Songs In The Key Of Life

Not a huge fan of side one until Sir Duke - pops off from there.

het duurt wel lang... maar hier staat weinig slechts op...

Not something I'd normally listen to, but it holds up well.

8 - GOOD

Funky, groovy music. Intelligent and interesting with Stevie's wonderful voice. Very talented but the album felt very long and some of his songs went on for an age. Pastime paradise blew my mind though. 4/5

Beautiful album stacked with great tracks. Might be blasphemous to say, but honestly it’s longer than it needs to be. 4/5

There's not a bad song on this double album but the quality does dip in places, especially in the last 30 minutes. Trim the fat and this record is a 5. It's very good overall as is, but a little long.

Ekaa kertaa tän levyn kuuntelin alusta loppuun ja kyllähän tää toimittelee

Kovasti on ylistetty tämä lätty, ja kyllähän se ihan iloisesti raikaa. Ei haitannut pituuskaan, kun ihan mielellään kuunteli.

Tässähän oli ihan tuttuja biisejä, vaikka nimet ei sanoneet mitään. Tänään opin myös että Gangsta's Paradise onkin Stevie Wonderin eikä Coolion biisi! Ajattelin ensin että ei kyllä jaksa tämmöstä kamaa, mutta kostautuikin ihan hyväksi levyksi! Vahva kolme ja puoli tähteä, pyöristetään positiivisen yllärin johdosta nelkkuun!

Expectation: -> Interesting that this album was released on the day I was born. A couple months ago gave Talking Book a 4. This is an hour and 44 minutes long and it seems he's got a huge career catalog. Time to settle in and get to it. After listening: -> How am I just learning that Coolio sampled from Pastime Paradise? I'll never be the same. I was surprised with how much I liked Talking Book. I am surprised at how much I like this. It is safe to say that I will probably both like and be surprised that I like any other SW albums I encounter in the future. I should probably consider myself a fan at this point. This album is full of energy with a mix of varied instruments and styles amongst the tracks. Most of this is quite pleasant to the ears, melodic and joyful. 4 stars. Track ranking: Lovely Paradise Duke Love Love Magic Feet Wish Saturn Summer Ghetto Sucker Singing Ebony As Star Ordinary Joy God Black Contusion Easy

One of those albums that you start to listen to and you know a load of the songs already. And they're all classics. But, but... it suffers from the the problem most double albums have: it's bloody long, with some several tracks. Take out the filler, leave the killer and you've got one of the greatest albums of all time. Still good though!

Beautiful album. Banger after banger fr It’s only drawback is the length - far too long I’m sorry Stevie

R&B/funk. Pretty good, but a little drawn out for my liking.

This is the one everyone goes gaga for, and while it has some all-timer songs…it’s also a double album. Which means the quality varies. An aspect inherent to the form. I still prefer Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale, but this is a good album too.

Hadn’t listened to before. Lots of hits/samples. Enjoyed listening to it.

Notable Textzeile: I'm going back to Saturn where the rings all glow Rainbow moonbeams and orange snow On Saturn People live to be two hundred and five Going back to Saturn where the people smile Sehr schön so viele Ursprünge zu hören und wie er sich selbst in Sachen einschreibt, mit „Saturn“ zum Beispiel in Richtung Afrofuturismus. Das ist auch für die Länge echt okay abwechslungsreich, auch thematisch und textlich. Trotzdem natürlich sehr viel auf einmal und da zieht einiges doch an einem vorbei. Aber toller Sound, schöne Stimme und es macht mir gute Laune. Würde ich als Tonträger kaufen wenn es mir über den Weg laufen würde und dann vermutlich auch manchmal hören.

Die Hitdichte ist hoch. Und kein einziger Skip-Song. Weird dass ich das mag.

Loistavia sikermiä ihan klassikkosäveltäjältä

This starts off slowly - dully, almost - until you get to the funk of “Contusion”, which acts as a sign things are about to step up a notch. And, from there, this album skyrockets. “Sir Duke” and “I Wish” are a total toe-tapping joy, with such infectious brass sections. I have always loved “Pastime Paradise”, even if I’m of the generation that expects to hear Coolio rap the verses. The rest of the tracks on side one are the very charming Stevie Wonder standards, which are lovely to listen to; “Summer Soft”, in particular, is delightful, and the final track, “Ordinary Pain”, took a turn I wasn’t expecting, with some great funk to be found there. Side two suffers from not having an equivalent to “Sir Duke” or “I Wish” (“Black Man” is about as close as it gets), but has some real classics. You can’t help but smile listening to “Isn’t She Lovely” and, in my opinion, “As” is one of the greatest love songs ever written. This isn’t perfect, and it could be shorter, but it is impossible not to enjoy it.

I was aware that this album was considered one of the greatest albums ever made and I was excited to start listening despite it being so long. Which meant, when I pressed play, all full of enthusiasm but then didn't like track 1, Love's In Need Of Today, I got a bit worried. However, it was just a very wobbly start as from track 2 (Have A Talk With God) onwards, I enjoyed pretty much everything. It was a fun "spot the song that got sampled" album, although it did mean I ended up with "wicki-wicki-wild wild west" stuck in my head for a bit after listening to I Wish. As a confirmed disliker of skits on albums, I'm going to add weird talky intros and endings to the no-no list. I had clearly only ever heard a radio edit of Isn't She Lovely because the end of that song is weird. Nonetheless, you can hear the quality and the ideas throughout this record. It does seem bizarre that this is Stevie's 18th album - there was no running out of ideas here, although as is often the case I'd have preferred a shorter record. Ultimately for me, this is a mostly good to great collection of songs that could have done with a little bit of a trim. Still incredibly funky though. 4/5

Better than I expected, but a few of the songs.felt.like filler

"Love's In Need Of Love Today": okay this album won't be my thing but I'll listen anyway "Have A Talk With God" starts: what IS this (complimentary) This is great! Lots of styles. And songs that have been reused in the 90s?

Excellent. This has the sauce.

I can't really give this album five. It's not the kind of music I choose to listen to, and it's a very long album. But the joy of this activity is listening to albums like this, which are so influential and full of interesting songs and classic hits. I didn't realise that Gangsters Paradise was based on Pastime Paradise for one thing.

One of the greatest

There are some outstanding songs on this album, but man this thing is long. Overall, I understand why this is considered his masterpiece.

Side One/Side Two are an easy 5 for me, but unfortunately Side Three/Side Four leave quite a bit to be desired. That and the pervasive religious undertones slightly bring this down. All around though Stevie Wonder is an extremely talented musician. 4/5

It contain versatility like I have never seen in one album before

liked how genuinely weird this album is

This is my fifth Stevie Wonder album of the project. My review is basically the same as the others. The upbeat songs are some of the best songs ever recorded. The ballads are just garbage.

banger:kjedelig ratio va litt for lav t å gi 5

8/10 - God is "Have a talk with god" annoying. Rest of the first disc is 🔥. I think the album is a little long, had to listen to each disc individually b/c I just could _not_ appreciate the second dist after the first Fav Tracks: Village Ghetto Land, Pastime Paradise, Sir Duke Heard before? ---–- ❌ I'm not counting gangsta's paradise Saved a Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? --–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? -- ✅

Que disco largo loco. de repente me di cuenta que pasaron dos horas y fue como a la verga sigo escuchando esto. Es un grandisimo disco, lo disfrute mucho. Queda guardadisimo.

