Songs in the Key of Life... WOW!!!!

[dbbubba]

After obsessing over "Pet Sounds" for about a year I have "moved on" to a new record from the past.... "Songs in the Key of Life."

I remember listening to this record over and over back when it came out.
I had already started engineering by then, but this record sounded so lush and wonderful.

What musicianship!
What composition skills!
What arranging skills!
What vocal skills!

The super dry and dead, '70s drums don't make it for me even now, but everything else.... WOW!
The lack of reverb is so nice!
The low end is so round.
Was that 15 IPS sixteen track?

Bob Ohlsen... were you privey to any of that?
Jim Williams... you were in Stevie's camp... anything you can add?

[dbbubba]

Bump....

No comments?
Equal WOW!

[88fingerz]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

The super dry and dead, '70s drums don't make it for me

I agree with your post however I personally couldn't hear the drums any other way than how they sound...natural, real, unhyped, ...perfect for this collection of tunes!

When Stevie hits the line "I am singing...of tomorrow" it still raises the hairs on my forearm! I always hoped Stevie would reassemble the players for future recordings (outside of the reunion we've seen on VH1 Classics sries).

Albums like Characters & In Square Circle would have benefitted from more real musicians as opposed to Stevie playing everything himself on synths, JMHO.

Anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to see the making of this extraordianry double album on VH1 is missing a treat!

No one comes close to Steveland Morris, NOBODY!

[chasman]

one of the greatest albums ever.

[dbbubba]

A good friend shared a house with Michael Sembello (mostly paid the mortgage payments for him) and they parted ways as friends right before I visited in L.A.

There are so many questions I would have asked Michael about that record.

Michael is a hell of a good GTR player and witer himself.
His vocals and arranging skills show many years of influence from Stevie.

The other thing that strikes me about this album is the similarity in places to Frank Zappa stuff from that period.
Steve lists Frank with a "thank you" and influences listing in the liner notes.
I just have to wonder who influenced who and how much?

Speaking of the drum sound...
I remember the years in the studio where that sound was what you went for.
I just never liked it really.
It never seemed realistic.
It isn't that hard to attain either.
At least compared to a more open sound.
Deadening things makes recording drums much easier.

I actually DO like and prefer the Zappa take on that basic drum sound from that period.
It is maybe a bit more open.

[FFTT]

Oh man I remember driving over to Maryland to meet Keeter Betts
for help in figuring out 2 bars of the Sir Duke bass solo.

He was kind enough to give me a mini lesson

Me being totally an ear player, I figured he could show me from the sheet music.

Of course Keeter blows my doors off with some very cool stuff of his own but
he showed mutual respect for me being able to memorize and improvise so quickly.

I love that album.

Thanks for a cool idea for a Christmas prezzy for my daughter.

[henryrobinett]

I love this record. It forms a sound track for the mid 70s for me. Me and Mary. San Francisco, Carmel, the Redwoods.

I love just about everything about this record. Yeah except not crazy about the drums, but other than THAT.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by bigramp

is this really how you enjoy music ?

"What music !"

period

I don't know what this comment means.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by bigramp

that means listen to music with your soul, not your brain

Well sorry, but I listen to music with my everything. And I'm sure everyone does a pretty good job on deciding the best way to listen to music for themselves.

[dbbubba]

Thanks Henry.

Yeah Bigramp, I know how to listen to music.

I also listen to those other components because they are what music is constructed out of.
Important stuff to some of us.

[Levi]

There's a great "behind the music" type DVD out on this record... quite funny at times, they get the original players back together, they speak about each song, etc. Love seeing how things were made/ thought out. Might be difficult to find, but worth it if you do!

[Dr.Wu]

one of my all time favourite albums.
Stevie is a musical genius!

[dbbubba]

I spoke via mail to one of the players on this record just this morning and he was talking about doing his GTR solo at 3:00 am.... sounds about right!

