Songs In The Key Of Life

Can't be anything but a 5 star rating. Legendary.

It was good but a little long, should have cut some of the fat. Also, they did Stevie dirty on that colonoscopy album art.

No skips

Perfect.

Fav- village ghetto land, love in need of love today

One of my favorite albums of all time. I remember when this came out. There were lines out the doors at record shops. But once in a lifetime type album.

I loved it

excellent; i have an original copy!

I always thought Harriet Tubman was a white man.

Such a fun and energetic album with some really beautiful songs in there too, amazing range that keeps a 1h 45m album interesting

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

Stevie Wonder's only double album - full of great tracks.

A man at the height of his powers. Untouchable groove. At times the tacks drag towards the end as they dont out of their own way on the extended solos, but honestly, who the fuck am I? We're just ants in Stevie's world. While I'm more of an Innervisions guy, this album is near perfect. Summer fucking soft man. Also, maybe the two best singles dropped ahead of an album ever in "I Wish" and "Sir Duke." Talented bastard man. 'Cause I love them so....

Really not for me. A couple of classic tracks, yet not an album I'd ever personally play.

Ez gigachad. Best double album ever.

Obviously it’s a classic with numerous outstanding tracks … but it is too long (double albums should be reserved for greatest hits … which I suppose this is!)

Great

It’s time to put a pin in another artist with multiple albums on the list. I think Stevie Wonder is brilliant, and he has so many songs that I love, but so far, none of his albums have gotten five stars from me. I know that Songs in the Key of Life is typically regarded as his best album, so I’m hoping that the generator wound up saving the best of his work for last! Well, I won’t go against popular opinion on this album. Yes, Songs in the Key of Life is a bold and ambitious album, but it completely sticks the landing. Stevie Wonder is one of the best musicians of our time, and he makes this double album completely worth it. He plays the keyboards like no one else on earth, and his arrangements are not only interesting and boundary pushing, but they’re beautiful as well. His voice is fantastic, and he does an excellent job on every song on this album. One of my favorite things that he does with his singing is when he drops his voice into that really low register, almost to a growl. But even when he does that, his voice just exudes a deep passion. I love his vocal fills as well, and it’s almost an insult to call them a ‘fill,’ because it feels to me like it’s just another instrument, adding more beauty and depth to his sound. I wound up listening to this twice, and on my first listen, I was thinking that I would rate this album four stars. But after going through this again, I’ve changed my mind, and I think it’s worthy of a five-star rating. Its length makes it difficult to listen to in its entirety often, but if time weren’t a factor, I could listen to this many times over. I did want to point out some of my favorite songs: -“Sir Duke” is excellent. I’ve heard this song quite a few times over the years, but I never think about it when I think about my favorite Stevie Wonder songs. It’s got a great sound, and I really love how funky the chorus is, especially compared to the verses. It’s some brilliant song structure. -“Wish” had my favorite bass playing on the album. Pure funk bliss. “Village Ghetto Land” had my favorite lyrics on the album, and awesome string arrangements as well. -I just learned a few weeks ago that Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise interpolated Stevie’s “Pastime Paradise.” The synthesized strings are beautiful and haunting, and I loved how the words changed on the second chorus. Another great example of some excellent song structure. -I love the funkiness and backing vocals of “Ordinary Pain.” I can’t think of another Stevie Wonder song where his vocals dip out for so long, but it worked really well. -“Have a Talk With God” has some great funk sound as well, and I loved the bells in the percussion too. Overall, this is a fantastic album. It’s massive and bold, and a complete testament to Stevie Wonder’s incredible talent as a musician, arranger, vocalist, and visionary. It’s astounding to me that this was his 18th album to record. The man has more ideas and creativity in one of his fingernails than I have in my entire body. What an album, and what an artist!

Overall it was good. I didn't really enjoy the two or three songs and I could have done without the extended child bath sounds, but aside from that I really enjoyed this.

Not bad - it felt almost muddy though? Every sound seemed to exist on the same layer or within the same similar range so there wasn't the clarity of sound that I would have liked to hear. I liked Another Star though. 2/5 stars.

B-B-B-B-B-B-BANGER! Always love listening to this one. It is, truly, in the key of life. 10/10

One of the finest albums in the history of recorded music. Stevie’s lyrics were never sharper, his voice never clearer, the music never more interesting and gorgeous. When I need instant joy, I turn to side 1 and 2 of this double album; it solves all my problems. I appreciate the jams like Black Man and Ngiculeta more now than I did when I was younger and only wanted the pop songs.

I look at the run time and think, "OMG" but there is so much brilliant stuff on here that many lesser artists could have made a whole career out of, never mind one release.

50 year old album way ahead of it's time

A bit mixed but the highs are SO high and it feels so cohesive - 7/10

draži mi innervisions, ali remek djelo nevertheless

Sjajan sjajan album

What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said? One of the best of all time.

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

Good blend of R&B, pop, jazz and smaltz. Didn't remember that Gangster Paradise is an offshoot of Pastime Paradise. Sir Duke was a staple of my pre-teen self.

He's so awesome, I hear the influence he had on so many other artists in every song.

"ONE" album a day?? Double albums are bombs! Especially this one. Haha. Ok. Wow. There's so much here. HIS 18TH RELEASE?? Unbelievable. AND he was about to retire?? 😂 Absolute monster. Killer grooves. Heavy themes. Blazing trails. Positive vibes. Blind! He's like Daredevil where his lack of sight just juices his other skills to the max. Can't touch Stevie.

Amazing breadth of styles while maintaining an impossible quality. Amazingly talented.

One of my favourites of all time - love it

Stevie Wonder is such a talented guy. He writes all songs, masters the groove by playing most of the band instruments and produces his own records. This is great album, but maybe few songs too long.

Ultra sleek and almost too sleek to my taste. Big credits for amazing multi-instrumental Wonder.

