Songs In The Key Of Life

Some nice tunes but a lot of it I found quite backgroundy. I'm not a huge soul person and I find the vocal histrionics a bit offputting in places.

amazing funk

3,5

do love a bit of motown. Some classics here, also some Mario Kart sounding themes lol

its good yeah.

This starts off really weak, and there's no impactfull tracks until 'Contusion' which could be 70s Zappa, 'Sir Duke' and 'I Wish', which all lift the album noticeably, before a bland run of filler. Then we get to 'As' and 'Another Star', again highlights in what is, at 21 tracks and 1hr 45, far too long. It's no Innervisions. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Bloated★★★☆☆ (5/10)

The Stevie Wonder question. I am never quite won over and never quite haw been. Maybe it’s overexposure; hearing the hits so often (over the course of a life, more often than songs I genuinely love) that fatigue has given way to resentment. Or maybe it’s the opposite, under exposure – it’s the timing that’s been all wrong and I’ve never listened closely enough. But now that I am … maybe it’s just not for me? I don’t know, but somehow finding Stevie Wonder boring does start to feel - in a world festooned with adulation for his catalogue of undeniably classic inter-generational megahits – like a sort of moral failing. The weight of opinion would indicate the problem is me. Why can’t I just enjoy things? And on we go. And on it goes. Interminably. It starts to feel like “Songs That Will Last Your Whole Life” is the more appropriate title. The earnestness of the whole thing irks me in a way I again cannot justify; the lack of enjoyment compounding into something more existentially troubling. I open the Guardian app to, if I’m honest, distract myself enough to just get this done. There’s an article about Gen Z’s increasingly conservative attitudes to gender roles – shit news to read, and especially for a father of two girls (“Isn’t she lovely” indeed) and, oh good, something by Jonathon Liew about football’s own “converging moral panic”. I’ll take that. The soundtrack to this one will be “As”. It’s a driving piece of music that even the most Stevie-sceptic bore can’t deny is a masterpiece of pop. It’s likely the first time I’m listening to the full version, and as I’m carried toward the article’s conclusion the song’s chanted coda is just shifting into gear. The final paragraph: “But I still want to believe. I believe in the good bits and I’m prepared to put up with the bad bits because the high is still like nothing else on Earth. I want to believe this game is still beautiful. I want to see the miraculous save Jordan Pickford made at the weekend, and Alex Iwobi’s goal against Tottenham, and pretty much everything Bruno Fernandes is doing at the moment. I want to feel the joy of the already relegated Rob Edwards on a Tuesday night, and hear the way the Stadium of Light rises when Sunderland go on the counter. Boredom is a choice, and so too, I guess, is beauty.” And with that, I’m overcome. There’s tears. “Hate knows loves the cure” says Wonder, and so too Liew. All at once two magnificent loves: “As” with its relentless groove, Liew with his fight for foregrounding the bloody beautiful. It leaves me somewhere between edified and enraged. Anything but bored. So yeah, on the whole I’d have to say that for me, this album is background music. But it’s background music to the sort of thoughts sometimes you need to have to keep it all in perspective. Maybe I’m not the problem. Beauty.

A single album worth of a 4 but as a double only a 3

Honestly, I just don't get it. I get that it's good, it's just not my cup of tea.

Like most double albums, this is a mixed bag. There are some fun, groovy numbers in here and a some forgettable easy listening. Stevie overall didn't radiate with me outside of a few songs, but even at two hours, this passes the time amiably enough.

it's a bummer they ripped off gangster's paradise. also two disks was a lot of stevie wonder. but i did enjoy some groovy beats on the bus ride today

Stevie Wonder is an incredible artist with dozens of hits from his decades long career. This album features a few of those hits along with some other solid songs about civil rights. I especially liked Village Ghetto Land for the ironic instrument choice, choosing the violin setting on an electric keyboard to play a very aristocratic sounding melody while singing about life in a poor neighborhood. That said, this album was long as Hell and somewhat disjointed for me. There wasn’t a solid theme throughout or a generally interesting and engaging flow from song to song. It just kind of kept going to the point I kept checking that Spotify didn’t change albums on me. Definitely plenty to love here, but not a go to album for me moving forward.

The production quality is pretty good, but it has no noteworthy tracks or anything that stands out.

After a few albums of @ 30 mins this one came as a bit of a shock to the system. It was quite daunting, having never listened to a Stevie Wonder album before, to be confronted with a double album running to 1 hour 45 min! I know a sprinkling of his hits but beyond that it’s pretty much Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise which heavily samples Pastime Paradise which appears on this album. Overall listening to this brought back memories of the 70’s and surprisingly Sesame Street for some reason? I quite enjoyed it, but it’s not really a genre or musician that I’d go out of my way to listen to again.

I can see why this is so highly rated.

I know the album by reputation, and know a fair amount of the tunes, but oh boy was this long! There was stuff I really liked but the length is really off putting.

already scrobbled 3 stars

Asså jäkligt bra vibe, och ett par tidlösa klassiker, men kändes lite långdraget till slut så kände inte riktigt hype genom hela vilket tyvärr drar ner betyget lite.

Was surprised that for his huge double album, that it only has two? of his major hits. Those hits are the most solid tracks.

Heard some songs from it before. Gorgeous album with rich instrumentation. Groovy and danceable 3/5

I started out worrying I was too cynical for this music but managed to warm up to it. Village Ghetto Land I actively disliked, then right after Contusion was rad. Sir Duke was fun. Isn't She Lovely, As, and Another Star were good. 👍Contusion

Solid Stevie. Still nothing that tips into the 4+ range for me. 3.5/5

I wanted to like this one a lot more. There are some great songs on here. Something was just missing for me.

Some great songs, but a lot of very LONG songs

Ok

I've never seriously listened to Stevie Wonder. I've been missing out. Obviously, I've heard a few of these songs before. I definitely recognized Sir Duke. I don't think many artists could get away with having both jazz and a string orchestra backing them in the same album, but it works here. It still felt cohesive even though some tracks were clearly more serious and others more casual and fun. At least, that's what I thought through the first 45 minutes. The last hour was boring and sporadic, a combination I didn't know was possible. It was all over the place and didn't make much sense. I appreciated a couple songs, but most should have been left off the album. It could have been so much better, but he overdid it.