Isn't this lovely...

Prior to being assigned this album here I have 4 songs liked from this one and 10 songs total liked by Steve Wonder. Liked songs on this one are "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Isn't She Lovely", and "Pastime Paradise". The first 3 of these were on the radio all the time, and I think I discovered "Pastime Paradise" from that song called "Gangsta's Paradise". Interesting how this is extremely varied in musical styles. One song (the instrumental "Contusion") sounded like it could be a Steely Dan tune. I ended up liking 8 more songs after going through this 3 times - "Contusion", "Summer Soft", "Ordinary Pain", "Joy Inside My Tears", "Black Man", "Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing", "As", and "Another Star". Great job Stevie! Glad I got a chance to actually listen to this instead of just the hits. I'm looking forward to his other albums showing up on the website - since I mostly only have the radio songs "liked" so far. Liked songs on Spotify: 12/17 Rating: 4/5

Imagine if Superstition was on this album. This album would go from legendary to mind blowing.

Good album, some songs pop out way more than others, seems to put together some different vibes from song to song, if it was more uniform i think it might of have been better, also a little long but good time for 2 discs, could of have been 2 different albums tho, but a good 7/10 imo

Well gosh, if this wasn’t so dang long it would be a fantastic album. Perhaps perfect. I mean even Stevie gets fatiguing after an hour and a half. And while I have always seen it as organized by the theme of his daughter’s joyful birth into the problematic world of the moment, 1975, the power of its message gets diluted by its length. Like George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, I want to give it a 5 for its accomplishment, but I find myself feeling almost upset if I try to listen to the whole album in a sitting. So 4. A very respectful 4. Boolean rating: Yes, absolutely yes, even at almost 2 hours long.

tope

Some excellent songs here.

I'm torn on this one. The reputation says I should give it 5 stars or round up, but the reality says I can't. Rounding down....

I played this at home recently!

I really enjoyed this! It was fun hearing all sorts of samples that I didn’t know were from this album and imagining the impact this has had on so much music. As usual with him, I felt a lot of the songs were way longer than they needed to be. Even as a double album I think this could’ve been closer to an hour if some of the repetitive instrumentals were cut out. But overall a lot of songs that I already love or will now love. Fav tracks: As, Sir, I Wish, Summer Soft

Almost every track on this album is great. A few run a bit long, but that was clearly pretty common at the time.

a classic for a reason

Classic easy listening

Really enjoyed listening to this album. Can't go wrong with Stevie Wonder

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to give this album my full attention and listen to it in one go, and I think that would have benefitted its rating. There are a lot of great songs on this album but even more that carry on a little longer than they need to, so that made only listening to this in spurts during a busy past few days felt like a chore at times. Stevie is a fantastic artist and really shows his talent on this one.

Stevie Wonder's music has a wonderful glow about it. His soul music is cast in a sort of soft light. It's instantly recognizable as him. And his voice complements the music beautifully. I also love how funky his band can get. The rhythm section is killer! And Stevie Wonder switches gears right along with them, growling and wailing in really fun, wild way! I recently watched a youtube video of him showing off a talk box on live TV and it's pretty cool (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlsZQ3qY_r0). It was a new technology at the time and you can hear him messing around and experimenting with it. I love how forward-thinking he was and willing to try new sounds. You can hear some talk box on some of these songs in the background. I love that effect. It's so cool. Lots of classic songs on this album: "Sir Duke" (which I never knew was the name of that song), "I Wish," "Isn't She Lovely" (I prefer the shorter, single version without the baby crying though -- although it was interesting to know the song is about his daughter. I always assumed it was a more traditional love song.) and "As" are all huge songs I've heard throughout my life without even trying. They're timeless songs. Oh, and I was surprised to hear 2 tracks here that are the basis of famous rap songs. I first knew "I Wish" as Will Smith's "Wild Wild West," and it wasn't until years later that I realized Will Smith completely lifted the backing music and melody. But I was really surprised to hear "Pastime Paradise," which is the basis for "Gangsta's Paradise." That sad but somehow menacing hook played by the strings is so iconic. I didn't know Stevie Wonder deserved credit for it! This is a huge album and I found plenty to enjoy aside from the singles. With repeat listens, I could see this entering masterpiece territory. But I was really impressed and overwhelmed on a first listen.

Will forever love and have a special place for "Sir Duke" as it's the song that my wife and I entered the dance floor to on our wedding day. It's got an amazing groove, really fun sections, a stellar vocal performance by Stevie Wonder, and is just a delight to listen to. "Isn't She Lovely" is equally amazing of a song. Although I could do without the baby crying sounds at the start, even though the song is about the birth of his daughter. That's nice. There's other nice sounds that babies make though! I love when artists put some random SFX and kind of diagetic stuff into songs, but I also love to hate on the times when they are weird. Like I always found it funny being in a car and listening to the radio and hearing a song that has car beeps in it or even worse- police sirens. Like yall, what are we thinking? Anyway, beautiful song and so sweet. Great album. Stevie Wonder is really one of those great greats that writes music that makes you feel like everything is going to be OK. "Songs In The Key Of Life" is a title that maybe only he could have. It's funny how it's a little corny but it's a superb title for his kind of music.

1976 c'est la réunification du Vietnam, album commémoratif ? Peut-être que la mort de Mao le 9 septembre était l'évènement célébré par cet interminable double disque. Entre autres, Bien si on aime le rhythm. Drôlement long (Word a bugué lors de ma rédaction, interminable elle aussi, de mon mémoire. J'ai perdu une matinée de production et l'album ne m'a pas aidé à relativiser). Le double disque est-il une bonne chose ?

Pas facile celui-ci. Je me lance dans ma première écoute avec un sentiment partagé : ça semble infiniment long, mais il paraît aussi que c'est infiniment bien. Alors allons-y. Et certes c'est inventif, bien produit, régulier... Mais c'est long quoi. Je propose donc à mon moi d'aujourd'hui un 3 étoiles généreux, avec un début de mépris pour la hype autour de cet album. Je me ravise hier soir et décide de lui donner une deuxième chance, en écoute active, concentré. Et là c'est une autre expérience. En effet, c'est juste excellent sur tous les aspects, la composition, l'instrumentation, la production. La voix de Stevie nous guide de bout en bout sans qu'on se sente perdu. Ce ne sera quand même pas un 5, parce qu'en plus de faire un double-album on était peut-être pas obligé de faire des chansons de plus de 7 minutes...

