1970s Stevie Wonder Album Poll

I hate you for including Syreeta, because this was already hard enough!

This was, by definition, already going to be the hardest poll ever.

Innervisions

Easier for me to winnow out the ones I won't be voting for. Plants, Where I'm Coming From ... um, after that it gets tricky.

Innervisions

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/43/90811910_4bd1985f37.jpg

I'm tempted to go with Where I'm Coming From, which is really good and deliciously weird and might not get any votes otherwise. But Songs in the Key of Life may suffer from neglect due to perceived overexposure, and I really do find the whole album extraordinary, especially that first side, which surprises every single time I hear it. I always liked Tom Smucker's contention that it was the Pet Sounds, except it's better than Pet Sounds. So going with Songs. Then again, I've yet to hear those Syreeta albums, and now might be a good time to remedy that.

Innervisions

Talking Book

*Tom Smucker's contention that it was the Pet Sounds of the 70s*

*not gonna think about this too much as i'll torture myself otherwise* gut reaction is 'talking book'

Hurrah! I never got time I'm afraid, so thanks for taking on the mantle Eric.

xposts Honestly, I don't see the Syreeta albums changing anyone's mind here. I just wanted to canonize them alongside the other Stevie greats.

This being ILX, I expect Innervisions to win with a strong showing by Book and Key of Life, which is why I very well may end up voting for Finale or July.

Finale is excellent, the Syreeta albums are excellent too!

really, just a riot of wonderfulness, this decade...

xp: I don't think that's really unique to ILX, dude.

No, but a lot of other sample groups would give it to Key of Life in a landslide.

talking book

Went for Music Of My Mind, mostly due to the opening two songs.

Syreeta eh? I've never listened to those albums, mibbe I should.

The first is really good if a bit uneven tbh, but the second is absolutely fantastic.

I love all of this stuff to varying degrees, but this is a super easy poll for me. Songs In The Key Of Life is probably one of my top 5 albums ever.

One year ago, I would have gone for "Fulfillingness", five years ago, I would have gone for "Songs..." Now, my voice goes to "Talking Book".

Btw. I understand what you mean regarding 60s vs. 70s Stevie, as "Where I'm Coming From" was where he started to gain more artistic control and create more of his own style. However, "Signed Sealed Delivered" is a lot more 70s Motown than "My Cherie Amour" was. "My Cherie Amour" still had much of that typical classic Motown sound, whereas "Signed Sealed" was considerably more influenced by Sly Stone and psych funk, like a lot of late 60s, early 70s Motown productions were.

That may be true, but it was still light years away from the likes of, say, "Do Yourself a Favor."

(God, what a hard rocking tune that one is.)

Innervisions. But I'm far from confident in that choice.

"Talking Book" all the way for me.Mainly due to "Maybe Your Baby." I can't believe his mushy love songs get more play than this song. This song introduced me not only to Stevie but 70s funk in general.

Fulfillingness' First Finale if only for 'Boogie on Reggae Woman'.

bump

Top 3:
Songs in the Key of Life
Music of My Mind
Innervisions

I voted Music of My Mind, since it's sort of unfair that Songs is a double.

So much greatness in Music of My Mind.

I don't want any of these albums to escape without a vote. Well, maybe Plants.

Motown are doing a lot of huge crimes by keeping several great albums unavailable on CD for the moment. But "Where I'm Coming From" is probably the best of them all. Yes, I know it's been released on CD, but it's pretty much hard to find these days.

Innervisions, Songs In the Key, Talking Book

I believe when we fall in love it will be forever.

Never did feel that song much, sad to say. "You and I" is the all-stops-out ballad on Book, for me.

"smokin' cigarettes and writing something nasty on the wall (you nasty boy)"

I believe when we fall in love it will be forever.

― Blue Fucks Like Ben Nelson (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn),

Isn't it "I" rather than "we"? We sounds a tad presumptuous...Soto, have you seen the BBC Roxy documentary? It's torrentable, and it's fantastic. Great interviews with all the original band members, Gary Tibbs, Nile Rodgers, many more--check it out!

Innervisions is godlike. The rest are just very good to great.

nah.

I see only one "very good" album in this lineup. (Actually wouldn't even rate it that highly, but me : Stevie :: Nietzsche : Wagner)

not crazy about Plants, think Hotter Than July is patchy, but the rest os SOLID G.O.L.D. (including the syreeta records)

Hotter Than July is a blazing force of nature from "Did I Hear You Say..." all the way through "Lately."

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I don't know all of these, but I would have voted Innervisions. Just got this fairly recently, actually, and I'm in awe of how good it is. So much variety but very cohesive at the same time. Much better than Key of Life.

A little bit sad to see the second Syreeta album not get one vote, but I guess I reasoned that would happen.

Hotter Than July blazingly underrated here, but I assume it would mop the floor in an '80s Stevie album poll.

I did end up voting for Finale tho. That album is just so quietly awesome from front to back.

just wanted to thank this thread for leading me to check out Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta. holy crap, what an album.

can someone please seed the syretta album? can't find it anywhere! thanks in advance, dying to hear this

iago, I'm uploading the Syreeta album to Sendspace; just email me for the link.

Meanwhile, is anybody else as astonished as I that Geir actually changed his mind about something?! That's unprecedented, I think.

And just like Geir, for me it used to be all about SItKOL (first LP I ever bought with my own $) but these days I'm feeling "Talking Book" more.

I wonder if a repoll of this would yield a SitKoL win these days

Innervisions is still my favorite, I would vote for that.

If all he released after the adolescent years was Where I'm Coming From we'd still think it a masterpierce.

That's such a fantastic record. There was a Bobbito mixtape years ago that cut Sunchine In Their Eyes with When Your Daddy's Not Around off the Syreeta album, and it's been one of my favourites ever since then.

Talking Book, though. Now and forever.

Wesley Morris has a pod series about Stevie’s 70s albums called The Wonder of Stevie. Kinda weak name for a good podcast

It's like they didn't put any thought into the name whatsoever. Or maybe two seconds of thought with 'Stevie Wonderful' being the only reject.

What about best 70's song? Joy Inside My Tears