Yeah it was pretty good. The length of the album is crazy though.

This one actually kind of annoyed me. I found all the embellishments on the singing tedious. The synth got tiresome and the lyrics were mostly pretty lame. Three quarters of the way through most of the songs I was looking to see how much time was left. Sorry, Stevie. (I was in a pretty bad mood when I listened to this one. Feeling better now and can appreciate it but it’s still not my favourite. Bonus points for gangsters paradise and wild Wild West)

03/10/2025 I just find his work a little too long and boring. Spotify listeners: 18.8 million

Great performance. Highly influential. Super boring for a lot of the double album.

Really enjoyed the first volume. Beautiful album, but not something I would regularly listen to.

High highs, but a lot of songs drag on.

I know it's illegal not to like this but I just don't really like this...

Je suis pas le plus grand fan et c’est baad long

I’m not a big Stevie Wonder guy but this was pretty good. I like his more uptempo songs, the funkier ones and ones with horns. The ballads/“message” songs were boring and cheesy. Also, while the album length never got excruciating I still think this could have been way shorter. First thing he could’ve done is cut out the 3 minutes at the end of songs that were just repeating the same thing over and over. And the kids yelling the skin colors of famous people was unnecessary. We got the message of the song from the song, it wasn’t subtle, none of his message songs are subtle.

Astro!

A couple of 4 or 5 star songs on this album. I liked this one slightly more than the previous Stevie Wonder album, but it is quite long and by the end I felt like I had more than my fill.

Nüd speziels. Stevie mängmal biz boring gsi. Bar gueti tracks aber zwenig für es 4i. Classy 3er grümpelkiste Cheerio from se van

Wow, so many notable songs came from this album. Also I had no idea that Gangster's Paradise was built off of a sample, a sample from Stevie Wonder no less.

Stevie Wonder nahm Songs In The Key Of Life zwischen 1974 und 1976 in mehreren Studios in Los Angeles und Hollywood auf, darunter den Crystal Sound Studios und den Record Plant. Das Doppelalbum mit zusätzlicher EP erschien 1976 bei Tamla/Motown und gilt als einer der Höhepunkte seiner Karriere. Wonder, ein US-amerikanischer Musiker, kombinierte hier Soul, Funk, Jazz, Gospel und Pop in einer stilistisch außergewöhnlich breiten Form. Bekannte Titel wie „I Wish“, „Sir Duke“, „Isn’t She Lovely“ und „Pastime Paradise“ zeigen sowohl persönliche Themen als auch gesellschaftliche Kommentare. Das Album beeindruckt durch seine aufwendigen Arrangements, den intensiven Einsatz von Synthesizern und die dichte, aber zugleich offene Produktion. Trotz des enormen Umfangs bleibt die Sammlung in ihrer Vielfalt schlüssig und bietet einen tiefen Einblick in Wonders musikalische Welt der 1970er Jahre. Insgesamt ein Werk, das nicht nur seine Epoche prägte, sondern bis heute Relevanz besitzt.

I’ve never been a fan of double albums. I always feel that if the band or artist would have edited out the mediocre songs, then they would be left with one killer album. I still feel the same way now. There are some awesome songs on here and some that are duds.

Preferred the more upbeat, funk-influenced stuff to most of the ballads here. Liked it but was a little underwhelmed overall given Wonder’s obvious talent. Assume there’ll be others of his that I like more

Stevie cura todos los males, inyecta una dosis de felicidad en forma de música. 5/10

Alla musikutbildades favoritskiva.

3/5 Best Track - "Sir Duke"

I was surprised at how many songs I recognised. Not bad and I saved one too a playlist, but not my cup of tea.

Good but long.

Very good, but I found myself getting bored for some reason.

It’s Stevie Wonder. You know what you’re getting. To me, it’s middle of the road entertainment. I don’t think anyone will hate this.

After the first couple of songs (the string quartet!?! and the moody jazz tune) I was fearing that I would be really put off by the record. It got much better but I still think this was too long and the songs didn’t really hit me like they do in Talking Book. I love “Isn’t she Lovely” but I could do without songs like Black Man. Overall pretty good

Kiva oli

Just not my style of music

načelno jako dobar album s dosta dobrih stvari. nije za mene u svakom slučaju. al malo je predug i neke su stvari slabije, mislim da je mogao biti još bolji da je nešto kraći

I did not use a private spotify session for this one. I love a lot of Stevie's songs, have my own best of for him and that playlist has several songs from this one.

This one is a mixed bag for me. Some of the tracks feel very modern and the influence on RnB artists and boy bands is very very clear, but then it seems like in his vision to get out another album, it wasn’t curated very well. It jumps around to disco/funk and back again and honestly felt a bit long. I question whether this could’ve been a single LP with a much tighter construction. Some tracks deal with civil rights and they’re some of the better tracks and I wonder whether a bigger exploration would’ve made them stand out more rather than feeling out of place. I enjoy Stevie Wonder, I enjoyed some of this album, I didn’t enjoy 1hr 45 minutes of it. It’s a 2.5 and I’ll round it up because it’s clear it’s influence and status within the music industry but I’m not sure I’ll be back for more.

I thought I would like this album but no not really. I really did try to get into it, but I just couldn't. Perhaps I was thinking majority of the songs would have a strong groove; which most didn't have. Anyways I do respect the album a lot though.

Very long album, also reminiscent of the songs length too (feel like all couldve been shortened by about 1 minute or so). Mixed bag of songs on here, some i wanted to turn off quickly others I really liked.

I don’t feel like I’m qualified to talk about SW’s music. Much of it, musically, is beyond me. Jazz stuff. Piano stuff. But that doesn’t matter when these songs hit my ears bc they then bypass my brain and dive straight into my soul.

A few standout tracks amongst a mostly dated collection.

