It's approaching the 50th anniversary of another landmark Motown album,
remember Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" half centenary was commemorated with an expanded reissue last month.
Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" was released 47 years ago today on 28 Sep 1976.
Both Wonder and Gaye had disagreements with Berry Gordy over musical
direction in the early 70s as both wanted to do their own thing and get
away from the formulaic Motown sound. Gordy didn't like Gaye's "What's
Going On" as he was concerned that the social and political statements
may damage 'the brand'. Both have been proven to be correct as that particular album has gone on to
be one of the most seminal musical works in music, never mind just soul,
history consistently topping Rolling Stone's 100 best albums of all time. It
currently tops their
2020 poll
with "Songs in the Key of Life" positioned at #4.
In 1975 Wonder was seriously considering quitting music and prepared a
farewell tour, remember his previous album was titled "Fulfillingness'
First Finale"! However, Motown persuaded him to sign a 7 year / 7 album
deal with full artistic control. The alleged $37m offer (the largest
recording contract at the time) no doubt helped to twist his arm to
stay. "Songs in the Key of Life" was his first of these albums and was
his 18th studio album. It's a double album consisting of 21 tracks (the last 4 tracks were originally on a separate 7" EP) and
won 3 Grammys: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) and Best R&B Vocal
Performance, Male for "I Wish".
The album produced five singles, two reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100,
i.e. "I Wish" and "Sir Duke" / "He's Misstra Know-It-All", the other three being "Isn't She Lovely", "Another Star" and "As".
Of course many other tracks are well known even though they were never
released as singles. For example "Summer Soft" was covered recently by Karlos Edwards and "Pastime Paradise" has been
sampled multiple times, perhaps most famously by Coolio in "Gangsta's
Paradise" in 1995? "As" (which featured George Benson on guitar) we featured only yesterday by The Family Tree on the
forthcoming "With Love Volume 2" compilation and "Another Star" (which featured Herbie Hancock on keys) has been covered many times, perhaps one
of the earliest by Joe Bataan's LaSo in 1977 and another notable cover by (Sister) Kathy Sledge in 1995 with others including Ike Noble (1980) and Soul II Soul's Caron Wheeler (2003).
Everyone knows, but perhaps doesn't necessarily 'love', "Isn't She Lovely"
which surprisingly wasn't a hit and wasn't released as a single in the US
because Wonder refused to shorten the track from the album's 6:34 for 7"
release. However, it was covered by David Parton and reached #4 on the UK
pop chart in 1977 which is perhaps why we assume that it was a hit single?
Wonder's version did eventually become a hit in the UK after he performed it
at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Yesterday was Stevie Wonder's 73rd birthday but, with the weekend's new
releases to contend with, we didn't have time to pay a proper
tribute.
Where do you even begin to select songs by an artist who has won 25 Grammy
awards and has been recording music for 62 years? Therefore, we have
focused only on his 60s output and selected 20 upbeat songs which include a few
hits but are mainly lesser known album tracks and B sides, some of
which may be forgotten or even new to you.
An infrequent single release from Kimberly Brewer who has been a long-time backing singer with Stevie Wonder as well as Earth, Wind & Fire. She featured as a backing vocalist on Whitney Houston's hit single "We Didn't Know", (which was a duet with Stevie Wonder) and on Elton John's "Duets" album along with lending her vocals on albums by Teena Marie, Rick James, Will Downing, Boney James, Vanessa Williams and many others.
Today she has released a remake of a Stevie Wonder song recorded by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway in 1980, "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long", which features Joe and Stevie Wonder.
Kimberly has featured here once before on a debut single "Just That Sweet To Me" in 2020 (if you discount an earlier Christmas single). Her only other solo effort (listed) is a collaboration with with Maysa "No More Pain" in Jan '21.
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the
artist.
This was first played c2000 from a bootleg CDr 'The Motown Sessions'
which were unreleased demo recordings he made for Motown. Tracks from the
album were subsequently released on UK's Expansion label in 2006 as 'The Truth
Vol. 2'.
This track is a cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Golden Lady' from his 1973
'Innervisions' album, sounding very like Donny Hathaway.
Frank McComb [2006] - Golden Lady [Expansion #XECD 51]
Stevie Wonder [1973] - Golden Lady [Tamla #T 326L]
This post's title says it all as I'm sure that just from the first names
you know already exactly who to expect.
This is the result when muscial genius collides - Chaka Khan and Luther
Vandross covering a song made famous by Aretha Franklin (who had #3 Hot 100
/#1 R&B hit with it in 1973), which was co-written by Stevie Wonder
(with Morris Broadnax
and
Clarence Paul) who first recorded it in 1967 (but unreleased until 1977 on a compilation
'Looking Back').
Chaka Khan (Live)
Aretha Franklin & Stevie Wonder (Live)
It is such a blessing what can be found on YT. Here's Aretha & Stevie
in duet on the song in 2005.
