Innervisions

I was lucky enough to see Stevie Wonder live at the time that these songs and those from Talking Book were most what got played. It was one of the best concerts I ever saw.

The perfect blend of funk and soul. The beats are incredible and Stevie’s voice is one of a kind. Fav tracks: “Higher Ground” “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” “Too High”

Innervisions is such a well-crafted record. It feels like a snapshot of American life in the mid-1970s and a feeling of hope. But, well, Richard Nixon isn't the only American president that "He's Misstra Know-It-All" could apply to. The album shifted forward R&B and soul (and pop crossovers) with its sounds and we are richer for it.

it’s Stevie it’s a great album

An eye-opening record. Beyond amazing.

It's Stevie! At the top of his funk game, bringing slick catchy grooves and buttery, yet emotionally charged vocals together in perfect harmony. Living For the City, Higher Ground, AND All In Love is Fair on the same album blows my mind. He's an incredible artist and he's unparalleled at constructing hit songs without it feeling formulaic or manufactured. It's just beautiful, compelling artistic expression in every song.

Overall, I think it’s a great album. My favorite track had to be Living For The City - extremely groovy and had a great story that brings up issues that people are still experiencing today, many years after release of the album itself. Not sure where Stevie draws his inspiration from, but you can hear and even feel elements from this album in pop R&B of the 2000s which is what I grew up with and to be able draw these connections is a testament to how influential this album is.

I always wanted to like him more than I did. Just never quite worked for me.

It used to bug me to no end when I’d be out at a bar or a party and the band would say “we’re gonna do a Red Hot Chili Peppers song!” and then kick into “Higher Ground”. Show some respect, you clods.

I didn't know it was possible, but this album is Grammy bait

Beside the occasional killer baseline, this confirms that Stevie Wonder is not for me.

First song ~ Too High ~ draws you in with its jazzy drum beats and soothing synth sounds, Preparing u for an experience. Transitions into each song are beautiful, almost like a page off of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Nine amazing songs leaving you want more. Don’t be greedy.

i always admired Stevie Wonder but only really knew his 80s / more commercial stuff. This album is fantastic. the funk, the soul, the rhythm, his voice. The fun they are clearly having making it. This is an album that makes me smile when listening to it. The first track sounds like something from Jamiroquai, who were obviously 20+ years later, and no doubt inspired by this sound. 5 stars from me.

I think Stevie is incredible for so many reasons, but for reasons I cannot explain, I've never been wildly into his music. I like quite a few of his songs, to be sure. But overall, I've never really reached for his stuff.

It was funk and soul. It was alright but I don't have a need to revisit

I only really liked Higher Ground. I'm mostly a fan of his hit songs. I've been judging my albums on whether I'd go back to listen to it again. This isn't a bad album by any means. It's just not something I would replay.

Innervisions It's pretty astonishing that this was released only 10 months after Talking Book. The two albums definitely have a kinship in my mind, almost like part 1 and part 2, Talking Book tending more personal and this one looking more externally. Either way they are both fantastic albums. I’ve always loved Too High, with it’s bubbling synth, simultaneously upbeat and subdued, emphasising the druggy subject. I never took to Visions much when I first got the album, but it’s grown a lot on me over the years, and now I think it’s great, a lovely latin inflected soul ballad. Living for the City, of course, is superb, maybe one of his best songs, with a superb groove and melody and subject matter. Golden Lady really feels like you are on a boat in the Caribbean, coasting along on the laidback breeze. It also sounds a bit like he sings Gordon Liddy, which would make sense with the Misstra Know It All being about Nixon, even if the song seems to be a love song. Higher Ground is equal to Superstition for Stevie-funk for me, absolute banger. Jesus Children is the sort of song that only Stevie can do, propulsive synth, a soulful and catchy melody with a dark edge. Brilliant. All in Love is Fair is probably my least favourite track on the album - it’s a good ballad but it doesn’t quite reach the standards of the rest of the album. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing is superb, like You Are the Sunshine of My Life, one of those songs whose melody feels like it might be a latin jazz classic from the 50s, with a sense of instant familiarity. And He’s Misstra Know it all is a fantastic closer, with the lovely piano line, jazzy drums and flute and brilliantly memorable lyrics and melody. Easy 5. 😎😎😎😎😎 Playlist submission: Could be any track, but I’ll go Too High

You can't go wrong with Stevie Wonder. His unique vocals and heartfelt performances are fantastic.

