#34 Stevie Wonder, 'Innervisions' (1973)
Previously #24
Directly following on from his previous two releases, Stevie Wonder is the only artist to have albums chronologically featured (previously ‘Music Of My Mind’ at #350 and ‘Talking Book’ at #59), which goes to show that he was literally getting better with each release. ‘Innervisions,’ his 16th release, was very nearly his last. Three days after its release, following a concert in South Carolina, Wonder and a friend were travelling behind a truck loaded with logs just outside of North Carolina. The truck suddenly stopped, and the logs flew off the back, within going through the windshield and smacking Wonder squarely in the forehead. Wonder lay in a coma for 4 days and subsequently lost his sense of smell for a long time. Once he woke up, he was anxious that he’d lost his musical ability too. His tour director brought a clavinet to the hospital and after a while and much apprehension, Wonder picked it up and began to play it with a major sense of relief.
As per usual, Wonder plays most of the instruments on this album. His musical ability is just astounding. As I’ve mentioned before, he’s one of my favourite drummers, playing with such groove. He’s a complete natural. He continued to be a pioneer of the synth on this one. The songs cover issues of drug abuse, systemic racism, politics, and of course, love. ‘Living For The City,’ the second single, is a 7 and a half minute song, is as relevant now as ever; a young black man moves to New York to find work where is framed for a crime, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison – “This place is cruel, nowhere could be much colder/If we don't change, the world will soon be over.” First single, ‘Higher Ground’ was written and recorded in a three-hour burst of creativity. The song is about reincarnation, which is a chilling coincidence considering his near-death experience following its release. Red Hot Chili Peppers would later have a hit with it. Other highlights include ‘Golden Lady,’ ‘Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing’ and ‘He’s Misstra Know-It-All,’ a song about Richard Nixon. To be honest, though, the three songs I didn’t mention are just as good as the rest. It’s a solid 5-star record. It went on to win 3 Grammys and peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts (it reached #1 on the R&B Charts).
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