Songs In The Key Of Life

Devo dire che mi ha stupito, non mi aspettavo che fosse così. Pensavo fosse più una smarmellata pop smelensa. Un po' troppo lungo come album, ma nel complesso mi è piaciuto.

Isn't it lovely, made of love? Well, yes it is.

So many styles. So many songs. Such a solid groove and tone. Four classic bangers. Some tracks need shaving.

Wow - this feels like it had a bit of everything; hard funk, psych soul, yacht rock, even something resembling a Zappa instrumental. Unlike other lengthy albums, not one moment felt like a chore. So many chewy, fun musical ideas here. 'I Wish' was my favourite song on this collection, but as someone not particularly familiar with Stevie Wonder, it was a kick to hear the track that Coolio's biggest hit was built around too.

Wow, so this is his "White Album." It's quite a ride and while it for sure felt like an uneven one to my ears, I also found it hard to deny just the sheer impressiveness of the ground covered on all 672 of these tracks. Some bonafide classics and nice surprises (for me, at least) too. I didn't know "Village Ghetto Land" and that's a beautiful tune. I also didn't know about the "Gangsta's Paradise" connection, but that's on me and fairly embarrassing. I don't know that I'd put this on and just listen to it in sequence in one sitting again. But I could sure as shit cull a greatest hits from this record and listen to the hell out of that.

This was good, but it was also very long. Every song on here was of quality, however, with a runtime of 104 minutes, this album becomes somewhat of a hassle to listen to. My favorite track from this album was "Isn't She Lovely".

Ich mag die Alben aus der Liste bislang sehr gern, aber dieses hier wirkt anfangs etwas generischer um dann aber eine Genialität herauszulösen, wie beim Waschen von Gold. Das dreckige Ghetto verbrämt in bei-barocken Klängen, Gedanken zum Gegen-, Bei- und Miteinander dominieren die lyrics und die schmissigen Songs eskalieren so locker aus der Hüfte, dass es fast wehtut, sich nicht mitzubewegen. 4.3

my man <3

I try to like Stevie Wonder due to his obvious talent, but some of his songs are just so syrupy. I prefer the tracks with more funk or social commentary. It's fun to pick out the samples that have been used in other songs like "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Wild Wild West".

Kósý

Quick notes as I catch up: super good, way easy to listen to.

Mate. I will neeever tire of Sir Duke, and shoot me dead if ever I listen to it without miming the horns. Classy all round. Fav new track: Pastime Paradise cos I HAD NO IDEA 🤯

lyssna inte på fnaskask detta är ett bra album

Stevie Wonder was pretty great and that includes this album. It's definitely on the long side and could have benefited from cutting some of the less exciting songs. But there are some fantastic tracks on here such as As or Another Star and the album has a lot of variety going for it.

Enjoyed this, 1st time listening to a Stevie album, only familiar w the big hits. Loved the funk, wasn't into the jazz. I'll own it, I don't care for Contusion. Some of the slower lovey songs got a little long for me. Depressing how relevant some of these lyrics are 45 yrs later. My Highlights! Village Ghetto Land Sir Duke ☆☆☆☆☆ Pastime Paradise surprised me too folks Ordinary Pain after 2:40 The harp on If It's Magic bc fucking harp Saturn Ebony Eyes

Decent… just really long. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it!

“You wanna impress me? Take the wheel for a little while, motherfucker!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0_vTUnokNU Even Ezequiel thinks my mind is gone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg

Dobar, prerade jos bolje (y)

No brainer! I love Stevie....and this album is the best of the best. He is a craftsman sitting behind the keyboard, a sound that just fills the heart and soul with rhythm, a classic! His voice so his own. So much talent accumulated into one body.

A favorite of mine in high school

I've been just putting ratings on these last few albums because it's a lot to catch up on but wanted to make a note about this one. This was a fantastic album, the original longer than one CD type album and I was here for it. Yes it ran long, and yes there were some that I wasn't a fan of, but I could feel the bones of so many current day songs within this album just like Stevie mentioned with Pastors Paradise and others. Stevie Wonder truly is that, and it is incredible that he gifted this album to the world and felt the need to make so much music within one timeframe. I can't wait to listen to some of these again.

venía posponiendo este álbum hace meses y sinceramente no sé por qué, porque me encantó.

7/10. I’d want to score this higher because it has some amazing tracks but it’s just too fucking long , I know this would be a 5 star single album if they had just cut it down

8, incredibly good, would be higher but it's so long

8/10. Really long, but good music. Doubt I'll want to listen to it all in one sitting again.

Yes it's very good, lots of bangers. And didn't know Gangster's Paradise was a ripoff. Bit too long though and some filler

Bangers

Some great songs on here, but it does outstay its welcome a little bit.

Genius

Every other song, I had a moment of "OH THIS SONG". So iconic. I just felt the album was a little long.

