He played his entire "Songs in the Key of Life" album and it was hands down the most amazing concert experience I've ever had. His voice hasn't changed a bit, and his talent is mind boggling. I listen to him sing, watch him play, experience his compositions... and I just don't know how it's possible.
There is no one like him. Do NOT miss his show if he comes near you. He is a once in a generation (or two or three) talent.
I'd prefer Innervisions. But yes he is an amazing talent. One of those people who refused to stick with a successful formula, and instead decided to become creative.
I'm only missing him in Chicago because he's playing at a sports arena and I KNOW the sound is going to suck there. But it breaks my heart because I love his music and I've never seen him live.
SitKoL is a fantastic record for the most part. I think he spread himself a little too thin by making it a double album, but the majority of it is great. It was the end of an amazing roll, starting with "Music of My Mind." But there are at least a few gems on all of his albums since. The guy is a phenom; incredible talent!
I would have loved to have seen that show, I hope he brings it over here but won't hold my breath!
Saw Stevie @ MSG for the "Hotter Then July Tour"( 81' ) w/ Gil Scot Heron..Was blown away! and on top of that I bought tickets from a scalper for less then face value!
He was trying - and failing - to suppress tears during Summer Soft on the opening night. One of his backing vocalists had to fill in for him for a while.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmH39VyWf74 - from the first chorus onwards.
I know live music can be infected with ersatz emotion, but that seems completely genuine to me, very moving.
Saw him Sunday night at Wells Fargo in Philly. Amazing show but was a bit less of an experience than when I last saw him in 86. While Songs is a great album it did force him to drop so many awesome songs from the set. I thought the highlight was the 3 in a row Contusion, Sir Duke and I Wish. Also, crazy that he had about 40 band members with him. He has to be in the red touring with that many folks.
Last edited by Jay G; 11-24-2014 at 04:27 AM.
Didn't know he was a prog artist...
Well this is the "Off topic - Music and Arts" section.Originally Posted by Mythos
Having said that, I'd call him a lot more progressive than many other acts labelled as such - Muse for example.
Stevie Wonder is nothing if not progressive. His catalog stacks up well against most other singer/songwriters, and he's not even a California former folkie.
Muse is one of those pop bands that have some progressive ideas, but definitely not always. They surely do have the arena bombast pretention of many prog bands live.
My opinion of Muse has evolved all the way from laughable popsters to truly talented, unlike Stevie, who had me at "Fingertips Pt.1" & has ever since,
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Stevie Wonder is one of the most gifted and talented and indeed progressive artist of all time, and to cap it all he has one of the very best voices to ever have graced a recording. Sure he doesn't play Prog, unless you count Contusion, in which case he does that better than most too.
Are any of Stevie Wonder's albums from the 80s and forward worth hearing? I kind of stopped with Stevie Wonder at roughly the same point I stopped with Elton John and Rod Stewart. All were great artists who lost it (IMO) somewhere around the late 70s.
Agreed, all of those albums are mindblowing; it was a stunning burst of creativity and musical quality. I really should have better copies of them (the only one I actually own at present is Talking Book, and then only on 8-track!). Nobody else at Motown, not even Marvin Gaye (as incredible as What’s Going On is) could touch him.
Hotter Than July is good; not on a par with his 70s stuff, but good. The less said about In Square Circle the better.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Who said he was? This is OT anyway.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
True, but Elton has made a creative comeback the last decade or so and put out some pretty strong albums.
I thought I responded already but it seems to have disappeared...
I think a lot of people turned off Stevie, as i did, when he sang that awful sloppy feel-good number "I Just Called To Say I Love You", which seemed tailor made for radio request shows and seemed to be on top of the charts for months on end. I think he did make an effort after that to redeem himself. The Characters album gets good press, though I haven't heard it in its entirety.
As for Elton John, nothing he has done since about 1978 approaches the brilliance of his classic early 70s albums (IMO), but The One is a pretty good listen, and his latest, The Diving Board, is not bad either.
I certainly did.
That lachrymose ballad was his biggest solo hit here by far. He was on those platitude-heavy ('Ebony And Ivory', 'That's What Friends Are For', 'We Are The World') singles in the 80s as well. You do too much of that, you end up being pigeonholed as 'Adult Contemporary'.
My favourite remains 'Innervisions'.
(Elton's really iffy period was the 90s IMHO. The worst thing about most of Elton's 80s stuff isn't necessarily the songs (though there are certainly howlers) but the production values.)
Saw the show last night and I echo all the positive reviews. Around here we often discuss aging singers and their declining abilities, but none of those were apparent with Stevie! His voice was as clear and powerful as ever and so familiar. Legendary entertainer that really knows how to draw the audience in with love and humor. The band was totally lethal too, of course! Earl Klugh was a guest on a few tunes too, a legend in his own right. Hope a DVD comes out of this tour because you all need to see this. Here's a review-
http://music.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/23...ey-in-atlanta/
Yer shittin' me.
Behold, the worst song Stevie was ever involved with. I’m convinced this was Berry Gordy exacting some sort of cruel revenge on Stevie. Prepare yourselves for crap on a monumental scale!
Swapping out his grand piano for a Roland digital certainly did him no favours.(Elton's really iffy period was the 90s IMHO. The worst thing about most of Elton's 80s stuff isn't necessarily the songs (though there are certainly howlers) but the production values.)
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
You didn't try and wave to him, did you?
Q: What does Stevie Wonder's wife do when she gets mad at him?
A: Paste hundreds and thousands in his books.
Really do we need bad taste jokes on a Stevie Wonder genius thread?
yes......
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