(Again just a heads up - the image isn't a hint at who the artist is, I was just in my camera roll and found a funny pic.)
Hello everyone!! I hope you spent your weekend like I spent mine - actively trying to get YouTuber diss tracks out of your head. I admit, it helped that I had this specific artist in my head to replace them.
Let's check in on the next DDD!
ALBUMS I'VE HEARD SO FAR
In my last update, I shared I had listened to the first five albums by Stevie, up to Up-Tight. As of today, I'm now through the next nine, covering:
Down To Earth
I Was Made To Love Her
Someday at Christmas
Eivets Rednow
For Once In My Life
My Cherie Amour
Signed, Sealed & Delivered
Where I'm Coming From
Music Of My Mind
I found that this was where Stevland (still not over that) matured not just as a person, but as a performer. His voice had dropped, he could knock out Top 10 hits in his sleep, and especially towards the latter albums in that list, he was starting to experiment more with structure and instrumentation.
I can't say every album was a knockout for me - I was still mostly in the phase where Stevie / Motown would release a bonafide hit, then surround it on an album with okay-to-good songs. But the hits were getting stronger, and so too were the songs surrounding them.
In fact, this was where I was getting to the songs by Stevie that I love dearly. For Once In My Life is, in my mind, one of the greatest love songs ever made. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours has perhaps the most famous descending sequence of seven notes in pop music history. My Cherie Amour... that one's just okay to me but still it's a classic!
But at the very end of this run, I got a taste of where Stevie was about to go.
MUSIC OF MY MIND
Guys. GUYS. GUYSSSSSSSS. Holy crap this album is good. As soon as I finished one listen, I immediately started another. This is often considered the beginning of Stevie's classic run, and ohhhhh god what a way to kick it off.
From what I've read, this was where Stevie brought in hefty electronic influences - not just employing two pros in the space (Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil) but also using the TONTO synthesizer. The whole album is not just groovy and dense with hooks, but it's so playful. It sounds like you're just hearing the whole band rift and go wherever they want - which is crazy because Stevie played most of the instruments on the whole album.
Also, Superwoman?? That transition?? THAE SECOND HALF????? Unreal.
PROOF OF ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
By this point, I was thinking of how Stevie's story so far is a testament to the value of artist development. I wonder (haha) if Stevie would be given the same chances if he were an artist today, or if he'd be shelved after one or two less-successful albums.
Then again, that way of thinking is likely different to how Motown thought of his success. As a listener 50 years later, I get to experience his albums as full works and consider them out of their initial context. But at the time, Motown was probably viewing Stevie as a singles machine, and would be happy if he simply got home runs with his hit songs. Something that Stevie did quite well!
SONGS TO CHECK OUT
My first recommendation is frankly the entirely of Music Of My Mind, but if you want just one song, definitely listen to Superwoman. Here are some other recs from the other albums:
The Lonesome Road - specifically for the way Stevie's voice distorts the mic at around the 2:10 mark. So good.
His cover of My Girl - the Temptations' rendition is a top 10 song of all time, Stevie nails it
For Once In My Life - like I said, one of the best love songs. Special shoutout to James Jamerson on the bass, and another special shoutout to this Vulfpeck video where they map out James' bass part
We Can Work It Out - he covered the Beatles! And one of my favorite songs by them too!!
Sunshine In Their Eyes - an excellent closer to a pivotal album for Stevie. Where I'm Coming From is where you can feel him stretching for something that was musically new and exciting. I love albums like that, the warm-up to the albums everyone will come to love.
Evil - not just for being an incredible closer to MOMM, but also for its use in the Teddy Perkins episode of Atlanta, iykyk
THE ALBUM I'M REACTING TO
In my last update, I polled y'all on what album by Stevie I should film a reaction to. After tallying the votes, that album will be...
Songs In The Key of Life!
I had a feeling that would be the one to get it - by all accounts I've seen, it's THE Stevie Wonder album. I of course know a few songs off it, but I've never heard the thing in full. That'll change very soon!
Considering where I'm at in my listening journey, I'll likely film that reaction this week. And it'll come out at the same time as the DDD. I'm excited!!
And that's it for now!! I'll post another update next week, but before that, I should have another main channel video coming out this week. See you then!