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

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

Grand, but a bit same-Y after a while.

Making a double album with near universal appeal is no easy feat. But this is Stevie Wonder at the height of his popularity and songwriting. Unlike the vast majority of double albums, it's hard to imagine what you could remove here. There's often some real fatigue by the time you get to side 4 of any LP. But here, it only gets more engaging, with some of the best tracks on the entire album rounding it out (ignoring the four tacked on bonus tracks on Spotify). Such is the brilliance of this one that it's been sampled left, right, and center. Younger listeners will undoubtedly recognize much more than they expected. "Contusion", "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Pastime Paradise", "Black Man" and "As" are among Wonder's best songs ever. Although I'm a litle more partial to "Innervisions", "Songs in the Key of Life" is still an incredible album, particularly from an artist who almost gave up music entirely before he made it. It's clear that he still had much more to say.

easy 5

AHHHH I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!!! I will jump on any excuse to relisten to this. Stevie Wonder is just so immensely talented, this album is 1 hr and 44 mins but blows by. It's just loads of fun and you can hear the thought put into every instrument choice, every arrangement, and every lyric. Stevie himself played a lot of instruments on this album! It's just such an important body of work and I love this album so much. 10/10 no questions asked. I was in an American music history class in college and at the end of the semester, our prof asked us to make a list of 5 songs we think encapsulate American music's history. Then we would take everyone's list and narrow them down to 5 collective songs for the whole class. Someone's list had Sir Duke on it and eventually nobody cared about any of the other songs on anyone's list, and we all decided that Sir Duke was maybe the greatest song ever made and encapsulates American music more than any other list anyone made. I have never seen a group of music students agree on something like that. It was magical tbh.

His voice is really good and some of the songs are great. There are a few that I don’t like as much and a few production choices I wasn’t fond of, but overall it was a very enjoyable listen and I would probably listen again. Fav song: Sir Duke Least fav: Summer Soft

Mid

Simply a masterpiece. It had been awhile since I listened to it and never before in headphones - the production is nearly perfect and the melodies are infectious. I often have skipped the hits before but let them play and was impressed with what I heard actively listening. If you like music, you’ll probably like this!

the double perspective in summer soft 🙏

Masterpiece

Awww yeaaahhh. I was so happy to see this pop up today. I was similar with all the big hits (Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, etc) but I never had an excuse to set the time aside to listen to the whole album until today. Better than I would have imagined. Masterpiece. 6/5! There's literally nothing wrong with it. Yeah it's long. So what? Think of it as a movie for your ears. Each song flows so well into the next for an hour and 45 minutes. You won't even notice the time passing. Absolutely worth it to invest in some good headphones. It'll sound great even on the crappiest speakers but you're doing yourself a disservice by missing out on all the tiny details. Not sure if an album like this could be replicated in the future. I'm just happy this exists.

The vocals are amazing. A really enjoyable album.

This is a remarkable album. I loved every song

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

Amazing !

that ish was long good for sure, crazy range in genre while still adhering to a lot of jazz/funk archetypes favs probably village ghetto land, contusion, and summer soft

Love this album

Classic. So many catchy tunes, and you realize as you listen where so much music took its inspiration.

Stunning. Maybe a bit long but worth it when time allows a full listen.

Great album with a lot of hits, soul filled.

Good Stuff.

adding this to my regular playlists, it cant all be NIN and Barry Adamson

Great album from a fellow Michigander.

Love this album

Could do with revisiting from time to time as it is such a big album. A very enjoyable listen though and a good balance of recognisable and new songs for me.

Love's in Need of Love Today 3.5 Have a Talk with God 3.6 Village Ghetto Land 3.3 Contusion (instrumental) 3.7 Sir Duke 3.8 I Wish 3.7 Knocks Me Off My Feet 3.7 Pastime Paradise 3.8 Summer Soft 3.6 Ordinary Pain 3.6 Isn't She Lovely 3.3 Joy Inside My Tears 3.4 Black Man 3.5 Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing 3.6 If It's Magic 3.5 Asking for It 3.6 Another Star 3.7 Score: 3.582352941

Classic funk album

Granted, there are a bunch of fantastic songs on this album, but it does go on a little long for me. There seems to be a bias in this list that long albums are great albums. I can't agree. A little editing would get you a really great album. Throwing everything on the wall and celebrating that you you nailed it on a half dozen songs doesn't make a great album. Don't get me wrong, Songs In The Key Of Life is a great album. I'm speaking to the concept in general. This album could have been a 5, but not for me as it is.

This album is even weirder than I remember. Very inventive and creative, with several classic tracks. Listening in one go is too much of a good thing for my tastes. Would be better as originally on vinyl with a break every 20 minutes.

if i were reviewing this album back when i first heard it... when i was 14... i would've said it was one of the greatest albums of all time... now, as an old man, my review of it has somewhat tempered a bit... 20 songs... which if pared down to about 15 would be at the very top of every list... oh but those five... they now seem like preachiness... and a bit overdone... but, musically it is like a trip through the world of R&B's many stylings... "I Wish", "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke" were all timers... but my favorite song was always "As"...

I've only heard this album a couple of times and didn't remember it well. My problem with many of Stevie Wonder's albums is there are a handful of solid hard funk/soul then a lot of whiny songs that lack that hard funk edge. So most of the first disc doesn't suffer from that, it's best moments are transcendental--I Wish is my favourite, but Sir Duke and Pastime Paradise are obviously absolute classics as well. Have a talk with god isn't the kind of track you'd think would have a deep funk groove, but it definitely does. Second disc opens with a longer album version of single Isn't She Lovely which made me think my baby daughter was talking before I realized it was the track. Joy Inside My Tears... pretty whiney. Black Man is a solid funk track. Then the latter half of the second side gets a little slow for a while, with some high points. As is good, then Another Star solid. 4/5, would be a five if not for some filler--could have been shorter. Probably Stevie's best album.

