to do so. [[Elton John had done it twice before.)

The album generated some of the biggest, most memorable hits of the 1970s, including the number ones "I Wish" and "Sir Duke" and the Top 40 hits "As" and "Another Star," as well as the regularly played LP track "Isn't She Lovely."

The story behind the creation of this LP is so fascinating, someone should write a book about it. Some facts and tales, according to the Wikpedia article about the album:

1. The record was almost never made, as Stevie as considering retirement from the music business to go into philanthropy work [[particularly in Africa), but changed his mind after his major new contract with Motown. The album was released on September 28, 1976, almost a year later than originally anticipated. [[The article states that Stevie felt remixing the album was essential, hence the lengthy delay, and Motown's "We're almost finished!" marketing campaign.)

2. The working title was "Let's See Life the Way It Is." The album was recorded at Crystal Industries in Hollywood, The Record Plant in Los Angeles/Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in NYC. The double-album set, along with the 4-track, 7-inch EP [[possibly one of the first times an EP had ever been packaged along with a 12-inch vinyl LP), clocked in at just over 85 minutes of music.

3. A total of 130 musicians and singers worked with Stevie on the album, including Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Minnie Ripperton, Deniece Williams, Luther Vandross, Michael Sembello, Dorothy Ashby, Greg Philliganes, Nathan Watts, Ronnie Foster, Raymond Maldonado, Steve Madaio, Hank Redd, Ben Bridges, Syreeta Wright, Shirley Brewer, two choirs, and a host of others.

4. The album spent 13 consecutive weeks at #1 during 1976-1977, more than any other album in '76. [[It knocked "Frampton Comes Alive" out of the #1 slot, and was in turn knocked off the top in early '77 by the Eagles' Hotel California.) The album also was #1 on the R&B/Black Album Chart for 20 weeks [[non-consecutive). The record was certified a Diamond Album by the RIAA, for sales of 10 million copies in the U.S.

5. "Songs in the Key of Life" won the 1977 Grammy for Album of the Year, and Stevie won three Grammys for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male R&B Performer, and Producer of the Year. [[That was also the year of Andy Williams' TV snafu during hookup of the remote transmission feed when, as the connection was made to where Stevie was staying in Nigeria, Williams asked, "Stevie, can you see us?")

6. In the years since, the album has come to be regarded as one of the greatest in soul/pop/rock music history. It's ranked #56 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 All-Time Greatest Albums [[too low IMO), and #7 all-time on VH-1's similar list [[that's more like it).

7. At least two tracks from the album have been sampled for major hip-hop recordings, the most famous of course being Coolio's sampling of Pastime Paradise for the 1995 #1 hit "Gangsta's Paradise." Four years later, Will Smith sampled "I Wish" for his #1 hit "Wild Wild West" [[which was better than the movie, also IMO).

8. The album was and is the favorite of many R&B and pop stars, including Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, among many others.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_in_the_Key_of_Life

So, today and for the next three months, celebrate Songs in the Key of Life!

[jdwheat]

For reference, the album tracks --

Record One, Side One:

1. Love's in Need of Love Today
2. Have a Talk with God
3. Village Ghetto Land
4. Contusion
5. Sir Duke

Record Two, Side Two:

1. I Wish
2. Knocks Me Off My Feet
3. Pastime Paradise
4. Summer Soft
5. Ordinary Pain

Record Two, Side Three:

1. Isn't She Lovely?
2. Joy Inside My Tears
3. Black Man

Record One, Side Four:

1. Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing
2. If It's Magic
3. As
4. Another Star

Something Extra 7-inch EP, Side One:

1. Saturn
2. Ebony Eyes

Something Extra 7-inch EP, Side Two:

1. All Day Sucker
2. Easy Goin' Evening [[My Mama's Call)

Go put your copy on now!

[dvdmike]

Several years ago, Rhino released a DVD as part of their "Classic Albums" series. Stevie shared his memories of the making of the album. He went back into the studio original engineers Gary Olazabal and John Fischbach and discussed how some of the songs were made using the original session tapes. There was also a reunion of the surviving musicians who played on the albums. They shared their memories of it and they even did live performances of some of the songs with Stevie. There were some interesting interviews with Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Coolio and Gary Byrd and footage of Stevie making a guest live appearance with Coolio performing "Gangsta's Paradise.

[Motown Eddie]

I fondly remember "Songs In The Key Of Life". It's still my favorite Stevie Wonder album and an all-time classic. I only wish that Stevie would let Motown/Universal do a deluxe edition of this album [[not to mention the other classic albums he's done).

[Motown Eddie]

Several years ago, Rhino released a DVD as part of their "Classic Albums" series. Stevie shared his memories of the making of the album. He went back into the studio original engineers Gary Olazabal and John Fischbach and discussed how some of the songs were made using the original session tapes. There was also a reunion of the surviving musicians who played on the albums. They shared their memories of it and they even did live performances of some of the songs with Stevie. There were some interesting interviews with Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Coolio and Gary Byrd and footage of Stevie making a guest live appearance with Coolio performing "Gangsta's Paradise.

I bought this on VHS when it first came out and I recommend it to fans of Stevie Wonder & "Songs In The Key Of Life" [[and good luck finding a copy since I've heard that it's out of print).

[thommg]

I remember my first trip to New York City, walking through Times Square and there was a block long billboard from 45th - 46th Streets with Songs In The Key of Life on it. It was really magnificent. That block was then torn down to make way for the Marriott Marquis Hotel, but in my head, the billboard is still there. A magnificent achievement from Stevie and a gift to music lovers.

[tomato tom]

God I feel old. 35 years. Still and out and out classic. I still play it quite often, and it stands out in my opinion, as his greatest work..Paulo xxx

[paladin]

It was a beautiful record and excellent testament to his talent. It really has been that long ?????....jeez.......

[dvdmike]

I fondly remember "Songs In The Key Of Life". It's still my favorite Stevie Wonder album and an all-time classic. I only wish that Stevie would let Motown/Universal do a deluxe edition of this album [[not to mention the other classic albums he's done).

Try Amazon. Someone might be selling it there.