There’s no denying that Songs in the Key of Life is an impressive piece of work. Stevie Wonder delivers a cohesive and ambitious collection of songs that span a wide range of themes and styles. The production is polished, and the craftsmanship behind each track is clearly top-notch. Still, the album doesn’t fully connect with me. Despite its technical and musical brilliance, I find it drags over time. It feels too long, too polished, and ultimately, a bit boring. I can easily understand why it’s so highly praised, but personally, I don’t think I’ll ever become a big Stevie Wonder fan. 3/5

Beautiful songs, but some were a bit boring

This is how I found out where Gangsta's Paradise's sample came from btw

I do enjoy this album, and I do get why it's so highly rated. But it's so long! 7/10

Stevie selection not my taste

There’s some good stuff on this double album. And there’s some places it drags. There’s a lot of fluff. Overall, decent album though. “I Wish, Sir Duke, As, and Isn’t She Lovely” are the best cuts. 1001 album worthy: yes 97/177

Banger

Suffers a bit from being too long winded. I lost interest after a while, but Stevie's music is fantastic all the same! Favorite songs: Pastime Paradise, Isn't She Lovely, Sir Duke, Black Man, As, Love's in Need of Love Today, Ebony Eyes, Contusion Least favorite songs: Village Ghetto Land, Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call) 3/5

There were a few songs I enjoyed. It was pretty easy to listen to. Although it’s not the first album that comes to mind when I want to listen to music, I appreciate the order of the songs included. Mind blown on pastime paradise, I never heard it and didn’t know gangsta’s paradise was based on it.

21 songs, 2 discs, 104 minutes 3 good songs for a total of about 16 minutes, but those songs elevate the entire cacophony into a worthwhile listening experience. Just make sure to use the skip and slider to whip through the mess to find the treats.

La verdad es que no tengo mucho que decir, en mi opinión un álbum bastante bueno. Destacaría sin duda "Sir Duke", "As" y como no, "Isn't she lovely", la que diría que es la más famosa de este álbum. Sin embargo, se me hizo bastante largo (sobre todo el segundo disco) y tampoco diría que es de mis favoritos. Un buen álbum pero tampoco nada destacable.

i am ashamed of not knowing pastime paradise before this....how embarrassing for me...

Ok, this is the second Stevie Wonder album I’ve had in relatively quick succession and it’s miles better than the last one! Some absolute monsters on this, but I’ll never look to it again!

A famous album that is well-loved. I just can't get into it. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't buy it. 3

As a continued Stevie agnostic, a double album is a bit much for me to take. Still, some undoubtedly great stuff here. 3.5/5

Surprisingly fresh and not as overly sweet as I expected. The album manages to strike a good balance between emotion and restraint. I especially enjoyed the string arrangements in some of the tracks. And since it was released in '70s, it thankfully escaped the glossy excesses of the ’80s. That era had no chance to ruin it yet.

While this sounds nice, I prefer his earlier albums, such as Innervisions or Talking Book.

7/10 Am I giving this an extra star cos I feel that I'm obliged to? Maybe. Sir Duke, I Wish and As are superb songs. But I don't like a lot of the album, and there is a lot of it. I never liked Isn't She Lovely's sickly pop, and to have 6+ mins of it is bordering on torture. If it's your thing then 1hr45mins is probably heaven, but for the casual fan it is far too much.

Definitely giving retro 70s summer vibes and I love the album cover (reminds me of a sunset). Main criticism is lack of variety, Pastime Paradise was my fave on this album because it was different and stood out from the rest (Gangster's Paradise inspo?!?!.) The whole album reminded me of C.J Rislove's astronaut and the rockstar. Stevie Wonder has a super unique voice which sounded sooo good with the piano. Unfortunately this music isn't really my style or I would have enjoyed this album a lot more. This was very entertaining to listen to as it was out of my comfort zone. (I did want to hear some more slower songs!)

This album is so long! It's also the second Stevie Wonder album so far. It's a pretty chill album, and had some classic tracks but could have done with some more curation.

WHAT. Gangster's Paradise is a Stevie Wonder song? Otherwise solid. Long. Cool that he named a song As. Really picked up from there. Three only because it’s daunting and hard to think about picking it back up again.

from an album that doesn't overstay its welcome for one second to this. isn't she lovely? isn't six minutes of the same grating musical phrase repeated ad nauseum with someone else's home movies laid over it lovely? it's produced beautifully, that's for sure. but the other words that come to mind are saccharine, trite, and repetitive. "love's in need of love today"? lol k. how about "if it's magic", a three minute jingle for an unmade coca cola commercial? high points: -the opening harmony on "love's in need." -have a talk with god. that's a good song. stellar sounds in there. -village ghetto land is one synthesizer that sounds like an orchestra. pretty cool. clever, real lyrics too. -contusion. more of that would have gone a long way to breaking up smooth stevie's sugar sweet singalong. -pastime paradise. coolio was right. -i wish. good song. will smith and kevin kline were right. you can keep almost all of side two. isn’t she lovely never ends or changes. "black man" has an intense groove, but just. doesn't. end. or change. right through the question and answer chanting. it's a nice sentiment, but so is the title "love's in need of some love." stevie's never been a go-to for me. his voice has never stuck to my ribs like some others. the grooves have always pulled up short of genuinely infectious. they’re repetitive. it took me five good listens before talking book clicked. but it did click. maybe this will, too. this is a biggie in musical history and universally lauded. i'm curious to get to the bottom as to why. but not today.

Have you guys heard of Stevie Wonder? I have, but I've never given Stevie Wonder a dedicated listen before. HAVE A TALK WITH GOD is groovier than it has any right to be. Funky af but don’t tell me how to love my life Stevie VILLAGE GHETTO LAND needs requires some focus on lyrics to fully appreciate it, which isn't natural for me. Its regal instrumentation contrasts the story of a ghetto at the end of a block. Even taking the piss out of politcians. witty social commentary here from stevie. CONTUSION rules with the Zappa esque instrumental scramble intersecting razor sharp guitar riffs SIR DUKE and the rest of this album are making me want to upgrade my sound setup. Not sure the 25 year old plastic logitechs are doing this beautiful mix justice. KNOCKS ME OFF MY FEET is subject matter and song writing that typically puts me to sleep but Stevie knows how to make the ordinary extra PASTIME PARADISE - coolio sampled Stevie?? Wtf. Its like the same song, almost a cover...oh the irony of coolio not liking Weird Al doing a parody of it. I like BLACK MAN. I have to say it. This album is too long. I'm losing interest. It's a record that calls for active listening to me....it's not a meandering soundscape , it doesn't fill the BG for a dinner party. It's a series of songs and singles that go back to back, separate thoughts....and 2 hours is too long for me. It's hard for me to get past that when I do love the songwriting and production in places so much. Some shit just isn't your thing no matter how good it is. This is my first dip into Stevie, and right into his 18th album mangum opus is probably too much to ask. A confused 3 that will could evolve into a 4 over time.