There’s an all time 5/5 in here but i don’t think it’s 1.5 hours long. Still great though!

He did all this while deaf??????

It is a beautiful album. I listened to it just after I woke up and I'll tell you it's a great album to start your day with. Loved it

I like it, Stevie wonder it’s such a great artist

lindo album so ficava melhor a cada música q eu ouvia

makes my soul happy

He’s a legend for a reason

Funky songs that make you want to dance; variation in soft and loud songs but still a cohesive sound; lyrics are cyclical throughout the whole album that reflect different stages of life (hence the album title); extra points that Stevie Wonder is a pianist and so am I 😌; did feel a little long at times

Great songs but too long. Let’s be real

There was a lot to take away from this album, but a lot to be left behind. Yep, you can hear the imprint on 90s hip hop tunes. And 'Isnt she Lovely' is a catchy tune (still, I prefer the Me First and Gimme Gimmes version), despite the self indulgent outro on the album recording. Still, it felt like background music... 4 stars (just).

Incredible album. Too long. Not a lot more to say about the legendary Stevie Wonder.

I liked it. I haven't listened to much Steve Wonder so hearing the opening riff/sample that I'd only heard in Gangster Paradise was a funny surprise.

Potentially 5 stars

he is a genius, didn‘t know that this album includes so many originals from cover songs

Groovy AF, fan de todas las referencias y sampleos que han salido de aquí.

Tja, sir duke. Heel goed, maar de rest is soms een beetje té. Geen 5

Classique indémodable

Lindo

me gusta stevie wonder, más no me encanta. honestamente si no fuera por “isn’t she lovely” que me recuerda tanto a mi sobrina, le pondría 3 estrellas, pero solo por esa genialidad de canción se merece las 4

Este disco es increíble, me encanta. Ya lo conocía obviamente, pero lo volví a escuchar entero. Es un MUST en la vida. La obra cúlmine de Stevie. Le voy a poner un 4 solamente porque es demasiado largo y quizás hay alguna que otra canción que podría "sobrar". Pero igual es un discazo, lo amo. Así hay que sentir la vida, tal como indica el nombre

Songs in the Key of Life is packed with great tunes. Stevie Wonder really is a legend, and you can clearly hear just how much influence this album has had over the years. The songwriting is top-tier: funky, groovy, and full of personality. You can tell it’s the work of someone insanely talented. I also found it interesting learning that “Gangsta’s Paradise” samples from this album—that added a whole new layer of appreciation. That said, the album did feel a bit long for me. Some tracks, while great, seemed to go on longer than necessary. It’s definitely a personal preference thing, but at times it felt slightly bloated. I almost feel guilty not giving it a 5 because the highs are so high, but taste is taste. The singles are incredible—“Isn’t She Lovely” - I mean come on now!! So yeah, it’s a 4/5 for me—but a really strong 4. An album that was clearly ahead of its time, with some truly unforgettable peaks.

Very good but I'd say it's still more of a 4/5 to me than a full 5/5.

💘 Contusion 💘 Sir Duke 💘 Pastime Paradise 💘 Isn't She Lovely 💘 Black Man 💘 As

Great

I love me some Stevie and there are some absolute classic songs on this album but hot take: I still prefer Talking Book. A near 2 hour album is hard to get perfect and I think there’s some bloat.

I just realized where Gangster's Paradise was inspired. I also recognized Isn't She lovely. I have enjoyed this album's themes around the struggles experienced by the lower classes in the USA. It was a long album, but very enjoyable.

no lo acabe, pero lo que escuche, me encanto, me lo llevo de tarea

un poco largo pero guay bastante chill

L: 7 M: 9 F: 8 O: 8

The pinnacle of songs that came from this.

Mislim, da sm ta album par mesecev nazaj slučajno poslušala. Spomnim se, da je bil kul, but not necessarily neki zame. So far, sem pri 4. komadu ("Contusion", k je ful funky, hiter, instrumentalen), ki je sledil neki počasni baladi o težkem lajfu v ghettu ("Village Ghetto Land") - tko da kr razgibano. Začetek "Sir Duke" je ful familiar. Stevie ma tok dobr glas. "I Wish" je zanimiv slišat original, ker mam v glavi tok vtisnjeno verzijo od Will Smitha, ha. U, nevermind, "Pastime Paradise" je še težje odmislit meni bolj poznano verzijo iz 90ih. Ugh, pozabila sm, da se "Isn't She Lovely" začne z baby zvoki. Zakaj sm to že ene parkat slišala odkar poslušam albume? "As" tud od nekje poznam iz otroštva (aaaa, George Michael in Mary J. Blige! Huda verzija.). V glavnem: očitno ful influental album (že število coverjev in samplov je noro), gor maš nekaj najbl znanih komadov vseh časov (za nas vsaj "Isn't She Lovely"), ne vem če je slab komad vmes, Stevie je itak amazing. Kva še hoč na petek popoldne? (Plus, osemnajsti album?! In tak nivo?!)

So good. Stevie's influence on music is palpable throughout this album. I had no idea that Gangstas Paradise or Wild Wild West both sampled songs from this album, not to mention the amount of soundtracks several of these tunes have been in. The double album was a bit long for me but still great.

Favorites: Isn’t She Lovely Ebony Eyes Saturn Knocks Me Off My Feet Summer Soft Overall Opinion: To me this album sounds like a romantic comedy in the fall. I love the themes of love, not only romantic but also fatherly, and also of peace and acceptance. Also the fact that Wonder included snippets of his own life (I think) with his daughter laughing perfectly mirrors that childlike innocence he longs for in songs like Saturn or Have a Talk With God. I think in general the album feels like a warm cup of tea or a fluffy blanket even in songs where politics and violence are discussed. It just feels very current and sort of romantic to me.

Good album

Muy buen disco. Conocía algún que otro tema de Stevie Wonder, pero me sorprendió sinceramente; no era un músico que tuviera muy presente. Es un disco que escucharía seguido. Hoy lo escuché con mi papá en el auto, yendo a comprar ropa.

Wonderfull. A masterpiece. It even has some 70s jazz fusion parts.

Increíble la producción que tiene cada tema.

Starts a bit slow, but once Sir Duke hits, the rest of the album is a good ride.

Great album but could have been half the length

yeah i loved this one, but again probably wouldn't play it again. it sure was long.

Album is really good, liked a lot of the songs. Sir Duke is the best imo

I've heard nothing but praise for this album since starting this project, and I do get it, it's a phenomenal album that has had a lasting impact on music, but it's long. It impressively manages to remain consistently high quality throughout the entire album and I don't think there's any real filler here, but I still don't think I'll ever be in the mood to sit down and listen to an hour and 45 minutes of Stevie Wonder again.

wow, you never know whats going to happen next, from gospel ballads to smooth rnb to funk that makes you make the stank face something more than a collection of songs, it is a statement fueled by the talent of a visionary, ironically, and a great selection of colaborators def going back to this feels like it is more dense than what i can unpack now

I daresay this could have managed to not be a double-album. But even so, it's wall-to-wall fantastic songwriting.