Enjoyed iy

Really good album!! Just a bit too long😅

Fantastic by almost all accounts. The album is quite long and does begin to drag after "As" and the synths used throughout are a bit dated. However, the hits can't possibly be denied. I mean, Sir Duke... It's Sir Duke.

Enjoyed this album. Crazy to hear all the tracks of his on here that have been sampled elsewhere into huge songs. I loved Contusion, it's basically a Steely Danier Steely Dan song. Easy Goin Evening is also a great little jazz transition closer

Some classics there but I’m happy to wait to hear them every now and again on the radio. Nevertheless 4*

Didn't think I would have heard a remake of Gangsta's Paradise from Stevie Wonder, but there it is ! Really smooth album.

A modern-day classic.

It's a classic, some excellent tracks. As a whole album it's too long for me to listen to in one sitting, but still good stuff

Starts super groovy. Great first song. Summer soft worst song so far.

Excelente álbum. La música cautiva a primera escucha con su groove hipnótico y con sus excelentes baladas. Sin embargo, me atrevo a decir que su duración le arrebata el título de obra maestra, especialmente la segunda mitad que es un poco menos concisa y apretada que la primera. Para mí un sólido 9/10 (4 estrellas)

- wonderful, joyous and jazzy - consistent album, nice flow - some funky standouts and big hitters (Sir Duke being more popular than Isn't She Lovely surprised me)

Good funky soul album

Classic!

Way better than expected 9/10

Never heard the non-singles. Wow, Contusion is one of the best he's ever written. This deserves its reputation. Although.... most of the vamps go on like 2x too long, and it's a repeated problem so it gets kinda distracting. Ordinary Pain's vamp is great, the rest kinda go nowhere.

Contusion: La prima che m'è piaciuta, forse perché il vecchio Stevie non apre bocca. Pastime Paradise: Nonostante la fama devo ammette che è un gran pezzo. Ordinary Pain: Figa la coda alla fine Isn't she lovely: No dai, l'assolo de armonica è veramente eccessivo. Black Man: Forse la tira un po' per le lunghe però figa. As: Mazza questa è figa forte. La smattatura finale m'ha fatto venì la pelle d'oca, non possono non tenerne conto.. Another Star: Pure questo figo ammazza, se l'è lasciati tutti per la fine. Ebony Eyes: Vale solo per l'assolo di chitarra fatto co la voce. All Day Sucker: L'arrangiamento è bello sbroccato, figo il basso e l'andamento mezzo funk ma zoppicante. Il vecchio Tonino non glie l'avrebbe mai fatto fa sto pezzo. In conclusione: Minchia! E' partito veramente male con la prima che secondo me è indubbiamente la peggiore del disco, ma poi è decisamente ripartito. Io Stevie Wonder me lo ricordavo molto più sciapetto e invece cazzo zio Stevie je l'ammolla! Si sente che questo era il periodo in cui i musicisti erano veramente forti, la maggior parte dei pezzi so un pretesto per cazzeggiare e molti dei pezzi so tipo come vorrei fa i pezzi io: 1 minuto de pezzo e 5 de finale. Diciamo che se sente l'influenza '70 e RnB e quando partono le ballatone so proprio na smarmellatura de palle, però quando è figo è veramente figo. Tra l'altro suona da paura non se sa come fa, non sembra per niente un disco del 76 se non fosse per i vari synth. M'ha lasciato la voglia di risentirlo.

Stevie wonder groova come pochi e si sentono solo piccoli accenni alle polpette degli anni successivi. A volte si sta sull’orlo dell’esagerazione ma si rimane cool.

jeez its long. am i supposed to listen to the reissue? suuuuuper nice start. lol i'd never listened to the song that gangster paradise samples. baby at the start of isnt she lovely scared the shit out of me lol. theres this little camera shutter sound that made me think i was accidentally taking screenshots lol. im done, album was VERY good but im conflicted if i like the length or not lol cause its not easy making a long album work and this really works i think. but its a little much, almost 2 hours long. i was sorta ready for it to be done before the last 4 tracks. curious if ill come back to it.

Es bastante bueno, pero las canciones son larguísimas y da la sensación de ser interminable. Fuera de eso está bastante bien.

solid, not as good as coldplay album tho

Phenomenal talent, impact is undeniable, especially on Pastime Paradise. A little long to be an album for me to come back to and listen all the way through, but there are definitely songs I would like to give another listen Saved: Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise

Some of the best moments in recorded music here, but oddly it’s too long

Chille muziek. erg fijn

I think the songs I didn't know from this album are more interesting than the ones I did know.

Great - again could be a single album.

So many classics, so happy, so powerful.

stevie at his best. 4 cause there is still some filler and i prefer innervisions..