I know this is considered a masterpiece and I've tried it in the past. It's just a lot of Stevie Wonder and some songs I just can't get into. Great musicianship from top to bottom. I love the highlights like "Isn't She Lovely", "I Wish" & "Sir Duke" but nearly 2 hrs of mainly slow soul songs from the 70's is a lot to ask of me. He was on a creative high, I appreciate that. Just not my cup of tea. I didn't know Coolio stole so much of "Pastime Paradise" to create "Gangsta's Paradise". I learned that much. But it's hard to take Stevie's version seriously since all I hear is Coolio. Highlight song: "Ebony Eyes", didn't know that one but really enjoyed it. I respect that this is on the T1001, it wouldn't make mine though. Solid 3+ stars for the amount of music that's included and the praise this album has had since it's release.

Старина сделал красиво, но сильно затянул

Some good songs, but way too long.

I came into this as a skeptic. I mean, I know it's towards the top of many best album of all time lists, but I wasn't expecting to be blown away in a "how could it possibly live up to the hype" sort of way. And I supposed it didn't live up to the hype but it was a lot better than I expected. I expected it to sound more dated (kind of like the track "Contusion"), but it was quite timeless... -ish. Summer Soft" had me vibing the most. The second part lost a little steam for me and probably took it from a 4 to a 3.

Not enough songs that made me want to get up and dance. In my opinion, there are better Motown albums

i like this, but man is it long. some of the songs felt like they dragged a bit for me. i love the hits on this record though. isn’t she lovely is such a good song!

like the prog stuff!

Obviously a clsssic, and I’m glad that I listened to it. However it just didn’t quite click for me, and it was way too long.

Enjoyed this as a first album / my first day.Probably not something I'd normally listen to, looking forward to discovering more.

Bit long. Otherwise very enjoyable.

I enjoyed this better than the Innervisions album. It felt lighter and joyful. I love Sir Duke.

Who doesn’t like Stevie but not my genre

Lovely sounding album, but i thought its a bit long.

За оригинал Gangsta's Paradise спасибо, но всё равно не интересно.

A lot of good songs, but some werent my taste.

pretty fun, if I listened to it more I might start to like it more. Will have to revisit in the future

3 stars

Stevie Wonder has an amazing voice and I really like his popular songs. I really wanted to love this album This album had quite a few incredible songs on it, but a lot of filler too! Sir Duke, I Wish, Isn't She Lovely, As, Ebony Eyes - all 5 stars chefs kiss But the album was so long and some of the songs went on for like 8 minutes. It brought my enjoyment level right down 😪 Stevie in small doses next time please 3 ⭐️

if only this album wasn't almost 2 hours long! A lot of great songs here. A fair amount of songs to potentially skip.

Tbh the beginning is weird for me. There are obviously some amazing songs but it’s not an album I would listen to from beginning to end and vibe to every single song.

Often pretentious but at least it goes down smooth. "Another Star" is a lot of fun musically, but the lyrics are a bit meh.

"Cuando crezcas entenderás que no solo es música para amenizar una charla. La escucharás en otro momento y desearas regresar a este" Madre, ¿Y si no me da tiempo de crecer? ¿Y si no tolero el viaje y todo aquello que conlleva?

Love's In Need Of Love Today didn't do anything for me. Love the Sonic sounding guitar in the background of Have A Talk With God. Love the classical sound on Village Ghetto Land. Insane instrumentation on Contusion. Incredible. Sir Duke - first one I recognised. Hadn't noticed the little laugh at 1:10 - love it - reminds me of the ad libs in rap songs; "Ha-HA!" I Wish - I remember this! 'Tis fun. Knocks Me Off My Feet - Love the lyric "I don't want to bore you with it, but I love you" but not for me otherwise. Pastime Paradise - great to hear the original hook. Great song; love the violin bringing back the classical sound heard on Village Ghetto Land. Summer Soft is not for me either - don't like his slower/sweeter ones it seems. Love the lyric "You've been fooled by April" though, and the trademark changing the key consistently throughout the chorus. Ordinary Pain - too repetitive. Isn't She Lovely - Never heard the baby crying soundscape version...not a fan but I get why it's there. But GREAT song otherwise as we know. Will be sticking with the radio version! Joy Inside My Tears - Dull. Black Man - Pretty dull musically, except I love the finger picking effect and groove of the instrumental bit towards the end. Ngiculeila and If It's Magic are pretty dull. As - Pretty dull too, except the tune the choir repeats is cool - love the last note especially. Another Star, Saturn, and Ebony Eyes, All Day Sucker, Easy Goin' Evening - Same with these.

Too long and also a little corny, but maybe I just hate happiness

3.5

7/10

This album was waaaay too long... It does however have a lot of great songs and is pretty high quality throughout, but I'm not going to listen to everything again...

Too many songs. Highlights are the hits - “Sir Duke” and “Isn’t She Lovely.”

Long, uncontroversial, underwhelming, and slightly obnoxious. Definitely 𝘯𝘰𝘵 one of the "greatest." I can go my entire life without hearing "Isn't She Lovely" again.

Had some good songs but not on my re-listen list. Really like Sir Duke.

cute, but not for me. I'll give it three stars though!

All over the place, some classics that are sampled on other songs

ok songs 3/5

More Stevie Wonder, same review as last time I guess. The good stuff is really good (though nothing on this album is on the level of Superstition). The less good stuff is ok but not my cup of tea. This album was incredibly long which counts against it for me - there was enough filler that this didn't need to be a double album in my opinion

Classic album would have been better as a single album

вроде ничего и местами даже джазово, но не удалось сосредоточиться и не запомнилось (кроме парадайза!!)

Listenable.