Good work. He played it safe while opening up. Great album

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

Amazing incredible music, but wow it really is so long. Some of the songs go on for longer than I could enjoy.

Can’t go wrong

Four stars, but more of a really-begrudging-3.5-rounded-up-to-4-stars four stars. There's so many good songs but it can be toothachingly sweet on the whole.

All timer, Love I Wish and Sir Duke

A bit controversial maybe, it’s good and all but is it a bit on the long side? I have listened to Stevie in a hits capacity so it was nice to hear an actual album and when Pastime Paradise came on it blew my mind, I thought Gangstas Paradise was an original thing!

This album is iconic songs I enjoy but didn’t realise Stevie Wonder produced them. Two discs are a bit ling but no other complaints

This is baby making music! Soft, whimsical, and romantic plus the songs are repetitive and go one a long time so you don't have to worry about which one you pick because you'll have finished before it ends!

Listened on 5/12/25 4.75/5 Favorite songs: Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely, Knocks Me Off My Feet The only thing I loved more than this album is the conspiracy that Stevie isn’t blind. The number of absolute bangers is ridiculous

What a phenomenal album throughout. Enjoyed some of my existing favorites from Stevie with Sir Duke and Isn’t She Lovely, but also got to hear some other great songs in Knocks Me Off My Feet and Pastime Paradise. It’s such a joyful listen and I can see why Apple and other sites agree it’s a top 50 album of all time.

Great vibes only on this Monday morning! This album is upbeat, soulful and fun! Soo many good songs, but it’s very long and I did start to loose steam by the end. Overall, strong album from Mr. Wonder! I did prefer disc 1 over disc 2. Favorite song: Sir Duke!! Honorable mentions: - I Wish - Isn’t she lovely - Have a talk with God - Pastime Paradise: no clue Gangsters Paradise was a sample!

HI8-0F49-JI3N4PMGIPVNJ

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

So every other album is just trying to catch up to this one. Got it!

[5/10]

Outstanding

Very impressive double album with one strong track after another. I have probably heard the big hits a few too many times but great to discover tracks I never knew like Saturn. A lot of the songs are a bit too long though and I could have done without the two instrumentals!

Classic, so many great songs

Bangers after Bangers, somet8mes a bit too sweet

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

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

This album rules, Contusion is fucking amazing

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

Vyborny, asi ne do hospody :D

Amazibg

How can it be mere coincidence that I got this back-to-back with Ray Charles? It's a very solid album, but I wasn't quite as transported by it as many others were. I liked it a lot, just the same. Kinda like the Ray Charles album -- a solid four.

I was surprised by how many songs that I knew from this album. Sensational.

Holy shit this was awesome! It’s a humongous album and there’s so many great riffs. Stevie knows how to build a song up good lord! Making an exception and doing top 5. Sir duke, I wish, ordinary pain, As, isn’t she lovely

Great album by one of the Greats.

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

Near perfect most of the way, with multiple songs that might go on humanity's all time mix tape. Adding the B-sides EP to the normal LP pushes it over into Too Long, but so what.

Ok.

Truly WONDERful album.

Music for people who think mayo is spicy

Absolutely fantastic album! Never heard the whole thing front to back before but all the songs are complete bangers. Phenomenal record, deserving of all the praise!

Gotta be top ten all time

MASTERPIECE

Старина сделал красиво, но сильно затянул

Great album but too many songs

8.5 great

Some good songs, but way too long.

I already knew some of the big hits off this album going in (Sir Duke is a masterpiece) but I was pleasant surprised at some of the other tracks I hadn't heard before. Contusion is not at all something I would expect on a Stevie Wonder album but it's amazing! Top tier album, would listen again.

Well I was just complaining about the lack of nu jazz and the generator comes out and reminds me that Stevie Wonder did all that stuff back in the 70s. This is the culmination of an amazing decade of albums. Have a Talk to God has some seriously wonky synths and sound effects. Village Ghetto Life combines a Wendy Carlos baroque synth with socially consciousness unmatched by anyone but Gil Scott Heron (maybe Chuck D?). Contusion is a dizzying fusion number which feels just like the kind of bewildering confusion that comes from a TBI that leads straight into Sir Duke, which starts out like a big band swing number before some of those iconic chord changes and about the funnest horn line in the world. I Wish is a rollicking funk number with a direct line to George Clinton. Pastime Paradise is of course a critical track for anyone who came of age in the 90s. Ronnie Foster and Wonder on Summer Soft soar with every verse. The second half is weaker with quite a few longer songs that probably could have used a razor. Highlights are Black Man for some more consciousness and some great solos, As for the gospel choruses and All Day Sucker for recognising fellow genius George Clinton. I do question the track ordering, it seems to go from social consciousness to big brassy fun to love ballad without any rhyme or reason. Two separate LPs might have been more effective. I know people find this frustrating because of its length and I see where they are coming from, but I feel like its just a demonstration of how deep and broad Wonder's talent went that after three of the best albums released in the 70s, when he's demoralised with tired and thinking about leaving music he could still put out another double LP reprising everything he achieved.

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

I own this album and it's fantastic.

All of Stevie’s albums in the 70s were part of my constant listening during that decade. So much consistently brilliant music from this phenomenal musician. Every song on this album is genius.

Some of it wasn't bad, but not my vibe

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

Happy happy happy

Did not realize how many classics are on this album. Perfect the whole way through. Love's in Need of Love Today is one of the best songs I've ever heard.

Have a Talk with God, I Wish and Pastime Paradise are standouts but its all of a quality that rightly confers the title of musical genius to Stevie.

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

Rating: 4.5/5 | Favorite Track: Sir Duke --- A nearly perfect album – I'm upset with myself that I waited until this point in my life to listen to this. I adore the warmth and the optimism of this album; it's simply fun to listen to.

