REVIEWS:
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(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You), Love Having You Around, Happier than the Morning Sun. LOW POINTS: Sweet Little Girl.
Already from the first seconds of the record, you can tell that it's not going to be a normal Motown soul factory output that you're about to hear. Stevie was the first one off Motown to jump out of the normal arrangements; he made his own, and boy, do they rule! I mean, take "Love Having You Around", for instance. Listen to the "organic" intro with brilliant use of synthesizer, organ and vocoder: Motown just couldn't do that, and you know Stevie was kicked out of the label because of this, but came right back and got a new record deal. The rest tune just bounces and bangs; it's a fantastic soul rocker, and with its three parts, it's indeed very complex, but you know, complex Stevie is only better Stevie. Did you get that? Freakin' masterpiece...
...but that's not what some of the other tunes are: "Sweet Little Girl" is meant to be complex and powerful, but I just see it as irritating, especially in the slow part where Stevie talks like a jawless vagabond and makes me cringe. Yew. "I Love Every Little Thing About You" is, thankfully, cheerful and heavenly in a way (dig the chorus...so beautiful), but the lyrics are, you know...dumb. Just dumb. "Girl Blue" is very nice, Yvonne's lyrics just rule in there and the arrangement is nothing to dismiss - still don't know why I once hated it. Dig the way Stevie's voice is manipulated, too. And there's "Evil" and "Seems So Long", the former being a lovable true divine anthem with real choirs and all, and the latter being a nice ballad and just nothing else. "Happier than the Morning Sun" is the most stripped-down song on the album, but the clavichord used here brings the level of energy to an ultimate high. Though the lyrics are pretty much cliché by now, but the music not just helps them, it transforms them from being tiresome to actually being cheerful.
If I'd just let the review be like this, it'd be unforgivable. "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"...is just...probably the most glorious song of Stevie's career (even though there still are other that could claim that title). The first part is a slow movement, but it still manages to do just as well as "You are the Sunshine of My Life" on the next album. The vocal harmonies here are, still, some of the most gorgeous that the God of Soul'd ever put out. But just as you think you're done, you get slow, light and blessing synthesizer drones that are just magnificent; I mean, Stevie didn't program them by himself, but the way they're played are just astonishing. And then is the last movement that culminates in some sweet guitar, courtesy of Buzzy Feiton; some extraordinarily high musical moments are captured just within this 4-minute bounce-away that blows my mind. I don't know about you but this song is easily in my top 5 of Stevie's songs.
And now I have a problem with giving the correct rating...if we have the perfect ten, subtract one because of "Sweet Little Girl", and subtract a half because of the useless lyrics at points, we get a solid (or arguably low)...
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(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Lookin' for Another Pure Love, You've Got It Bad Girl, You Are The Sunshine of My Life, Superstition, Maybe Your Baby, Tuesday Heartbreak, I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever). [LOW POINTS: You And I (We Can Conquer The World).
Stevie takes another step into the world of synthesized soul with Talking Book, one of his most consistent albums to date. You can already tell by the first track, "You Are The Sunshine of My Life", a ballad that manages to take what "Superwoman" did and shorten it to just three minutes. It's indeed one of Stevie's catchiest songs; the way the song builds is amusing, and the energy and maybe simple, but still motivated lyrics have great impact in the opening ballad of the album. Though it doesn't reach the heights of "Superwoman", it does very well in trying to.
But it gets better. Right after "You Are The Sunshine of My Life", you have "Maybe Your Baby" that takes what "Keep On Running" didn't have and just powers it up like a cannon. While I'm not exactly a fan of the guitar solo in there, I do adore the way the song just repeats itself; I mean, the procedure is normally boring, but Stevie manages to keep it cool. And it's a ballad, too...but do you really notice? Anyway, we have the worst song of the album right afterwards. "You and I" is abysmal in a bad way because of the annoying synth sounds and dumb lyrics. Stevie's singing still makes some of it, but I don't give a care about the song.