Some classics on here, but a bit overlong

Solid album from Stevie

For an 18th album to be a 1 hr 45 min, 21 track, double + album, and be regarded as Wonder's masterpiece and an all time classic illustrates his genius. Personally preferred disc 1 to the more experimental disc 2 and b-side-esque 7", so can't give it 5*s. Love the ambition and first half of the record, but in my view less would have been more.

5 if it was shorter

Quite a change-up after Jon Spencer! I think I actually borrowed this CD from the Toronto Public Library back in the 90s. So many classic tracks here. A cast of thousands in the studio. Some nice jazzy bits. I think if you put all the outstanding tracks together, that CD would be a 5. Some of the others are heading in the direction of “I just called to say I love you”

Boom DAJE!

Really good funk, great musicianship. This is why Stevie's so frequently returned to.

There are some good songs on it

Lots of songs, lots of soul. I've never listened to this whole album before but knew a lot of the songs. I really like Stevie Wonder and this album is great.

bueno

Rating after listening to half the album, but don’t need any further info. It’s a long album! Lots of 10 songs that are just pure unadulterated music, and I chase the idea of lack of pretension when listening to music and Stevie Wonder is the epitome of that lack thereof. Just such a joy to listen to and wonder for a last name is well warranted. The only reason I didn’t list it at 5 stars is there is some fluff, it’s not as “tight” as I like my albums. It’s my fault more than anyone else’s but I’m not a fan of most “jamming” when it gets repetitive without too much character to it.

Love Stevie Wonder and this album has several favorites (Sir Duke especially).

Relaxing and enjoyable

Bra, pastime paradise klassiker. Inget för mig dock. Seg

7.5

Far too long but very good song om it

Loved it. Lotta cool bass riffs. Soulful and funky as fuck

Groß. Nicht GANZ groß, aber schon sehr groß. Das Album und auch manche Songs sind ein bisschen zu lang. Höre gerade 'Black Man‘ in Dauerschleife.

So many great hits, some really interesting protest/civil rights songs and messages.

Great company. Wonderful messages. Will revisit lots of these.

Has the classics Sir Duke and I Wish on it, a groovy, soul album by none other.

Hit after hit after hit. Practically a greatest hits record. Soul, funk, rock, it's got it all. Just a tad bit long. Favorite tracks: "I Wish", "As", "Black Man", "Isn't She Lovely"

This was a long listen, but very worthwhile. I liked the complexity of it at times.

I was already familiar with a few songs on this album but had never listened to it all the way through. Super impressed with the instrumentation on a lot of the songs. 'Contusion' in particular is fantastic. The sound is both super 70s (which in turn makes it sound a bit dated) but also timeless, traditional jazz in other aspects. It's really good but I can't see myself listening to the album from start to finish on regular rotation which is what keeps me from giving it 5 stars. I'm an idiot for not knowing about Pastime Paradise? Okay on second thought this album is fucking incredible but still won't be in my regular rotation save for a handful of songs. So 4 stars it is.

Brightened my day thats for sure.

I was pleasantly surprised by how many songs that I recognised from being covered or sampled.

I only know this album by reputation, so I expected to be blown away or something close to that. But I found it to be...fine, and, worse, it confirmed Stevie Wonder was schmaltzy way before he unleashed "I Just Called to Say I Love You." (See the opening one-two punch of"Love's in Need of Love Today" and "Have a Talk With God.") "Sir Duke" is great, and "Isn't She Lovely" is probably the best doting-father song of all time. I also liked jazz-psych freakout "Contusion." The music is reliably great, but man can Stevie lay it on thick. "Saturn" isn't as bad as "I Just Called...," but it's up there. Also, I am deeply embarrassed that I didn't know "Playtime Paradise" was the foundation of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise." I'll show myself out now, thanks.

Okay, I like these discs. But clocking in at 1 hour and 45 minutes? Generally I liked it. But after awhile (around Black Man) I was wondering if this might be a bit over long? Just think how great if Stevie had just put the best of these songs on 1 album. Or 60 minutes of music. But an 1 hour and 45 minutes? Just bitchin', here. But I definitely started docking my 5 star rating. In fact, I couldn't finish both discs. I've got other things in my life.... 3 "even great music grows old after an 8 minute whatever the fuck he's doing at an 8.5 minute song on the second disc?" stars.

nice

First song is great and there are a few equally good ones throughout. I never realised gangster paradise was a direct copy with different words. As is the standout track. The album got a little bit long winded. It is good but I am not going to rush to listen to it again. 3.5 stars

Ok

Couple good tunes. Not as.good as some other albums.

There's some very good songs here but unfortunately the album is way too long and gets diluted by mediocre songs. I don't really get the hype.

I was never a big Stevie Wonder fan. This album was a little wishy-washy for me, but there are a couple good songs like I wish and Sir Duke.

I’ve never been big on Stevie Wonder..I would try this again because clearly I haven’t given his music enough of a serious listen.

