Product 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.

Track Listing

1. You're 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: #1680 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• 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

Customer Reviews

Excellent
After the superb Music Of My Mind, Stevie kicks things into high gear here with Talking Book. This is one of those albums where an artist is at the top of their game and every song is great. If I was gonna skip one it would maybe be track 2 which does go on longer than it needs to, but who can argue with the quality of songs such as 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life' , 'You And I', 'Big Brother', 'Tuesday Heartbreak', 'I Believe When I Fall In Love' and of course the mighty 'Superstition'. On this album Stevie shows he can produce beautiful ballads, great funk numbers and biting social commentary. If you get this album you'll have one of the greatest rnb/funk records ever recorded. Not bad for 3 or 4 quid!. Make sure you get the 2000 remaster, better sound quality. Get it and enjoy!.

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.

So good...
A stunning collection of tunes written by a man who at this time was consistently producing music of an incredibly high quality:

You are the sunshine of my life.
Superstition
Blame It on the Sun
I believe

These are all fabulous tracks in different ways. But the best is 'You and I'. A wonderful ballad, demonstrating Stevie's fantastic voice and his subtle use of early synthesizers. On the last chorus he modulates the song up into a different range and the song is taken to a new emotional level. Something similar was done with 'Lately' a few years later.

Every collection should have this album.