I've listened to this album a couple of times before and I think there's something I'm just not getting. It's a good album, but I don't really get it being considered one of the best ever. 3* for me

Мне понравился трек Have A Talk With God, понравились еще пару треков, но слушать сразу залпом очень сложно. Тяжелый альбом, хоть и на веселых вайбиках

It was enjoyable but wayyyy too long

3+ Stars (9/15)

Darn it, I accidentally lost my notes again. And this album was so long!! But as Rihanna's tattoo teaches us, 'never a failure, always a lesson'. Anyway, I said something about how after Stevie's last album I was excited for this one, but the first song did not live up to the hype. Things picked up after that, but I didn't love this album as much as I hoped I would (even though it's never BAD). Highlights: 'Village Ghetto Land', 'I Wish', 'Pastime Paradise' (!), 'Saturn' (someone's gotta make a SZA mashup)

Exactly the style of music expected from Stevie Wonder. Most tunes were alright. I particularly liked the track "I Wish" with the horn background. Very lively.

I knew 3 of the songs which are fantastic tunes. Sir Duke, I wish & Isn’t she lovely are all tunes that I can belt out the lyrics any time these songs are jamming!

Quelques classiques absolus mais beaucoup de remplissage chiant, la moyenne.

okay didn't realize how many Stevie Wonder songs I knew?? his influence is kinda crazy.... songs I didn't know I could recognize because they've been sampled so many times (pastime paradise). I know we all know it... but isn't she lovely is truly one of the best songs ever. I think I need a daughter??? Uplifting and funky - can feel the love he put into it. Also, long! Also made me realize I like soul / gospel music more than I like funk.

I just am not a Stevie fan. I like some of the individual songs but cohesively, it's too long. I'm also realizing I think this is why I don't really like new Kendrick.

3.5

Pretty alright

Too many instrumentals but most songs are at least 8/10. They're all good though. Instrumentals are also just too long.

Variety of musical styles. Jazz influence. Funk mostly. Wonder’s voice stands out but is raw and unfiltered which allows for a more visceral connection with the artist. You can really feel the emotions he’s expressing.

It was okay, not my favorite.

I'm always mildly disappointed with a Stevie Wonder album. I think it's all about managed expectations. I expect something subversive or at the least artistically innovative, but my takeaway is mildly pleasant and a little too sweet. That being said, this album did unlock a little bit more appreciation for him. you can't help get sucked into his little musical world. There is substance there mixed with the song about his baby. there is quite a lot of genre bending. but it all seems so ephemeral.

Automatic 3 for Sir Duke and As. Enjoyed Black Man and Another Star, too. The faster, the better for me, so the more spiritual songs were less engaging.

good I guess but who rips off amish paradise like that?

Some absolute bangers on here, a lot I'd never heard before, but equally there's some pretty meh songs.

Carried by the singles

Some good stuff here, but way too long. This could have easily been 2 albums. The lack of editing really shows on song length too. Should have been easy to tighten up. It’s still Stevie Wonder so the song writing is excellent, just needs a little help. Random - the song "Contusion" sounds like something you’d hear in Mario Kart.

# 387 : They've done a pretty decent job, it’s a good album, it’s enjoyable and fun overall. Everybody loves this, but to me, it is better then ok, but not 5 star material.

All songs were good and some were great, but I would really only listen to the hits again.

Wouldve given it a 5 solely on the fact that Ordinary Pain was a perfect song IF that song did not include the switch-up second part

I get that everyone loves Stevie and he's very good at what he does, but this album is like processed food. High fructose corn melodies in every song. Nothing really innovative. Nothing really stands out.

Very fun

This is good but goes on a bit. Also spawned Wild Wild West which is worth a deduction.

Some good songs, even some great. But also some really mediocre and many that are just too long without keeping it interesting lyrically or musically. Like so many double albums this would have benefited from someone who isn't afraid to tell the artist to focus and make an awesome single album instead of keeping everything.

Good 4/10. Pastime paradise, Sir Duke

Good. Not earth moving.

Disc 1 on its own would be a really strong album without Disc 2 dragging it all down. Honestly don’t see the all time great album hype but I still enjoyed a decent amount of the album.

Pretty solid double album. Some classic Stevie tunes here.

A twofer... or possibly threefer... Glad I had the day off! Some hits and misses here. A few tracks would definitely benefit from a radio edit, but overall, I do appreciate the eclectic nature of the album.

Disk 1 hørt det var en 3er. Disk 2 var kedelig. Der er et par bangers på, men lidt lang oplevelse.

"Sir Duke" and "I Wish" are among my favorite Stevie songs, but most of these tracks aren't my thing.

I can't believe Weird Al Yankovic would copy Stevie Wonder! Where's the originality in this world?

Very long, so it had a lot of opportunities to impress, and there are a couple of great tracks on here: Isn't She Lovely was a stand out, Black Man and Village Ghetto Land too. Very interesting to hear Pastime Paradise as well. Certainly one of the most intriguing and influential albums from this list, but overall a bit too easy-listening for me.

还可以吧，上世纪金曲的感觉

So long had to listen over two days. Staples in there though !

Pleasant, jovial and a bit boring Listening to this album felt like I'd been strong-armed into going to a mates family function, and I was too polite to say no.. as he didn't want to go either. I recognised a few faces I hadn't seen in a long time, and it will probably be a long time before I see most of them again. There were a lot of pleasantries, small talk and everybody seemed nice, but it was a strain to keep having these empty conversations with people I knew I didn't want to see again. By the end of the night, which felt like forever I just wanted a mucky kebab, a shit pint of lager and for someone to start a row and make a bit of a scene. Instead I had to make do with funky vegan finger food, spritzers.. and having to sit there whilst someone I didn't know just talked at me for too long. At one point early on I did think things were shaking up a tad when it sounded like the DJ was going to whack a bit of Coolio on, but I soon realised it wasn't even Weird Al's Amish Paradise that was being played. Despite me looking at my watch too often, to see if I'd been at the party long enough to justify me leaving, I did find myself thinking, 'this is alright' a lot of the time. The vegan tempura was a bit funky, but I warmed to it as the evening went on and the second half of the night was a bit livelier. Some of the tracks were a faster tempo and I much preferred those.. it was like someone's roguish Uncle had turned up half cut and injected a bit more life into what otherwise felt like quite a steady evening. I wanted to spend more time with that guy- but seeing as he'd already turned up pissed, he was passed out behind the smoking shelter before too long and it was time to go home. All in all 3/5 stars for me. Some meh songs, some were okay but went on too long, however some of the more up-tempo stuff like 'Black Man' and 'All Day Sucker' I really enjoyed. Thought about giving an extra star because it's amazing that Stevie was able to sing along the whole way through without being able to read any of the lyrics.. and for the fact that Randy Marsh clearly makes an appearance at the end of 'Black Man' (6:54).

