Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Love's in need of love today
2. Have a talk with God
3. Village ghetto land
4. Confusion
5. Sir Duke
6. I wish
7. Knocks me off my feet
8. Pastime paradise
9. Summer soft
10. Ordinary pain

Disc 2:

1. Isn't she lovely
2. Joy inside my tears
3. Black man
4. Ngiculela - Es una historia -I am singing
5. If it's magic
6. As
7. Another star
8. Saturn
9. Ebony eyes
10. All day sucker
11. Easy goin' evening (My Mama's call)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #441 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-08
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Double CD, Original recording remastered
• Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Songs in the Key of Life was the highest high-point of Stevie Wonder's career. More sprawling than Innervisions and Talking Book, this 2 LP-plus-EP was also less of a consistent stunner than either of those masterworks. That Songs retains an enormous amount of visionary relevance, though, is demonstrated not only in Coolio's borrowing of "Pastime Paradise" as a template for "Gangsta's Paradise", but in the cold-as-ice synthesized string quartet of "Village Ghetto Land". This is Stevie, so naturally that cut's anger is balanced by the ultra-buoyant "I Wish," "Sir Duke", and "Another Star". --Rickey Wright

CD Description
SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE is a milestone in Stevland Morris'career and a masterwork of American popular music. Releasedin 1976, this double LP spent 14 of its 80 charting weeks at number one. From his sharp commentaries on American socialhistory and pro-peace supplications to some of his most intimate professions of love, witness Stevie Wonder at a prolific point in his career, casting his music further beyond R&B, funk, and disco than ever before.
Present here are someof Stevie's greatest hits in their original context: the widely-sampled horn swirls of "Sir Duke", comical baby-noise-laced jamming of "Isn't She Lovely" and fiercely poetic declaration of "As" still shine as brightly as ever. Perhaps lesswell-known are tunes like, "Joy Inside My Tears", a slow, entrancing, synth-vamp on love's redemptive powers, or the fast-grooving funkout, "Black Man", a compelling salute to America's pioneers of colour. The keyboard sounds are as variedas ever, the bass as waggish as Bootsy, the arrangements a consummate preparation of melody and harmony. KEY OF LIFE isan inspired work in which Stevie marvels at life's unexpected miracles.

Customer Reviews

An uplifting and beautiful collection of songs
The result of a musical genius at his creative peak, "Songs In The Key Of Life" is a sprawling masterpiece, and Stevie Wonder's magnum opus. However, no grand words or superlatives can really do this album justice... the songs speak for themselves.

For an album of such stature and brilliance, there are surprisingly few 'famous' tracks. Of these, 'Sir Duke', 'I Wish' and 'Isn't She Lovely' are the most well-known, but merely represent the songs that were released as singles and hence into the mainstream. In reality, this album is far wider in scope than these three songs only hint at.

Stevie Wonder explores his creative and musical limits here, and executes his ideas with considerable aplomb. Quite frankly, there is not a bad song on the entire album, and there are simply too many highlights to single out for distinction. Suffice it to say that there is an example (and a good one at that) of every facet of Stevie's musical ability here.

But it's not just the music and vocal acrobatics that are outstanding, but also the lyrical content of the songs. Stevie Wonder has often been labelled, somewhat unfairly, as being too sentimental. However, this album represents a hugely powerful retort to his critics, with some really meaningful lyrics. Tackling issues such as race relations ('Pastime Paradise' and 'Black Man') to social deprivation ('Village Ghetto Land') and depression/suicide ('Have A Talk With God'), these are not lightweight, throw-away pop tunes by any stretch of the imagination. But the real skill in his songwriting ability lies in the way that you are always left with a feeling of hope from his songs. Maintaining a positive attitude throughout, without pandering to the over-sentimental (most of the time), "Songs In The Key Of Life" is an uplifting and beautiful collection of songs worthy of a special place in any record collection.

Can't get better
I was only 2 when this was first released on vinyl and I'm still playing it 25yrs later.
In a time when most albums we buy are over processed, heartless, easily forgotten junk, isn't it time you treated yourself to something that's not only greatly pleasurable to the ear but can take you through every emotion known to man. You feel every word on SITKOL as if being told to you by some wise member of your family whom you love intensley.

I'm tired of forking out hard earned cash for lack luster albums with 3 out of 14 good tracks on them. I'm tired of skipping to my favourites because the rest are mostly annoying. You can't do that with this album! I've yet to hear such a spiritually satisfying mix of music on one album. Every song is a beautiful masterpiece that takes you on a journey.
No life is complete without this album! It's quite simply lifes greatest soundtrack. It's also an education in humanity!

Buy it and feel it's power!

Essential
'Songs in the Key of Life' was released the year I was born so I was lucky enough to have been fed it from birth and thank God I was! It's such a special album and, like so many of Stevie's, one that leads you through an incredible journey of thought. Stevie has always had the gift of being able to take you through a rainbow of emotional highs and lows while ultimately leaving you with such a positive feeling. His eclectic style makes it an album for all moods with tracks ranging from the thought provoking harmonies of "Love's in Need of Love" to the funked-up nostalgia of "I Wish". It's the first thing I turn to when I really need to put my life back into perspective because the songs on this album move me more than any others in the world. In my opinion these songs are untouchable and in spite of various covers and reworkings by other artists they'll always remain unparalleled in their truest form. If you've never heard it before, give it some time. Like all great music you can't let it wash over you. You have to savour it and let it under your skin before you can appreciate all that is being communicated, and then the message is clear.