Now we have four bouncy songs in a row. The first of them, "Tuesday Heartbreak" may just be a remake of "Sunshine", but damn does it kick! The clavinet in here is what really makes the song; it's the only keyboard used here, but it's used in such a wah-wah-grand way that it just can't be better. Next song is "You've Got It Bad Girl" that's even better than "Sunshine" because of the mellow atmosphere and slow movement. Dig the synthesizers that are crisp but still easy to swallow and Stevie's self-confident singing that really does the trick. And then comes the most popular song of Stevie's entire career, "Superstition"; I bet you all know it anyway, but I'll note that if normal funk may be funky, I don't know what "Superstition" is, though it certainly is more than that. "Big Brother" following is one of the weaker songs on here; it's inspired by George Orwell's book "1984" and is very politically engaging not just lyrically, but also musically: the clavinet or clavichord (what's the difference?) gives the picture of crowds drawing the X's on their voting papers.
"Blame It on the Sun" is the only song that really sounds like a ballad on Talking Book. While it's another one of the weaker songs on the album, it's certainly the most touching one and fantastically worthwhile to listen to. Tears will arrive at your very eyes, you know. It finds its exact opposite on the next song that by no doubt is the best of Stevie's 1972's, though: "Lookin' for Another Pure Love" is perfect. And I'm not kidding: it's even more mellow than "Bad Girl", kicking than "Heartbreak", joyful than any other song of the album. The chorus is not just great, it's glorious, and the guitar solo, courtesy of Jeff Beck, is the best one that you'll ever hear in a Stevie-song. I can't help but praise every second of this 5-minute glory statement.
The album does still have to end, but it does in the best way possible with "I Believe (And A Sentence in Parantheses)". It's just like what "Sunshine" was for the opening; it's enlightening and you know there's light ahead of the tunnel of lost love, as it plays. And just as you know the chorus is going to continue like it always did, it goes into another "Superstition" for 40 seconds. "Come on, let's fall in love/You're the woman I've been waiting for..." is used along with a very neat drumming pattern and jitterbuggin' vocal harmonies and clavinet. This indeed is an album for clavinets, right?
It could have earned a ten, but the overall flaws drag it just half a point down, and I believe that's fair. While it is hard to imagine, Stevie made some better albums. I'll end my review with apologizing for not mentioning "Keep On Running" in my previous Stevie-review, and so I'll review the song for itself, right here in this unfinished oeuvre.
"Keep on Running" will always be one of the funkiest and bounciest songs of the whole 70's soul movement. Stevie makes his clavinet sound like a real guitar, more than in any other song he'd never make. Though it's not one of the best songs on here, it's still damn good swinging your buttocks at. So there you go.
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(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Living For The City, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing, Golden Lady, Jesus Children of America, Too High, Visions, He's Misstra Know-It-All, Higher Ground. [LOW POINTS: None.
Just fantastic. Stevie drops the ballad vibe almost entirely and focuses on rocking tracks that automatically earn this album a ten. It manages to be even better than Talking Book which is normally hard to state. But so it is, and so it will be. Dig the album cover too; the use of rocks, mountains and blind-eyed Stevie all in one picture already tells you what you're up for.
And "Too High" is what you've up for. Kicking in with a neat drum groove, synthesizers and electric piano, and then collapsing in an ocean of vocal paranoia, the song is the perfect beginning for a perfect album. It's hella funky with Stevie's vocals put through some distortion filter that helps setting the atmosphere. It's about some girl doing drugs and imagining herself to be the queen of her world and dying later on. It's freaking cool! "Visions" coming right in the fade-out doesn't have any keyboards at all (edit: sorry, I just discovered an electric piano in there), as Stevie has figured out to make an effective ballad just using some people playing guitars while he sings onto their fingerjobs. It's about the effects of (inner)visions that people sometimes aren't able to forget, until they just make the world in their imaginations the world of their lives. Touching, really. But these two songs make a perfect start.
