The #4 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder

We are 6/10th's of the way through the Top 10 Albums of All-Time.  Back in Black from AC/DC was #10, The Dark Side of the Moon from Pink Floyd was #9, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles was #8, Carole King's Tapestry was #7, Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette was #6 and Led Zeppelin IV came in at #5.


Masterpieces all, as is this celebrated album.  Stevie Wonder put out several albums (Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale in particular) that are solid albums which just missed the Top 100.  Wonder, angry about how the United States Government was running the country in the early 70's, nearly gave up on music in his disillusionment.  Instead, he vowed to keep putting out music with lyrics that mattered, in the hope that the country would change.  He signed a new deal with Motown Records and expectations were high for his new album, his 18th.


In this case, the 18th time was the charm, for everything went perfect.  In short, magic existed for that period of time in the way it did for these other tip-top albums.  The album's concept, or Wonder's intention, was to provide "keys to life" or what was needed for indefinite success.  He penned some of the most socially-conscious work of his career, songs about faith and love among people of the world and social justice for the poor and downtrodden.  Wonder spent long hours in the studio, not eating or sleeping, feeling that he was "in a groove". 


He was.  On October 16, 1976, Songs in the Key of Life became the third album of the Rock Era to debut at #1 (after Elton John's Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock of the Westies) and back then, it meant something.  To debut ahead of albums such as Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs, Frampton Comes Alive, Fly Like an Eagle from Steve Miller, Hasten Down the Wind by Linda Ronstadt and Fleetwood Mac was impressive to say the least.  Stevie Wonder remained at #1 for 13 weeks, gave up the spot for a couple weeks, then returned to #1.  It also hung around at #3 for eight additional weeks.  


Songs in the Key of Life remained in the Top 10 for 34 weeks and on the chart for 80.  In 1977, only Fleetwood Mac's Rumours outsold it.  To date, it has sold 10 million copies and has an outstanding Track Rating* of 9.67.  At #4, it is the top double album in the Rock Era.  





Singles helped publicize this incredible album but you don't get a Track Rating* of 9.67 on singles alone, especially on a double album.  Whereas albums such as The White Album by the Beatles, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John and The Wall by Pink Floyd could not match single albums for their quality and consistency, this double album did, and it is an amazing achievement just for that.  


"I Wish", the #1 "Sir Duke"and "Isn't She Lovely" were all big hits and "Another Star" and "As" remain two of The Most Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  Every song in the album is excellent; there wouldn't be any point of singling any others out because they are all outstanding.  


So incredible chart performance and airplay for both singles and hidden gems were a big part of the album's success.  The longevity and sales success throughout time up to 2011 are evidence of the album's lasting appeal.  The outstanding Track Record* shows that the songs were chosen carefully and obviously, Wonder worked on them very hard.  Those factors are going to get the album in the Top 10, but the climb is tougher the closer you get to #1, so there must be something else to get this high.


The album far overshadows the critical respect and recognition given to albums #5 and #6, even though they got their share.  Wonder was nominated for seven Grammy Awards for the album, and he won for Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male Rhythm and Blues Performer and Producer of the Year.  Elton John remarked that "Wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life.  For me, it's the best album ever made, and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it."  George Michael also mentioned the album as his favorite of all-time, as does Mariah Carey.  Whitney Houston cites the album as a great influence on her singing.  




Songs in the Key of Life:
1.    "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Stevie Wonder" --7:06
2.    "Have a Talk with God" (Wonder, Calvin Hardaway) --2:42
3.    "Village Ghetto Land" (Wonder, Gary Byrd) --3:25
4.    "Contusion" (Wonder) --3:46
5.    "Sir Duke" (Wonder) --3:54
6.    "I Wish" (Wonder) --4:12
7.    "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) --3:36
8.    "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) --3:28
9.    "Summer Soft" (Wonder) --4:14
10.  "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) --6:23
11.  "Isn't She Lovely?" (Wonder) --6:34
12.  "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) --6:30
13.  "Black Man" (Wonder, Byrd) --8:30
14.  "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" (Wonder) --3:49
15.  "If It's Magic" (Wonder) --3:12
16.  "As" (Wonder) --7:08
17.  "Another Star" (Wonder) --8:28




Wonder played all instruments on "Have a Talk with God" and "Village Ghetto Land".  He used an incredible number of musicians and vocalists on the other songs on the album, broken down below:

