Stevie Wonder's Talking Book :
Once upon a time Stevie Wonder was a washed-up teen phenom, the Justin Bieber of his era, if Bieber were truly talented.
Oh, that's unfair. Just give a listen to 1971's "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2". It's the forgotten tracks that kill. Give a spin to "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day". It positively SWINGS! I know you dance in the club today to those bass-heavy tracks, but "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" is like a virus, it infects you, makes you hop around like a jumping bean. At 2:47, it's too short, you've just got to play it again and again and again. Then there's the exquisite cover of "We Can Work It Out". I find most Beatles covers forgettable, a pale shadow of the original. But Stevie adds something here, the keyboard treatment if nothing else! And there's the monster hit "For Once In My Life" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)". "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" is just as infectious as "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" and the groove is just as hooky, this is why Motown is legendary. And Stevie had a hand in writing "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" but nobody knew that, Stevie Wonder was just another one of the cavalcade of stars at Berry Gordy's label.
Wrong.
Stevie was a kid who'd put in his 10,000 hours and suddenly wanted to do it his way, wanted to break out of the singles business and make album-long statements. And he did this, with 1972's "Music Of My Mind", it's just that the white people didn't find out. Stevie was playing by rock rules, but looking at the album cover, closing their minds to greatness, "Music Of My Mind" never received the accolades it deserved. Sure, Stevie opened the Stones' tour, but most people were unfamiliar with the songs, his band was tight and he killed but the audience didn't get it (I know, I was there...)
Text by Bob Lefsetz
