Product Description

After breaking away from the Motown singles mode, Wonder began creating albums that were visionary in concept, sound, and construction. The greatest of these is 1973's INNERVISIONS (1976's SONG IN THE KEY OF LIFE was also an indisputable masterpiece, yet it lacks the economy and focus of INNERVISIONS). Moving largely away from romantic themes (the beautiful"Golden Lady" is the exception), Wonder tackles the socio-cultural landscape of 1970s America, including drugs, urban life, and crooked politicians, in addition to questions of identity, faith, and idealism.
The album is also more musically ambitious than anything Wonder had attempted before. "Too High", the album's opener, has a buoyant, jazzy feel witha subtly complex interaction between instruments and vocals. "Livin' for the City" is a story-song with a stomping beat, gospel flavour, and a dramatic interlude and outro. The churning "Higher Ground" segues into the fierce, slinky grooveof "Jesus Children of America" (complete with burbling Arp and Moog synthesizers). The intensity of these songs is not mitigated by the slower songs, which are equally stirring, but by the exuberant, Latin-esque "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", one of the album's highlights. From beginning to end, INNERVISIONS is a work of genius--a powerful, complex, yet accessible pop masterpiece.

Track Listing

1. Too High
2. Visions
3. Living For The City
4. Golden Lady
5. Higher Ground
6. Jesus Children Of America
7. All In Love Is Fair
8. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
9. He's Misstra Know It All

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #373 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording remastered, Import
• Running time: 44 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of Stevie Wonder's best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles. 1973's Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing"), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of "Higher Ground"). The striking juxtaposition between "Vision", a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great "Living for the City", a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews

Masterpiece. End of story.
I am not one to use the word 'MASTERPIECE' freely. This is because these days, i feel most people overuse the word 'masterpiece' and i find this to be rather irritating. You know what i mean? Too many albums, films, etc are refered to as masterpieces when they are just ok or good. This album, however is NOT ok or good. It IS a masterpiece.
Firstly, let me say, i am a rock fan. I was brought up on Heavy metal and punk. I'd lived in complete ignorence of Stevie Wonder until a friend recommended this album to me. At first, as you can probably guess, i was hesitant. Its not rock, i thought, why would i like it? Eventually i yielded and got a copy, expecting to give away after i'd heard it once. How wrong i was. This album is a genuine work of genius. Stevie pours his heart and soul into every song. He doesn't just perform the songs, he LIVES them. Songs like 'Living for the city' say more about black rights than most hip-hop acts do and 'Higher Ground' make the RHCP cover look downright amatuerish. Every track is special though, you'll find no filler on this album.
Yes, i'm still a rock, punk and metal fan and always will be. But the MASTERPIECE that is INNERVISIONS has made me realise that i need to broaden my horizons. Put simply, it doesn't matter what your musical tastes are, true masterpieces, if you're brave enough to diversify, can be enjoyed by all. This is one of those examples. Go on, take the chance.

Classic
I got this album only because I wanted to hear the original 'higher ground' which I'd heard covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and found what has become my favorite album of all time!

From the funky opening bars of 'Too high' to the closing genius of 'misstra know it all', Wonder creates an unforgettable journey. There's a good variety of music on offer, with the slower piano ballad 'all in love is fair' contrasting sharply with more upbeat (and often comedic) songs like 'don't you worry bout a thing' and 'living for the city'. The latter is a funky tale of a young black man moving to NYC, and provides an insight into the racial attitudes and prejudices at the time.

Wonder's vocals are also a pleasure to listen to - his yearning voice on the beautiful acoustic track 'visions' complements the theme of the song perfectly. However, never a one trick pony, on the faster songs he shows just how strong and energetic he can be.

The remastering is also very well done - it's easy to forget that it was released in the late 70s.

With such an eclectic mix of music on offer, this really is an album that everyone should have, and provides a great starting point into the world of Stevie Wonder!

Flawless Soul
If you like some classic soul eg Marvin, Curtis, Aretha, Al Green etc then this is an essential purchase. Also if you like the quality end of modern RnB like Alicia Keys or John Legend then this is also essential. There are no bad tracks here. 'Living For The City' is probably the greatest of Stevie's social commentaries. Alot of listeners today don't appreciate how amazing Stevie Wonder was in his prime, I'm too young to have heard him during the 70s and if I hadn't just trusted all the platitudes I probably would never have discovered him!. I just thought of Stevie Wonder as being the guy who did 'I just Called To Say I Love You' but that was the end of the creative period. He's not that visible these days and hopefully his first European tour in over 10 years this Autumn will enable people like me to enjoy the classics we missed first time. This album is up there with 'Blonde On Blonde', 'Revolver' 'London Calling', a classic of the album format. Get it today, you won't be disappointed!.