Love's in Need of Love Today"  Eddie "Bongo" Brown--collinga Stevie Wonder--all other instruments "Contusion" Mike Sembello--lead guitar Nathan Watts--bass Ben Bridges--rhythm guitar Greg Phillinganes--keyboard Stevie Wonder--all other instruments Vocals:  Michael Gray, Jose James, Shirley Brewer and Artece May "Sir Duke" Mike Sembello--lead guitar Raymond Pounds--drums Nathan Watts--bass Ben Bridges--rhythm guitar Hank Redd--alto saxophone Raymond Maldonado--trumpet Trevor Laurence--tenor saxophone Steve Madaio--trumpet Stevie Wonder--all other instruments "I Wish" Raymond Pounds--drums Nathan Watts--bass Hank Redd--alto saxophone Raymond Maldonado--trumpet Trevor Laurence--tenor saxophone Steve Madaio--trumpet Stevie Wonder--Fender Rhodes, ARP 2600 Synthesizer "Knocks Me Off My Feet" Stevie Wonder--acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, drums, synthesizer bass "Pastime Paradise"  Raymond Maldonado--percussion Bobbye Hall--percussion Stevie Wonder--all other instruments Vocals:  Hare Krishna, West Angeles Church Choir "Summer Soft" Ben Bridges--rhythm guitar Ronnie Foster--organ Larry Latimer--percussion Stevie Wonder--acoustic piano, drums, hi-hat, synthesizer bass "Ordinary Pain" Mike Sembello--lead guitar Hank Redd--alto saxophone Stevie Wonder--all other instruments Vocals:  Minnie Riperton, Mary Lee Whitney, Deniece Williams, Syreeta Wright Shirley Brewer--reply Replies and background vocals:  Linda Lawrence, Terri Hendricks, Sundray Tucker, Charity McCrary, Madelaine Jones "Isn't She Lovely?" Greg Phillinganes--keyboard Stevie Wonder-_Fender Rhodes, Bass Synthesizer, harmonica, drums "Joy Inside My Tears" Stevie Wonder:  Piano, bass synthesizer, drums Greg Phillinganes--keyboard Susaye Greene--background vocals "Black Man" Stevie Wonder--Fender Rhodes, bass synthesizer, synthesizer, talk box, drums, percussion Hank Redd-alto and tenor saxophone Steve Madaio--trumpet George Bohanon--trombone Glen Ferris-trombone "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia" Background Percussion:  Charles Brewer, Shirley Brewer, Renee Hardaway, Nelson Hayes, Marietta Waters, Nathan Watts, John Fischbach, Amale Mathews, Josette Valentino Stevie Wonder--all other instruments "If It's Magic" Dorothy Ashby--harp "As" Nathan Watts--bass, handclaps Dean Parks--guitar Herbie Hancock--Fender Rhodes, handclaps Greg Brown--drums Stevie Wonder:  Fender Rhodes Mary Lee Whitney--background vocals Dave Hanson, Yolanda Simon, Josette Valentino--handclaps "Another Star" Bobbi Humphrey--flute George Benson--guitar and background vocals Hank Redd--alto saxophone Raymond Maldonado--trumpet Trevor Laurence--tenor saxophone Steve Madaio--trumpet Nathan Alford, Jr.--percussion Carmello Hungria Garcia--timbales Stevie Wonder--piano, bass guitar, drums These musicians and vocalists also contributed to the amazing album that aren't mentioned above: Sneaky Pete Kleinow--pedal steel guitar W.G. Walden--guitar Howard Feiten--guitar Jim Horn--saxophone Shirley Brewer--percussion Colleen Carlton--percussion, vocals Carol Cole--percussion Carmelo Garcia--percussion Raymond Maldonado--percussion Amale Mathews--percussion, vocals Josette Valentino--percussion, vocals John Harris--sound effects Don Hunter--sound effects, programming Larry Scott--sound effects Aisha Morris--crying on "Isn't She Lovely?" Vocals:  Gary Byrd, Michael Wycoff, Jay Boy Adams, Henry America, Linda America, Baradras, Brenda Barnett, Khalif Bobatoon, Starshemah Bobatoon, Sudana Bobatoon, Charles Brewer, Berry Bridges, Cecilia Brown, Jean Brown, Rodney Brown, Addie Cox, Agnideva Dasa, Duryodhana Guru Dasa, Jayasacinandana Dasa, Jitamrtyi Dasa, Vedavyasa Dasa, Cinmayi Dasi, Yogamaya Dasi, Carolyn Dennis, Bhakta Eddie, Doe Rani Edwards, Jacqueline F. English, Ethel Enoix, Al Jocko Fann, Barbara Fann, Melani Fann, Shelley Fann, Tracy Fann, John Fischbach, Suzie Fuzzell, Anthony Givens, Audrey Givens, Derrick Givens, Mildred Givens, Michael Gray, Mimi Green, Bhakta Gregory, Renee Hardaway, Jeania Harris, Troy Harris, Nelson Hayes, Adrian Janes, Calvin Johnson, Carol Johnson, Patricia Johnson, Bhakta Kevin, Phillip Kimble, James Lambert, Larry Latimer, Irma Leslie, Kim Lewis, Carl Lockhart, Gail Lockhart, Carolyn Massenburg, Linda McCrary-Cambell, William Moore, Lonnie Morgan, Kim Nixon, Lisa Nixon, Larri Nuckens, Gary Olazabal, Edna Orso, Gwen Perry, Gregory Rudd, Rukmini, Yolanda Simmons, Keith Slaughter, Rosona Starks, Dennis Swindell, Gary Veney, Sheryl Walker, Marietta Waters Songs in the Key of Life was recorded between 1975 and 1976 at Crystal Sound Studios and The Record Plant in Hollywood, California, The Record Plant in Sausalito, California and The Hit Factory in New York City, New York.  Wonder arranged and produced the album; John Fischbach was the engineer. Stevie Wonder is positioned at #4 for the Rock Era* with Songs in the Key of Life.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 6