- Pastime Paradise

Too long

Some bangers but simply too long

I can understand how it's good its just really not for me.

This is a realy good album but not my cup of tea

Is it possible for an album to be too good for too long? Twenty-four hours is just not enough time to reckon with this beast. Consider my rating tentative...I'd like to return as often as I can in the coming weeks.

Classic album

Pastime Paradise, never heard it before! This album was a lot for me. I probably won't listen to it again.

This was good

Honestly started out so high. I wrote “always know I’m in good hands when a Stevie record starts”. Still true but the sheer length of this thing dragged me down. Favs: track 1, knocks me off my feet, ngiculela Nah calling yourself an All Day Sucker is crazyyyy….

I think if the album was like... Even 5 songs shorter I would have no problem giving it a 4. I think I'm going to go with three because I can't see myself relistening to this

I’ve Stevied, and I’ve Wondered, mainly when it was going to stop. It’s like being given a 2kg tub of vanilla ice cream. It’s not the flavour I’d usually go for but it’s nice enough and it can hit the spot if you’re in the mood, but that doesn’t mean you can sit there and comfortably eat the whole damn thing. I enjoyed hearing pastime paradise and the difference between that and Amish paradise is hilarious. There’s some bangers in there and plenty of decent songs. But there’s also songs like Joy Inside My Tears where it takes repetition to new levels, the weirdness of Black Man as a song even if I appreciate the sentiment, and then after that so much of the second disc is completely forgettable. Benefit of the doubt 3 as there’s some mastery and ease but plenty of dross too.

I have a personal aversion towards soul music for some reason.  I don't massively enjoy the slow burn grooves I think paired with heavy bass plods (or when faster it's the stretching of words over the melody seems to drag it out for me).  I can never fully explain why and in the context of Stevie wonder is clearly a legend of sorts and very expressive.  What's not to like you would think. Liked songs "Sir Duke", "I wish", "Pastime Paradise" (didn't realise until now Coolio did a cover of sorts of this song) and "As". A classic album of its time completely lost to my dumb ears.  I enjoyed some songs clearly as nearly impossibly not to with Steevie boy but a few bangers does not make an album. Not my thing but compelled to experiance it and actually enjoyed it in the end.

I carved out some time to sit down and give this a proper chance but I just don't get the hype. Yeah it's technically good music, really tightly played, recorded and produced. I just don't understand why this is worshipped as much as it is. A few inoffensive wedding tunes but otherwise an album that just isn't my jam. Too happy clappy and so so long... It's like 105 minutes of Calton Banks' dancing.

Honestly this is kinda weird, there are some fantastic songs in it but lots of things that kept surprising me (not in a good way).

Didnt really like it...got tired after 4 song

I liked Innervisions more but this one is alright. Its over 90 minutes so I will have to remove a star leaving this a 3.

Did not know that Pastime Paradise was from him.

Good vibes.

It's pretty cool.

nice, a lot of classics

Stevie Wonder- Songs in the Key of Life (1976) If Sgt. Peppers was the Beatles on acid, then I have no idea what Stevie was on. This felt like a mixing pot of every instrument and genre known to man i.e. violins, brass band, Hispanic, etc. The overall theme made sense, with the title of the album. There were highs i.e. Isn't she lovely, Sir Duke, but also lows i.e. Village Ghetto Land, Pastime Paradise (which I learned was sampled for Coolio's hit!) I'm glad I listened to the album, and found some new songs, but overall I wouldn't listen in full again due to very long songs that should have been cut earlier. Album Rank: 6.7 Favorite Song: Pastime Paradise

✅Sir Duke ✅Ordinary Pain

No sé… no entiendo a SW. pero tiene buenas rolas

Pastime Paradise became Gangsta's Paradise. I Wish became the backbone of Will Smith's Summertime. Sir Duke has been inside your head your entire life whether you invited it or not. Isn't She Lovely exists. The Library of Congress inducted this album into the National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone ranked it number four on the greatest albums of all time. Paul Simon won the Grammy for Album of the Year the previous year and publicly thanked Stevie for not releasing anything, because when Stevie releases something, everyone else goes home. I grew up on MTV, alternative, metal, and punk. I know exactly what this album is and exactly where it sits in the history of recorded music. I hold Stevie Wonder in a respect reserved for very few artists. I will not however be putting this on regular rotation. That is not a criticism. That is just an honest accounting of who I am versus what this album requires. Songs in the Key of Life does not need my regular rotation. It was doing fine before I arrived and will continue doing fine long after I am gone. 3 out of 5. All three stars given with a slight bow.

Quite good.

No fue mi vibe, pero Pastime Paradise fue una sorpresa el enterarme que era el inicio de muchas canciones de hip hop.

NEGAWATT

Stevie Wonder is an astonishing artist. He has an amazing voice and is musically gifted in many senses of the word. This collection was a bit long for me but it was a good listen nonetheless. Stevie’s classic hits will always be bangers with lyrics that paint a picture and drums, guitars and horns that make the rest of the album easy to listen to. A good compilation overall.

