Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (Original) CD Track Listing

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Stevie Wonder Innervisions (Original) (1973)
Innervisions (Original)\n1990 Motown Record Corporation\n\nOriginally Released August 3, 1973\nCD Edition Released ????\nMFSL Gold CD Edition Released January 1991 OR November 15, 1991\nRemastered Edition Released March 21, 2000\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: When Stevie Wonder applied his tremendous songwriting talents to the unsettled social morass that was the early '70s, he produced one of his greatest, most important works, a rich panoply of songs addressing drugs, spirituality, political ethics, the unnecessary perils of urban life, and what looked to be the failure of the '60s dream -- all set within a collection of charts as funky and catchy as any he'd written before. Two of the highlights, "Living for the City" and "Too High," make an especially deep impression thanks to Stevie's narrative talents; on the first, an eight-minute mini-epic, he brings a hard-scrabble Mississippi black youth to the city and illustrates, via a brilliant dramatic interlude, what lies in wait for innocents. (He also uses his variety of voice impersonations to stunning effect.) "Too High" is just as stunning, a cautionary tale about drugs driven by a dizzying chorus of scat vocals and a springing bassline. "Higher Ground," a funky follow-up to the previous album's big hit ("Superstition"), and "Jesus Children of America" both introduced Wonder's interest in Eastern religion. It's a tribute to his genius that he could broach topics like reincarnation and transcendental meditation in a pop context with minimal interference to the rest of the album. Wonder also made no secret of the fact that "He's Misstra Know-It-All" was directed at Tricky Dick, aka Richard Milhouse Nixon, then making headlines (and destroying America's faith in the highest office) with the biggest political scandal of the century. Putting all these differing themes and topics into perspective was the front cover, a striking piece by Efram Wolff portraying Stevie Wonder as the blind visionary, an artist seeing far better than those around him what was going on in the early '70s, and using his astonishing musical gifts to make this commentary one of the most effective and entertaining ever heard. -- John Bush\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: The political undercurrents long simmering in Stevie Wonder's work reached their boiling point on the masterful Innervisions, a record as potent and insightful in its exploration of contemporary life as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On two years earlier. The opening "Too High," an acute condemnation of drug use, quickly establishes the record's forceful yet vibrant tone, which alternates between utopian dreamscapes ("Visions") and tough-minded realism ("Jesus Children of America"); the record's dueling concerns converge on the hit "Living for the City," which is both a brilliant examination of the myriad social ills so endemic to the ghetto experience and a stirring celebration of African-American resilience. And on "Higher Ground," Wonder even points a finger at himself to detail a sinner's second chance at life -- a song which took on even greater resonance in the wake of the car crash which nearly killed him just months after the LP's release. -- Jason Ankeny\n\nAmazon.com essential recording\nOne of Stevie Wonder's best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles, 1973's Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing"), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of "Higher Ground"). The striking juxtaposition between "Vision," a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great "Living for the City," a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. --David Cantwell \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Third of 5 Classic Albums, October 13, 2005\nReviewer: CM (Atlanta)\nIn 1971 Stevie Wonder's Motown contract had expired. Rather than re-signing immediately, as the label expected, Wonder financed the recording of two albums of his own material, playing almost all the instruments himself, and experimenting for the first time with more ambitious musical forms. Wonder then used these recordings as a lever to persuade Motown to offer a more open contract, which gave him total artistic control over his music, plus the opportunity to hold the rights to the music publishing with his own company, Black Bull Music. No other Motown artist up until that time had been granted such a contract. This is even more amazing since Motown records had arguably more future music legends in its stable than any other record label in the world. \n'Innervisions' is the third album from that contract. 