I just ordered; talking book and innervisions. I have the song review.

Is the 4 disc box set any good?
what about compilations?
Is songs in the key overrated or worth buying?

antichrist said:

Worth buying

Icicle said:

But if i have the best of is there enough extra songs that are great? Isn;t there alot of sappy filler?

antichrist said:

Boy, are you in for a surprise!

Yes, there are plenty of great extra songs and no, there isn't a lot of "sappy filler."

As Stevie's #1 fan, I think these should be your next purchases:

1. Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life (either order)
2. Music of My Mind and Hotter Than July (either order)
3. Where I'm Coming From (if you can find it) and Signed, Sealed, Delivered

4. Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants (wait a while on this one -- it's different, but I think it's essential)

That should hold you for a little while.
[Edited 1/27/07 4:55am]

This is really the BEST compilation he ever released...



But mainly, Stevie's compilation hasn't done him justice at all. You should stic with the albums he released, much betta that way.

As for albums, this is his absloute best and personal IMHO.



From the lyrics, to the music, to the singing to his album cover,,,,everything is VERY personal.

Harlepolis said:

yeah i've ordered that.

Can't go wrong with any of his 70's albums. All pure class. Stevie in the 70's was like the Beatles in the 60's.

WildStyle said:

I'd say even better.

Harlepolis said:

I think FFF may be just as (if not more) personal. You can really hear (and feel) the effects of the car crash and Stevie's new lease on life.

Talking Book is my 4th favorite, but it's flawless nonetheless.

Edited because I spelled "effects" wrong and that's just wrong.
[Edited 1/27/07 8:03am]

antichrist said:

The four disc collection is a MUST HAVE.

Nick715 said:

It's a good showcase of his '60s material and everything post-Hotter Than July, but it bears repeating that all of the '70s albums are essential. At the Close of the Century skips excellent songs like "Jesus Children of America," "They Won't Go When I Go," "Please Don't Go," "It Ain't No Use," "Love's in Need of Love Today," "Looking For Another Pure Love," "Tuesday Heartbreak," "Power Flower," and on and on.

Innervisions, Music Of My Mind and Songs In The Key Of Life are essentials. If you wanna go deeper, get Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants.
[Edited 1/27/07 7:03am]

AlexdeParis said:

Talking Book is melancholy(which I'm more drawn to that),,,while FFF is more upbeat.

antichrist said:

I have said this before in another post.

"Songs In The Key Of Life", should be required listening in ALL music classes. It is my favorite Stevie Wonder albums, aside from, "Inner Visions". SITKOF, takes you through the paces of a man's life in the ghetto.

Harlepolis said:

the full-length album version of "Do I Do" is a must-have! Stevie has a great sense of humor...remember that little rap he does at the end?

and if you don't like the groove,you can turn this record off
It won't cost you nothin' but a penny,then you'll have a cough

I like when he's having fun in his songs

Harlepolis said:

I read somewhere that this is one of Mariah Carey`s favorite albums...
I would love to see those two working together...

...

IMO (for what that's worth, ), These are the essentials to start with:



Then move back or forth from these.....

as BT11 said, if ya want to go deeper....








...
[Edited 1/30/07 9:11am]

paligap said:

what about the box set?

WildStyle said:

Well said.

antichrist said:

well..(just my opinion )...it's certainly a great overview. My only thing is that it's gonna leave certain tracks from the albums off. I think those albums work best as a whole, but the box set is fine if you just want to get a sense of what he's done over the years.

But here are some tracks that are omitted: Evil, Tuesday Heartbreak, Looking For Another Pure Love, Blame It On The Sun, Maybe Your Baby, Big Brother, Jesus Children of America, Bird Of Beauty, It Ain't No Use, Joy Inside My Tears, Love's In Need Of Love Today, Have A Talk With God, Village Ghetto Land....

I think those should at least be heard....


...
[Edited 1/30/07 10:11am]

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yup!!

...

paligap said:

If i have the albums(i've just ordered them) though is there enough extra suffecient tracks on the box set set to warrant it's purchase?

antichrist said:

I'm not sure...does anybody know if those are edited , or if they're full length versions on the box set? I guess it depends on how much you're paying for it --that does leave about 42 songs....



...

Innervisions = ultimate Stevie Wonder

paligap said:

The box set is worth it for the '60s material. The one thing I really dislike about the box set is that it still doesn't completely eliminate the need for Musiquarium because it doesn't have "Front Line." Why would they leave that one out?

AlexdeParis said:

Too many hits, not enough discs!!

I purchased The Complete Stevie Wonder from Itunes and it's one of the best moves I've ever made. $189 for 579 songs plus a few videos and a digital booklet.

paligap said:

Interestingly,the box set contains all but one song from 'Innervisions' and it contains a whopping nine songs from SITKOL But his 70s albums are so damn good that even that's not enough,lol.Like you said,it's really important to have the actual albums.

paligap said:

For the most part,the box set contains the full-length album versions.Lengthy songs like "Livin For The City","Another Star","Isn't She Lovely","Superwoman",etc are the full-length versions.

The box set is a very nice package.There's an excellent booklet that contains a full discography,rare photos,great commentary and even a list of songs that Stevie wrote for other artists.Even if you have all his essential albums,the box set is still a must-have for any fan.