Luther Vandross (Live)
The master of interpretation Luther Vandross doing his arrangement of the
song as a medley Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) from 'Busy Body' and released as a single in 1984 but only reached #87 on Hot 100!
Hil St. Soul (Live)
Whilst we're here it would be rude not to include Hil St. Soul's live
version. It is the song that turned me onto them when it was released in
2000 from their debut album 'Soul Organic'. It's great to see they seem
to be finally getting the recognition deserved albeit 20 years
later!
Here's some lesser known tracks from Stevie Wonder from the 60s. They are mainly B sides or album tracks only with an occasional A side that didn't chart - mainly Northern Soul related but with a few additional quality tracks thrown in the mix.
I was trying to keep the number of tracks down but ended up with 24 which just shows the quality of his material that never made it to an A side single release! There are a few others I could have included and I ignored his earlier stuff before 1964.
1964 - This Little Girl
45 only - B side to Hey Harmonica Man - Northern Soul
1964 - Happy Street
Non-charting 45 - Northern Soul
1965 - Music Talk
B side to later issues of Hi-Heel Sneakers - Northern soul 'stroller'
1965 - Nothing's Too Good For My Baby
A side storming Northern Soul, the follow-up single to Uptight which for some strange reason didn't chart in UK. Probably his best Northern Soul track!
1965 - With A Child's Heart
B side to Nothing's Too Good For My Baby - nice ballad also released in 1967 by Gene Latter. Michael Jackson also released it on 45 in 1973.
1966 - Ain't That Asking for Trouble
B side to Blowin' In The Wind - Northern Soul
1966 - Love A Go Go
Album only from Up-tight - Northern Soul
1966 - I Want My Baby Back
Album only from Up-tight - Northern Soul
1967 - Hey Love
B side to Travellin' Man - mid-tempo Northern Soul 'stroller'
1967 - Be Cool Be Calm (And Keep Yourself Together)
Album only from Down To Earth - storming Northern Soul.
1967 - My World Is Empty Without You
Album only from Down To Earth - cover of The Supremes.
1967 - Angel Baby (Don't You Ever Leave Me)
Album only from Down To Earth - storming Northern Soul played on the scene by Darrell Banks on Atco and 'blue-eyed' George Carrow on Columbia. As it was written by Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby, both Motown writers, I would hazard a guess at Stevie's being the original.
1967 - Every Time I See You I Go Wild
B side to 'I'm Wondering' - Northern Soul
1967 - Everybody Needs Somebody (I Need You)
Album only from I Was Made To Love Her - Northern Soul. It was released in more recent years on Cellarful Of Motown Vol. 2 CD by J.J. Barnes, generally considered the better version.
1967 - I'd Cry
Album only from I Was Made To Love Her - Northern Soul
1967 - Respect
Album only from I Was Made To Love Her - a 'respectful' cover of Otis Redding / Aretha Franklin.
1967 - Baby Don't Do It
Album only from I Was Made To Love Her - a slower version of the stomping Marvin Gaye track. On the same album he also did a slower version of Can I Get A Witness and a cover of James Brown's Please, Please, Please.
1968 - My Girl
B side to You Met Your Match - cover of The Temptation's classic
1968 - I Wanna Make Her Love Me
Album only from For Once In My Life - more of a funky style Northern Soul
1968 - Sunny
Album only from For Once In My Life - more laid back cover of Bobby Hebb's Sunny
1969 - At Last
Album only from My Cherie Amour - a nice crossover arrangement of the Etta James' classic!
1969 - You And Me
Album only from My Cherie Amour - a great 'unknown'? crossover track.
1969 - Light My Fire
Album only from My Cherie Amour - another crossover arrangement, this time of The Doors classic.
1969 - Pearl
Album only from My Cherie Amour - crossover/Northern Soul.
Staying in a more commercial mood - could this be Stevie Wonder's best song?
Many have tried to cover this song and many have failed miserably as it simply
cannot be matched as this is a masterpiece. However, Yolanda Adams' live
version is superb and Birmingham's own Beverley Knight also did a great job
recently at The London Palladium in Oct 2019.
Initially released on Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 1, which was
essentially a greatest hits album, but this was one of only a few original
tracks which was then released as a single in 1982.
Criminally, this didn't even make the UK Top 40 falling outside at #45 and
sandwiched between the bland Ebony & Ivory with Paul McCartney and the
'cheesy' I Just Called To Say I Love You' both of which got to #1 ... can
anyone please explain this to me?
I came across this, which touched me, the sheer class of Stevie surprising
young Ahsan who does a terrific job of this song. If this clip doesn't move
you then you have no soul! Please don't skip it, you need to watch from 2:10 and see what happens!
Yolanda Adams Live
Not sure when or where this was recorded but this lady is sheer class! No
pressure ... only performing it in front of 'The Man'!
%20%5BPhilltown%20%23PH-105%5D.jpg){kind=icon}
%20%5BUnity%20Records%5D%20400x400.jpg)