I mean it's Stevie Wonder. He plays. I get stressed from life. He tries to calm me with his serenading clips.

I'd have loved to live in Stevie Wonders' world in 1976. Straight up magical. Not perfect but beautiful. Lovely album. Absolute classic.

Very good album, all songs atleast a 6/10. Perfect Best songs: Have a talk with god Isn’t she lovely I wish

insanely creative, best instrumental work I've probably ever heard in an album. gorgeous! favs: love's in need of love, knocks me off my feet, ordinary pain, saturn, ebony eyes!

second listen. good shit. got boring near the end though

Æ skjønne koffor det her e en klassiker, men det e fascineranes at nesten alle sangan e minst ett minutt for lang (gjerne to eller omså tre), sjøl om æ antar det e et bevisst valg av årsaker æ ikke skjønne.

Can’t believe id never actually listened to stevie wonder before

Lo escuché mientras me secaba el pelo. Él sabe lo que hace.

Man,, a lot of stuff I know is actually from this.

This is by far the best of Mr. Wonder’s catalog we’ve yet seen on the list. The songs are continuously adventurous and unique while fitting comfortably within his sound. There’s a lot of interesting experimentation with different tones and instruments although why some artists, like this one, suffer from the common delusion that the harmonica is a serious instrument and not a toy to be left for children. Thankfully he only ruins a couple of songs with it on this recording. Unfortunately one of them is the otherwise beautiful “Isn’t She Lovely”. That tune heads up the possibly not entirely necessary second disc and demonstrates this half of the music’s penchant for running needlessly long in tooth. Besides these missteps though I found it primarily enjoyable and a true testament to the enduring legacy of Stevie Wonder that I had been missing.

Brilliant but loses a star for length

Wow. Favourite Song: BLACK MAN - Stevie Wonder The album feels very consistent and truly is enjoyable, with lengthy songs which are unlikely to be seen in modern music, because labels push a more TikTok/social media algorithmic friendly sound and song length.

Turns out I know more Stevie Wonder songs than I thought! Some great his in here, although a number of them tend to meander on for a long time at the end and I find myself skipping the ends of them. Great album, too long.

Realmente bonito. La deuda de Jamiroquai con este disco es impagable. La imagen que tenía de Stevie Wonder ha cambiado conforme escuchaba los discos que hay de él en esta lista. Me guardo: "Village Ghetto Land", "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Pastime Paradise", "Isn't She Lovely" y "As".

klasika

Awesome album that fades a little in the back half. It has Sir Duke on it, which is one of the greatest songs of all time. It is also fun to hear this as one of the albums where a lot of samples of more recent songs originate.

21 songs… I feel I’m on a one man crusade against double albums. If this was trimmed to the 9 or 10 best it would be perfect. Very high highs.

As, me gustó mucho. Me gustó el estilo musical, su voz, y los sonidos y ritmos experimentales que implementa. Además, los solos instrumentales son muy satisfactorios. Me gustó.

Un discazo lleno de clasica y lleno de la calidad compositiva e interpretativa de Stevie para tocar y cantar

Es un buen disco, tiene buenos temas y buenos sonidos pero no es mi estilo de música.

Disc 1: 3/5 Disc 2: 5/5

hell yeah stevie

What a flex it is to open a lengthy double album with what sounds like a closer! If I have a gripe with Wonder it’s a taste thing: his voice is gentle, approachable and many of his lyrics sit in a similar place where they are direct, even on-the-nose, rarely cloaked by metaphor. This is intentional on his part, trying to connect to as wide an audience as possible - and he succeeds! I just need a bit more grit. Still though, any collection with Sir Duke, Love in Need, As, Another Star, etc... As with any double album, I’m always left with the question of how much better it would be cut down to a single LP, but would the whole experience make sense with the lesser material left out? The common defence for every double or triple is that you don’t get it man, the length IS the experience! But I disagree...there’s variety here, just as with the White Album or London Calling, but ultimately when the sound is as cohesive as Wonder’s, this is a lot of the same meal served several times over. Would the highs not hit as high without the lesser material? There are multiple instances where bands have recorded a double album’s worth of material but then cut it down to size precisely to avoid the redundancy or due to aesthetic preference: The Cure’s Wish is maybe the clearest example where the material left off is superior to what made the cut. Likewise would In Rainbows have made sense expanded to include “Disk 2”? Or Kid A and Amnesiac released together as one expansive document in 2000? Corgan and co delivered a similar result that stretched his abilities, but its b-sides collection shows there were potentially several albums the Pumpkins could have released, some of it more in Corgan’s wheelhouse than what ended up on the Big Statement. Double albums are a quixotic pursuit ultimately, but ymmv: the first 2 records by The Wrens are technically double albums and I treasure just about every note on both.

Never knew that Gangsta's Paradisa was a hip-hop reimaging of Stevie Wonder's 1976 track Pastime Paradise. Very interesting

"Songs in the Key of Life" is one of Stevie Wonder's, and perhaps music's, most emotive albums. Musically, the album features influences from a wider variety of genres, such as funk, jazz and soul, which is all tied together by Stevie Wonder's lively, energetic voice. An atmosphere of hope and love flows through the very fabric of essentially ever song on the double album, in the warm, layered production to the mellow horns.  Such an atmosphere mirrors the lyrical themes of the LP; Wonder comments on the human experience while calling for acceptance, love, a recognition of the power of music. He does so through both social critique (such as opening track "Love's in Need of Love Today") and gratefulness ("Isn't She Lovely"). He is not alone in espousing these themes, but he is unmatched in his uncanny ability to have his sentiments communicated to the listeners even without lyrics. True, the album is rather long, and some of the songs could have used a bit of trimming and get repetitive (such as the five minute long solo in "Isn't She Lovely"); but it is a great album nevertheless.

Jazzy, soul foul, and tuned into social issues! What not to like. Overall 8/10, come back rating 7.35, jam ability range of 5.2 to 9.5 depending on the song. Lyrics 9.5 out of 10

Such a fine, wide-ranging collection of masterfully produced and performed songs. Some I don’t vibe with much (“Isn’t She Lovely”—I appreciate the song’s themes but it is so grating to my ears). But the vast majority are absolutely incredible. Sir Duke has an energy that stands as unmatched in funk and soul.

Soooo groovy. Sir duke, I wish, pasttime paradise, and isn't she lovely is an absolute generational run.

mola

7.25

Calm listen. Something I would typically pass off at first glance but was very eye-opening musically. A lot of formative pieces in this album alone, I counted like three different samples/derivatives. Definitely well worth its hype. Confusion was one of my favorites, very pivotal point in the album. No words needed, the music drives the story forward.