The next song is definitely a masterpiece and definitely perfect. It's "Living for the City" that I'm talking about, of course. The lyrics are incredibly frightening to imagine in the way they describe the whities' suppression of the black back in the days the album was made. Stevie plays every instrument and sings every vocal all by himself here...I can't describe it at all, of course, because of the intensity, greatness and powerfulness that make the song an unforgettable experience. And people say that they can't stand the middle section (the one with a black's experience in New York), but hey, it's necessary! Just as the baby sounds in "Isn't She Lovely" are necessary! Still, if the album had contained this song alone, it'd still receive a high rating. And it would be even higher, if it also contained "Golden Lady". The song has a wonderful build-up with tons of great moments (I'm talking about the milliseconds here), and the chorus ("Golden lady, golden lady, I'd like to go there") is magnificent alone. The verses are not just heavenly, they are in the realm of God, and so am I when I listen to the organ solo (and the rest of the song). I can't stand it...d--d--dar---argh! I adore this song! But that was side one, I guess.
Just five songs left. "All in Love is Fair" is a very good Stevie-ballad, but comparing it with songs like "Visions" and "Golden Lady" is like comparing the waves to the sea. It's still better than such stuff as "Seems So Long", "Big Brother" and "Blame It On The Sun", though. I float on dark red clouds when listenin'. "Higher Ground" is a pretty damn good an' bouncy track that manages to bring angry political statements together with happy vocals. While it sounds like many of the other bouncy tracks on the album, it sounds like nothing for itself. "He's Misstra Know-It-All" manages to bring optimism together with bad prophecies of a man that's always on the hunt for money, fame and power. But no matter what I may say about it, the climax right in the middle of the song is one of the most you-know-what. I can't help but love it. And the rest of the song, o'course. That's the perfect ending. Stevie knows it all.
Wondered why I jumped in the track listing? Well, because the two songs left are some of the coolest and greatest songs of the century! Though they don't reach the heights of the great songs on side one, they're almost seizin' them. "Jesus Children of America" is about abuse of Jesus' name and position and about how people use what they do for something good ("tell me junkie, if you're able, are you happy when you stick a needle in your vein"). It builds up fast but thoughtful and the fantastic chorus is one of the angriest but cleverest lyrical hooks that Stevie ever had the chance to make. He rises higher and higher in pitch, until he just can't go no further and lets the music (or Jesus; after all, the music is heavenly) take over. "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" is the best of Stevie's Latin American-inspired songs and while it keeps the same pace throughout the song, it never forgets to be joyful and lovely when Stevie has his vocals turned on. My last note is that Stevie never misses a chance to impress with his production techniques, for instance when he just pastes his vocals onto some other of his vocals...I love him for everything he does. I love him for this album. The first one I bought by him, it's the one you could go with if you've just become into Stevie. Believe me, anything that guy does is good, but this album rises to a position, where it just can't get higher. While it doesn't get a plus, it's as high a 10 as you can receive from me.
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(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: They Won't Go When I Go, Smile Please, Boogie On Reggae Woman, You Haven't Done Nothin', Creepin', It Ain't No Use, Please Don't Go. LOW POINTS: None.
After Stevie's infamous car crash in the end of 1973 and then spending three weeks in a hospital along with getting to know that his sense of smell had left the building, he shifted to an undefinable style that later on produced the next album which I'll get to later. That style is softer than anything Stevie's ever made before; you can tell that he's become more careful about what he does and he manages to push a lot of emotion into his lyrics. It's neither as personal as Innervisions, nor as loveled as Talking Book, but if you put those two albums in a liquidizer, what you'd get would be this album. And you know something's wrong when you read the credits and find out that there are 25 guest musicians on this album. 25? That's more than than the three previous albums had all together! But anyway, this stuff rules.
Stevie, for instance, has an absolute masterstroke in "They Won't Go When I Go". Yvonne's lyrics are treated with much more passion than they could ever hope to be, and the great keyboard work is some of Stevie's best ever (by the way, the synthesizers are just gorgeous; whoever programmed them did a great job). The song also incorporates the use of Stevie's amazing overdubbing technique; need I say more? Probably not, but go listen anyway. That song alone would earn a ten. If you want more like that, you could go for "Too Shy to Say"; I'm saying "could" because it, compared with the other songs on the album, is the weakest by far. It's just Stevie singing an ordinary ballad (my ordinary pain) with some synthesizer and piano. It's beautiful, but I could just hit the song and it would bleed to death. Nothing wrong with it at all, but I've heard it too much before. Go for "Visions" instead, buddy.
