SoulAlive said:

Aye. One of the very few who genuinely deserves the "genius" tag.

Cloudbuster said:

AlexdeParis said:

well, I can't help it! I used to love Saturn, but the whole "rainbow moonbeams & orange snow" thing just doesn't work for me now. I guess those songs are the signs of Stevie to come (which I still like a lot, but it's not the same now)

phenomenal album. I scooped it up at a Virginia pawn shop... used but in pristine condition... double CD... for $6...

In my opinion this along with "Music in my mind", are two of the greatest albums of all time....There should be a college course on this CD...I feel the same way about Dre/Outkast's "The Love Below".

NDRU said:

I used to think that Saturn was a bit corny, but after I've learnt what Stevie wanted to convey with the word "Saturn" I've changed my mind. I love the song now despite the rainbow, moonbeams and orange snow and shit.
[Edited 9/12/06 11:58am]

rushing07 said:

I may be wrong, but didn't someone else write Saturn?

NDRU said:

Stevie wrote it with Michael Sembello

NDRU said:

It was written, co-written by Michael Sembello. It was supposed to be called, Saginaw...as in Saginaw Michigan....but, Michael missunderstood Stevie and titled it "Saturn"...Beautiful song, by the way...
[Edited 9/12/06 12:30pm]

Harlepolis said:

I'm with you there.

That one just stays on the top of my list with him.
Plus it features 3 of my favorite guitarists (Jeff Beck, Buzzy Feiten & Ray Parker Jr.)


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

shorttrini said:

Exactly. I used to think that 'Saturn' was supposed to represent the some sort of Arcadia or afterlife. But in the lyrics it says 'I'm goin back to Saturn' not 'I'm going to Saturn' so it didn't make much sense. GREAT SONG BTW
[Edited 9/12/06 12:13pm]

rushing07 said:

Well in a sense Saturn is a utopian vision, but stevie originally conceived of the song as a "going back home" song, with sort of a paradisical musical feel. He'd written and recorded the song but hadn't fleshed out the lyrics so when Stevie played it for michael to add lyrics too he was singing "going back to saginaw" and michael thought he'd said "saturn" and he wrote the rest of the lyric from that idea.

SoulAlive said:

And it's the reason the focus of FFF is on God and love.

jacktheimprovident said:

co-sign

"Saturn" is one of my favorite songs on the album.I love the strong anti-war message.

I love Songs in the Key of Life; it's a brilliant album that's been a part of my life for 30 years. However, I think Innervisions and Talking Book are even better and more focused. Actually, I feel the same way about Music Of My Mind and Fulfillingness' First Finale.

As incredible as SITKOL is, it is the first 70s album that shows chinks in Stevie's armor IMO. I happen to agree with many of the critics of the day: there are a number of self-indulgent moments on the album, and virtually every song that has a runtime of more than six minutes overstays its welcome. Additionally, the project would not have suffered in the least had "Saturn" been eliminated entirely.

If someone wanted to truly comprehend Stevie's genius, I would recommend that they start with his early 70's albums. Listen to SITKOL after you have those four projects.

AlexdeParis said:

I have no problem with the length of any songs on the album.This was the 70s after all an era in which artists like Donna Summer and Isaac Hayes were doing 17-minute songs,lol.The 2-LP format really allowed Stevie to stretch out and take these songs wherever his inspiration led him.Yes,"Isn't She Lovely" is a long song,but would you really edit anything out? That's his tribute to his newly born daughter.And that jam session at the end of "Another Star" is FIERCE....makes me wanna grab an instrument and join in



.
[Edited 9/13/06 3:24am]

AlexdeParis said:

I'm gonna name my 10 favorite songs from this album:

"Summer Soft"
"Another Star"
"Knocks Me Off My Feet"
"Pastime Paradise"
"I Wish"
"Sir Duke"
"Saturn"
"All Day Sucker"
"Ngiculela-Es Una Historica-I Am Singing"
"Isn't She Lovely"


The thing about this album is,you can take any 10 tracks and you'd still have an amazing album.Notice that my list doesn't even have "As" or "If It's Magic" (two of the most beautiful songs he's ever recorded) and yet I'm still left with an oustanding list of tracks.In my opinion,there isn't a weak song anywhere on this album.

SoulAlive said:

We agree on 8 out of 10.

I can't quite comprehend the idea that people don't like "Saturn." I love how the lyrics mix Care Bear ideas with real, serious issues. Hell, he manages to discuss just about every societal ill. It's a beautiful (and heartbreaking) contrast.

AlexdeParis said:

I agree.I love "Saturn" those lyrics blow my mind!

Eraserhead said:

Yes,that is Stevie.I like that part too Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band must have listened to this part alot....he copied Stevie big time.

I play the album every morning in my car, and it doesn't bother me anymore if I get stuck in a traffic jam.

His music is really growing on me. Simply irresistible.
I'm starting to believe that Stevie Wonder was the best artist of the 70's.

Is Stevie a womanizer, or does he stick with one woman?

what are your favorite songs from the album?

These are my favorites so far:

As
Joy inside my tears
I wish
Sir Duke
Love's in need of love today
All day Sucker
Black man

(no part. order)

I also got Talking Book by the way. Great album also.
[Edited 9/13/06 5:13am]

Eraserhead said:

"All Day Sucker" is one of his funkiest jams ever.On any other album,it would have probably been a single.Here,it's just a bonus track.

Yeah, All day sucker is great. Has a real nasty sound to it. Especially the guitarsolo's make it dirty.

a great album... i was reluctant at firt because i loved his earlier stuff and i thought the sound on

'key of life' was overproduced... but actually, its just great...

now my favourite stevie album and one of my all time fave is the super-trippy

'secret life of plants'

Stevie:
Music of My Mind
Talking Book
Innervisions
Fulfillingness First Finale
Songs in the Key of Life


Prince:
Prince
Dirty Mind
1999
Purple Rain
Sign O' the Times


Doesn't get much better than that.

Eraserhead said:

He clearly was IMO. The Grammy awards have never been more relevant than when they gave him 3 Album of the Year awards. It probably would've been 4, but Talking Book didn't win because it was eligible the same year as Innervisions. When Paul Simon won, he thanked Stevie for not releasing an album that year.

AlexdeParis said:

It's hard to match what he did artistically & commercially. George Clinton was great from the beginning to the end of the 70's, but obviously not as popular. Elton John was really popular & wrote good songs, but was not quite the artist Stevie was. Ditto Paul McCartney. Bowie huge artistically, but not commercially. Frank Zappa, also.

Zeppelin was pretty huge.