What a ride. The jams are JAMS on this, although I’ve never been a ballad guy.

like the prog stuff!

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

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

Excellent. The first disc would get a 5. The second disc has some great bits but didn’t quite reach the sustained high level in my opinion.

Bit long. Otherwise very enjoyable.

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

Sure, you can argue about how long the album is or maybe how some of songs drag on just a bit but none of that matters when you take a look into how cohesive, mesmerizing, joyful, and perfectly produced this album is. There isn't a single dud on here and considering how stacked this album that is an insane feat. God bless Stevie Wonder. Top 5 (in no order): Knock Me Off My Feet, Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely (Best), Another Star, Love's In Need Of Love Today No bad songs on here (good/great at worst) 6/5

Damn this is one of the best things I've ever heard in my life, I kinda feel like a clown for never listening until now this rocks

One of the quintessential albums for a reason. Endlessly listenable and timely. An album that changed the course of music history.

Goat

Who doesn’t like Stevie but not my genre

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

Long album but worth it. I can see why Stevie Wonder is a living legend. Lots of solid hits

there needs to be a 6/5 stars option

Really enjoyed. Team Stevie!

:)

Pure joy. I would say that, where the first disc is wall to wall classic bangers, the second one is a bit more album filler, but even then I’m sure I’ll grow to love these other songs as I listen to it more.

Exquisite album!

An everyman classic, for good reason

this is one of my all time favorites, great vibes and ive heard it alot for years so i dont have much to say, this is truly songs in the key of life i love this album

Masterpiece. Excellent from start to finish.

So many great songs and moments. I think Stevie ran out of steam after this. It's as if he gave everything he could to one album. He'd already done enough to guarantee his greatness, this just raised him up towards the heavens. Love's in Need.... is my favourite album opener of all time. Sir Duke is the best wedding song. Ordinary Pain, Pastime Paradise, Talk With God...... the songs keep coming one after another. An astonishing album.

Iconic

Masterpiece.

Dear Stevie, the album cover looks like a butthole with your face shining out of the middle. I'm sure it looks better in your minds eye. Thankfully its not reflective of the music, solid album. Lots of sample genesis. you get an extra star for that.

A classic album and for damn good reason. Stevie Wonder is one of those artists who is instantly recognisable and utterly unique. Really enjoyed this one!

It is very polished and has a few tracks that I really like, but generally it didn't make much of an impact on me. Highlights include Isn't She Lovely and discovering that this was where the Gangsta's Paradise sample came from, (it's such a nice track on the album too).

Wow, what an absolute joy this album was to listen to. Double LPs are always bloated and self-indulgent - and the same does apply in Stevie’s case. But the pacing here is so strong, and the bangers so well placed that they mostly stave off the exhaustion. Yes, the tunes are just that strong. On first listen it’s genuinely difficult to pick a favourite side let alone song. Side 1 and 2 feel more concise and focused, whereas Stevie kind of just loosens up and takes the listener on a long groovy journey towards the end. If like me you’ve given yourself over to the groove by side 4, you’re going you have a hell of time. A high 4 for me on first listen but would not be surprised to graduate that to a 5 if I find myself returning to this one. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Fourth SW album I've been recommended so far, I think this might be my favorite. Had no clue this is where 'Gangsta's Paradise' comes from.

One of the best albums ever put to wax. Also one of my finest records owned, it is one of the few that you never need to skip a song, and that you rush to flip to the next side. As a music theory enthusiast and amateur keyboard player, I'm certainly biased in favor of him, but Stevie kills it instrumentally all over this joint. And two of his best grooves ever written in Sir Duke and I Wish are unequivocal proof. Favorite Tracks: Love's in Need, Contusion, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely, As

Most double albums so far I've graded a little lower due to their length, this is how double albums should be, great blend of soul and funk, lovely balance from song to song with some huge hits in there, a fantastic album

Incredible! I was familiar with this album but never listened to it from front to back. Many highlights but “knocks me off my feet” always takes me back to my childhood when i hear it. My 2 year old loved dancing to “sir Duke”. I love how versatile Stevie is with his voice on certain tracks and obviously he showed why he is one of the best musicians and songwriters in the world. Easy 5 out of 5 stars.

Hard to beat as one of the best of all time

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

So cool, classic timeless funk and soul and sunshine.

1. Love's in Need of Love Today - 8/10 2. Have a Talk with God - 6/10 3. Village Ghetto Land - 5/10 4. Contusion - instru 5. Sir Duke - 6/10 6. I Wish - 7/10 7. Knocks Me Off My Feet - 8/10 8. Pastime Paradise - 3/10 9. Summer Soft - 7.5/10 10. Ordinary Pain - 7.5/10 11. Isn't She Lovely - 9/10 12. Joy Inside My Tears - 7.5/10 13. Black Man - 7.5/10 14. Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing - 6.5/10 15. If It's Magic - 7/10 16. As - 8/10 17. Another Star - 7.4/10 18. Saturn - 8/10 19. Ebony Eyes - 6/10 20. All Day Sucker - 7/10 21. Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama’s Call) - instru 6/10

This was a very enjoyable listen. Some really great music on this album.

😍

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

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

10

Amazing just a bit too long. CUT IT DOWN STEVIE

3 stars

Perfect. No notes.

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

Ok, Stevie is great, but this album is way too long and the baby crying on Isn’t She Lovely always makes me uncomfortable. There are some undeniably great - masterful even - tracks on this, but I could speed run Mario 3 faster than this. 3.5/5

Great Album

Honestly it took two go-rounds to really listen to this. And then suddenly I realized that it is gorgeous. It’s not in your face, so you can have it playing in the background and dismiss it as better than average smooth R&B. But when you sit with it, the genius is undeniable. One beautiful song after another. So few misses even though it’s a long double album. This isn’t necessarily my favorite genre but i can’t deny this one. I look forward to sitting in the sun with this one this summer.