Stevie really got the funk. It’s a shame he mostly used his incredible gifts to make mom soul (the pendant to dad rock). There are some great tracks here between all the bland.

Fun, groovy, good songwriting with interesting ideas throughout. Way, way too long to keep me interested though.

Long album. Smooth playing but not my style

Classic pop songs

Gotta say as an overall piece, I was a left a little "meh". Surprised me. In a not great way.

Stevie is amazing human being, although this album was more hit-and-miss than I expected. Some tracks really lost me, whereas others had me totally hooked.

Biggest surprise take away was learning Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise came from this album.

Funky

I get that this supposed to be a good album and all but I just can't get into the funkiness of this.

Meh

Some great songs. Some great funk and some great lyrics.

So like the other Stevie album I’m going with a 3 because I do appreciate it for what it is. This whole album gives me Sesame Street flashbacks? I hadn’t heard Saturn before and I love it!!

Not my music

Takie 3.5/5 czyli tutaj 3. Przyjemne, ale bardzo długie. Kilka utowrów się wyróżnia, reszta w sumie podobna do siebie. Pasttime paradise zaskakujące.

Don't get me wrong Stevie has some absolutely great songs but I just don't think albums like this deserve the praise it gets because the deep cuts just aren't very good. 2.667

My 6-year-old is in love with “Sir Duke.” It’s been her favorite song for the last month, ever since listening to it in music class. She’s not wrong. It’s a great song. So is “Isn’t She Lovely.” The rest is either forgettable or a little too much. This has been true of all of the Stevie Wonder albums on the list - the greatest hits are great, but I wouldn’t call the albums great.

I was today years old when I found out that Ganstas Paradise is based on a Stevie Wonder sample. I think as much as I can appreciate the idea of Stevie Wonder, the reality is that it's just not my jam, especially the slow ballads. An album with just the faster, funkier songs like I Wish would be a different story.

It’s nice to get an album that deserves its place on the list. This is a high quality album with solid consistency throughout. It’s not really my thing so I’m not inclined to rate it as such, but I can understand why other people like this.

Was interested to see if this lived up to the hype as it’s an album you always hear about. Main takeout from listening to this was that pretty much every song has been sampled in one way or another! Also in keeping with many albums on this list, there’s some longgggg songs on it. Sometimes a 10-12 track album of songs that are 4 minutes tops is fine!! Pass it on. Overall, this was fairly decent. Some good tunes!

Not my normal listening fair, but it is a solid album.

This album held a few surprises for me, because I had not known that the blueprint for "Gangsta’s Paradise" with "Pastime Paradise" is by Stevie Wonder and George Michaels "As" is originally by Stevie Wonder too. In addition there are the well known hits "Sir Duke", "Isn't She Lovely" and "Another Star". But besides all these hits the album is too long for me and has too many songs that don´t catch me at all. As often - less would be more 🤷‍♂️ As always his harmonica-play is great! 3,5

I lost the game

Stevie Wonder is always great. This album was quite long and while the high spots were particularly bright, there were some lulls. Three stars.

Pretty good album. Loved Contusion, Sir Drake and Pasttime Paradise.

250 albums up so a gnats cockhair off a quarter of the way through. To celebrate this achievement (right word??) I was hoping for a blockbuster album. Well this is certainly a blockbuster but not so based on my own personal taste. Stevie Wonder is one of music’s greatest artists and Songs In The Key Of Life is an album every musoo is aware of. Awareness for me does not equal liking. An inoffensive album but I simply don’t like this style of music. Another album which has a right to be on this list and I rate on its own magnitude rather than my own preference. 3/5 9/9/24

Good album from a legend

Fun but too dang long, and even the good tracks are themselves too long

Einige geniale Songs, im Großen und Ganzen aber eher durchschnittlich 5/10

Looooong. Some good songs. Sir Duke is my favorite

Not fussed but a few bangers.

Muchos megahits, pero un poco rollazo ....

A lot of great songs and I would listen to a lot of them again. But as a whole the Album was too long to want to pick listen to it in its entirety.

Very nice and fresh album, although it is not as exciting as I thought it would, but it was still pretty good. There were some very slow tracks, but there were also some great bops. I never knew that Gangsta's Paradise was sampled from Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise, 19 years later.

Easy listen

Not overly exciting. Stevie's voice can sound odd on some songs. Boring but fine.

I think I like Stevie Wonder, but I just don't really want to listen to this

First of these I've listened to before! Very grateful for the incentive to listen again since it didn't stick the first time. I still think this is quite a ways below Innervisions since (almost by definition) it's a bit inconsistent, but found it a lot stronger this time around. Lovely stuff all around.

Not sure how to rate a double album with a couple of great songs -- enduring classics -- and a lot of songs I wouldn't want to hear again. I don't think it does a good job as an *album* if that's what we're rating. 2.5

REAL mixed bag on this one, Stevland. I struggle with albums that are so long and so mixed, bc I feel taunted by the fact that there could have been a normal length phenomenal album with some editing. 2.5

I wish this was a single album. +1 extra star for Sir Duke

There are some great songs on this album, but the album is long and the songs are long. And for the most part, it’s not my favorite kind of music.

Isn't he lovely

Margt mjög gott - mikið af kunnuglegum lögum sem hafa verið tekin upp af öðrum

First off, I can see why this album is one the list: the musicianship is top notch, and some of the hip hop sounds to come out of this album seem to be about 10-15 years ahead of their time! Also, it contains the protoplasm of three huge hits to come out later: Michael Jackson's Bad (I Wish), and Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise / Weird Al's Amish Paradise (Pastime Paradise.) All that said, most of the album didn't really connect with me and I found myself hoping that “this” is the last track and I'd be able to move along to the next album. I'm inclined to give this album a 2, forget it, and never come back to it. However, given what I've written about it, I kind of feel like I have to give it at least 3... responsibly. I should probably give this another listen or two, just to rule out not liking it vs simpily not being in the mood for it.

