jjam said:

But that makes the whole project a step forward?

graecophilos said:

Well, "Master Blaster" is a bonafide classic. My favorite cut on the album is probably "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It."

Fuck, there's all kinds of jams on Hotter Than July.

A Seed's a Star...



Good.Ness.Gray.Shus.

i'm glad to see so many responses!



...now me? maybe its just the type of listener i am, but i'll have to say i think it was a step forward...while the sheer "hit" power of Song in the Key was UNDENIABLE ...i'm tempted to believe Plants was a little more Stevie than Songs in the Key...

i mean when i heard it the other night i was like "this is damn near classical music!"

and even though Songs in the key covered tremendous stylistic ground...i feel like Plants visited more places albiet in a more subtle fashion...

it just seems like a more massive movement/statement to me now that i've really listened to it...

and though i've heard many critics say Songs in the Key was Stevie's answer to Sgt Pepper...there is something tremendously beatles-esque about Plants (thematically and composition-wise)...to me at least...

lest we forget these sessions also brought us Overjoyed even though it didnt make the cut

i'm almost inclined to call it his greatest work (although i'm the type of person to make such a statement about experimental albums)

even the fact that its mostly instrumental (and believe it or not, im not crazy about instrumental albums) i feel like he knew exactly when to bring in the human voice, and the whole think plays from front to back like a story book

again...just me

Cinnie said:

He was in a country&western-in-disguise mode on that album. A childhood favorite!

ThreadBare said:

i can dig it...every time i listen to the instrumental version of "Send One your Love" i get the strangest feeling that that track by itself was on repeat in princes head during the creation of Parade

ThreadBare said:

i wore that tape out as a kid

SirPsycho said:

I wouldn't be surprised. They use key changes, instrument choices and space in similar ways.

I think Stevie found a way to both evolve and avoid a showdown with one of the greatest recordings in history.

In other words, Wonder did a little doe-si-doe on our ass.

Sure, he got beat up for it. But not nearly as bad if he had attempted to take the bull head on.

Even musical geniuses can’t keep toping themselves ad infinitum. Find growth, find joy elsewhere.

“Plants” is an essential Wonder to me. An album that I’ll fortunately be listening to until I’m mired in the same muck.

I wish I had more affection for this album but everytime I listen to it,I can never really embrace it I wish I could appreciate it like so many other fans do.SITKOL remains my #1 favorite album.

Ummmm... Wasn't this a soundtrack... for documentary... about plants?

You know what the power of this album is also and I haven't seen it mentioned yet...How Stevie is able to let the melody of the title track "The Secret Life Of Plants" where he goes "I can't conceive the nucleus of all" return. The melody returns in a lot of the songs...Even if the songs are in different keys.

Also in "Seasons" the melody you hear played by the music box is "If It's Magic" from SITKOL.

I have audio from where he performs in Pasadena CA as part of his "the secret life of plants tour" and he does most of the album live, great to listen to also!

By the way I don't think you're bashing the album Cinnie, or pretty much anyone else in here, it's just what I've heard a lot on the album, and what SoulAlive said happens with more fans of Stevie, they can't get into it, even if they try.

For me the whole album on quality speakers to listen to all the way through turned up loud especially at night is mindblowing.

Man I love "A Seed A Star..." The Bass and overall instrumentation... incredible.

As a musician myself I can't help but appreciate all the compositions especially "Finale" what do others think of that song where he brings everything together almost like an overview of the album with so many key changes? I'm gonna listen to it as I type.

Man ADP, I love I Ain't Gonna Stand For It also, especially the breakdown with the funky bass. Also the low A note to start the song off with, you hardly hear that from Stevie as a Tenor. And one of my favorites from HTJ is "Cash In Your Face". I mean two vocals representing different people, genius. Some of my favorite lyrics there, really deep.

therevolutionwillnotbe said:

it certainly was and if you wanna see that documentary,go to this thread:

http://prince.org/msg/8/295889

NMuzakNSoul said:

"Finale" is magical. It was one of the songs I was specifically thinking about when I said he had grown as a songwriter.


I really dig that one as well.

You know, I really wish Stevie and the Gap Band had recorded a whole album together. That would've been something to hear!

AlexdeParis said:

Yeah man. would've been great and really creative! Also Earth Wind and Fire and Stevie around the 70s, something else!

I think this clip I saw on YouTube really adds to the topic, you don't hear this a lot from Stevie. Check it out!

...

This album has gotten a lot of discussion here over the years-- while it confused many fans, a small group of critics were actually big fans of the album--Critics from Jazz publications like Downbeat, as well as Musician, and Stereo Review magazine were hailing it as a bold new step forward...Musician magazine predicted that he might go on to compose Jazz and Classical suites like Ellington and Gershwin...

Sadly, he seems to have only paid attention to his Pop critics --the negative fan reaction really stung him, and he hasn't tried anything that ambitious since...

so, IMO, the album itself was an ambitious leap forward, but his reaction to the negative reviews became a step backward....







...

I remember when this album was released.It really confused people.They thought that Stevie had lost his mind...lol...our local R&B station played damn near every song from SITKOL,even the non-singles.But "Send One Your Love" is the only song that they played from JTTSLOP.I think radio programmers were scared of the other songs! Plus this was 1979 (the height of the disco era) and an album about plants was a tough sell,even from a popular,respected artist like Stevie.

where can I buy it? I never see it at music stores

alphastreet said:

Yeah,it's hard to find.I remember back in the 90s,when Motown remastered his previous four albums,they also had plans to remaster JTTSLOP as well.They cancelled those plans.

alphastreet said:

It's available through numerous online retailers (Amazon.com, ebay etc.) , as well as through download sites like iTunes -- but at a brick and mortar music store? that's a good question...(at this point, do they still sell music in stores? )






...
[Edited 3/9/09 6:59am]

I've always considered this album to be it's own beast. I know it's officially part of Stevie's catalog, but I just consider it to be separate and unique. So, I really don't consider it a step backward or a step forward. We have to keep in mind that this was a soundtrack to a documentary (about plants no less). I just kind look at this album as separate from his other work.

But with all of that said, I think it's a classic album. I love it!