59. Stevie Wonder, "Talking Book"

 


First of all, this was Stevie Wonder's FIFTEENTH album, and one of two he released in 1972 alone.  This man has been working harder at music for longer than just about anybody.  This album has two absolute classic songs, "Superstition" and "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" but there really aren't any clangers, they're all great songs.

"Superstition" is an all-timer, a sharp and funky head-bopper with that instantly recognizable Hohner Calvinet riff that Wonder improvised while Jeff Beck, of all people, played the drums.  (Beck would later release his own version of the song on the Beck, Bogert & Appice album; I'll let you guess who has the superior take on the song.)  That riff drives the song, popping and swerving its way through while Wonder lays down his usual flawless vocal.  

"I Believe" is also instantly recognizable, mostly for its brilliant melody, which starts off with some incredibly dark imagery:

Shattered dreams, worthless years
Here am I encased inside a hollow shell
Life began, then was done
Now I stare into a cold and empty well

Yikes, Stevie!  Once the narrator meets that special someone, however, things quickly look up:

The many sounds that meet our ears
The sights our eyes behold
Will open up our merging hearts
And feed our empty souls

Well that sounds better!  The song was memorably used in the final scene of High Fidelity, the 2000 love letter to music geeks:



Inspired by Marvin Gaye and Sly and ther Family Stone, Wonder also turned his attention to the turmoil of the day.  "Big Brother," a reference to Orwell's 1984, is a sweet-sounding ballad with a serious message:

Your name is big brother
You say that you're tired of me protesting
Children dying everyday
My name is nobody
But I can't wait to see your face inside my door

The other mega-hit from this album was the first track, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," which you almost certainly know by heart.  Now that it's 50 years old (in fact, this album came out 50 years ago last week - October 27, 1972), it sounds like easy listening but it was huge.  

This album is a like, not love, for me.  Apart from "Superstition" and "I Believe," I don't love a lot of the songs, although I certainly appreciate Wonder's way of making it look so effortless.  

Is this album in my personal Top 100? No.

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