Behold, one of the most likeable figures in the music world! Stevie Wonder is fantastic, and his music pretty much never fails to deliver. Innervisions has a versatile yet consistently high-quality setlist, with great high-energy blues-rock tracks like Living For The City, Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing... I could go on. There aren't any bad tracks on here, though a couple are slightly forgettable because of a lack of any obvious musical hooks to keep the listener engaged. But the stronger tracks are interesting, exciting, soulful, and sung from the heart. According to my research, Innervisions is also a creative and musical milestone in Stevie Wonder's career. This album is the end of a transitional phase from mostly 60s-style ballads (and the "Little Stevie Wonder" persona) to a mature, musically complex, and self-performed style. And that self-performed element is a big one. Stevie Wonder plays nearly all the instruments on nearly all the songs here, and this sets the agenda for the albums to follow. Great singing. Great horns. Great guitar and bass. Great jazz-rock-jam drumming. 5/5 Key tracks: Living For The City, Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing, He's Misstra Know-It-All, Too High

Stevie Wonder had a couple of big hits before and one album which really put him into the conversation of the best current Soul artists but it was THIS album which made him one of the best Soul artists of all time! It is full of incredible and forward thinking production, beautiful arrangements, incredible songwriting and just magical performances that makes this one of the essential listens for everyone. It is pure magic to the ears and it's even crazier when you realize that this isn't even considered his best album. (It's my favourite but most point ot Songs in the Key of Life) The Psychedelic Soul and Funk mix of 'Too High' gets the album started with a groovy and beautiful song full of incredible instrumental performances but also gets some of the conceptual ideas started. The song is hypnotic and enjoyable with many great moments and it delivers the whole way. A perfect song to start such an incredible album with. 'Visions' replaces the Funk with Folk and a surprising amount of Folk. This song is just Progressive and Psychedelic Folk with a very Soul-like vocal performance and while that sounds like a strange combination, Stevie pulls it off in the best way possible. It is a beautiful and yeah psychdedelic experience full of beautiful lyrics and ideas that some might even call philosophical. Do I need to say much more? This is perfect even when the placement of the song could've been improved as it is a very hard cut from the Funk, it still is just wonderful. The albums most forward thinking song is without a doubt 'Living for the City'. It mixes the Funk and Soul like we were used to and it even adds a little Rock into the song and how can you forget the crazy vocal performance that Stevie offers but that isn't necessarily why this song is so good and viewed as so influental. It is the "weird" second half that adds some Spoken Word & Radio Recordings mix that isn't just there as a nice add-on but actually as a conceptual continuation of what the song itself spoke about. It is there to get more people to understand what he wanted to achieve with the song and he absolutely delivered. The "actual" song returns and closes the song properly but still, this idea was a big thing in the way he implemented it. The slightly Smooth Soul 'Golden Lady' is an absolutely beautiful ending to the albums first half. It flows through the verses and the pre-chorus and the chorus itself is just the cherry on top. It is an absolutely stunning piece of Soul music and easily one of the albums best songs and also one of the best songs in Stevie Wonder's whole career. The second half is started with 'Higher Ground' which is a very groovy return to the strong Funk sound with the very, well, funky guitar and bass which absolutely drive the song. Stevie is absolutely killing it with these vocals and the whole way that the song is structured is just incredible. It not only flows but I feel like it flows so fast that you feel on some very strong substances that go far outside of LSD. This song makes me want to get so much energy out like I haven't moved in days. Perfect, it's a perfect song! 'Jesus Children of America' is one of the albums "worst" songs which crazy because it still is an absolutely incredible song with great Gospel vocals and some really well made bass and the whole song is just beautiful. It just fails to really take the edge that most songs here did. Incredible song and better than 90% of music ever but it isn't more, at least for me. Christians might go really crazy for this but I don't. I just really like it. The Smooth Soul returns on 'All in Love Is Fair' which is just a beautiful performance all the way through. I am just stunned by how emotional he sings on this song and it also speaks to me more with the topic. It is just so beautiful and incredibly performed that I am again thinking that this is a perfect song. The emotional and smooth sound is replaced with the Salsa inspired Latin Soul song 'Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing'. This track just wants to make you dance and groove until you're out of breath. The details with the maraca, the bongos and what else there's on here just gives this a very tropical feeling that adds even more to the dancy and warm song. Absolutely amazing song from start to finish! The album finishes with 'He's Misstra Know-It-All'. A very Pop Soul finale to the album that isn't overly energetic or overly relaxed. It's a beautiful mix of both that makes it a perfect closing track because no matter which sonic paths that the album took you prefer, you will enjoy this song from start to finish. And it again, is a perfect song like most the album is. favourites: Higher Ground, Living for the City, Golden Lady, Too High, Visions, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing, He's Misstra Know-It-All, All in Love Is Fair least favourites: Jesus Children of America (still incredible) Rating: decent 10 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Easy 5 stars. Maybe not as perfect as “Songs in the Key of Life” but pretty damn close.