This is clearly a master at work with some incredible songs…but I just didn’t connect on an emotional level/ visceral level with most songs in the same way I do things I love.

Probably a 5 star for me if it was trimmed to single disc. That’s true for most double discs. I can only think of a handful of double discs that hit the whole way through.

What a phenomenal album! What's even more impressive is the fact that this is a double album, but still it manages to deliver great quality throughout. There are so many hits, singles, quality songs and songs which were sampled and made into hits by other artists on here that it's mindboggling. Even the extra EP is great. How do you create a ~20 song album of this quality? Insane. The album has a slight lean towards soul and ballads compared to Innervisions, but this works in it's favor, even though Innervisions was great as well. Sonically everything is really well done. Stevies voice is the best it has ever been, the color, articulation and precision is astonishing, it's a real pleasure listening to such a skilled and soulful artist. Likewise, the keys are perfect and create a single, indivisible, unit together with the vocals. There are many great melodies in the album, somehow they are able to produce a hit after hit. The rhythm section also shines, it continues the great work done on Innervisions and builds upon it. There is not a single moment when drums and bass aren't active and engaged. The album is full of fills, interesting bridges and rhythm changes, but these still manage to stay in the background and to not be intrusive to the main stars of the show, just add to them. I now know why this is considered one of the best albums of all time. Another one from Stevie going into the favorites.

Groovy, fantastic album

Fav Song: Isn't She Lovely Notes: Waaay too long (and somewhat boring) but out of respect for its legacy and influence, going with a 3. RIP Coolio.

Umm... This one is a bit bloated for my tastes. Sure, there's some great tracks here, but it's a slog to get through. I'm sorry the boomers had to "suffer" so much to have to believe this was the greatest album. I'll put this on the "well, I've heard it" and move on list.

First album, and maybe rating it a little too low because of that. A lot that is undeniable, obviously, but I could imagine a single disc that's *perfect* and it's not an LP I return to all that often. 4.5 stars would be more accurate.

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

To my mind a truly great album.

Was so hyped when I saw this one come up but I was a bit dissapointed not going to lie. Sir duke As and isn’t she lovely are fantastic but feels like the other ones don’t really live up to them. Still a good album overall thought The added baby sounds on isn’t she lovely were sooo unnecessary as well Specific rating - 4.2 Fav song- Sir duke Least fav song - Saturn

That was lovely! Very middle school band

Way better than Talking Book-a ton of variety and great songs. My only issue is that, at almost 2hrs long, there is too much weight to avoid some adult contemporary flab. Overall, though, a great album and probably my favorite of his.

There is a LOT of good stuff on this. Blending R&B, Disco, Jazz, Pop, Soul, Gospel...big boppers to iconic ballads.

Dałabym 6 jak się dało To jest jego 18 album i to jeszcze taki długaśny. Cały dzień go słuchałam. Stevie Wonder's jest geniuszem

10/10 te amoooo

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

Und immer wieder ein Push nach vorne. Großartig!

Great album. Lots of familiar hits and songs I recognize from hiphop samples. Favourites: As, I wish, Isn't she lovely, Knocks me off my feet New faves: Saturn, Ebony Eyes and Joy inside my tears

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

This is the 84th album I’m rating. Everybody talks about this album like it’s the greatest thing ever but I doubt it honestly because I’ve listened to Talking Book before. Adding to my Playlist - Sir Duke, Summer Soft, Ordinary Pain, Isn’t She Lovely, and Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I am Singing. Not Adding to my Playlist - Love’s in Need of Love Today, Have a Talk with God, Village Ghetto Land, Contusion, I Wish, Knocks me Off my Feet, Pastime Paradise, Joy Inside my Tears, Black Man, If It’s Magic, As, and Another Star. All in all I liked 5/17 songs. I swear if Stevie Wonder wasn’t blind nobody would give a shit about his music. So many of the songs felt like they should’ve ended halfway through and it all sounded the same.

i've heard this work so many times front to back i have yet to finish it as i'm writing this review. this is quite possibly the best album that has ever been released in the recorded history of the world.

Always love Stevie dubs, it the best but always love the energy and makes me happy to hear his albums.

A lot of fun songs and sounds on here. I probably wouldn't have guessed this came from the 70's because it still sounds fresh to me. Also, who knew this is where Gangsta's Paradise came from? Not me.

Really cool to get this as my first revealed album. Bought the vinyl a few years ago when I received my turnable as a birthday gift from Nicole.

Genuinely one of the greatest albums ever made. An absolute delight from start to finish. 10/10 An exuberant display of genius

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

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

Very good R+B, easy listening. "I Wish" is a total classic. I think this would have been better served by being 1 LP, since it dragged at times. Overall I really enjoyed it though.

Stevie Wonder was 26 when he made his magnum opus, *Songs In The Key of Life*. This was also his 18th album, which is insane. This album is just so beautiful and astonishing to say the least. The name of the album is accurate! What sets it apart from other “happy” albums for me is that there’s this feeling of authenticity from Stevie. His vocal performance is just great. The intro track, *Love’s In Need of Love Today*, is an amazing example of this. While having great background vocals and vocals from Stevie, it just brings nice vibes like so much of this album. It’s one of many amazing ballads on the album. There’s so many stand out moments that I can’t name them all here. The production on all of the songs is excellent, and the fact that Stevie produced and played a lot of the instruments on this album is crazy. It’s impressive, and it really shows on tracks like *Isn’t She Lovely*, which is a song about his daughter. The harmonica solo played by him is just amazing, and adds to the feeling of excitement and happiness the song has. Another example is *Sir Duke*, which is a tribute to Duke Ellington. The brass on it sounds amazing! There’s also *As*, it’s simply excellent to say the least. In short, being regarded as one of the best albums of all time isn’t easy to live up to, but this album did. I HIGHLY recommend giving this a listen, it’s amazing. Bravo, Stevie.