Great album on its own. Then to discover the amount of modern songs that have sampled this album! Amazing

Even though a lot of the music style here isn't really my preferred listen, I thought this was a really good album. Immensely listenable and enjoyable the whole way through. Some really top tier songs (the Contusion-Sir Duke-I Wish trio is a legendary grouping) without really anything bad on it. There were a lot of different influences and messages woven through in a really engaging way. I can see why this album gets as much praise as it does. That said, it's not quite a 5 star album to me. For one, it's very, very long. I have to give Stevie credit for the quality here, as most double albums really only have 1.5 albums worth of material on them. This one seemed to avoid filler the whole way through. But, still, it runs almost 86 minutes (and that's not counting the bonus EP tracks). Even some of the good tracks felt like they went on a bit too long. That is going to drag down even the best of albums, since it's hard to listen to it all at one time and without losing focus at least a few times. Other than that, it's a matter of genre preference. The liveliness of this record kept me interested, but otherwise it was a little hard for me to love it. The funky, rock-like songs were the ones I enjoyed the most (unsurprisingly). The rest just lacked a cool factor I'd expect to get on a great album. So, while I thought it was really good, I'm keeping it in the 4-star range. Overall: 4.2/5

Undoubtedly a masterpiece but there's just so much of it. Respect the prolific talent but the full listen left me feeling slightly overstuffed like I went too hard on the Sunday roast.

There are a lot of really good songs on this album, guys. I feel slightly guilty giving it fewer than five stars but I don’t want to be dishonest about my personal taste.

What a consistently great album, no small order for a double. I knew Sir Duke really well already but hadn't heard any of the rest. Pastime Paradise made me sit up straight, can't believe he sampled Coolio. Definitely one I'll return to

Some absolute bangers on here, and some of the best love songs on here too. Do think some ( a lot) of the songs are a little too long, like there is a 5/5 album on here if like several of the songs are reduced by about a third lol 4

Beautiful and full of soul, this album was really solid. It was an hour and a half but I didn't find myself getting bored of it like I do with most long albums. He switches up the sound enough to keep it fresh.

There's definitely a 5-star album spread throughout this thing. I liked every song on it, but I think an editing pass to bring it down to the 10-12 best tracks would be an improvement for this album as a singular piece. As it stands, I'm giving it a 4, but it's a really good 4.

a very good album, definely needed to listen to this one

The most reluctant four star score imaginable. There are so many stone classics on here, and Sir Duke into I Wish is one of the all-time one-two combos. But there's just too much bloat on the double album for me, and a bit too much in the way of pitch-wheel fusion stylings for me to put this up with the best. Still, so much great here. Legitimately great.

I feel like you have to give this a four

Great album, really cool production. Funky, Soulful, filled with love. Insane amount of musicality and creativity to fill a double album with this much beauty. Some of the songs are a little forgettable though. 9/10

I knew a bunch of these already. Loved this album.

Great songs

Listened to before; not a first-time rating

Beautiful album. Can really hear how influential it is. Most of these albums could probably be described as “ahead of their time” and this one absolutely is. Another Planet rules.

Double albums need to be jammed with greatness in order to justify their length, otherwise they can’t help but sound self indulgent. This one doesn’t quite make it. It just goes on too long and what’s here isn’t the pinnacle of Stevie Wonder’s greatness. You can’t deny the influence or importance of this album but it’s nowhere close to Innervisions in terms of overall quality and innovation.

I like sir duke a lot, I was surprised by pastime paradise and i didn't know isn't she lovely was by stevie wonder.

que album LINDO!!! dançante, cheio de música pra cima e algumas com mensagens mais profundas por trás. achei belissimo.

Sorry for my bad English. The album has 21 songs of soul, prog, and rhythm. It’s a beautiful album. The best songs on the album are: Have a Talk with God Village Ghetto Land Contusion (precious, progressive, and sweet) Sir Duke (classic song, easy listening) I Wish (BEST SONG) Pastime Paradise (I didn’t know this was the original! Coolio’s version is the most popular, but this one is precious.) Isn’t She Lovely (beautiful and chill song) Another Star (I don’t know the influences of this song. It sounds like Argentine tango with soul.) Saturn (sounds like Stevie Wonder mixed with Pink Floyd and David Bowie. I don’t know Stevie’s full discography, sorry. Precious.)

I actually think I preferred Innervisions to this. Songs In The Key Of Life, is an iconic, sprawling album, but I think that works both in its favour and against it.

Just one word. Inspirational. Favorite song: Love's In Need Of Love Today

such an incredible musician and the singles are fantastic. i do think it overstayed its welcome a little bit for me though

Length alone keeps this from being a 5/5 for me.

Isnt she lovely and joy inside my tears are great songs

So smooth. And so many stellar songs. “Isn’t She Lovely” is dang essential, eh? But maybe an album this long should have some . . . occasional edge?

Awesome album, so many original great song. Song I like: love in need of today, sir duke, Pastime paradise, isn’t she lovely, As,

O que tem de bom tem de longo!

Steve has such a lovely voice. 4/5

Every song is a triumph, probably the closest 5 star yet

wonderful album, captivating, groovy, powerful vocals and lyrics. a bit too long for my liking (probably because the ep is bundled together with disc 2 on streaming platforms) though not at all boring.

Great

That’s your man ain’t it?

Stevie has A LOT to say on this album! Having said that it’s a great listen. 4

Some amazing songs + filler and tracks that are too long.

Thought I was losing my mind. Thought my phone skipped to a coolio playlist. Who knew?

can't believe this guy is blind

Didn’t know much Stevie. Liked it.

I don’t think it’s possible to be in a bad mood while listening to this album. This whole work is just so full of passion and joy that it’s infectious. Just so uplifting and lovely.

Great album, I'm a little embarrassed that I never gave it a full listen despite loving half the tracks on it. My only gripe is that it runs long, it's hard to find a 2 hour block to actually enjoy an album like this.

This is a good album but like some of the double albums, it good have been a brilliant single album. It didn't need to be 2 albums, similar in the vein of The White album and Physical Graffiti had some filler for sure.

найс, есть давно добавленные бенгеры, но в целом для меня это 4.

Not much of a funkhead, especially with the starting track of the first disc (Love's In Need Of Today) I was a bit put off, but the album really ramped up afterwards. Really nice to listen to, a lot of the tracks are very uplifting, which I very much enjoyed. :) Favs: Ordinary Pain, Pastime Paradise, Another Star.

funky fresh und gefühlvoll, einfach gut

Forgot how much I like Stevie Wonder.

Really good album by a legend! 7.6/10

I don’t think I’m quite as high on Stevie as the general critical consensus seems to be, but I still really like him and this is a wonderful album with wonderful songs. The first half is lights out. Every song is a winner and Knocks me off my Feet is probably my favorite Stevie tune. Unfortunately, the second half is weaker. As is great, but the overall album is too long, many individual songs are too long, and I don’t want to hear babies crying when I’m driving to work (sorry Shane). This is an extremely strong 4, but it’s a 4.