'Innervisions' is the culmination of Wonder's experimentation with state of the art synthesizers (he was one of the first to use "TONTO" on a pop recording) on his first album under his new contract `Music of My Mind", and the break through song writing of his second album `Talking Book'. The 2 subsequent albums, "Fulfillingness,' First Finale" and `Songs in the Key of Life' are what I call, his classic 5.\n\n'Innervisions' is a seamless album carrying a central theme throughout, which was rare among "Black" music at that time. Most albums had one, maybe two hits and the rest filler. Every one of the tracks on 'Innervisions' is worthy of contemplation. My favorite piece is 'Visions'. The Acoustic Guitar, Bass and Electric Guitar collaboration of Dean Parks, Malcolm Cecil and Dave "T" Walker respectively is simply beautiful. \nStevie Wonder is as timeless as Bach or Miles Davis. 'Innervisions' will be cherished by generations to come \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nStevie's Greatest achievment , February 26, 2005\nReviewer: Deeyar - \nWhen Stevie Wonder applied his tremendous songwriting talents to the unsettled social morass that was the early '70s, he produced one of his greatest, most important works, a rich panoply of songs addressing drugs, spirituality, political ethics, the unnecessary perils of urban life, and what looked to be the failure of the '60s dream -- all set within a collection of charts as funky and catchy as any he'd written before. Two of the highlights, "Living for the City" and "Too High," make an especially deep impression thanks to Stevie's narrative talents; on the first, an eight-minute mini-epic, he brings a hard-scrabble Mississippi black youth to the city and illustrates, via a brilliant dramatic interlude, what lies in wait for innocents. "Too High" is just as stunning, a cautionary tale about drugs driven by a dizzying chorus of scat vocals and a springing bassline. "Higher Ground," a funky follow-up to the previous album's big hit ("Superstition"), and "Jesus Children of America" both introduced Wonder's interest in Eastern religion. It's a tribute to his genius that he could broach topics like reincarnation and transcendental meditation in a pop context with minimal interference to the rest of the album. Wonder also made no secret of the fact that "He's Misstra Know-It-All" was directed at Tricky Dick, aka Richard Milhouse Nixon, then making headlines with the biggest political scandal of the century. Putting all these differing themes and topics into perspective was the front cover, a striking piece by Efram Wolff portraying Stevie Wonder as the blind visionary, an artist seeing far better than those around him what was going on in the early '70s, and using his astonishing musical gifts to make this commentary one of the most effective and entertaining ever heard.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe best and most thematic Stevie Wonder album, November 2, 2002\nReviewer: Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City: Duluth, MN United States)\nStevie Wonder once explained that "Talking Book" was a collection of better songs, but that "Innervisions" was a better overall statement, especially in terms of his sense of spirituality. Certainly this 1973 album is more coherent thematically. "Higher Ground" and "Living For The City" represent the pinnacle of his songwriter, working on such a different level. "Superstition" might be my favorite Stevie Wonder song, but it is not his best song, if that makes any sense. The ballads "Golden Lady" and "All in Love is Fair," along with "Doncha Worry Bout a Thing," and "Jesus Children of America," are the non-hits that more than justify picking up "Innvervisions" instead of stopping with the latest Stevie Wonder hit collection (e.g., "The Definitive Collection"). Add "Talking Book" to the mix and that would be the minimum essential requirements for the Stevie Wonder section of your music library.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nInnerVisions by Stevie Wonder, July 8, 2002\nReviewer: LaRita Williamson (Chicago, Il United States)\nWhen I first listened to this CD, I listened to it over and over. Golden Lady is my most favorite song. I felt that this song was about an angel, and Stevie was saying that he was willing to go with her to a place he'd never been before.If anyone really listens to this song, it might seem corny on the top, but it's very intense. I will often imagine walking on the beach and being this Golden Lady. \nVisions was a deep interpretation of what we all might believe. Stevie sings about Heaven again. He wants to know if there is a place so beautiful, or is it all just a vision in our mind? Very sad to think of Heaven as just a vision. \n\nLiving for the City is a story of African American's plight with racism and our migration from South to North. He allows us to feel how a naive black man from the south came to the north with