We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago……
It was a turning point for the 21 year old Stevie Wonder. He had a new contract with Motown that gave him total creative control on his recorded output. He had also discovered the TONTO synthesizer used by Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff and he brought them and their invention into the studio for his next project ‘Music From My Mind”
It was the first of the so-called “classic period” LPs from Wonder in which he won three Grammys for “Album Of The Year” later in the decade. But, he’s not there yet.
My only problem with this record is most of side one. Wonder is like a kid with a new toy who figures he needs to show everything that the Tonto can do all at once. The synthed changes he uses on his voice on many of the Side One cuts are most annoying. Why would anyone want to change one of the greatest voices in pop music history? As Wonder was completely in charge, there was no one to tell him no.
Side 2 is better and has some really strong material including “Happier Than The Morning Sun”, ‘Seems So Long” and the fantastic “Keep On Running”.
Wonder plays all of the instruments on this except for one Art Baron trombone solo and some guitar from studio ace Buzz Feiten.
I can understand the critics reaction at the time with one calling it a “milestone in modern music” and it did fine on the charts…#6 on R&B, #21 on Pop….but looking back from 50 years later and knowing what was coming next, It’s hard to grade this high. I do realize that without this experimentation we don’t get “Talking Book”, “Innervisions”, ‘Fullfillingness First Finale” and “Songs In The Key Of Life” so I’ll cut him some slack for what I hear as weirdness.
I’m taking a few days off…the next album review will come on Wednesday March 9th.