I wish my life was half as good as the quality of this album. 4.5

This is great but it’s way too long!!!

Listened to most of the album. Some great songs

Very good

Stevie is amazing!

I get it. It's long, it's pastiche. But the whole picture is better than parts. And that's saying something because there are some amazing songs in this album. I identify with Stevie's message here. It's as relevant today as it was then. 4.5/5

Reviews saying there’s no filler songs on here are nuts. Despite that and the fact it’s 40 mins too long. It’s still a four stars for me. Probably a version of this that would end up in my favourite albums of all time.

Ranking on Greatest Albums Ever lists: Paste #1 Yahoo Music Blog #1 Rolling Stone Magazine #4 Apple Music #6 VH1 #7 Telegraph #19 1001albums user ranking #20 It’s great. There’s no denying that. But… is it a smidgeon overrated?

It’s overlong like most double albums, but I like his ode to black culture, and it comes in many forms on this album. I think if I had to introduce Stevie Wonder to someone, I would choose Sir Duke. It’s the best side of his genius. It has an incredible chorus hook, the descending pre-chorus is badass, and the post chorus horn solo/riff defies explanation. It is incredibly complicated and long, yet if you’ve heard the song a half dozen times you can probably sing along with it. That’s the good side. Sometimes he over thinks things like taking the subject matter of Village Ghetto Land and rendering it in strings. That was certainly a purposeful and political statement. It doesn’t land for me. So was following that song with the jazz/funk of Contusion. Then he pays it off with Sir Duke. I think you can learn a lot about him by listening to those songs in sequence. It also is a great recording - excellent production.

4/5 - This is the best 18th album of a career anyone has ever made. Definitely on the long side, but this is peak Stevie, and a sweet mix of 70s styles.

Lots of bangers, overall really high quality and engaging to listen to. Not giving it a 5 because it’s too long for me

Surprisingly diverse in genres. Also many many songs

Another classic overall 7.5/10

Perfect example of a solid 4 / 5

4/5

One of the quintessential Stevie Wonder records. Despite its long runtime it remains interesting and soulful throughout. I'm more of an 'Innervisions' guy though. 9/10 [KEEP]

Now this is some true SOUL. Stevie Wonder effortlessly makes 105 minutes of music pass like it's 40 or so, and doesn't lose the verve or funkiness at any point. This is truly life-affirming stuff. Strong 9/10, bumped even higher by how consistently good it stays for its entire runtime, with 10/10 potential.

Really cool album and I’m surprised it was his 18th because usually people have lost the sauce by then. A few big hits, a few other really great tracks, no real bad tracks either. (The three-track run from Contusion-Sir Duke-I Wish was particularly memorable. The only thing really taking away from it is the length, as probably a decent amount could’ve been cut.

Good album and a monumental achievement but still could have benefited from a little trimming here. There are enough all time classics that this would be an easy 5 with only 12 songs on it.

“Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” and “Pastime Paradise,” are exceptional songs. The rest of the album is solid, and I think it is mathematically impossible to truly dislike Stevie Wonder.

I listened to the wrong album. Same cover, same songs, just a car with a guitar playing them. It was nice. When I realized the mistake I found Stevie’s version and it was fantastic.

This was great, I loved his singing and his message. Will definitely spin this up again.

Really good album - cannot believe this is his 18th!! First full album of Stevie Wonder that I’ve listened to - had no idea Coolio sampled a song from here for Gangster Paradise?!! A very very solid 4/5

I'm not normally a fan of the long ones but this ius Songs in the key of life - it is immoral not to enjoy it.

Pastime Paradise is unreal (it’s a crime I didn’t know it’s the basis for Gangster’s Paradise), but there are 21 tracks on the Spotify result for this album, and I could only fit in the first nine on this listening session, so I’m hedging my bets on a four star.

Fifty years later these songs still feel relevant, both through their content and the way they have been sampled and replayed in the decades since. I don't know if Stevie was trying for something timeless intentionally, the album's title kind of sounds like he is, and the use of school children's voices seems that way to me as well, but I think he achieved it. Disc 1 is certainly my favorite and has songs I've come back to listen to over and over again throughout the years but Disc 2 has some I loved as well. Isn't She Lovely is truly better in this original form as a ballad of parental joy, rather than the beauty pagent theme it became in later decades. Saturn and Easy Goin' Evening were new to me and enjoyable as well.

4.3 It's a bit of a saga, but an enjoyable one. Clocking in at 104(!) minutes, it's somehow more than a double album. Albeit the album is more manageable and enjoyable if the last 4 songs on the EP add-on are ignored (unfortunately I think these are amongst the weakest tracks, but I guess that's also the case when modern albums released a 'deluxe' edition with a couple of tracks that you can see there was a reason they weren't included on the original edition). Anyway, the rest of the album is pretty solid. There are some real highlights. The coda of Ordinary Pain. The whole of As. And pretty much the whole of side 1. Interesting to hear (I think I one knew but had forgotten) that Gangsta's Paradise and Wild Wild West have almost no originality to them. They're practically covers. A wide range of musical styles throughout this record whilst staying cohesive, a rare but impressive feat. Glad my 3 listens are now up though, as I need to get some time back in my life. Jesus Stevie.

I hadn’t heard this in forever and somehow missed/forgot that Gangster Paradise was a direct rip off from here (in addition to myriad other classics).

Helped me strengthen my grasp on finding a wide variety of music to listen to as a lad.

Descobri atraves de este album que "gansta"s paradise" é um sample. Bom equilíbrio de moods. Adorei

Amazing album. Can I get a one-disc record of just the soft and easy songs?

Perfeito para combater o cansaço da semana e dar um boost final!

So many classic like Isn't She Lovely and Sir Duke

i LOVE IT

4 ⁠☆ Es increíble como toca varios temas en el álbum, ahora entiendo porque Stevie Wonder es de los artistas más importantes. Igualmente un poco largo para mi gusto

I LIKE THIS ALUMB ALOT

Hard to say on this one, all over the place from theatrical sound to funk to reminiscent of gospel maybe, theres some classics and a lot of random sounds I didn't know what to make of it, will have to relisten

A true masterpiece, loved it so much; each song is different, carrying its specific emotion and story; it is evident how wholesome artist he is, how he feels the music and melodies deeply, how easily lyrics come to him and how precious of inspiration he was, and will be, for generations to come; Pastime Paradise was a discovery I wasn't aware of, so just WOW! 💖

Knew this was the big Stevie album but didn't know how big, this was full of huge songs I didn't know the name of. Plus the album tracks were all melodies for other peoples hits, no idea gangstas paradise came from here! Despite the clear heft of this album SW isn't really for me. He likes an outro a bit too much, lots of the songs went on a minute or two too long. And generally soul funk is not my genre. Can't fault it's quality, would understand a 5 but I think it's a 3.5 for me.