1955:  "A Fool For You" by Ray Charles & His Band topped the R&B chart.
1956:  Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Frankie Lymon and Connie Francis (singing for actress Tuesday Weld) began work on the movie Rock, Rock, Rock!
1960:  The Beatles went to evaluate drummer Pete Best at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool, England.  Best was with the group the Blackjacks and was the son of Casbah owner Mona Best.
1960:  Chubby Checker performed "The Twist" on The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show.
1963:  Bob Dylan began recording the album The Times They Are A-Changin'.
1964:  Rod Stewart appeared on television for the first time with his group the Hootchie Coochie Men on the British show The Beat Room.
1965:  The Beatles released the album Help! in the U.K.  They released the album the following week (August 13) in the United States.

A classic album release from Pat Benatar and single releases from the Spinners, Sly & the Family Stone and the Allman Brothers all highlighted on This Date in Rock Music History...

1965:  The Who, the Moody Blues, and the Yardbirds opened the fifth annual National Jazz and Blues Festival on the Richmond Athletic Grounds in Richmond, Surrey, England.











1966:  "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by the Temptations racked up a sixth week at #1 on the R&B chart.

                                   The ever-popular Paul Revere & the Raiders...

1966:  Yesterday...and Today was the #1 album again from the Beatles, holding off Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra and Aftermath by the Rolling Stones.  What Now My Love from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soundtrack to "Doctor Zhivago" was #5, Going Places by Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Somewhere My Love from Ray Coniff & the Singers moved from 20-7, Alpert's Whipped Cream & Other Delights moved back into the Top 10 after 65 weeks, Paul Revere & the Raiders from Boise, Idaho were at #9 with Midnight Ride and If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears by the Mamas and the Papas was #10.







1969:  Sly & the Family Stone released the single "Hot Fun In The Summertime".
1969:  Led Zeppelin appeared at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California.
1970:  Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Simon, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin, Poco, the James Gang and Johnny Winters performed at the Festival for Peace at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York.










1971:  Procol Harum recorded a concert done with the Edmonton Symphony in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  The event would later be released as the album Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.












1973:  The Allman Brothers Band released the single "Ramblin' Man".
1973:  Stevie Wonder was seriously hurt in a car accident with a logging truck near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that  put him in a coma for four days and also permanently robbed him of his sense of smell.













1975:  The Spinners released the single "Games People Play".














1976:  Manfred Mann's Earth Band released the single "Blinded By The Light".
1977:  The Police played at the Mont du Marsan Punk Festival in France, their final gig as a four-piece.
1977:  Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" was #1 in the U.K.  Boney M had #2--"Ma Baker", "Angelo" by Brotherhood of Man was third, followed by "Pretty Vacant" from the Sex Pistols and "Fanfare For The Common Man" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer.








1977:  The great song "Strawberry Letter 23" by Brothers Johnson was the #1 R&B hit.

