Post by Diamond Girl on Nov 14, 2006 21:31:11 GMT -5
ARTIST: Stevie Wonder
ALBUM: Talking Book YEAR RELEASED: 1972 LABEL: UMG Recordings
When he reached the age of majority, former child prodigy Stevie Wonder renegotiated a contract with Motown Records that granted him creative independence. This was big news as a business move — but when you're dealing with perhaps the purest raw talent in pop music, "independence" takes on another meaning. His first release under these terms, Music Of My Mind, demonstrated that Wonder could work as a truly self-contained unit — writing and producing all the songs, and playing virtually all the instruments, entirely alone. His next album, Talking Book, secured his position as the reigning genius of his era. With earth-shaking funk ("Superstition"), candy-coated pop ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life"), and an emotional range from the blues of "Maybe Your Baby" to the soaring exuberance of "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)," in a career full of classics, Talking Book is Stevie's most perfect album.
Time
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ALBUM: Songs in the Key of Life YEAR RELEASED: 1976 LABEL: Motown
After running off a rapid-fire string of hits and a shelf full of Grammy awards in the early Seventies, Stevie Wonder signed an unprecedented $13 million contract renewal with Motown Records — and then he made them wait. And wait and wait. Two-plus years passed after 1974's Fulfillingness' First Finale, an eternity in R&B. But when he delivered Songs in the Key of Life, a double-album with a bonus EP included, there was no doubt that the wait was worth it. It topped the charts for almost three months, and featured more true classics than even most great artists write in a lifetime. Celebrating childhood ("I Wish"), jazz ("Sir Duke"), and the beginnings of life itself ("Isn't She Lovely"), Songs in the Key of Life was a powerhouse — a rare moment when a master was faced with a new level of pressure, and responded by taking his game to new heights.
Time
ALBUM: Talking Book YEAR RELEASED: 1972 LABEL: UMG Recordings
When he reached the age of majority, former child prodigy Stevie Wonder renegotiated a contract with Motown Records that granted him creative independence. This was big news as a business move — but when you're dealing with perhaps the purest raw talent in pop music, "independence" takes on another meaning. His first release under these terms, Music Of My Mind, demonstrated that Wonder could work as a truly self-contained unit — writing and producing all the songs, and playing virtually all the instruments, entirely alone. His next album, Talking Book, secured his position as the reigning genius of his era. With earth-shaking funk ("Superstition"), candy-coated pop ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life"), and an emotional range from the blues of "Maybe Your Baby" to the soaring exuberance of "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)," in a career full of classics, Talking Book is Stevie's most perfect album.
Time
____________________________________________________________________________
ALBUM: Songs in the Key of Life YEAR RELEASED: 1976 LABEL: Motown
After running off a rapid-fire string of hits and a shelf full of Grammy awards in the early Seventies, Stevie Wonder signed an unprecedented $13 million contract renewal with Motown Records — and then he made them wait. And wait and wait. Two-plus years passed after 1974's Fulfillingness' First Finale, an eternity in R&B. But when he delivered Songs in the Key of Life, a double-album with a bonus EP included, there was no doubt that the wait was worth it. It topped the charts for almost three months, and featured more true classics than even most great artists write in a lifetime. Celebrating childhood ("I Wish"), jazz ("Sir Duke"), and the beginnings of life itself ("Isn't She Lovely"), Songs in the Key of Life was a powerhouse — a rare moment when a master was faced with a new level of pressure, and responded by taking his game to new heights.
Time
...what is left to say except congratulations again 
...Do you know exactly what numbers the albums charted at?? ...Better be in the top 20! 