But enough with the ballads for now. Right after "Too Shy to Say" comes "Boogie on Reggae Woman" that is driven by another one of Stevie's synth loops. It's neither boogie nor reggae; it's just what "Higher Ground" was for the previous album, but better than that one still. And if you don't like the middle section with harmonica and Stevie's famous "Can I play?", you'd better get away from me. The song's freakin' groovy! It's possible to dance to, brother! And there's "You Haven't Done Nothin'" that's just amazing. I mean, the way the synthesizers and clavinets are programmed or played is just fabulous anywhere in the song. And though Stevie's angry politically-oriented lyrics don't really match the atmosphere, he makes up for it with a fantastically sing-along chorus that features the Jackson 5. Nice touch, isn't it? Where's Michael, anyway? You could go with "Bird of Beauty" too; its funny synth loop doesn't really change through its four minutes, but you know I love when Stevie goes Latin. Though I don't get what the lyrics are about (drugs or something?), the music's warm, chilled and moving. Heck, I love it!
Oh, did I just say "chilled"? That reminds me of "Creepin'", one of Stevie's most inspired ballads that's by far the most mellow. The song's incredibly catchy and easy to get into, and the extra touch in disguise of Minnie Riperton's background vocals is glorious. The harmonica solo is also what I'd one of Stevie's most admirable solos ever. "Admirable"? Leads to "Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" that's nearly Stevie's best tributes to Him. Though the song's pretty much stripped-down, it has a wonderful build-up with background vocals, handclaps and whatever Man could do. I surely feel His spirit as Stevie stats with his dear shouts. "Dear"? Pointing to "It Ain't No Use" that's yet another ballad with a glorious vocal hook ("bye, bye" and all that), but that's not what embraces me; it's the fantastic electric piano playing that gives the song what it just needs. I'm not pecking the other stuff, though, as it really stands out (as always), but that piano is tasty. And gee! This is really an album of connection, innit?
Left are the head and tail of the record, "Smile Please" and "Please Don't Go". "Smile Please" is one of Stevie's more optimistic songs that not just manages to make me smile; it easily makes me cry happy tears, especially in the chorus where tons of vocal harmonies are splashed together in order to create a line that even I am not able to reconstruct. On top of that, the arrangement is better than you expect it to be, and the lyrics are damn clever. Note that the song/album actually kicks off with a guitar; a very unusual thing for Stevie. And "Please Don't Go" is the endings of the previous two albums spliced together, resulting in a gorgeous arrangement that even Marvin Gaye couldn't copy. However, my notes about the song would be unfinished, if I just did it like that: the last thirty seconds is not just Stevie, it's a totally melodious sound chaos that cuts off my ears in a rhythmic way (you know, "cut-cut-cut"). Those seconds are just some of the most powerful stuff that Stevie ever played; it's friggin' nuclear! You know, kaboom and all! I could play it over and over again, but of it I would never tire.
I'll end this review before I go totally Shakespeare. See, this album is a bit better than Talking Book, but a tad worse than Innervisions. I've decided to not give it the perfect rating of ten, because of one thing: Bits and pieces of some of the songs don't satisfy me. And I know it's stupidly said, but that's the closest you can get to what the truth is. You can count the rating as an incredibly high one, though. If you don't, think of this: Talking Book and this are equally good, but just in their very own way because they're different when compared to each other. Eat your plus, Steve!
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(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: As, Sir Duke, Summer Soft, I Wish, Ordinary Pain, Another Star, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Isn't She Lovely, Love's In Need of Love Today, and a lot more. LOW POINTS: None.