1980:  Pat Benatar released her classic album Crimes of Passion on Chrysalis Records.
1982:  The Pink Floyd movie The Wall premiered in New York City.
1983:  A new duo first charted with the song "Change".  You probably know them better for their second single, released two years later called "Everybody Wants To Rule the World".  They were Tears for Fears.
1983:  The Very Best of the Beach Boys topped the U.K. Album chart.
1983:  Rita Coolidge had the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "All Time High".








1984:  Billy Ocean released the single "Caribbean Queen".  (Note:  some websites say the single was released August 11; others say it was September 7--both are impossible.  "Caribbean Queen" debuted on the Singles chart on August 11.  It is physically impossible for a single to be released by a record company, received by and listened to by radio stations, added to radio station playlists, reported to trade papers, and printed and published by the trade papers, all in one day, and physically impossible for a song to debut on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)
1984:  The Cars premiered their video for "Drive".
1987:  The Beastie Boys sued the city of Jacksonville Florida for including the phrase "mature audience" on promotional materials and concert tickets.  What the city should have done was include the phrase "immature band" and that would have saved everyone from having to see the losers.
1987:  The movie Who's That Girl starring Madonna premiered at Times Square in New York City.
1988:  Steve Winwood reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Roll With It".








1988:  Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses moved to #1 on the Album chart after 50 weeks, dropping the great Hysteria by Def Leppard to #2 after 51 weeks on the chart.  Steve Winwood's Roll with It was third followed by Tracy Chapman's debut and the Soundtrack to "Dirty Dancing".  
1990:  Ace of Base made their concert debut in Gothenburg, Sweden.








1994:  Domenico Modugno, who co-wrote and sang the smash hit "Volare", died of a heart attack in Lampedusa, Italy at the age of 66.










1994:  Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories edged up to #1 with "Stay (I Missed You)".  That knocked out All-4-One's 11-week run at the top with "I Swear".  Coolio was third with "Fantastic Voyage", Elton John owned song #4--"Can You Feel The Love Tonight", Janet Jackson was at #5 with "Any Time, Any Place" and Ace of Base had #6 with "Don't Turn Around".
1998:  Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, Simply Red and Hanson appeared on Magic Johnson's talk show "The Magic Hour".
1998:  George Michael performed at the Capital Centre in Washington, D.C.
1999:  Three for the price of one--Journey, Foreigner and Nazareth played in Cardwell, Montana.

2000:  A sign that maybe it's time to call it quits?  Oasis had to abandon their show at the Sudoeste Festival in Portugal when their audience started throwing rocks at them.  (Note:  some websites falsely report that the incident occurred August 8.  According to the magazine New Musical Express, the correct date is August 6.)

2000:  Ronan Keating, former member of Boyzone, had the #1 album in the U.K. with Ronan.
2000:  Robbie Williams led the way on the U.K. Singles chart with "Rock D.J.".
2004:  Rick James was found dead in his home from drugs in Los Angeles.  He was 56.
2006:  Shakira and Wyclef Jean had the top song in both the U.K. and Australia with "Hips Don't Lie".  
2006:  James Morrison topped the U.K. Album chart with Undiscovered.
2009:  Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, was sent to the hospital after falling off stage at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota onto fans, suffering neck and shoulder injuries.








2012:  Marvin Hamlisch, famed composer and conductor, who wrote music for the movies The Sting, Ordinary People, Sophie's Choice and The Spy Who Loved Me, died in Los Angeles at age 68.  Hamlisch, who worked with Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Mathis and countless others, was a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Born This Day:
1928:  Andy Warhol, manager of Velvet Underground, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; died February 22, 1987 at the age of 58 during recovery from a routine operation in New York City.
1939:  Sonny Sanders, who wrote "Please Mr. Postman" for the Marvelettes and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher" for Jackie Wilson, and was an in-demand musician and arranger, was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois.  (Note:  some websites insist Sanders was born in Detroit, Michigan.  He was born in Chicago Heights, according to the book 'Motown:  The Golden Years' by Bill Dahl and Weldon A. McDougal, III.) 
1952:  Pat MacDonald of Timbuk 3 ("The Future's So Bright, I Gotta' Wear Shades) was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
1958:  Randy DeBarge of the group DeBarge was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1959:  John Keeble, drummer of Spandau Ballet, was born in London.

The #5 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Led Zeppelin IV" by Led Zeppelin

Every day since May, Inside the Rock Era has featured one album in the All-Time Top 100*.  #10 was the Back in Black rock & roll from AC/DC, #9 Dark Side of the Moon from Pink Floyd, #8 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, #7 Tapestry by Carole King, #6 Jagged Little Pill from Canada's Alanis Morissette and now #5.