Like other albums of his we've had, some of this I really like, while other fairly large parts of it are just a bit soft and mushy and not my thing at all. When it's funky, it's great though. Recognised more of it than I thought I would too. My favourites were: Sir duke Pastime paradise Black man 3.5 bit worthy of a 4

Easy listening.

Intensiv musik, stor bladning av instrument, någon låt som var helt galen, typ Contusion, hade ingen aning om att Gangsta Paradise troligen tagits från Pastime Paradise i detta album, även Isn't She Lovely härifrån! Mest min musik hitills med mycket som händer - på gränsen som sagt

Really enjoyed this but too damn long

R&B, funky Motown, gospel…quite eclectic. There’s a lot to recognize here and enjoy even if not my normal thing.

Soulful. Enjoyed.

Review Score: 4/5 Amazing album from Stevie Wonder. The highs of this album are amazing but i would be lying if i didn't say there are some songs I wouldn't skip. Incredible jazz instrumentals followed by Stevie's amazing vocals. There's not much more I can say about this album other than it's amazing.

Strong 2/3. Not as familiar with the back half of this album as I am with the front half, but man the first two sides are about as good as music gets. The back half will take some more digging, definitely some cool songs on there and the musicality of Stevie is just undeniable. Love's In Need Of Love Today and Isn't She Lovely might be two of his best, but the whole thing is great.

classic

Long time favorite

Great album that probably could have used a touch more restraint on the runtime

Fantastic, great energy, perfect length. Probably won't listen to the whole album again, but there were a lot of highlights

Favorite by far I wish and Knocks me off my feet

A bit bloated and the songs air out a bit too long. Didn’t have an attention grabbing opening track like innervisions. The melodies were impeccable, and were reused extensively in the 90’s. I guess this is more soulful to Innervisions funk, and I love funk.

Canzone del trenino

No me cuadra rankear todo el álbum junto Tiene unas 5 Otras 2

God start! Faktisk tæt på et no-skip album. Kendte kun en af sangene i forvejen, og er positivt overrasket over resten også.

Great album, a little too long

Don Stevie Wonder, uno de los mejores vocalistas de la musica popular, creo que requisito para cantar bien es ser negro y ciego. Que voz tan particular, esos agudos, ese rango vocal, sus melismas, vibratos y todo sin abusar de esos recursos vocales. Songs o the Key of Life es quizas su disco mas aclamado, y es que es rebueno en muchos sentidos. Muy Funk, muy soul, RyB en su maxima expresion, incluso con elementos clasicos y pop, sin duda una influencia tremenda para muchisimos artistas. Este disco tiene mucho flow, no lo pudo haber escrito un blanco, tiene la escencia afroamericana. Suena una banda, muy buena producción. Por lo que escucho dejan su voz al centro, guitarras muy funk y minimalistas a la derecha, teclados y piano van generalmente al medio, muy brillantes, un bajo bien presente al centro con lineas que te dan ganas de mover el esqueleto y la batería también al centro con un sonido bien brillante en los platillos pero apagado y cremoso en bombo y caja a veces acompañado por otras percusiones que van a los costados. En general una producción sin ninguna gran novedad pero con varios detallitos que le dan más color a las canciones, agrega arreglos de cuerdas, vientos, percusiones, etc. y a pesar de ser un disco triple con dos LP y un EP, que puede volverse largo en ciertos momentos, es muy rico musicalmente, muy hipnótico, a mi me mantuvo pegado escuchándolo en gran parte. Creo que la segunda parte es mas floja y tiene algunas canciones para mi gusto excesivamente largas. Como todo disco doble, creo que se pudo haber hecho un gran disco simple merecedor del 5. Más que nada por eso por eso le bajo la nota. Canción favorita: I wish (buenisima linea de bajo). Pd: Tremendo plot twist me comi al cachar que pastime paradise era de él y no del rapero JASJAJ (muy ignorante de mi parte).

#809. This is another one that was a double album, but didn't really need to be. I like the more funkier songs, but wasn't a huge fan of the church chorus-ey ones. I feel like it could have been better if trimmed down to about an hour or an hour fifteen. 4/5: still pretty good though.

Pretty goood

A lot of great songs on here, but the composition overall takes the cake of what makes it special and really stuck out to me. Still had a couple skips.

not my thing but this is obviously good stuff

Just some stellar stuff here. Don’t think it justifies being a double album. But it’s pretty great. 4.5/5

I want this to be 5 stars so bad. There are just too many songs for me. If I could hand pick 10-12 songs it would be 6 stars. 1/5 didn’t finish the album 2/5 didn’t keep the album 3/5 kept it and will listen when songs randomly show up on shuffle 4/5 kept it and will listen to it again front to back on my phone 5/5 buying the vinyl

There are some great tracks here, but it’s too long and some of it gets a little boring. It could have been a five star single album. It’s still very good, but I’ll take a star off because of the unnecessary fluff.

Super groovy, even the slow songs make you want to move. It’s one of the music styles that I really like, and I had a great time listening to it.

4,5 stars reeeeeally nice but double albums will never be my thing

Fantastic album. So many great songs.

Turns out Isn’t She Lovely might be one of Stevie Wonder’s worst songs! This album was a banger.

Mostly happy or calming songs, overall good album.

Ganz gutes Album. Ziemlich abwechslungsreich. Mega Stimme. Einige bekannte Songs. Ordinary Pain, Pastime Paradise, i wish, isnt she lovely sind die banger des albums

nice album. hani schomol glost gha. het paar bangers

Toller Künstler

Stevie!! This was a great double album! So many good songs!

There are some really annoying songs on here. And some good ones obviously

Crazy good, songs are a bit long and the album too

Wonderful! Was exactly the album I needed after being up with a sick kid all night. Love ya, Stevie!

really stellar stuff. it's a big album, which fits a lot of stone cold bangers, but that also means a few skips. favorite is Sir Duke or Pastime Paradise. like a solid 4.49/5

I really didn't love the opening track and was ready for 2 hours of RnB, but then Have A Talk With God had some character, and Contusion was just cool af for no reason, and then the rest of the album just a solid fun rich varied listening experience. This steve guy is talented 7.4/10

Bangers. 8 hanging by a moments out of 10 lizard wizards

Extra star for Pastime Paradise and Isn't She Lovely

i absolutely love the seamless transitions between the songs omg

3.5

good

Another blockbuster from 1976.. except I disliked it back then. Several songs were massive hits on mainstream radio so I skipped them as much as possible. 50 years later, I didn't mind it all. Maybe not in rotation but not something to be ignored. Very good songwriting, musicianship incredible.

Stevie never disappoints

I don't really listen to much of this genre of music, however this album sounds so upbeat and catchy, yet makes you feel emotionally calm and at ease

Pretty good 4/5

Wow at the guitar playing in contusion. Never knew Gangsta's paradise had used Pastime Paradise. Perhaps I live under a rock. A really good one. I think it slowed down a bit at times but in general very very good. Tempting to give this a 5.

