Stevie Wonder, The #9 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

Stevie was beginning to attract more fans and his live show was greatly improving during this period.  The time was right for the 1970 release, Stevie Wonder Live.

Stevie wrote this song with Lee Garrett (whom he met at the Michigan School for the Blind), Syreeta Wright (whom he later married), and his mother Lula Hardaway.  Wonder's single "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (from the album Signed, Sealed and Delivered) was his first in which he also produced a song, though label head Berry Gordy, Jr. balked at the idea at first.  The song features a sitar, showing Wonder's affinity for the Beatles.  It jumped to #1 on the R&B chart and #3 overall and earned Stevie Grammy nominations for Best Rhythm and Blues song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.

Wonder scored another hit on the album with "Heaven Help Us All", a #2 R& B smash that landed at #9 on the Popular chart.

 

And, he was beginning to enhance his albums with more than just hits and filler, with this quality track--"Never Had A Dream Come True".

Later in the year, Wonder released the album At the Talk of the Town, another live release.  Stevie also wrote songs for other artists, including the #1 classic "The Tears Of A Clown" for Smoky Robinson and the Miracles.  On September 14, he married Syreeta Wright, whom he met while Wright was a secretary at Motown.  Syreeta helped Stevie with the lyrics for the 1971 album Where I'm Coming From.  

 

This song was the last of Stevie's to use the Motown backing group the Funk Brothers, with Wonder playing Moog bass synthesizer, drums, and piano.  After its release, Wonder moved to New York City and played most of the instruments himself.  He scored another Top 10 smash with "If You Really Love Me", even at #8 a bit underrated, but a #4 R&B hit.  

 "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" is another solid track on the album.

Wonder released the compilation album Greatest Hits, Volume 2 in 1971.  

Eyeing the creative deal that Marvin Gaye got at the time, Stevie wanted that same autonomy in the studio.  Meanwhile, he co-wrote and played several instruments on the Spinners song "It's A Shame".  When his Motown contract expired, Stevie recorded two albums on independent labels before signing a new deal with Motown, which substantially increased his royalty rate.

In 1972, Wonder released the album Music of My Mind, which was his first in a string of six masterful projects which had a theme and represented Stevie at his creative best.  The album featured mature lyrics with social and political undertones and music which was overdubbed with most of the instruments played by Wonder himself.  

 

Stevie also began to work with Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil of Tonto's Expanding Head Band to implement synthesizers into his music, which would pay dividends in the years that immediately followed.  The single "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" (with Stevie playing all the instruments on the track except for electric guitar, played by Buzz Feiten) was only a minor hit.

 

Wonder's natural ability and perfection of song structure combined for a stellar decade.  He was now a master at work, ergo the album's liner notes:  "The sounds themselves come from inside his mind. The man is his own instrument. The instrument is an orchestra."  Beautiful Song of the Week is on point with this analysis:

             What makes this a beautiful song:

1. The lyrics. They radiate positivity and love, anticipating “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” which would come out just seven months later.

2. The chords. With their chromatic downward slides and major-to-minor shifts, they anticipate the funkiness of “Sir Duke,” which would come out in 1976.

3. The clavinet. Its use here anticipates perhaps the most iconic Stevie Wonder track of all; “Superstition.”

This is the wonderful "Happier Than The Morning Sun".

 

With a driving rhythm, bass line, and the funkiest wah-wah throughout, "Keep On Running" is among the best in his catalog.

Wonder released the fantastic album Talking Book in 1972.  The emotion, the intensity, the variation of material, and complexity of both the lyrics and music, reflected an artist beginning to reveal his amazing musical personality and songwriting that was nearing the top of his craft.  

 

Jeff Beck, The #3 Guitarist of the Rock Era*, was a big fan of Stevie's and Wonder asked Jeff if he would play guitar on the album in exchange for one of his songs.  While working on the sessions, Beck came up with the opening drum beat for this song.  Stevie told Beck to keep playing while he improvised over the top.  

Wonder improved most of the song, including the riff, on the spot, and the pair had a rough demo that day!  "Superstition" (with vocals from Bill Withers and Billy Preston), his first #1 song since his debut hit, which featured the Hohner Clavinet keyboard, also peaked at #6 in Canada. 

"Superstition" was the first noticeable result of his earlier collaboration with Margouleff and Cecil.  Stevie forcefully sang the vocals as if to make it clear he was his own man.  Up to this point, no one had been able to fashion such warmth and expression from the cold, mechanical-sounding instruments.  Wonder won his first two Grammys with awards for Best Rhythm and Blues Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.  

Stevie toured with the Rolling Stones, which introduced his genius to a new set of fans and helped the album go to #3, his first Top 10 album in nine years.  Wonder sounded magnificently happy on "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", which also reached #1 on both the Popular and Adult charts-both this and "Superstition" are included in The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

Wonder won another Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" was also nominated for the prestigious Record and Song of the Year awards.   "Looking For Another Pure Love", co-written with wife Syreeta, also features Beck on lead guitar.

 

Yet on the same album as tender love songs such as those two, Stevie gave a hint of what was to come with "Big Brother", which scorched politicians who claimed to be on the side of the people only when they needed votes.  While drawing references from George Orwell's book 1984, the song is primarily about racism and the African-American experience in the United States.

Songs for Talking Book, written either during or directly after the split of Wonder and Wright, is not just Stevie's confessional album; it is the confessions of both parties.  Case in point--"Blame It On The Sun" was written by Syreeta.

 

Ray Parker, Jr., who later formed the group Raydio ("You Can't Change That") and had solo success as well ("Ghostbusters"), played guitar on "Maybe Your Baby".

 We're featuring more Wonder material from Talking Book because it really is that good.  Here is "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)".

 "You've Got It Bad Girl" features lead vocals from Quincy Jones, who also produced the song.  Among the backing musicians is Carole Kaye, famous for being the bassist for The Wrecking Crew.

The master was just getting started on an incredible run of superlative music.  Join us for Part Three!