One of the top albums of the 70's and Stevie's best in a series of 5 super powered albums released by him. A clear 5

A lot of pleasant songs

Fantastic album! 4.49/5 - just because there are a few tracks that don't land for me.

Great

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

👎🏻

Absolute perfection. Was a formative album of my teens. From the opening track - lush uplifting and joyous - to the last (depending on how you view the end - Another Star or Easy Goin Evening as the bonus Ep) it's a hymn to life, it's stages, its highs and lows, the ebbs and flows of people, love, loss.

Massive. Samples galore, the fountainhead of a clear genius. This album truly feels like being in the mind and life of Stevie. Exploding out in every direction with music and experience.

Pretty classic album definitely deserves to be on a shorter list of albums you must hear. Favourite song: i wish

In 1950 a woman found a lamp, rubbed it, out popped a genie and she was offered 3 wishes. The first was for deeper understanding of the human condition so the double helix of DNA was discovered. The second was for man to conquer space so Sputnik was launched. Her third wish for her unborn child to be the personification of the joy of music. This brought us the gift of Stevie Wonder. From the outside it seems like writing beautiful, heart warming music comes as naturally as breathing for him, but im sure there is a lot of hard work involved too. A double album where ever song just seems that it existed forever and was found in nature is insane. Most album reviews talk about stand out tracks, Stevie Wonder had a stand out decade (70's) and this was slap bang in the middle of that.

An all-time classic, and even more rarely, a double LP that doesn't overstay it's welcome and would be hard to find any flak. This album is songbook of American culture and music in itself. Stevie Wonder at the peak of his songwriting prowess, sprinkling elements of world music throughout. Best Tracks: - Sir Duke - As - Another Star Worst Tracks: - Pastime Paradise - If It's Magic Rating: 8.5/10

Ok first double album that isn’t overlong or self indulgent. Sure not every single song is a classic but there aren’t any duff ones or fillers on here either! I listened right through in one go and that says something, I could quite easily listen to the whole thing over and over with no need to skip any songs.

Been in a rough patch this week as far as this project goes. What a way to get out of it. Maybe a bit long but it's warranted. 9/10

Fun album, but ages long! I was kinda bored of it after two days listening.

3.5

7/10

An album that everyone should listen to at least twice

Jeg vil sige det så ofte som bogen kræver - 1972-1976 Stevie Wonder alle 5’ere. Den her er måske den bedste af dem

Det er lissom hele pointen at den skal være lang, men føler stadig lidt at der gennem sig en 5er her. Mange bangers, højt niveau!

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

Turn the key and enter these great songs into your life! Wow…there was so much to unpack from an initial listen to this mammoth double…nay…TRIPLE album, one that is worth every ounce of the accolades it has received with the lasting legacy it laid for the incredible artistry of Mr. Stevie Wonder! Now I won’t sugarcoat the fact that the album’s runtime is quite lengthy at just shy of two hours, however it is jam packed with entertaining grooves and heartfelt soul that will hardly test your patience to enjoy the set list in its entirety the whole way through. What I value most about this 1001 generator listening project beyond discovering such incredible music that I would otherwise have never dedicated the proper time to fully immerse myself with, is learning just how original and influential much of these albums were. I had no idea that ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ was actually interpolated from the Stevie Wonder song Pastime Paradise found in these collection of songs. My mind was blown! 🎧 Classic Track: Isn’t She Lovely 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Ngiculela - Es una historia - I am Singing 🎧 Personal Favourite: Village Ghetto Land Although a genre of music that is not typically in my regular rotation and a release well before my time, there is no doubt that it’s a classic must listen! 🖼️ Album Artwork: Iconic 💿 A must own for your vinyl collection! Click the thumbs up icon below if you enjoyed my take on the album :)

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

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

As funky as talking book, as righteous as innervisions and as out there as FFF. Ticks all the.boxes. if it weren't for Contusion (and I'm a jazz fan) it'd get a 5

After so much great music in just that album, I'm like... damn. Stevie. What a man.

More is less’ rings especially true for this album. Some tracks are absolute musical bliss, while others feel completely dull in comparison. Many of Stevie’s albums seem to struggle with this disconnected flow—perhaps it’s just me.

That Stevie is a genius is clear if one looks across his catalog. This double possesses some of his best material but also some pretty forgettable stuff. Sir Duke is a classic. Isn’t She Lovely is a deceptively simple piece of joy. I cherry pick off this record and wouldn’t generally listen end to end.

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

This was my favorite of the Stevie Wonder albums we've gotten. I wish it wasn't a double album, it wasn't good enough for almost 2 hours of music, but I enjoyed most of it.

Lungo ma merita tutto

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

Great album!Despite the long duration, it does not bother, because the music is quite diverse and interesting.

YES YES YES I love everything about this. The guitars, the bassline, the synth stuff, the moog basses, the clavs, the singing, the female backing singers. It all just feels so polished in every way, The ballad-type songs all are great, even though perhaps I wouldn't normally like that kind of thing. The funkier songs are probably my favourite, especially the synth-based ones. The hits are all great as well, although isn't she lovely drags on with the recording at the end, but I still love it. I can't really think of a double album which is so interesting and varied in a good way the whole way through. I still think if each of the individual albums were on their own, it would still be amazing. Its not often a song makes me sporadically pull out every instrument I can play and have a go on it (I know that probably sounds stupid) Favourite songs: pretty much all of them, except maybe knocks me off my feet and a couple of ones at the very end (not the very last one though). Will definitely come back to this Overall around 9/10

This one is also a classic, so many great hits, stevie wonder is a genius

Based on how acclaimed this album is, my expectations were high, but were somehow still surpassed by this great album. I expected the album to be good, but I didn't expect it to be so experimental, political, and full of songs that would be the highlight of almost any other album. Favorite Track: As