Absolutely fearless album, that goes into whatever genre or mood it likes, when it likes. The artistry is unmatched in Stevie's discography and in spite of the record's ambition, it still works perfectly as an album. Top tier Stevie and just a top album in general.

Mixing the wild playfulness of a crayola-wielding infant with cosmic level compositional chops and the oversized emotional sweep becoming of a generational figurehead, this is one of those rarest of things: a 70s masterpiece that doesn't have "I couldn't have happened without the 60s" written all over its face.

A Motown classic. Stevie Wonder at his finest.

duh

The fadeout on He's Misstra Know-It-All is comically long

I'm reminded once again (this is my 2nd Wonder album from the list) how good a musician Stevie Wonder is. Some stunning songs on this album including one of my favourites, Higher Ground. Unfortunately there are a few I like a bit less because too poppy for me (Don't you worry about a thing) or tooo smooooth and romcom outro-like. But that's being picky, this album absolutely needs to be on the list esp. given how well it aged.

This was the first time I've listened to this album. I picked up on a lot of samples and references to it by 90s hip-hop artists. It starts with a sample from one of my all-time most listened to and loved songs: "All Night" by the Alkaholiks. The chorus of "Living for the City" was repeated in Wu-Tang's "The City." In that line someone comments, "New York City, skyscrapers and everythang" which was repeated in the track "All the Critics in New York" by Westside Connection. I also had forgotten that the RHCP song "Higher Ground" was actually a cover. So in addition to pointing to how pervasive the 70s were in 90s music, my lack of awareness of this album's influence also points to a generational and cultural disconnect between me and the artists who created that music. There is a lot of depth to this album and I'll need to listen to it again to fully appreciate it. I was taking in the sound and music and less the lyrics, and I understand that these are laden with social commentary of life as a Black man in mid century America, personal experiences with drug addiction, and so on. Plus there is clear significance in the title Innervisions that can't be appreciated without hearing the lyrics and getting to some of the deeper layers of the music.

Not quite what I expected. A little more rock and funk influenced, including in instrumentation. Highlighted Stevie's voice and has some great tracks like Jesus Children of America and He's Misstra Know it All.

There really is no comparison to classic Stevie, he is in a class of his own. Such a great singer and songwriter, and a lot more funky songs on here than I expected. High 5.

A masterpiece by one of the most underrated songwriters of the 20th century. To me, he is comparable to Dylan and Lennon and McCartney along with many other great songwriters. Let's not mention his voice which is one of the best singing voices I've ever heard.

YESSSSSSSSSS

5/5. Stevie does it again. Just a perfect album, front to back. Some of the slower songs are a little harder to get into but there are just some absolute bangers on here. Feels so much longer than it is and that just means the songs are so dense and full, I almost don't want them to end. His vocal range is excellent here, although it may shine more on Songs in the Key of Life. The instrumentation is unique and fun, trying out more minor keys for style and experimentation. Also, each song is so unique that any one of them could be someone's favorite and I would not argue. Another masterpiece. Best Song: Jesus Children of America, Living For The City, Higher Ground, He's Misstra Know-It-All

Amazing

Do you think Stevie Wonder designs his own album covers?

Not as good as songs in the Key of Life, but still some classic Stevie right here

Good all the way through

‘Does Stevie Wonder, as much as we wonder? Or is it just the eyes that we plunder’….just one of the Grammy Award winning lines from Houmous & Chutney’s hit ‘Blind Lies’ 4.8

- masterpiece -

Very good overall, one or two songs I wasn't crazy about. Cool & Funky. I don't think I knew Higher Ground was originally Stevie Wonder.

Incredible 9.9/10

I very much injoyed it. Most of great songs, vocals, and instrumentations. Very soulful and bluesy. Favorite track- He’s a Misstra Know-It-All

The soaring Living for the City and the towering Higher Ground, and in amongst that some fantastic album tracks (e.g. Golden Lady), culminating in the incredible He's Misstra Know-It-All. Probably my favourite Stevie album.

My favorite Stevie album!

5 stelle. ora posso iniziare l’album

Near-perfect album. Incredible singing and songwriting, and lovely piano, bass and drums throughout. I think it has a bit of a lull during Jesus Children and All in Love is Fair, but they're still good songs.

Stellar achievement

I have nothing intelligent to say about this album that hasn’t been said a dozen times before. My second favorite album of his. Nearly perfect but I would still put Songs in the Key of Life over it.