This album has several drawbacks for me: it’s too busy, it’s too upbeat, and it’s too long. Is it objectively worse than some albums I have given four stars? Probably not, but we’re not doing objectivity here. The man deserves his own eponymous genre label, but this is not for me.

good

Great to see so many origin songs.

If this wasn't a double album, it would be packed with hits. As such, it just has too many filler tracks to be the fantastic album it has every right to be.

Me parecio muy alegre y medio religioso. No me gustaron todas las canciones, pero tiene varias que son :)

Me gusto, me hizo pensar cosas bonitas

Oh no I think I'm alone on this one. I just don't get it. I can understand that much of this is virtuosic, it just doesn't do much for me.

Pastime Paradise

Clearly, this is a well-liked album, and I can recognise why. But staying true to how I rate albums here, this is not, for me personally, the masterpiece many have deemed it. For me, it's alright, albeit a little too long.

Super

disk 1 was straight vibes. by disk 2 I was super tired of the album. And makes me not wanna return to listen again, and just listen to the tracks I liked the most. I like the funk, but its like soul funk and idk how to feel about it.

Too long but good

Osad laulud ei kõlanud eriti meeldejäävalt, aga samas leidsin 'gansters paradise' meloodia originaali ja ka ühe laulu, mis minu jaoks täpselt parajalt iseennast kordas, sellise hea taustamuusika: 'Another Star´'. See album oli lõbusaks kontrastiks eelmisele Kendrick Lamar albumile, sest stili poolest olid nad väga erinevad, aga mis puutub sisusse oli seal palju sarnasusi. Mõlemad kasutasid klippe, mis sisaldasid igapäevahelisid ja jutuajamist ning tegelesid teemadega, mis kimbutasid Ameerikat siis ja kimbutavad ka praegu nagu nt rassiline diskrimineerimine.

Me gustó mucho, lindos sonidos, no me gustó que sea muy largo. MEJOR TEMA ISN’t SHE LOVELY

Classic but didn’t hit how i’ve been told it would

Definitely enjoyed some songs more than others. Would probably say it’s more of a 2.5

Pastime Paradise caught me off guard. So did "I wish". I haven't heard it since the last time I watched Happy Feet, which was a very long time ago. So, points for that. Also, Stevie Wonder is still alive? Weird how I thought he was a lot older than he actually is. The album as a whole, though... not entirely it for me.

REVISIT

Álbum legal com bastante Groove, funk, Soul, jazz... Vocais bem legais e pianos em destaque. QoA Adonis New.

Obviously a classic but I'm not sure I was enjoying it much in the moment. As is still a banger though

Some great songs on here, but the sheer number of songs also means that there are a fair few weak tracks. A few of them are twice as long as they are need to be as well. Nice enough.

I get it, Stevie Wonder is a wonderful composer and musician, some songs on this record did stir my interest, but most were just not my cup of tea.

There seems to be a lot of love for this album I was pretty sceptical, but now I've finally listened to it, I do get why Quite a surprise!

A very jazzy modern collection of songs. Lengthy and substantial and full of surprises

Kinda decent like 6.5/10

Didn't hit as much as I thought. Superstition still slaps.

some absolute bangers in there but ultimately way too long

It's not My stile but agrege un par a mi playlist

There's definitely some gems in here, and he has a beautiful voice and lots if talent. There were plenty of songs that just didn't grab me tho. Overall I liked it, felt long, wouldn't run to listen to the whole album. But added a few to my dance mix!

Hes so smooth, and writes fantastic songs.

Helt ok.

little bit too long 7/10 Will I add this album to my library: no

Stevie singt I don't wanna bore you with it, tut es dann aber trotzdem. Hier, kriegst ne 3 für die Hits und Pastime Paradise, und weil da vielleicht noch ein guter Song hinten raus ist, den ich mir aber einfach nicht mehr anhören kann.

idk why this is overhyped ASFF but its pretty normal, nothing special

Very few songs I actually liked. A lot of them were very long and repetitive. I can see the jazz influences, and know that I’m not a huge fan of the 70s sound. A ton of experimentation that I understand how influential it was. So glad I listened to it, probably won’t return any time soon.

mid

Despite it being long, I can appreciate the creativity with nuggets of songs that I would be happy to listen too. Then again there's some overly long songs that do drag on.

No es mi rollo, aunque escucharlo con auriculares malos en un AVE Barcelona-Madrid seguro que no ha ayudado.