Thank you Stevie

Not really my thing but super good and didn’t realize about coolio song

Really nice album with some crackers on it. Quite long but very good 8/10

Stevie's magnum opus, zo staat hij in ieder geval te boek. En alhoewel ik echt wel denk dat dit zijn hoogtepunt was van creatieve vruchtbaarheid, waarin zoveel samenkomt op persoonlijk, muzikaal en politiek vlak, moet ik toch voorzichtig zeggen dat 'Songs in the Key of Life' wel enigszins overgewaardeerd is als 'totaalstuk'. Het trio funk-oriented albums dat voorafging aan dit werk (Vooral 'Talking Book' en 'Innervisions') belichamen m'n favoriete Stevie Wonder periode, en die twee albums in het speciaal werken wat mij betreft een stuk beter als totaalplaatje. En ik ben gewoon niet zo fan van de transitie van Stevie naar de synth-heavy eighties. Er mag ook best vaker benadrukt worden dat deze gigaplaat voor een significant deel gevuld is met - voor Stevie's doen - ongeïnspireerde en slappe meuk. Nummers die vaak te lang doordraven waardoor het tempo uit de plaat is. Plaat twee gaat hier echt aan ten onder vind ik. En dat is een doorn in het oog na plaat nummer één, die bij vlagen subliem is. Als hij het daar bij had gehouden dan kreeg hij geheel terecht 5 sterren, maar zelfs op mijn positiefste dag kan ik plaat twee niet meer dan 3 sterren geven. Die wordt volledig gered door misschien wel zijn beste productie in 'As'. Ook de funk in 'All Day Sucker' staat me wel aan, en 'Isn't She Lovely' is - ondanks dat ik geen fan ben - wel een belangrijk ijkpunt in zijn carrière. Eindconclusie is dat kwantiteit het in de loop van het album weet te winnen van kwaliteit, en dat hij vooral met vier sterren wegkomt omdat deze explosie van creatieve input ook echt wel de voedingsbodem bleek voor een aantal van zijn beste liedjes in een weelderige loopbaan. 8/10 Highlights: Sir Duke I Wish Summer Soft As

Meer is vaak niet beter. Zeker niet als het het aantal nummers op albums betreft. Toch krijgen wie hier 105 minuten Stevie Wonder voorgeschoteld. Veels te veel natuurlijk. En ondanks dat op Songs in the Key of Life veel hits van Wonder staan (Sir Dike, Isn't She Lovely) is het daarnaast ook gewoon een hele zoute soul-popplaat. Nummers als Love's In Need of Love Today en Joy Inside My Tears zijn echt mierzout en storen mij dan ook mateloos. Vervolgens staan er op deze plaat ook wat experimentelere tracks (zoals de paar nummers voor Sir Duke) en gewoon wat ijzersterke soul-tracks (zoals Black Man). Ik ben dat ook wat ambigu in de beoordeling maar kan helaas niet super enthousiast zijn. 5/10 Highlights Sir Duke Black Man

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

3.5

Flies by for a nearly two hour album! I can’t believe Gangsta’s Paradise samples a Stevie Wonder song! 4.5/5 stars, half star off because it really is lonnnnggg!

Pretty amazing achievement to have an album with a run-time of 1h 45 min that never feels like it drags.

Fantastic. I’ve heard it all the way through several times. This run through was just as satisfying. Talking Book, Innervisions and this one. What a 4 year run. All 5 stars. This could be his greatest? I believe I read he thinks it is. 2nd half “deep tracks” are just so GOOD. For me, on a very short list of albums I would need on a desert island. Top 10 All-Time? Top 5? One could argue.

Only a few tracks bothered me (lengthy, boring, ...), so in general a very good album. Apart from the singles, take notice of "Black man", an excellent funky soul track.

Joyful music

Possibly greatest album ever.

ok songs 3/5

Wow. This is the first time I'm listening to this album. A very lenghty one, so I never found the time and courage to play it. 'As' just came on my radar the week before and there it was again, towards the ending of this fantastic double album. What an amazing song. And wow, I thought 'Isn't She Lovely' was overrated, but it fit so perfectly in this album. What a lovely little trip.

Het enige nadeel van dit album is dat het te lang is. Maar damn, wat een fucking goed album. Wat een stem, wat een riffs en wat een bass. 4.4

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

I’ve never listened to the whole album front-to-back in a single listening. I fell like it takes a few track to get going, definitely found the middle half to flow great, then maybe a few towards the end a like meh. But still, it’s a classic album for a really good reason.

Honestly banger after banger

Some bangers but a bit of filler the too; unnecessarily long album

Takes time to kick in but when it does!!!

Klasyka. Te utwory są w świadomości społecznej od lat. Coverowane, śpiewne na karaoke i przesłuchaniach. Człowiek zapomina, że ktoś je musiał zrobić skomponować. Płyta niemal kompletna, momentami radosna, czasem nostalgiczna. Głos Wondera wyjątkowy, przyjemny. Melodie poruszają. Nie jest to do dla mnie płyta uszyta pod mój gust, ale doskonale wiem, czemu się tu znalazła. Isn’t she lovely to zloto. 8/10

Great funk/r&b

SO MANY SONGS ARE SAMPLED FROM THIS ALBUM. WHAT. PASTIME PARADISE = GANGSTAS PARADISE??!?!?! Also really nice album in general, got a hint of Japanese Fusion vibes from Contusion/Sir Duke.

another one of the greatest. There are highs and lows but even the lower have been sampled and redone over and over

A fave in High a school Listened to over and over Beautiful

Classic album would have been better as a single album

He’s not as blind as everyone thinks. Great album.

His voice is awesome and it’s crazy how many songs rappers have sampled of his

One of the best albums ever, great listen.

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

I enjoyed listening, some songs were a bit long or harder to listen to (Contusion) mostly just a lot of instruments, but I enjoyed a lot of them, good feel to the songs. Likes: I Wish, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Isn't She Lovely

Listenable.