The man is certainly a wonder. I spent half this album just bewildered at the chord changes and progressive soul sound in tracks like Don't You Worry Bout a Thing. It's a rare talent to craft a pop song while still offering a unique flavor rooted in jazz, not to mention write powerful lyrics dealing with racial divide in the 70s that manage to resonate with all listeners. While this doesn't have the same legacy as SITKOL, there's no world where it wouldn't be 5 stars.

Innervisions, outer revisions: Wonder reimagines a better, funkier world through his soul-stirring musical decisions.

This is one of those albums where if you told me you didn't like it, I would probably discount any other musical opinion from you entirely. Really? You couldn't jam to this at all?

Amazing vocals, beautiful piano - blown away

literally loved this album. it has a good range in terms of sad/happier songs, and the use of instruments is amazing

Absolutely no reason not to give this five stars. A fabulous album that shaped the sound of many things to come.

Excellent

From a man who is unable to view the world through his eyes, he has such an observation of the world around him. This is such a raw album that I feel as though he is lying to the world, he is able to see the world much more than I could see, he sees the struggle of the African-American people that were struggling at that time in Detroit and in Southern States, and uses these fictional characters with beautiful depictions of how the Great Migration was felt during a time where The Black Bottom used to exist before the replacement of the I-375 freeway and the Lafayette Park Residential District.

My favorite Stevie Wonder and one of my favorite albums of the 1970s.

Masterpiece. Higher Ground and Living For The City are incredible songs 5/5

I thought this was really good. Solid 9.5 out of 10 for me

5 stars and 3 of my favorite all-time songs on this album!

Absolutely brilliant. Sheer class

God, I love Stevie Wonder. I only knew two of these songs before listening to this as part of this project. I had no idea that Stevie was ever a "one man band" or even that he could play the drums. This is a beautiful album, filled with sonic experimentation. I love that it's described as progressive soul and I love that it's considered one of his finest, one of the greatest albums ever, and highly influential in its genre. It's always so cool to me when somebody's singular creative genius is recognized as such, and Stevie's one of the best ever to do it.

Another classic that brings me back to hearing on LP in the 80s-90s that my parents would play. Too high is imprinted on my brain. Higher ground and Don't you worry bout a Thing are straight up bangers.

Absolutely amazing

CLASSIC. Living for the City especially but the rest of the album holds up better than I remember too.

Brilliant album with so many well known single releases.

Crazy good funk and soul and R&B really fun

Absolute classic. Simply insane that Stevie himself performed all of the instruments on a majority of these tracks.

Fantastic. Stevie lives up to the hype. Every song had me nodding my head along to the beat, and every lyric had a meaning, serious or not—overall, it's a perfection combination of funk and artistry. Super impressive vocals and all the instrumentation was spot on. The only song I would skip is the one with the hard-r in it—don't exactly want that playing in the car. Favorite Song: He's Misstra Know-It-All

Wow! Loved this album. Stevie Wonder is a legend

So perfectly paced it borders on miraculous.

Bought this on CD from Fopp many moons ago after seeing the great man live in Manchester, it’s a 5 easy

Can't go wrong with classic Stevie. This was so good I listened to it twice. Five stars.

A masterpiece! It ranks, in my opinion, among the best albums ever made.

This was incredible. Stevie Wonder is the man.

Come on... it's Stevie Wonder. Higher Ground is worth the price of admission, but there's other goodies here too.

Genius

Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing should be required listening as an audio anti-depressant.

Modulation. Excellent album an easy back to fronter.

Stevie Wonder is the fucking MAN, modern day Beethoven. I feel blessed to even share the Earth the same time with. Super funky, jazzy, and enough great hits to please anybody. The ballads get a bit weird tho

I only truly developed music as a proper hobby maybe a year ago, but I’m pretty confident in saying that Stevie is one of the most talented musicians in history, and innervisions is one of his true masterpieces. From beginning to end this album is an absolute treat to enjoy, and I look forward to hearing it many more times in my life.

This is an album that I’ve skipped over previously going from Talking Book to Songs in the Key of Life, but it really is a quiet masterpiece with many standout moments. Living for the City hits hard with a story of a naive young black man moving to New York and ending up on the wrong side of the law, complete with dialogue and sound effects. There are brighter songs too, with Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing being an absolute joy from start to finish.

Stevie hit it out of the park again with Innervision. Never heard this in its entirety before but was familiar with seven out of nine songs because they got radio playback in the early / mid 70s. Living For The City, Golden Lady, and Higher Ground are the meat of the album, but it’s all good. Didn’t realize I was a Wonder fan. Strong (4.5*s)

No words Genius 5*

OK, this one absolutely belongs on the list. Stevie is one of the best musicians that the human race has ever created, and this album is one of those pieces of evidence of that. 5/5

To be fair, you could just play the bass lines from this album and it would still be pretty awesome. Classic Stevie, real grooves and great piano work. Loved it.