[synthoid]

I listened to that album over and over and over when it came out. I could never get over Herbie Hancock's playing on "As". "I Wish" was my favorite, though. The sound of the bass alone in the opening is enough to make you listen to the whole song. And the horn section licks in the coda of that song too, just wonderful. I loved the female vocalist on "Ordinary Pain (part II)". And Stevie's mixed voice singing on "Summer Soft".

Great recording, wow.

-synthoid

[chasman]

yeah.
as
another star (holy extra wow)
ngiculela- es un historia- I am singing
love's in need of love today
isnt she lovely

just an amazing album. I'm thinking genius too. Stevie was one inspired dude.

[glenn Taylor]

I like Songs in the key of Life. you might try some earlier Stevie wonder albums.
When he was 21 his contract with Motown was up. He wanted to get out of the hit song format and stretch out. or so i believe hearing about. He recorded talking book and music of my mind, Hits were still on the menu. Superstition, you are the sunshine of my life, Superwoman.
To me as an artist. I remember hearing Talking book. It blew me away. I felt like I saw God and elvis and died and went to hog heaven. Intervisions is also a great album.
You see the tv show on PBS called "American Masters" To me that's what Stevie Wonder is. I don't know too many artist that fall in his class!
Glenn.

[Sounds Great]

I've really been getting into this one lately, might be my favorite Wonder record. At least at the moment.

[joelpatterson]

"Until we dream of life, and life becomes a dream..."

[bcgood]

Love Sir Duke, one of my favorite Stevie tracks.

[vernier]

Songs in the Key of Life is good, as is everything he does. I was there from the beginning ..got the 12-Year-Old-Genius live album in early sixties.

As for "Pet Sounds" ..I miss the back beat of anything Beach Boys post '64.

'

[themaidsroom]

i love "songs in the key of life"
i love "fulfillingness"
"my cherie amour"

"songs in the key of life" is really deep and really deep as a mainstream
platinum american pop record - that is a different time
fresh every time



be well


- jack

[FireMoon]

My listening experience with this album will be forever coloured by a friends comment on its' release.... He still refers to it , to this day, as... "Songs to the tune of 10 quid".....

[88fingerz]

"Love's in need of love today". A great Sounding piece of work...beautifully recorded.

[lazzaro]

Interesting stories about the recording of
Songs in the Key of Life can be found here:

CLASSIC TRACKS: Stevie Wonder 'Pastime Paradise'

And a particularly inspired version of
"Love's in Need of Love Today" from
the 2007 tour, it opened the show:

YouTube - Stevie Wonder Live - Love's in need of love today

[Sounds Great]

Grammy Award: Album of the Year (1971-1990)

1971: Bridge over Troubled Water · 1972: Tapestry · 1973: The Concert for Bangla Desh · 1974: Innervisions · 1975: Fulfillingness' First Finale · 1976: Still Crazy After All These Years · 1977: Songs in the Key of Life · 1978: Rumours · 1979: Saturday Night Fever · 1980: 52nd Street · 1981: Christopher Cross · 1982: Double Fantasy · 1983: Toto IV · 1984: Thriller · 1985: Can't Slow Down · 1986: No Jacket Required · 1987: Graceland · 1988:The Joshua Tree · 1989: Faith — 1990: Nick of Time ·



Wow!

[Sacalait]

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Everything is brilliant. A band I played in during that period covered almost every song on the album.

[dpianomn]

it's hard to find a better album.

[waxx]

songs in the key of life is my ref album to check monitors and so. It's for me the best. I even like the drums, altough they are very dry indeed. And off course i'm talking about the original vynil version.

[dbbubba]

That is one of those records I listen to and picture 2" reels of tape spinning on a machine.

Now that I listen, it makes me think of recordings I have heard that were 2" 24 track except they were 15 IPS WITH DOLBY.
It has such a analog sound.

The mids kind of make the instruments blend into a whole.

The low end is just so 15 IPS sounding.