"What are you listening to right now?" thread | Page 597 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Reveal Spoiler

vonbontee said

Von Bontee said

vonbontee said

…OK, this is one schizo collection of sounds – Motown wasn’t sure yet what to do with this kid’s gifts. And so they try him in a variety of formats – jazz instrumentals, Ray Charles covers, straight adult standards, and even a kind of half-assed beach-themed concept. And surprisingly little of the familiar Motown sound that is sweeping the world at the time. (These were recorded between 1962 and ’64) Some of this works, some of it doesn’t…but all of it is worthwhile, because (no longer little) Stevland Judkins Morris of Saginaw, Michigan was and is a goddamned genius (and I want to wish him a happy 70th birthday right now, a coupla months early because life is uncertain), and he’s irrepressable. And he’s all over these records, moving from bongos to keyboards back to drum kit – and seemingly always with his radiant-sounding chromatic harmonica in hand. His voice (not yet changed) is ultimately still that of a child’s (however staggeringly talented); and anyways, there’s something kinda creepy when young adolescents sing of adult romance. For now, at least, that eternally happy-bluesy harmonica feels more like his “real” voice than his actual voice does…

All five of these are mildly-to-very-to-barely enjoyable, and none of them are classic. An interesting start to a career/discography that’s about to get a lot better….

 

…and we come to the second phase of Stevie’s career, his mid-to late teens (1966-1970), when his voice deepens and matures, he begins writing more and participating in the production, adds the Hohner Clavinet to his arsenal and he becomes a consistent smash-hit maker. And Motown consistently churns out IN-consistent albums built on a title smash (occasionally two), assorted covers (including the Doors, Dylan, Sonny & Cher (!), Dylan-via-The Byrds, and many labelmates), passable filler, wonderful filler, and always a bit of sappy balladry that will never vanish entirely from his catalog. (It’ll help him win many, many awards in future!)

Basically, all of these albums are in the range of good-to-very good, with some earth-shattering highs (“Up-Tight” is one of the finest singles of ever) along the way. And still not a truly great album in the bunch. “Signed, Sealed” and “For Once…” are possibly the standouts, for now…but the real step forward won’t happen until Stevie turns 21, and renegotiates his Motown contract so he can start to make his own records his own way….

  

 

 

…but first lemme take a step back a year or two or three to deal with these three weirdos. “Someday At Christmas” I only played once (nearly once), and it wasn’t bad, but I’m not gonna give a second listen until December. Also pleasant and occasionally mildly exciting is the entirely instrumental Adult Contemporary debut of one “Eivets Rednow”, who adds a very familiar-sounding harmonica solo style to the proceedings. Smooth! And the live album is a bit pointless, but does generate some heat when the band extends the grooves a bit. Also: an extended drum solo from the leader, as well as some cool electronic embellishments to his extended clavinet solo on “Shoo Bee Doo Bee…” – a glimpse into the future of his sound, as it approaches its flowering…

  

 

…and behold, as Stevie (alongside Marvin Gaye) initiates Motown’s belated (1971) entry into the album-as-unified-statement era! This is the one – Stevie co-writes all the songs with wife Syreeta Wright (more about her later…) and produces it all himself, letting side musicians contribute only what he’s unable to (strings or horns, mostly), so it’s bound to be his first masterpiece, right? Well, not quite, not yet. Stevie tries out many different approaches here (ballads, funky rockers, swinging pop-soul) that don’t form a cohesive whole, even though there’s nothing downright bad. He’s venturing into new territory, using the mixing board to add as many voices and electronically enhanced keyboard parts as he needs to make a new kind of music, very much his own, that blends soul and R&B and rock and pop and the new frontiers of progressive/electronic sounds. Through the wonders of technology, Stevie can make his trusty clavinet sound remarkably guitar-like anytime he wants; a true one-man rocking soul band. His original songwriting is showing (dare I say it) a definite Beatle influence: combining multiple contrasting song-bits into something bigger than the parts (and occasionally letting songs go on too long, not for the last time); backing himself with a solemn string quartet or “Because “-style droning electronic classicalisms. He’ll rarely be more than competent as a lyricist, and often far worse (one of the many, many reasons I’m convinced he’s the African-American Paul McCartney ), but that amazing voice can redeem anything. Best Stevie Wonder album to date; not a masterpiece, but the very best stuff here (the “Superstition” prototype “Do Yourself A Favour” and the wonderful fast-then-slow hit single “If You Really Loved Me”) suggests that surely a masterpiece is inevitable…

In the meantime, here’s “If You Really Love Me”…again, I don’t know why, but I can imagine Paul McCartney coming up with this song in some bizarro world – reminds me of “Ram “/”Another Day “, something very 1971ish about them alll…I dunno…

PurplishRain said
I’m back, and as Princely as ever

  

Always a pleasure, your Purplishness, hope you’re keeping yourself safe …I was thinking about you just days ago, when I encountered a ’60s Stevie Wonder b-side entitled “Purple Rain Drops”!

Listening to

The first Paul LP I ever bought, some 39  years ago…great collection and over 50 minutes long!