The most petty nitpickiest thing I could say about this album is there are some great songs that derive no benefit from being 7 or 8 minutes long. They could have been cut in half and been better. Addition by subtraction. Other than that, fucking fantastic 4+

Prob in my top 20 albums of all time. Timeless and phenomenal.

Great Album!

always good. I tend to forget how immersive his albums are. Til we meet again Mr. Wonder.

This album is pretty great, with a ton of great songs you know, a strong theme and some good variety. My only complaints are that there's to much material to keep up the quality, and the feel dips into a cheesier area that would come to be known as adult contemporary. Still, the pluses are so strong, it my be his best work.

I can’t believe I’ve never listened to this before. Bop after bop. He has so many good love songs specifically in this album which is in theme in a beautiful way with the album title. Sir duke is unbeatable and I wish pastime paradise wasn’t such a meme cause it’s also amazing.

I mean this is just a 5 star album through and through. Home of countless classic bops and grooves, I couldn’t help but smile or dance listening through the entire double LP. Literally walking while listening to it I think I had an actual spring in my step. There’s certainly a reason this album gets all the praise it does. For a man who had no sight, he sure had a whole lot of vision. Okay holy cow I get the Stevie Wonder hype completely now. Dang these are truly songs written in the key of life, it feels like in each of his songs he tunes into some part of my soul and just sits there and lets me explore it along to the bodacious vibes he so graciously gifts me.

Stevie goes wall to wall with this one

Ok. Better. Like it

Big fan of Stevie Wonder, but I believe this is the first non-greatest hits album I have listened to start to finish. It’s a pretty darn good one. A lot of gems. Top 3 songs: 1. Sir Duke 2. As 3. I Wish Most poignant lyrics: Pastime Paradise Other songs to appreciate: Joy Inside My Tears, Ordinary Pain 8.5/10

Brilliant album.

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

There was a recent question on BlueSky, along the lines of 'what's the most classic and revered album that you've never knowingly listened to?'. My immediate thought was Songs In The Key Of Life. Well now I have, and it's very good indeed. Every element is of such quality - the musicianship, the production, the songwriting and of course the vocals. It's also clearly so often ripped off - everyone from Coolio to Jamiroquai to George Michael owes a debt to this record. That's the compliments out the way, now for the reasons it won't get a five star. The first thing is very much a 'me problem'. It's too chirpy by half, and the only song with any sort of edge was Black Man. That's not bad in itself, but it's a lot to contend with for the length of the record. That brings me on to me second issue - it's yet another case for the prosecution in the argument that there is yet to be a double album made that wouldn't be better as an absolute killer single album. Unusually, the issue here isn't (just) that there's too many songs, but that each of them is a three-minute gem wrapped up in an eight-minute indulgence.

Stevie is always a good choice. Such a mood booster. Whoa, didn't realize Pastime Paradise was sampled.

Great album, it's a tad long but he must have been so incredibly inspired when he made this. 4.5, but definitely leaning towards the 5.

This may be the greatest soul album of all time. It's a near-perfect album!!!

Some great stuff…but it didn’t have to be nearly 2 hours long…

It is so hard to have a double album of all killers but Stevie did it.

another perfect record

Not really for me but fairly enjoyable, recognised more songs than expected. Favourite tracks: Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise & As. Probably won't revisit. 2/5

If this were the only album an artist made, it would still be legendary. But this was Stevie Wonder's eighteenth album, and the fifth of a string of 5 considered his strongest albums. And he was just twenty six years old. Take the phenomenal range of music he made for this album, the dense arrangements, the cutting edge technology he employed to produce the sounds, and the sheer volume of music that was released. He paid homage to his elders, he reminisced about his youth, he proclaimed his love for a woman and his love for all mankind. And he held a torch up to human cruelty. And that's just Side One! Favorite tracks: Contusion, Sir Duke, Ordinary Pain, and As. As can move me to tears, even after all these hundreds of listens. Ten stars. No notes.

теряю интерес к альбомам, что идут дольше часа. послушала пару песен

C’mon

Absolutely floored by how many times these songs have been sampled, must be one of the most influential albums of all time. His magnum opus. 70s funk and soul, beautifully presented. A pretty perfect album.

An incredible album with some extraordinary songs, but it's wayyyy too long. For all of Stevie's epic funk tunes like Sir Duke and Pasttimes Paradise there are a number of sappy duds. Still incredible just should have been n shorter

Damn Stevie, leave some hooks for the rest of us! First album I'd not heard before that I instantly understood why it was special. Initially quite daunted by the length as I tend to prefer shorter, punchier, albums. But wow. A tour de force that just carries you through. A number of hits whilst having a coherent vibe. There are a number of times you can clearly see his influence on others.

Amazing artist, amazing album. Magnificent songs, relistenable front to back

Bunch of classics I recognized. Great album to listen to any time.

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

тяжело идет, много треков хочется переключить. очень старперский вайб, хоть и интересная аранжировка. слышно что работали классные музыканты. врядли смогу дослушать. на реддите чувак написал о том, что слушал его когда ему было 11 в детстве и врядли сможет послушать его еще раз, с чем я почти солидарен. пока 2 из 5 за очень хороший продакшн.

Sheeesh Stevie! I never listened to this whole album before. I just knew the hits but Damn son, this album is all just bangers! Shut up and take my money baby. Like seriously, how can an album come out in 1976 and just stand the test of time. Like I'm here in 2025 just absolutely blown away by this. I had no idea that Coolio's "Gangsters Paradise" was a sample from this. Like I wasn't even bored once and this is his 18th album too. Like settle down mate. We get it, You're a genius. This is why I signed up for this in the first place. I'm getting this on Vinyl. 5 stars!

This is a masterpiece. Some of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. It’s funky, soulful, joyous, sophisticated. I remember listening to this for the first time, such a revelation. Didn’t know music can do all that.