Good for what it is, but not my jam. Fun instrumentation from time to time, and I found my head bopping at points, but asking me to fully appreciate a double-length 70's pop/soul/funk album is a tall ask (although I did listen to all of it). It was fun to learn that "Gangsta's Paradise" (and more significantly for me personally, "Amish Paradise") originated with Stevie Wonder in 1976. How about that? 2.7

I really wanted to give this album a 4/5, but as it went on I decided to give it a 3. I think disk 1 is super solid, but then the album gets bogged down by a ton of filler songs on disk 2. Way too long, which led to the loss of effectiveness. Good music, but best listened to in bite sized pieces.

Not bad, I only listened to the first album. I learnt that Coolio used Pastime Paradise (or ripped it off?) for his Gangstas Paradise ... there you go.

It's alright

Sorry Stevie, this one lost me a bit in the middle

Hits are GREAT but the rest is meh.

Some classics on here. Some I didn’t know. Some hits, some misses.

Stevie Wonder is an amazing musician. The album is a masterfully done collection of different textures and sounds. For me, however, some of the songs are too long. The topics, though as relevant today as ever, are not always captivating to me on a long listening scale. Still, there are numerous hits and smooth listening pieces to be experienced here.

Damn this was a long one hahaha

- Stevie delivert einfach irgendwie immer. Das haut mich jetzt nicht absolut vom Hocker, ist aber wirklich konstant unterhaltend und kreativ - Sehr lang und das war für mich nachher leider etwas zu viel Funk für mich - Sir Duke und Isnt She Lovely absolute Banger 3,5/4

2,75

Sir Duke and I Wish lead the way. A little too many ups and downs but a very diverse and powerful set of music by a legend.

Alors c'est clairement bon mais saint seigneur, c'est beaucoup trop long.

im just not a stevie wonder fan. im a zoomer so im not sure i could ever really love a triple album but i especially cant love a soul triple album. innervisions is better purely because its an hour shorter. theres a lot of cool stuff here but hes gotta cut out the majority of the album to make me enjoy it. low 6/10

I had no idea Gangster's Paradise was based on a Stevie Wonder song!

An interesting mix of styles from soul to funk to cheesy love songs (see Isn't she lovely). And how did I not know that Gangsters Paradise was sampled from Pastime Paradise? Best song Sir Duke. 3/5

Album was a bit too long. A lot of solid songs.

Mä olin unohtanut, että Gangsters Paradise on versioitu Stevie Wonderista. Levyn nimensä mukaisesti aika iloista ja funkkaavaa musaa. Contusion oli siisti jazz instrumentaali. Samanlaista mitä Saimaa tekee. Eka puoli oli parempi, toinen oli rauhallisempaa. Pelkällä ekalla puolella olisi ollut 4 tähteä, mutta laski kolmeen. Sir Duke oli kanssa ehkä tuttu. Parhaat: Contusion, Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise

Pretty good but not my jam. Got bored through the second disc. Very surprised by the paradise song

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would!

I was going to mark this down because it felt like it just wasn't for me, but then Contusion came on and totally blew me away! Still, it's a bit long and about half of it just isn't music that I vibe with so it's a 3.5 rounded down.

Ok. Evighetslånga skiva. Blir lite svårare att ta in då. Men helhetsintrycket är ändå, "det är helt ok". Vissa låtar är bättre. Många meh. Isnt she lovely är en favorit (utan barn ljuden)

First listen Saved 7/17 Top track: Sir Duke

6.5/10 Not really for me, but it's a good album Highlights: Sir Duke As Black Man Pastime Paradise

Ef þetta væri í útvarpinu myndi ég skipta um stöð :/

Grew up on this music

disc 1 is probably a 4, disc 2 lowers the overall

Great album, not every song hits but the ones that do are heavy hitters. High 3.

Es ist okay. Aber es begeistert mich nicht und ich empfand dass Durchhören des Albums als anstrengend.

Contusion sounds like a Mario Kart soundtrack.

Decent album. Unreal the amount of sampling later hip hop artists took from this album.

Solid album. Disc 1>2. Enjoy the more upbeat songs. Standout songs: Contusion Sir Duke Pastime Paradise

over long and not really my thing

Good but too long

Lowkey I thought Stevie Wonder touched kids idk why. Anyway pretty good album, high quality production and instrumentals, just not really my type of music. 3/5

Seichter progressive Soul. Highlight ist das Lied "Pasttime Paradies", which is the Basis for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise".

Kuunnellessa mietin, kuinka vähän tiedän Stevie Wonderista (Pastime paradise oli mulle ihan tuntematon kappale!!), mutta toisaalta tiesin sen, että Stevien musa on siirappista. Enkä oikein osaa sanoa, mitä muuta tämä levy olisi kuin juuri sitä alusta loppuun. Toki miellyttävää, brunssisoittolista-tavalla. Laittaisin kyllä soimaan lähinnä puolivitsillä. Erinomaista genressään, siksi ei täysin vitsillä.

Again with the eleven minute songs. Pretty good album, I just do not GET the long ass songs. Stevie is a legend, and the highs are HIGH, but the long rambly songs are not for me.

Vrhunski momenti, ali previše ne tako dobrih

I've tried to listen to this in the past and it doesn't stick much. I like Stevie Wonder singles but his deeper cuts don't do much for me.

3 brilliant tunes, some of it is ok, but can get a bit boring

Another star, isn't she lovely, and love in bed of love today were the standouts. Very solid and listenable for such a large album.

Stevie has so many bangers, it was a longer album and I got pissed after work seeing Shanksy so couldn't fully enjoy. An easy 3 but deserves more

Much better than the other Stevie. Learned a lot about people who sample him!

Muchos megahits, pero un poco rollazo ....

7.5/10 - 3/5 I had heard this album before, and it didn't really stick with me. It was better than I remember, but just so long.

not for me

I feel like this is a victim of just having to pump out an album a year. The highlights of this album are awesome, but there's just so much fluff that's not needed. A 'Best Of' album by Stevie Wonder would be an auto-10, but there's so many songs on this album that aren't even that good. Even some of the songs have extra fluff, that if you trimmed them down they'd be a lot better. Honestly, just go listen to Stevie's best songs and leave the albums alone.