Many count this as Stevie's compositional and melodious peak, and I must certainly agree. I'll even say that Songs is the first album by anyone that sounds 80's just as much as 70's: some of the songs, like "Isn't She Lovely", really sound like they were made in the future at that time. But hey, that only proves the great genius of the obviously matured Stevie, right here, on this double album. I wonder what made Stevie go berserk and release this mammoth record with not 9, not 10, not 12, but 21 songs on it, but I certainly know that Stevie was totally exhausted after releasing it and he waited three years to release Journey. It must certainly have been a great time in the studio: he sounds even more joyful and happy than ever, which, of course, only can be an absolute plus. Even the tear-jerkers sound happy. I still can't decide which album is his best: Is it Songs or Innervisions. Let's look later. I might actually have a point of view when this review is over.
I'll put the first disc in the CD-player now. Eject...in with it...and there it goes. The songs commence.
The record starts off slowly with the soft paradise of "Love's In Need of Love Today". Believe me, there couldn't have been a better beginning for this album than this song; the chorus just grabs me by the feet and takes me places that I wouldn't normally go. It's absolutely amazing that Stevie manages to do practically everything here: all vocals, all instruments, all everythings. It's a song that I hold very close to my heart when I have a heart ache, and that says a whole lot. "Have A Talk With God" is an incredibly cool, slow and catchy catchy CATCHY song with a fantastic refrain whose melody just drops me back onto a comfortable chair with a Bible in my hands. Stevie's been really careful with the placement of sounds, but as always, it produces a great effect. Dang good! "Village Ghetto Land" is stripped-down Steve with a string synthesizer and some lyrics about beggars in the ghetto having their very own country of hunger, thirst and abuse; the best moments in the song, though, lie in the short interludes between every verse that just rule my world. Dang good again again!
The next track is the one that really confuses me. "Contusion" is far from being normal Stevie for two reasons: it's an instrumental with no lyrics at all, and it actually is intended to be funk. But apart from that, I must state that it's really really good; Stevie seems to stay really cool throughout the song with his keyboards just bopping along with the groovy guitar hooks. I love it! But "Sir Duke" is oh so much better. It has taken the place as the most joyful song of the century, it's catchier than anything Stevie made in the past and the idea of making a tribute to his jazz roots is fabulous. I can't say anything more than this, but I'll bust your ass if you haven't heard it more than thrice in your life. It's...no, it isn't. It's better than that. "I Wish" was sadly ripped off by Will Smith in his theme song for the movie Wild Wild West, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It has the same song structure as the previous song, and while the greatness of "I Wish" doesn't quite reach "Sir Duke"'s, it certainly comes close. You still need to hear this. Masterpiece! Perfect! "Knocks Me Off My Feet" could be Stevie's best ballad; maybe, maybe not. That should describe how good the song is, and not just that: it contains the probably cleverest drum fills ever. Classic!
"Pastime Paradise" received an even worse treatment than "I Wish"'s by rapper Coolio that seems to have flopped badly now, but nonetheless, it's just as great a song as "Have A Talk With God", probably. The use of choirs and the famous synth line still gets me every time I listen. The next song, "Summer Soft", was once my vote for best Stevie-song, and while it can't really claim that position anymore, I must still say that the song is as perfect as ever. You MUST like everything here, from the drums to the guitar, from the piano to the organ solo at the end, but Stevie's vocals the most: it's impossible for anybody of the entire human race to dislike the vocal hooks, especially when Stevie sings higher and higher in pitch at the end; it brings tears to my eyes! "Ordinary Pain" put at the end of the first disc, is, of course, the perfect end to it. The first part is just a clone of "Knocks Me Off My Feet", but really really good nevertheless. The second part is what makes me adore this song, though: the neat funk groove slapped in behind the striking vocals of Shirley Brewer is fantastic! Maybe better! So there you have a perfect record.
