Track Listing

1. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
2. Maybe Your Baby
3. You And I
4. Tuesday Heartbreak
5. You've Got It Bad Girl
6. Superstition
7. Big Brother
8. Blame It On The Sun
9. Lookin' For Another Pure Love
10. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3073 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 43 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The songs from this 1972 album perfectly illustrate the contrasting sides of Wonder's complex personality: "Superstition" is a strong rocker, a paranoid bit of wah-wah guitar funk that's as persistent as the best punk music; the opening track, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", is a pure love song that would sound corny coming from any other voice. A hint of bitterness, perhaps owing to Wonder's then-dissolving marriage, gives Talking Book its edge. But overall it's obsessed with love, and while "Sunshine" is still one of the singer/keyboardist's most beloved songs, the closing "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" is much deeper and more rewarding. --Steve Knopper

CD Description
Following closely on the heels of MUSIC OF MY MIND (also released in 1972), TALKING BOOK was Stevie Wonder's most consistent, developed, and impressive album to date. Building on the already impressive qualities of its predecessor, TALKINGBOOK combined all aspects of Stevie's musical personality--his superb compositions, his innovative keyboard sounds, hisexuberant singing, and his skill in crafting lush, complex sonic landscapes--into a perfectly focused, polished package. The album's two hit singles, the warm, swaying love song "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" and the clavinet-driven funk workout "Superstition", proved he was onto something, and are still all-time classics in the artist's catalogue.
The surging stomp of "Maybe Your Baby" is a satisfying slab ofhard funk, while "Blame It On the Sun" and "Lookin' For Another Pure Love" are ballad-like meditations on love (the latter with an excellent guitar solo from Jeff Beck). "Big Brother" marks Stevie's foray into political commentary; the bitter indictment of the lyrics counterpoint the sunny, clavichord-and-harmonica-fueled melodies. As original, moving, and enjoyable today as it was on its release, TALKING BOOK is one of Stevie's finest moments, ranking just behind his masterpieces INNERVISIONS and SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE.

Customer Reviews

As close to a perfect soul album as you'll hear
As relevant and enjoyable today as it was in 1972, Stevie Wonder's 'Talking Book' is a soul classic. One part of the triplet of groundbreaking albums that were 'Talking Book', 'Innervisions' and Songs In The Key Of Life', this edition is an emotional ride as turbulent as Wonder's personal life at the time.
The album kicks off with the hit 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life', an upbeat love song with an interesting, almost tribal, use of percussion. Next comes the funk, with 'Maybe Your Baby', with baselines looping and melting over each other in a way Steveie Wonder does so well.
The album continues on its journey from chilled out track to track, until an explosion of funk in 'Superstition'. This is probably one of the best tracks the man ever wrote, and is an essential part of understanding his music, the sheer cool that seeps from the speakers almost makes them dance along with you.
The ethnic, earthly influences showing Wonders more spiritual side come across in the upbeat 'Big Brother', before you are taken to emotional depths with the painfully beautiful 'Blame It On The Sun', a heartbroken musical monologue which captures some of his most effective songwriting.
It is hard to fault this album at all, this is a real musical treat, a self assured work of genius from one of the most talented soul performers of all time.

The first in the great trilogy
"Talking Book" was a groundbreaking album, significant on several levels; at the time of it's release it was the first album ever to make such extensive use of new technology in the Moog synthesiser, it elevated Stevie Wonder to a new status with a wider audience as a result and, arguably, it also ushered in an era where Soul music was a dominant genre.

Taken as a whole, the album showcases SW at the peak of his creative powers, and although I feel "Inner Visions" is the more complete album this runs it very close - stand out tracks are, for me the less well known ones like "Maybe Your Baby" and "I Believe" each of which hints at the turmoil in his private life at the time.

If you are a music fan and interested in influential albums then you should have this album - for Soul fans your collection is not complete without it.

Simple yet staggering
This album is one of the finest examples of Stevie Wonder's work. It puts on show the sheer broadness of his musical talent. Not only does it produce perhaps the greatest funk song ever recorded (superstition) but it also produces some of the sweetest ballads of his career (Blame it on the Sun and Big Brother). You are the Sunshine of My Life may have dated slightly but it still stands up to much of the music produced today. This album may lack the scope of "Songs in the Key of Life" but still provides the perfect introduction to one of the great masters of music.