hopes and dreams of living better. And how he is tricked by the mean city streets as soon as he stepped off the bus. What is amazing is Stevie's ability to feel and share racism, culture and express it so eloquently in his music, yet he can't really see any of this. His strong identity to the African American community and it's plight is always felt in his music. \n\nI wish I had musical talent... I would be just like Stevie. \n\nDon't Worry about a Thing is a refreshing treat on this CD. It has a funky beat and he tells this woman that she is probably her own worst enemy, and that when she makes a mistake, he will be there for her. And he also tells her to go for it. \n\nI used to really love Songs to the Key of Life, but this CD is always with me now. I am a true Stevie Fan!!!\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n20/20 Vision, January 29, 2001\nReviewer: Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA)\nHot on the heels of Talking Book, Stevie Wonder released what is probably his best single album set, Innervisions. The album is less personal than Talking Book (which many songs dealt with his crumbling marriage) and is his look at America and society at the time. "Too High" takes people to task for constantly using drugs to escape reality. "He's A Misstra Know It All" is about people constantly fronting and "Jesus Children Of America" is a plea to help the children in this country have a better world and life. "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" is a smooth song with Mr. Wonder taking the role of protector. "Golden Lady" is one of his prettiest love songs while "All Is Fair In Love" finds him looking for love at any and all costs. "Higher Ground" is a slice of funk where he is trying to find a higher spiritual plain. The album's centerpiece is the magnificent "Living For The City". In it he eloquently details the struggles of African Americans faced in the 70's and unfortunately still face today. A true stroke of genius. Innervisions was released about seven months after Talking Book and rarely has an artist put out two masterworks in such a short period of time.\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Stevie Wonder \n\nAlbum Notes\nAfter breaking away from the Motown singles mode, Wonder began creating albums that were visionary in concept, sound, and construction. The greatest of these is 1973's INNERVISIONS (1976's SONG IN THE KEY OF LIFE was also an indisputable masterpiece, yet it lacks the economy and focus of INNERVISIONS). Moving largely away from romantic themes (the beautiful "Golden Lady" is the exception), Wonder tackles the socio-cultural landscape of 1970s America, including drugs, urban life, and crooked politicians, in addition to questions of identity, faith, and idealism.\nThe album is also more musically ambitious than anything Wonder had attempted before. "Too High," the album's opener, has a buoyant, jazzy feel with a subtly complex interaction between instruments and vocals. "Livin' for the City" is a story-song with a stomping beat, gospel flavor, and a dramatic interlude and outro. The churning "Higher Ground" segues into the fierce, slinky groove of "Jesus Children of America" (complete with burbling Arp and Moog synthesizers). The intensity of these songs is not mitigated by the slower songs, which are equally stirring, but by the exuberant, Latin-esque "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing," one of the album's highlights. From beginning to end, INNERVISIONS is a work of genius--a powerful, complex, yet accessible pop masterpiece.\n\nIndustry Reviews\nRanked #32 on NME's list of the Greatest Albums Of All Time.\nNME (10/02/1993)\n\nRanked #15 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s.\nNME (09/18/1993)\n\nIncluded in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century\nVibe (12/01/1999)\n\nIncluded in Q Magazine's Best Soul Albums Of All Time\nQ (05/01/2000)\n\n...Won a Grammy for Album Of The Year and remains high in every discerning list of all-time classic LPs...[A] pretty essential acquisition.\nMojo (07/01/2000)\n\nIncluded in Q Magazine's Best Motown Records Of All Time - ...Wonder himself said that INNERVISIONS is the best and who would argue? A funky, jazzy canvas rich with clavinets and Fender Rhoades that encompasses the feelgood...and the edgy...as well as a clutch of classic singles...\nQ (10/01/1999)\n\nRanked #23 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time - ...He reads the national landscape, particularly regarding black America, with penetrating insight on INNERVISIONS...\nRolling Stone (12/11/2003)
This rock cd contains 9 tracks and runs 44min 10sec.
Freedb: 680a5809
Buy: from Amazon.com

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Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (Original) CD Track Listing

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