Another one I already know. It's a bit inconsistent here and there because some songs are very underwhelming compared to the rest - but still a great album I would say.

Stevie Wonder needs to learn when to stop singing. The songs in this album are really good, and obviously his voice in incredible, but you don't need a 6 minute long song with 3 minutes of outro. Cut the fluff out of this, and it would turn it from a 4 rated 86 minute behemoth to a more manageable length with an easy 5. Starts off nice and chill with Love's In Need Of Love Today, Have A Talk With God, and Village Ghetto Land. Sir Duke was pretty fun. I Wish is a classic, wonderful song. Knocks Me Off My Feet was really sweet. And then I got hit with quite the surprise. Pastime Paradise comes on and I hear that music. I did not know Coolio sampled Stevie for Gangsta's Paradise. And Stevie's version is also incredible. Next couple tracks drop back down a little bit. Then Isn't She Lovely takes it right back up. Joy Inside My Tears was beautiful. Black Man had a really nice message in it, that was a fun listen. As and Another Star end things out nicely. This was my fourth and final Stevie Wonder album on this list, and it was the best one of the bunch. Love you, Stevie! Best song: Pastime Paradise

Excellent but he does keep going on a bit too long sometimes

хороший альбом, но нудный и долгий, пиздец

A massive album full of wonderful music. However the length also means you'll quickly forget some of the less memorable songs

It was good, in special the pastime paradise song. The others is also good, but not so good. Its a very long album, and in the end i was tired of listening. If it were a little smaller, like just one hour, it would be better. Very consistente and the instrumental are very good. I think it make sense that Stevie Wonder be a great name of the music. After all, still not the kind of music i would listen again, maybe one or other song, but thats it!

It seems blasphemous to say anything critical about one of the best regarded albums ever, and I don't have much bad to say. The 2nd album starts with my least favorite Stevie Wonder song (Isn't She Lovely") even worse is that I've never heard the 6 minute version with the kid squealing noises halfway through...which made it worse. If it were me in the producing booth, I might have pushed for a couple fewer songs, or maybe a shorter edit here or there... but for the most part, this was truly an excellent album.

Overall an enjoyable album - but was a bit long. Ofc Sir Duke and I wish were favorites. I appreciated the message conveyed in Black Man. Was shocked to learn that Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise is based off of Pastime Paradise!

Great album! Such soul!

Classic. So many styles in one album.

Listening to Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life is like signing up for a quick coffee date and realizing you’ve accidentally agreed to a 2-hour TED Talk on joy, heartbreak, and cosmic funk. It’s not an album—it’s a full-blown life seminar with a soundtrack so good you forget you’re being educated. Every track feels like Stevie personally broke into your soul, rearranged the furniture, and left a disco ball in the living room. The man plays more instruments than most people own socks, and somehow makes you feel guilty for not practicing piano harder in third grade. Favorite tracks are still the commericially known hits- Sir Duke, I Wish, Isn't She Lovely, and I had no idea Coolio sampled from Pastime Paradise

Some fantastic songs, a little bloated but nothing bad.

Downright listenable, downright lovely. Hard album to review - Stevie Wonder's an unimpeachable god of music and he deserves to be - but this album didn't inspire some kind of grand exaltation in me, some great epiphany...it just made me feel pretty goddamn good for 2 hours. That, itself, is pretty goddamn good.

Really enjoyable on the whole. Would have benefitted from being cut in half, 1hr 44 is definitely too long and does start to drag on but there were a chunk of fantastic songs along the way. Listening to this also makes me wish I was growing up in this era of music, some proper talent on show. Solid 4/5.

Fucker be jammin

Fun! Could definitely see his influence on others. Wish I had time to write more but I want the next album.

Solid solid album. I think I will like it more and more the more I listen to it, but it’s just too long to fully appreciate the first time through- 80/100

Really not a fan of the filler / non-classic tracks (I didn’t realise how whiny he can be), but this had too many greats/classics to be punished too harshly…..and I feel bad for doing that on his previous offering, so…

Bit too long. Very pleasant listen though.

Plethoric

It’s very nearly a five star record, but for me, Stevie’s oeuvres - even at their absolute pinnacle - always contain works that are overly sentimental, borderline saccharine. Key of Life is true to that form with Summer Soft, If It’s Magic, and others. One is reminded of the artist responsible for I just Called to Say I Love You. Mind you, half of the tracks are absolute classics of the era and the genre. It’s a string record and deserves the accolades it receives.

It's 4.5.

A really good album, but like all double albums in genres you’re not super in to, a tad too long.

Stevie Wonder's finest hour, and also his longest and most ecletic record. There is so much going on here. Pretty much everything you'd want from Stevie and more appear on this album at some point. Yes, it is really long. Not only is it a double LP, but it also include and extra EP at the end. But I would say it's 100% worth it. Key tracks: Sir Duke Pastime Paradise Isn't She Lovely As

Starts off slowly, then gets into the type of songs I was expecting. Had no idea Gangsters Paradise was a rip off of a Stevie Wonder track. Enjoyed this more than I expected to, trying to be objective it’s probably a 4 but I wouldn’t liste to it again

“Sir Duke” and is such an upbeat, energetic song. The chorus of “I Wish” sounds like Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West”. “Pastime Paradise” was maybe sampled for “Gangster’s Paradise”…all of this is making me feel like I have such little knowledge about music history. So many songs from this album (or possibly even other earlier songs from other artists) sampled for songs that know so well. Really like “Ebony Eyes”

Das macht schon Spaß, bei so einem überbekannten Künstler, mit dem man sich selber nie beschäftigt hat, Songs wie „As“ wieder zu erkennen

if the color yellow had a sound to it, I think it would be this album.

Пока я не понимаю, почему это величайший альбом в истории музыки, но слушать песни отсюда можно в любое время дня, пору года, и так далее. Лучшая песня - Pastime Paradise.

liked songs: Contusion, Sir Duke, Summer Soft, Another Star Very good 4.25

I remember seeing Stevie Wonder on American Bandstand with his first of many hits! This double album has many great songs but it could have been cut to one.

Absolute banger of an album. But it's so fucking long.

Pretty good, one song is the same as the rap one

Stevie Wonder is one of my favorite musicians. He has 4 albums on the list and they're all great. Many people call this his masterpiece, but it's my least favorite of the four. It has some of his best work, but also more filler than the other albums. Still solid 4 stars. Favorite song: another star

Album was a bit long so I did get a smidge bored. It sure was smooth, though!!

TIL: Stevie Wonder wrote the original song “Pasttime Paradise” which was sampled heavily for Bay Area Rapper Coolio’s “Gangstas Paradise.” This album is so obviously in Prince’s influence list, as well as Michael Jackson and Ween. The album flows well and I was introduced to some great deep cuts. Only thing I have never been able to stand is Stevie’s harmonica sound. I don’t know why, but it bugs me when I think about it being a harmonica. I’m still not convinced this man is blind.