Solid SW. lots of big hits.

great double (triple) album

Честно, вроде и вайбит а вроде и нет. Конечно совершенно далёкие от меня темы про афроамериканцев и гетто, но инструментал просто охуенный. ВАУ КОНТУЗИЯ ЕБАТЬ ПАРАРАРАРАПАРАААААМ ААААА!!!! Зачем было вставлять плачь ребёнка....

esta bueno, bastante variado, muchos sonidos. no sabia que estaba la cancion original de gangsta paradise. me gusto para tenerlo en vinilo

Toujours un plaisir d'écouter Pastime paradise !

Bon c'est très long 1h44 Pour des chansons qui se ressemblent, on voit le temps passer quand même Isn't she lovely Sir Duke Pastime paradise Et I wish sont des banger Mais.c'est loooong Puis je suis pas fan de la pochette

starting this from the perspective that I’ce always found Isn’t She Lovely too saccharine for my tastes and almost grating, and I think somewhat influenced my feelings about the rest of the album. There were some great moments (Pastime Paradise, Village Ghetto Land and As were my favourites), I appreciated that there were at times some quite weird things going on, but it also felt like it dragged at some moments and there were sections I didn’t enjoy at all

Son 18ème album. Dur à croire qu'il pensait se retirer de la musique quelques temps avant cet album et finalement il sort un double album de 1h45 de long! J'aime l'ambiance générale, petit passage à vide durant la deuxième moitié. Ça atteint pas le hype d'Innervisions selon moi.

Had no idea that 'Gangsta's Paradise' was based off a song in this album ('Pastime Paradise'). Second disc was better than the first.

Some songs are iconic and great, but generally I don't vibe with a lot of what is on the album.

I don't like how he sings on most of these songs. However, his take on Amish Paradise is really good.

Never been that big a fan of Stevie. Sort of easy listening though.

Love’s in Need of Love Today, Have a Talk with God, Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise, Isn’t She Lovely, Joy Inside My Tears, If It’s Magic, As Closer to 3.5

Why all the hype? It's a okay album.

The first song is so long but Stevie Wonder is kinda worth it. Many song s sound a lot like street music you'd hear someone sing on sesame street to uplift and teach kids.

Enjoyed more than his previous entry. Not too bad

just like any other soul album imo, only gets glazed because Steveland Hardaway Judkins happens to be blind. like i know that its impressive that he can play instruments and all that whilst unable to see, but that doesn't make it musically better or more enjoyable to listen to.

the first few songs felt very videogame-like, it reminded me a lot of pikmik Bloom music jsjsj. Soem songs were a little too weird to me, but i liked it quite a bit overall

One of the songs sounded too much like Christmas. I didn’t expect so many different sounds from this album.

Classic

It’s a strange album from the start. It kind of feels confused and some of the production and backing is terrible. Feel ‘Village Ghetto Land’ could be great, but so let down by the backing. BUT the. You get hit with ‘Sir Duke’ and ‘I Wish’ so jury is still out. But EIGHTEENTH studio album and still able to do this?! 🤯 Not getting the “greatest album of all time” vibes that some claim, but I’m ready for more (even if it is 1hr 45!) Very solid start to CD2 with ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ but still not grabbed the same as others. Obviously some huge bangers, but rest doesn’t just haven’t the quality for me. Might be heading for 3.5 😬 and never knew Gangstas Paradise was basically a cover 🤯

Des chansons iconiques et d'autres un peu moins bien. Je suis mitigée !

Never bee a big fan of this guy. This isn’t bad. Won’t add it to a playlist though.

its Stevie. Some classics

I thought it got better as it went on. It is tough to listen in one go, I’m not sure if that’s the best way to digest this one. Ideally I should listen to it at least another time before rating but don’t have the time. Rating: 3.4

I listened to disk one during my run, and it was ok. Very much background music, and didn’t massively energise me. A few songs were better but mostly mediocre. I started to listen to disk 2 when relaxing and playing videos games and this was the more mellow vibe intended for me to listen to I think. Might listen in the future but will use as personal time background music. 6/10

Fourth Stevie Wonder album I've gotten on this list. It's fine. I just don't think I like Stevie Wonder that much....

Feels a bit unfocused in my opinion. It doesn’t quite hold up Wonder’s 60s era. Summer soft is a sick song though.

Great album

Pretty chill, kinda fun at times. 3/5

It's quite a journey - not always my thing, but definitely always something. Great production and a good few songs which sound like they were written/recorded last week!

Some belters but some shiters

Jag har aldrig fastnat riktigt för Stevie. Ofta lite för snällt och polerat. Hans sammetsmjuka tonsäkra sång, instrumental perfektion. Lite smuts och skav och hårdhet hade inte skadat. Med det sagt finns det ändå en handfull bra låtar på skivan. Dessa är: As Knocks me off my feet Ordinary pain Joy inside my tears Black man De bästa låtarna på en enkelskiva hade kunnat generera en fyra.

