Cecil has a great quote in that book, something about how Stevie didn't know how to program a synthesizer and only used factory presets on SitKoL.
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:37 (1 year ago) Permalink
Sadly, the remainder of his career would tend to confirm that claim.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
Haha, right.
For those few lost souls who don't recognize the greatness of the early singles, here's the original version for archival purposes. And because it ROCKS of course!
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
You don't know how close I came to posting Michael McDonald's "Signed, Sealed."
08. DON'T YOU WORRY 'BOUT A THING (Innervisions, 1973) -- 337 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 vote
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
I speak VERY FLUENT SPANISH
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
I can actually lip sync to that whole bit now.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:58 (1 year ago) Permalink
Craigery Morgan : Kristen Wiig characters on SNL :: Me : Stevie Wonder
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 15:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
07. HIGHER GROUND (Innervisions, 1973) -- 366 points, 16 votes, 1 #1 vote
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:05 (1 year ago) Permalink
So I guess we can safely say all of Innervisions will place?
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
i voted for 7/9 of them. i approve.
― anorange (abanana), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
Now, that one would have been my Number One. Except maybe for.... (soon come, I guess)
― Mark G, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
06. GOLDEN LADY (Innervisions, 1973) -- 368 points, 16 votes, 2 #1 votes
Good job, ILX voters. This one bobbed in and out of the top 10 for awhile. Then it began bobbing in and out of the top 5 before settling just outside. <3 all those who voted for it.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
Bleh, more album filler :)
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:27 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think you're kidding. But then again, you didn't vote for it.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:38 (1 year ago) Permalink
And I hold anyone who doesn't vote for this in suspicion.
I think it was pretty clear from the start that our tastes are not very alike ('Summer Soft'??). And I didn't vote for it because I think it's the worst song on Innervision.
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
I love the bass and piano at the beginning. Like a lot of Stevie's songs from this period, it could go anywhere.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm learning that other people rate Stevie's non-funk stuff way higher than I do
― unorthodox economic revenge (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
Cecil has a great quote in that book, something about how Stevie didn't know how to program a synthesizer and only used factory presets on SitKoL.― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:37 AM (1 hour ago) Sadly, the remainder of his career would tend to confirm that claim.― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:39 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:37 AM (1 hour ago)
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:39 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark
But were there such things as factory presets on analog synths in 1976?
Eric H OTM. My first thought (which I think I've posted elsewhere) when I heard "I Just Called..." was, "Oh, he wrote a song around the 'demo' button on a Casio." My second was that he must've thought, "Hey, I don't have to play the drums anymore! This keyboard plays them for me!"
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:12 (1 year ago) Permalink
XP - If by "non-funk stuff" you mean his ballads, that's about 2/3 of his output - even on his greatest albums - right there. And if you don't love at least a few of Stevie's ballads...well I don't mean to judge, but gosh. I feel sorry for your ears.
― Melle Mel and the Coconuts (thewufs), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Higher Ground" = my #1. Surprised "Golden Lady" did slightly better, but I voted for that too.
Great top 10 so far.
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think it was pretty clear from the start that our tastes are not very alike
Um, you voted in a Stevie Wonder poll. They can't be THAT far off.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
My favorite poll so far.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
05. AS (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 372 points, 17 votes, 3 #1 votes
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
If by "non-funk stuff" you mean his ballads, that's about 2/3 of his output - even on his greatest albums - right there.
there's plenty of Stevie ballads that I like, and some of the pre-70s stuff is okay, but they're all kind of secondary in my mind behind stuff like Superstition, Higher Ground, You Haven't Done Nothin, I Wish, etc.
"As"? more like "ass".
― unorthodox economic revenge (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm an equal-opportunity Stevie fan-maniac. I love his funk stuff as much as his ballads as much as his twee album filler.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:19 (1 year ago) Permalink
I just don't like "Ebony & Ivory."
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
"As" is great. There've been some appalling cover versions of it though.
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
04. SIR DUKE (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976) -- 381 points, 18 votes
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
wow neither Sir Duke nor As at number 1? surprising!
― piscesx, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:31 (1 year ago) Permalink
o rly?
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
superstition v. uptight v. living for the city, right? genuinely can't tell what will win but all are good enough to.
― Ravaging Rick Rude (a hoy hoy), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:33 (1 year ago) Permalink
Guess "I Don't Know Why" won't make it. Bummer. Was in my top 5.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
I hope Living for the City is not number one
― gospodin simmel, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:38 (1 year ago) Permalink
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
― Ravaging Rick Rude (a hoy hoy), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
xp I love it of course, but Superstition and Uptight feel like better choices for the top
― gospodin simmel, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
Yeah, I'm kind of surprised at the direction this top 5 is taking. I would never have guessed 'As' would place this high. But I'm pretty sure 'Uptight' will win.
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
As - TOO LOW
― Melle Mel and the Coconuts (thewufs), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
I was kinda resigned earlier to 7 minutes of bathtime gurgles being #1. So yay ILM.
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
I hate when people jump in and start listing the top three or whatever, even if we don't know the order--let us enjoy the g.d. results in real time!
― Iago Galdston, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
Heywhatabout "Tell Me Something Good"? Fuck y'all if you forgot about that one.
― Melle Mel and the Coconuts (thewufs), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
'Race Babbling' anyone?
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
03. LIVING FOR THE CITY (Innervisions, 1973) -- 483 points, 22 votes, 3 #1 votes
Yep, Innervisions went 9/9. I call it "the Innervisions effect.'
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
I've no problem with that (the 9/9). I think I voted for more songs from Hotter Than July though, which is evidently the most underrated Stevie LP around these parts.
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
TS: Album or single version?
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
Would love too see a post-Seventies (or even post-Musiquarium) Stevie poll, which is all too predictably slept-on here as elsewhere.
― Melle Mel and the Coconuts (thewufs), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
If you follow the official ILX list, your next chance will be somewhere around May of 2013...
― ArchCarrier, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think I voted as many Hotter Than July tracks as any other album. Hella underrated.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
Alright, top two time.
02. UPTIGHT (EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT) (Up-Tight, 1966) -- 527 points, 21 votes, 2 #1 votes
01. SUPERSTITION (Talking Book, 1972) -- 637 points, 25 votes, 2 #1 votes
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:19 (1 year ago) Permalink
I've never once seen a Stevie Wonder poll in which "Superstition" didn't more or less run the table.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:20 (1 year ago) Permalink