An album cannot live by chart strength alone, and neither should you.  It spent four weeks at #2.  Good, but hardly worthy of consideration of sniffing the Top 100.  One must go deeper.  14 weeks inside the Top 10, again; just an average to very good album by those statistics.  How about 259 weeks on the chart?  Now we're getting somewhere.  Any album that spends nearly five years as a best-seller is going to be in the Top 100, no question.  Then you add in airplay.  How about one of the top songs in the Rock Era, one of the most Underrated (meaning not released as a single but another of the great rock & roll songs of the last 50 + years), and a whole album full of great tracks?  Now we're talking upper echelon, aren't we?


A rather quick progression from an average album going just by chart numbers.  But it is evidence of what needs to be looked at in considering the Top Albums of All-Time.  And that is not to say that an album that was #1 for 15 weeks doesn't deserve it too, for that too has a lot going for it.  It does say that you need to look at an abundance of factors, something that most album rankings do not do.  This one does; I devised the computer formula that makes sure all of these factors are strongly considered.


Then you look at sales and IV by Led Zeppelin, or Four Symbols as it is sometimes known, sold a whopping 23 million.  Now we're definitely Top 10 from the factors mentioned so far.  Anyone that doesn't have it in the Top 10, sorry to say, is clueless.  Then you consider what I call Track Rating*, and granted it is my professional opinion of the average track on the album, but a 9.25 is yet another feather in Led Zeppelin's cap.  With all that, Led Zep fans may say, why isn't it #1?  OK, you need to go back to the beginning.  Four weeks at #2?  The album wasn't even the top album of its time, it's quite a stretch then isn't it, to rank it #1 for all-time.  Plus, you will see all that the Top Four* have going for them.  If you're really objective, you'll see that IV ranks exactly where it should rank.







Besides forever being in listener's minds, IV is where "Stairway to Heaven" lives.  That alone is a reason to own it, but you also get "Rock and Roll".  "Black Dog" kick-starts the album from the beginning, and as I showed in the album review several months back, the mythic influences of J.R. Tolkien and others on Robert Plant began to show on this album.  "The Battle of Evermore" and "Going to California" are both excellent tracks but you have to know that being #5 All-Time pretty much tells you that the entire album can be tracked through and there isn't even an average song on it.


Worldwide, IV has sold over 32 million, which could possibly rank it higher when we reveal The Top 100 Albums in the World*.  I hope to finish that by September or so.  The album received recognition when it was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.  


The symbols referred to were merely a symbol that each of the four members of Led Zeppelin used. The album cover represented a conscious statement by the group that with all of the farms and countryside being torn down, we should look after the earth and not rape and pillage it. The cover was one of ten chosen by the Royal Mail in England for its "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps in January of 2010. The inside illustration, entitled "The Hermit" by Barrington Colby MOM, was influenced by the card that is included in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. . If one holds the inside cover of the album vertically up to a mirror (and of course you can't get this from a CD), you can see a man's face hidden in the rocks below the hermit. Some think that the face is actually that of a black dog.  



IV:

Side one
1. "Black Dog" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones) --4:54
2. "Rock and Roll" (Page, Plant, Jones, John Bonham) --3:40
3. "The Battle of Evermore" (Page, Plant) --5:51
4. "Stairway to Heaven" (Page, Plant) --8:00

Side two

5.  "Misty Mountain Hop" (Page, Plant Jones) --4:38

6.  "Four Sticks" (Page, Plant) --4:44

7.  "Going to California" (Page, Plant) --3:31

8.  "When the Levee Breaks" (Memphis Minnie, Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham) --7:07

Led Zeppelin was and will always be:   The great Jimmy Page on acoustic and electric guitar and mandolin, lead vocalist Robert Plant (also playing harmonica), bassist John Paul Jones, who also played synthesizer, keyboards, mandolin and recorders and drummer John Bonham.  Sandy Denny was brought in for vocals on "The Battle of Evermore" and Ian Stewart played piano on "Rock and Roll".  Other than that, it's all Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin started out recording IV at Basing Street Studios in London in December, 1970.  With the suggestion of Fleetwood Mac, Zeppelin moved to HeadleyChkiantz also helping mix it and Joe Sidore mastering the CD.  Graphreaks provided design coordination.  The album was released November 8, 1971 on Atlantic Records.


And history was made.  Led Zeppelin IV ranks as the #5 Album of the Rock Era*.