Absolutel genius

I agree. Stevie is the man! I love Stevie and would put him at the pinnacle of my musical heroes, so I’m biased, but this is a solid album in all ways, even more impressive as the start of his ‘genius period’ after his start as child prodigy (which so many never successfully escape from). I must say I prefer Funky Stevie to maudlin Stevie, but Funky Stevie carries so much weight that maudlin Stevie can get a pass.

So beautiful. I first listened to it this album over twenty years ago and have to admit I wasn’t initially that impressed. But over the years I fell in love with this album and can see its influence on so many artists and albums. Stevie at his finest. Hard to believe how young he was and how he was able to completely reinvent himself and soul music at the same time.

One of the best albums ever. Each song is better than the previous song. It's almost embarrassing how good this album gets. Golden Lady, Higher Ground, He's Misstra Know It All. It's 5 stars every day.

I absolutely love this CD. The trilogy of early 70s Stevie Wonder CDs (this + Talking Book + Songs in the Key of Life) are all straight-up magic. They're immediately recognizable as Stevie with his unique sound, consistently high-quality, and loaded with hits. But this is probably the most complete of the three, more polished than Talking Book and not as bloated as Songs in the Key of Life. Stevie's key trick is in melding jazz-like or classic Tinpan Alley songwriting techniques with the complex rhythms of mostly groove-based soul and funk. Sometimes it's alternating songs in each style, but on the best tracks he marries both. The lead track, "Too High" is a great example - he's got that great ascending-riff groove for the rhythm that he just hangs on a while, and he mixes in a short descending line in the bass over those jazz harmonies on the chorus. Top it off with the bouncy, jazzy vocal riff ("doo-doo-doo" bit) and you've got a song that feels like a real journey with all the ups and downs. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be an Easter egg or not, but he also has a harmonica solo, which to me sounds like a joking allusion to his 60s years as Lil' Stevie (it's a pretty good musical joke). Honestly there's too many good things to say about this CD for one little writeup. Stevie's a brilliant songwriter, he's a damn good singer, pretty much A-level at this stage in his career, and he fills it out with a wild diversity of harmony and sound. The CD is brilliantly paced - it's almost exactly the right length, the intensity peaks right in the middle with "Higher Ground", and it perfectly alternates more exciting and more relaxed tracks. Some of the transitions, like "Visions" into "Living For The City", are flawlessly executed in a way that, like the best concept albums, makes the CD itself feel like a single cohesive unit. I'm just going to list a bunch more things I really like about the CD: -The way he throws his voice to appear to be a different character on the 2nd half of "Living For The City", while also sharpening the contrast with his duet partner/backing vocalist, yet still hits every damn note -Wonder's note on "All is Fair in Love" at 1:13-1:18 -The first time he opens up on the chorus of "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing" -The bongos starting with the solo on "Golden Lady" -The modulation up in the fade out on "Golden Lady" -Really "Golden Lady" the whole song

Visions is a beautiful song. It was my first time hearing this and I was wowed. Too High - nice intro track. I liked this one. Living for the City - great sound with great commentary on urban and racial issues Golden Lady - I thought it started a little slow but the tempo picked up at the refrain. This ends up being a very pretty and enjoyable love song. Higher Ground - this has always been one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs and still is. Wow, such a great beat! Jesus Children of America - decent sounding song All in Love is Fair - this track really highlights the power of Stevie’s voice. Overall pretty song as well. Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing - another one I was familiar with. Fun song He’s Mista Know It All - this was the weakest track and my least favorite. Almost every track on this album is a winner. This is a great album and Stevie Wonder is a master artisan. 5

Loved this. Super funky. I thought Steve was a product of the 80s, but who knew he was doing his best stuff in the early 70s? I’m now a fan.

Stevie Wonder es lo más grande que hay.

Stevie Wonder was always a favorite artist of mine, and he always seems to kill it.

Incredible album. The songs have a habit of starting off so insanely funky, they just grab your attention immediately.

Oh my god. I clearly know Stevie Wonder like everyone else on this planet, and I know a handful of the classics, but I wasn't prepared for this epic record. Just totally jazz-kicked me in the teeth from the get-go. Favourite tracks: the whole thing is a work of art.

Its exceptionally good isn't it. I've not really jelled with Mr Wonder yet, but this album changed my opinion

4.5☆/5 10.17.2024

Classic