Some good hits, too long

Muy largo

A very good album. I just don't like it

I've never liked Stevie Wonder as much as as I thought I should. His style of music isn't my favorite. Love Sir Duke and the other upbeat songs much more than the slower ballads. Overall it's a decent listen but not one I'll go back to other than a few songs.

Pop/Soul, 1976, -> 3

Couple of good songs. Really liked “Pastime Paradise” and didn’t realize that was the original that the Coolio remake was based upon.

Classic 70's soul. I liked it. Sir Duke is a proper jam but overall it went on for a bit too long. A solid 3.

How does he remember all the lyrics!

Lidt langt, lille 3'er

Just not my bag

Nicht ganz mein vibe, aber ein paar nice songs + überraschende Ausschnitte

When I worked at Jimmy John's I went through a Soul/Funk discovery phase and Songs in the Key of Life was front and center. Obviously this has a lot of the well known stuff like Sir Duke and Isn't She Lovely but it also has some really moving and beautiful performances elsewhere too. Saturn makes me yearn for a civilization I doubt we'll ever see and Have a talk with God is a pretty rational look at religion. Double album so it can definitely cut some stuff back but I enjoy the vast majority of this. 3

So I thought this was gonna be a 5 - Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely, Pastime Paradise But I feel like a lot of the album was preachy - lots of God and related subject matter

And there was me thinking Will Smith’s Wild Wild West was an original song. Turns out he just sampled I Wish from this album, and that’s not the only familiar tune on this album. Considered the Magnum Opus of Wonder’s career, it was a mixed bag for me. Some tracks, mainly those familiar ones were enjoyable and others I cared nothing for.

I like Stevie, but this album didn't live up to the hype for me. This should have been a single album and should have punched up a lot of the tracks that should have left off. When it was good, it was good.

Eh. I get it musically, but it is so damn cheesy (to me).

Some great, classic songs of course. Not a great fan of many that I don't really know. Great all-time artist.

Pretty solid album. A few big hits and some really unique fun deep cuts sprinkled across all sides. There's enough here to make a Grade A album if Stevie chose to cut it down. I understand why this album is so highly regarded and it definitely belongs on the list. I definitely enjoyed the ride but the length is too much for me to want to revisit it. Stevie should realize that often less is more when it comes to a solid concept album. I can appreciate Songs in the Key of Life but I'll stick to singles play. That being said it is recommended for a single full listen and deserves its 3.0 stars.

It was good, but we can't remember the specifics 🤷

6/10 Sonido arrebato setentero Motown, muy buena instrumentación.

Tässä oli hyviä biisejä mutta aika paljon tylsiä. Tiivistämällä ois saanut nelosen albumin tästä.

Pretty good. Some sweet songs

Very groovy. 3 stars

My hubs is a big Stevie fan so I had heard a lot of this before. It was invigorating!

6/10

Interesting, allotta crazy vocals

a few I'd like to revisit; deep cuts are more lyrically rich than I expected

Another quality recording from the unique talent that is Stevie Wonder.

3 stars.

Wow was shocked to hear Gangsta's Paradise... Overall this is a solid album, and I can understand the love surrounding it, but it just doesn't always click for me. Also it's just too long.

Ling album... but the hits are great!

Pretty cool songs

Decent, probably shouldn't have been a double album. I actually have never heard the original that inspired Gangster's Paradise before so that was cool.

Extrem einflussreiches Soul-Bollwerk (100min). Finde Innervisions allerdings stimmiger und besser. 2,5

"They've been spending most their lives, Living in a pastime paradise" I feel so sorry (and stupid) for thinking Coolio could create the melodies (and hook) for Gangsta's paradise. Stevie Wonder is undeniably a musical genius, and this album does show his heightened sense of hearing. That being said, I wouldn't listen to this record again, and found myself wishing the current song would pass by quicker than it did, and if I have to listen to "Isn't she lovely" again, I might go insane. "Sir Duke" is a bonafide classic, and I was glad to have it ripping through my eardrums upon listening to this album, I wish the rest of the album kept as funky fresh as this track was (playlist). As per my rating promise, if I wouldn't put the record on again, it gets no higher than a 3- so that's what it gets, sorry Mr. Wonder.

A handful of nearly-perfect songs, stapled to a boring collection of sap and treacle. Impeccably crafted, but frustratingly forgettable. I’m glad it influenced bands and artists I enjoy more.

Love's in Need - 4/5 Have a Talk With God - 3/5 Village Ghetto Land - 4/5 Contusion - 3/5 Sir Duke - 5/5 I Wish - 5/5 Knocks Me Off My Feet - 3/5 Pastime Paradise - 4/5 Summer Soft - 3/5 Ordinary Pain - 3/5 Isn't She Lovely - 4/5 Joy Inside My Tears - 2/5 Black Man - 4/5 I Am Singing - 2/5 If It's Magic - 2/5 As- 3/5 Another Star - 4/5 Saturn - 3/5 Ebony Eyes - 3/5 All Day Sucker - 4/5 Easy Goin Evening -2/5

1-3 churchy not my vibe 4-6 Hell yeah 7 these churchy ones feel like piano bar or elevator music but obv insane vocals? Confusing. 8 omg no way....... I was today years old. Can only hear amish paradise. 9-10 ok some of these are really damn long 11 yes she is 12 funky and ends with helpful history lesson idk if I like red/yellow as a category.. 13 -rest Yeah idk other than the obvious bops I probably won't come back to this one steven

man. i wanna love stevie wonder, yknow? he's talented. perfectly enjoyable. i just fear i don't GET him. i took a point away for isn't she lovely. gave one back for black man. it's a great album and i totally respect it. i just can't see myself coming back it it. i am sorry mister wonder.

Good classic album

some classic bangers and mind boggling how many samples came from this album.

And you thought Paul McCartney could right some songs

There's a 5 star album hiding in there.

Double album was a lot too much Stevie Wonder for me, was ok but dragged too much

Could have been half of the length and nothing would have changed. Some really great songs, but they drag on.

Прикольно, интересно и мотивы знакомые

TIL “Gangsta’s Paradise” came from this album.

I don't mind a bit of Stevie Wonder. SitKoL is groundbreaking and ahead of its time with very good musicianship and amazing production, but not something I'll go back and actively listen to. That said, if it comes up again somewhere, I'll dig it.

amazing!! what a great voice and mind. rest in peace mr. wonder