But we have yet another eleven songs to take care of. "Isn't She Lovely" is probably the most glorious song of the album, with Stevie having a full-frontal harmonica solo blown right into his daughters' face. She's so damn lucky: that solo isn't just hailed by me; it's hailed by hopefully everyone who'll manage to listen to it all the way through. I once hated the song, but as I listen to lit, I just can't but sing or hum along to the sprawling, but yet modest melodies. "Joy Inside My Tears", though, manages to be even more glorious than "Isn't She Lovely", but then again, even more sprawling too. The atmosphere in that song is still unbreakable; just listening to the melody will make you cry, as it did for me when I heard it at first. The coda lasts for a whole four minutes, but it never seems to be that long. That only proves its greatness, anyway. "Black Man" is one of Stevie's two steps into disco, and it's a good one. I agree with the other reviewers who have trampled over this eight-minute gargantuan colossus, but again, I must give up to the arrangement here: who can't dig the groovy groove going on in the background? And who can't dig Steve's vocal melody? But hey, who CAN dig the coda with students practically sounding like they were in a concentration camp? Oh, heck, good!
And again, some defense: I don't see why so many people don't like "Ngiculela/Es Une Historia/I Am Singing" (stupid title, still). The song has a very very very preachy arrangement with salsa all over the place. Stevie sings in three languages. And he overabuses the synthesizer. But why, why, why don't people just regard the joyfulness in this song? It reaches the heights of many other songs on the album, and I love it that way! Same goes to "If It's Magic" that, funny enough, has a totally stripped-down arrangement with Stevie and a harp and nothing else. But likewise, why can't people just close their eyes, sit back and listen to the prophecies of this genius! It's awful that some people don't like it, in fact: I know I do.
And now we've reached the peak peak PEAK of the record. It is most likely the best love song ever. It's surely one of the best moments in music. It never gets boring. I'm talking about "As", of course. It may or may not be Stevie's best song, but it's certainly the most elaborate and blah blah. Even I can't describe it; you need to listen yourself. The record comes to a close with "Another Star" - Stevie's other step into disco - that is so so SO neat. The song is really catchy and is a suitable ending for an album like this one; if we began on a deep note, why not end on a high one? The flute solo at the end is the best part of the eight-minute monster, though; along with the "nah-nah-nahs" and the tight drums in behind, it just swirls the listener - or me - into a paradise of happiness. I wouldn't be happy if the record ended that way, though...how could I stop crying sad tears because of this ending? Stevie, most likely, had the same feeling, and in addition to the already grand enough double LP, he dumped in an EP just for the sake of the listener - or me.
The funny thing is that "Saturn" is an incredible step down from the ladder of greatness we experienced through the first two LP's. It's a good song, but I've - and it's guaranteed - heard better than that. It contists of a very pompous, but nice arrangement with synths and sci-fi noises and a very touching Stevie vocal. But it doesn't have spirit, which the other songs have more than enough of...some recordings of children playing lead into "Ebony Eyes" that's practically Stevie's theme song for Miss Black America. It's still better than the previous song, though: it's indeed catchy and uplifting, but still a bit too preachy for my tastes. "All Day Sucker" is George Starostin's bet for best song on the album, but I frankly don't understand why: The song is good, yes, but it suffers from the same conditions as "Saturn". The record - and this time I mean it - ends well, though, with "Easy Goin' Evening" that's just a soulful jazz "jam". But it's splendid, anyway. The songs have ended.
After all this endless praise, I don't see why the record doesn't get a 10. Not a plus, though, because of two things: The first thing is that I can't look away from the fact that the album's dreadfully overlong. The second thing is there are few songs or moments that may have their moments but are overshadowed by everything else. I can easily see the strength in the the first "thing", though: where was the record if it didn't have its gorgeous codas? Who wouldn't miss the coda for "As", "Isn't She Lovely", "Ordinary Pain", "Love's In Need of Love Today", "Another Star" or "Joy Inside My Tears"? I don't know many who wouldn't. And, as a real achievement, this record is one that my classmates really like, in parts. But that's a great thing instead of going for that old Linkin Park or Britney bore. Songs in the Key of Life may or may not be Stevie's best (see my review of Innervisions for further information), but it's certainly, as George Starostin says and everybody should say, the greatest statement of pure optimism in music ever - period.
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