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This is the music of serious music fans buying serious stereos, not little girl buying 45. It is accsessable as any soul 45, but features muti parts an amazing jazz guitar solo. The basic groove, going back to "Fingertips" had not changed. "Superstition," "Higher Ground," many many Wonder tracks are classics, but the mix of pop and art and recording technology may make "Superwoman" not only Wonder's ultimate masterpiece, but the ultimate masterpiece for soul itself.Suddenly, Wonder was not on the hit review, he was opening for the Stones, learning from Frank Zappa, taking his place in the top tier. The music had to be different, becuase EVERYTHING was different. Where I'm Coming From was Stevie Wonder trying to kill Little Stevie Wonder, and with its political lyrics and more serious songs, was quite a stab.
"Happier Than The Morning Sun" is a ballad with classical grandure, thanks to Wonders inventive use of the clavanet. Even the way Wonder double tracks his voice in multi octives is inventive, and these flourishes pop at just the right time to add the right dynamics. But Wonder had not quite figured out how to use synthasizers, and a ballad like "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" wass a bit mushy for a young man trying to redefine himself.Music Of My Mind, on the other hand, brings it home more than perfect, and shows a mature artist in full attack. As if all this were not more than enough, and it is, you get "Superwoman." The song has all the melody of McCartney, but floods with soul. He had not left soul or Motown, he had transended both.Welcome to the brave new world. "Love Having You Around" and "I Love Everything About You" take the Motown goove and replace the bass and drums with keybords and wha whas that could have been lifted from George Clinton.
But Wonder's use of then new instruments make these grooves hipper, ready to communicate with rock fans, and a more electric, hipper, desegragating country that he could have never conceived when making "Fingertips" or "Place In The Sun.
After 100's of recent listenings, Music of my Mind seems even more complex and beautiful than what I envisioned way back when. Simply: great, timeless music. I have held this recording in the highest regard ever since it came out in 197x. The songwriting, performances, and arrangements are all top-notch.raw, exciting, musical, and sincere. If I could rate it 6-stars, I would. A few months ago, I loaded this on my alarm clock, and my wife and I have been waking up to it and listening to it daily since then. Every single day we say." What a fantastic recording." i.e,.
"Superwoman (Where were you when i needed you)" & "Evil" are two of the most powerful on the record and are epics that testify to his true lyrical genius.This is a Great Record and a prelude of the direction his music was to go. "Love Having You Around", "Love Every Little Thing About You", "Sweet Little Girl" are songs were we see a young man free of the bonds of "hit making" and allowed to express the full scope of his dreams, passions and desires. "Girl Blue" & "Keep on Running" showcase this man's incredible musicianship (check out the amazing & funky clavinet work on Keep On Running). This is Stevie Wonder moving from the strict "Motown Sound" releases enforced by Barry Gordy to true Creative Freedom. It is one of my personal favorites and is one of the many reasons Stevie Wonder was one of the single most important artists of the 20th century whose music, like the greats before him, will be played into eternity. It's hard to believe that a 21 year old wrote, arranged, performed & produced these songs. He had finally got his demands met from Gordy and this was the product of the hard fought victory. Although Stevie had been a hit making, chart topping machine up to this point, the music he released beginning in 1971 was were we truly realized the true Master we were dealing with.
This album was when he was young lean and mean. Evil is a great tune and his voice is prime in it. I wish Stevie was less interested in making babies and singing his pop tunes and that he would do us a favor and sing some of the other songs he so richly wrote. He later would open for the Stones. You can almost live it with him as he is influenced by his ever loving mother, his new fiance, and his chip he had on his shoulder for Berry.My favorite song is "love everything about you". He was dealing with Berry's doubts about his music and wanted to do something different.
I love the mixing of the tracks as well. It is no secret that Stevie is a genius. Its a shame he has watered down his music into stuff that just pays bills now. I can hear the conflict going on inside a young 21 year old man dealing with war, sex, love, fame, marriage, and religion.
Stevie observed the way Marvin Gaye approached music and decided to do the same. It changed mine and many others lives. I had the chance to meet Stevie back in the seventies and noticed how Syreeta was getting frustrated with his exploding stardom. I wtruly wish someone would sit him down and play the five fab albums he wrote and let him hear the pure innocence he had at that time.
He told me father that he loved him some P.y. He longed to bring out the side of himself that these guys helped to create. Women from all over were trying to get a piec of him and he loved it. He has grown old and fat just like his music.
You can tell he was dealing with the relationship he had with Syreeta and how others were telling him to break up with her due to her older nagging ways. It seems he just placed a cathode in his brain and poured out this stuff. Although blind, Stevie used to listen to movies and musicals especially one done by Rodgers and Hammerstein.He also was intrigued by the Beatles and the Stones. With almost a million dollars (9.3 million in our time)he went ahead and did this album.
This is a very excellent Stevie Wonder album, one of his best in my opinion.
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