Frisk blandning av hög toppar, mediokra låtar och några riktiga bottennapp. En utrensning till en enkel-LP hade varit önskvärt. På plussidan håller jag Have a Talk with God, Sir Duke, I Wish och As. Till bottennappen hör nästan hela andra skivan med undantag för Black Man, As och Another Star. Första skivan är en stark trea. Andra skivan en svag tvåa.

Pastime Paradise threw me for a loop.

A brilliant album from a run of brilliant albums by Stevie Wonder

Ok

This was a challenge! I don't particularly like soul at the best of times so to be thrown into an hour and 45 minutes of mid tempo soul was a little overbearing. I didnt hate it but I did think most of the songs could have been half the length they were.

I don't know why, but somehow I never really click with Stevie Wonder. That is obviously on me, not him. The nearest comparison I can make is when I hear some younger people say they don't get Prince. My first instinct is to say: Can't you hear how talented he was? How many styles he brought together? How incredibly prolific he was? And they say something like 'yeah, but it doesn't do much for me'. So that's me with Stevie Wonder. I admire him but I am rubbish at listening to him

Not too bad

Once again I have the same feeling as before with Stevie Wonder. I appreciate the craftsmanship and the tunes. It is executed to perfection. That being said, I feel that throughout its runtime it juggles with the same themes musically and at some point it starts to drag. It is influential but at the same time I can't really connect with it. The tracks I liked the most are "Have A Talk With God", "I Wish" and "Pastime Paradise".

Enjoyed this. Several classics on this 2 disc set (Sir Duke, I Wish, Isn't She Lovely). Embarrased to admit that I didn't know that Gangstas Paradise = Pasttime Paradise. Never had heard the Stevie Wonder version before! Overall good album, a little long. (3)

Fun

Stevie Wonder is a genius songwriter and an incredible singer and multi instrumentalist, but his music is often just too twee and saccharine for me. There are couple of great songs in here though (this most definitely does not include isn’t she lovely) and it sounds absolutely incredible throughout.

Jon Bontempi

Second double album of the week This is not a “ good thing” This is not a terrible album. But it’s not really my thing and there’s an awful lot of it I appreciate that people consider Wonder a genius, and I appreciate the importance of this album. I just don’t particularly like it.

A little long, but overall an enjoyable listen

Lo que es tener talento. Qué adlibs Qué voz, en la tercera ya puedo sentir más y combinado con la música de fondo. Suena mucho a musical. “Now some folks say that we should be glad what we have. Tell me would you be happy in village guetto life” Esta la de gansta paradise en versión reflexiva jajaja me gusta más la original pero uff la letra. Sonaron unas como de Bruno Mars. El man es el padre de Bruno. No es mi estiloooo mucho pero es talentoso El resto del álbum siguió sonando y es niceee pero no fue hasta “As” que de verdad me levanté. El run con another star y Saturn interesantísimo. Ya después vuelve a la esencia y no es muy de mi gusto, sin embargo es música de calidad. Destacable: inicio y final (menos lo último que ya que mamera el soul). Muy impresionante calidad. Entiendo por qué sea reconocido AS es un temazo

5/10 Best songs: Pastime Paradise, As There is a very specific easy listening genre from the 90s that I find excruciatingly dull. This album absolutely fits into that genre, with the caveat that it was released 20 years prior. I guess the album is quite ahead of its time in that regard. Unfortunately I just find it pretty boring. I appreciate that he touches on social issues, and there are no stand out bad songs, but it's so average.

I can’t remember what I thought

First repeat artist on this list, but happy to listen to more Wonder. I did not know this album either, except for I Wish and the song that Coolio would eventually cover. This album had a more chaotic energy, with anger, sadness and hope. I really enjoyed it!

Oh Stevie. Towering figure in music. I respect him far more than I enjoyed this sprawling record. Moments of genius but overall too saccharine for my palate. There’s a 45 minute clear 4* album in here, but (self imposed) rules are rules. Sorry.

He's obviously a genius musician, but also this drags towards the end ("Saturn", "Ebony Eyes"), and about half of it is too schmaltzy and sentimental for my tastes. 7.0 Fav track: I Wish Least fav: Isn't She Lovely (sorry, just no)

Our last SW album out of 4 in the 1,001. This would have been much stronger as a one disc release. The hits are great, but the rest is hit and miss. 3.5 rounded down.

Classic, influential, forward thinking album. Too long though but with no real bad songs. Should be 2 separate albums

A lot better than Marvin Gaye or any of the other early R&B/Soul records I’ve gotten so far. There’s a 4 star album in there somewhere, but it’s too long.

Ok and a couple of great tracks

Much like the other Stevie album, what I hear is an amazing talent who focuses on a type of music I don't really like. "I Wish" is the "Superstition" of this album: a classic I'll always enjoy, with an amazing groove. I also liked hearing Coolio's source, which I didn't know.

this was difficult because i love some of these songs and really hate other ones

Um bom álbum, nada além disso.

I was surprised how many samples I recognized from future songs that originated with this album. Little long and there were some gems and some stinkers.

A good album, doesn't make me a fan of Stevie wonder wonder but i understand the significance of the album. A lot of samples i recognised

Прикольно, но не совсем моё

It's a very neutral album. One can listen to it from start to finish without skipping any song, but there is no memorable songs either (dispite Isn't she Lovely, I feel I heard better versions of this song elsewhere). Its good if you want something playing in the background.

its technically a good album and i did like some songs on it but its not really my style

Gorgeous voice Not massively my bag, but enjoying it Finding myself wanting to put something else on Sir Duke is a banger Did not know Gangstas paradise sampled this Why is this album so long? It’s a bit samey, is that sacrilege to say? I can appreciate that it’s good but it’s just not my thing 3/5

This was fun! I feel like I wouldn't have chosen this album on my own, but it was a funky start to my day and felt appropriate for this Wednesday!

No es mi estilo, de hecho está bastante lejano a lo que suelo escuchar, sin embargo es buen álbum, no diría el mejor, pero es disfrutable, así que le doy un 7/10

not my usual cup of tea but was pleasantly surprised

A little long, and a little gospel-y at times, but some real bangers mixed in, and generally enjoyed the ride.

Didn’t realize how many songs off this albums were sampled to make other songs, it really is a staple album

nie posłuchałam do końca.. ogólnie taki ok

Background music I’ll stop and listen to

Funky

There's some real bangers on this overstuffed double LP. However there's a lot of muck to wade through - it's not doing too much to make me rethink that double records should not exist.

Overall liked this album! Felt very groovy and loving. Strong message of black power, but I liked that he also included that all of the races are important and that we should work together. Recognized some of the songs as Stevie Wonder, but also noticed the sampling of his music in more recent artist’s work.

It was very nice

De acá nació Gangsta Paradise! que loco, no? Variado el Stevie, tiene canciones para muchos eventos, es un embajador de la buena vibra, muy habilidoso para volver esas situaciones canción 2hrs dura estaba inspirado Un 3.5 en mis libros

Instruments are great, wish they got a bit more show and centre stage otherwise nothing wrong with it

A long Christmas weekend hardly leaves room for a rich, gooey, overstuffed double album. I had already unbuckled my belt before I started. Still, this is the better of the Wonder albums that we’ve listened to thus far and I was struck by the instances when he sounded like Van Morrison. Otherwise, I find Stevie’s voice generally sits odd in the mix: the harmonic extensions of his playing too thick and so much chromaticism that he is always struggling to be distinguished. But there is great music here, As for example, but it all goes on too long. 2.5 Do people really like Stevie Wonder as much as they think they do? I know he has lots of nice, famous tunes but if you made everyone who owns this album sit down for an hour and a half and give their full attention to its procession of ever-so-smooth musical and lyrical platitudes how many wouldn’t just nod off? When Wonder programmed 6 1/2 minutes of ‘Isn’t She Lovely?’ alongside 6 1/2 minutes of ‘Joy Inside My Tears’ to open side 3 of his record, surely he knew no listener would come out the other side conscious. Even the funkier songs wouldn’t trouble a sleeper, so diligently are the edges removed in performance and recording. You could criticise this album from other angles - the datedness of the keyboard sounds, the mawkish naivety of some of the lyrics (Have a Talk With God, Black Man) - but what do any of its other faults count for when you’re having a nice nap anyway? 2.5/5

Lots of great songs on this- fun for a party, but I might not just put it on to listen to at home.

Lots of great tracks, enjoyed it, but enthusiasm waned through the second disc. A few I’d skip throughout it. Nice to listen to overall.

Some classics, some not.

Not my cup of tea but it's not that baf

Okay. Some hits, but not my taste

3.5

Favorite: Contusion Least Favorite: If It's Magic Overall Rating: 7.5/10 I thoroughly enjoyed this album, though it's not necessarily something I would seek out on my own. Some of the songs felt a bit too similar to each other, but it was still a good time.

i enjoyed it lots, there was a wide variety and i saved all the songs i liked, i didnt end up completeing it , i got to the the 70% mark tho, def appreciate the production on the tracks and his voice is heavingly . i will go through my faves son again and continue listening to the album

(1:25:43 double album, 17 tracks, 1976, 18th Album) R&B/Soul Eighteenth album - incredible - for Stevie Wonder. Singles: I Wish Isn't She Lovely Sir Duke Another Star As Pastime Paradise is infinitely recognizable as Coolio's rework Gangsta's Paradise. I Wish (Wild Wild West, Will Smith)

I'm not a massive Stevie Wonder fan, and so this drifts in and out for me a bit. Some classic, great songs. High 3

This is my first one of these so lets see how it goes. Good work background music. Pastime paradise was a jump scare. Calming, I think I prefer the music to the vocals significantly. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but enjoyed regardless.

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