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[Music] Is Stevie Wonder overated?
- Thread starter Icy Gull
- Start date
joydivisionovengloves
Well-known member
No.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
No. Like most artists he had his golden days and hasn't reached those absolute heights since. But he was a child prodigy and produced a marvellous body of work in his prime. Don't drag him down with his I'll judged moments of dross
Albion in the north
Well-known member
Nail and Head
To me he’s rated about right, there’s no doubting he’s talented.
All artists suffer a bit when they have an extended career. When an artist first becomes known, people rave about them as something new, but the more they record it becomes a law of diminishing returns. People will feel they’ve heard enough of an artist, or just not like a particular record and never go back.
Most “legends” with long recording careers have songs or entire records that even their hardcore fans struggle to love. The Stones are (I’m told to my continued disbelief) brilliant live, but I couldn’t name a Rolling Stones song from any of the last four decades. Does this detract from their status as legends? Others of the same generation seem to end up playing the Worthing Pier nostalgia circuit. I don’t know who decides these things.
All artists suffer a bit when they have an extended career. When an artist first becomes known, people rave about them as something new, but the more they record it becomes a law of diminishing returns. People will feel they’ve heard enough of an artist, or just not like a particular record and never go back.
Most “legends” with long recording careers have songs or entire records that even their hardcore fans struggle to love. The Stones are (I’m told to my continued disbelief) brilliant live, but I couldn’t name a Rolling Stones song from any of the last four decades. Does this detract from their status as legends? Others of the same generation seem to end up playing the Worthing Pier nostalgia circuit. I don’t know who decides these things.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,273
I can't see the attraction.
Brian Fantana
Well-known member
Yes, without doubt.
No he's not, he's a genius.
peaked mid 70's mind.
peaked mid 70's mind.
I know. I know you did. And believe me, the sentiment isn't unappreciated. But I'm at work and it really isn't convenient. On the whole Icy, it would be better if you just stopped.
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
Dunno, how highly do you rate him?
Very few bands/artists maintain their highest levels of output. Think of it in sporting terms, is Pele overrated because he's not been good at football for 40 odd years? How about Lennox Lewis? Bang average heavy weights could knock him out nowadays.
In musical terms how many of his peers from the 60's and 70's are still producing their best music? Or even good music? McCartney? The Stones? Dylan? I'd argue none of them have done much worth listening to in the last 30-40 years unless you're a massive fan. I would also argue that their lack of quality output over thse decades doesn't detract from the brilliance or impact of their peak years.
So ultimately it comes down to how highly do you rate Stevie Wonder's peak output?If you think that's not very good then yes, you can argue he's overrated. But if you think his best stuff is very good indeed then no, no he's not overrated.
Very few bands/artists maintain their highest levels of output. Think of it in sporting terms, is Pele overrated because he's not been good at football for 40 odd years? How about Lennox Lewis? Bang average heavy weights could knock him out nowadays.
In musical terms how many of his peers from the 60's and 70's are still producing their best music? Or even good music? McCartney? The Stones? Dylan? I'd argue none of them have done much worth listening to in the last 30-40 years unless you're a massive fan. I would also argue that their lack of quality output over thse decades doesn't detract from the brilliance or impact of their peak years.
So ultimately it comes down to how highly do you rate Stevie Wonder's peak output?If you think that's not very good then yes, you can argue he's overrated. But if you think his best stuff is very good indeed then no, no he's not overrated.
Ooh it’s a corner
Well-known member
Agree with Zefarelly
Clearly vastly underrated by some on NSC but imo he is one of the few who deserve the term musical genius - I LOVE his 60’s Motown stuff but early 70s to early 80s is mainly EXCELLENT. Hotter Than July was 1980 I think and probably his last top class album but Talking Book, Inner Visions, Songs In The Key of life etc just WOW!
Live - OUTSTANDING!
Clearly vastly underrated by some on NSC but imo he is one of the few who deserve the term musical genius - I LOVE his 60’s Motown stuff but early 70s to early 80s is mainly EXCELLENT. Hotter Than July was 1980 I think and probably his last top class album but Talking Book, Inner Visions, Songs In The Key of life etc just WOW!
Live - OUTSTANDING!
The Albion Roar
97.2FM
His output from 1963 to about 1980 was astonishing.
From being 'Little' Stevie Wonder, singing 'Fingertips' at 12, to co-writing and recording 'Uptight' at the age of 15, co-writing 'Tears Of A Clown' at 16, and writing and/or recording 'I Was Made To Love Her', 'For Once In My Life', 'My Cherie Amour', 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours' - all while he was a teenager.
Into the 1970s, his albums 'Talking Book', 'Songs In The Key of Life', 'Innervisions' and 1980's 'Hotter Than July' all contain excellent tracks. 1973's 'Innervisions' IMO is a masterpiece, containing as it does 'Too High', 'Living For The City', 'Higher Ground', 'He's Misstra Know It All'. It's just not possible to over-rate this album.
So no, Stevie Wonder - pre 1980 - is not over-rated. Nothing like.
However, was his supremely high quality output from 'Fingertips' through to 'Hotter Than July' enough to receive an advance pardon for the hideous fork-scrape-across-plate atrocity that is 'I Just Called To Say.I Love You'? I'll let the aficionados decide.
From being 'Little' Stevie Wonder, singing 'Fingertips' at 12, to co-writing and recording 'Uptight' at the age of 15, co-writing 'Tears Of A Clown' at 16, and writing and/or recording 'I Was Made To Love Her', 'For Once In My Life', 'My Cherie Amour', 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours' - all while he was a teenager.
Into the 1970s, his albums 'Talking Book', 'Songs In The Key of Life', 'Innervisions' and 1980's 'Hotter Than July' all contain excellent tracks. 1973's 'Innervisions' IMO is a masterpiece, containing as it does 'Too High', 'Living For The City', 'Higher Ground', 'He's Misstra Know It All'. It's just not possible to over-rate this album.
So no, Stevie Wonder - pre 1980 - is not over-rated. Nothing like.
However, was his supremely high quality output from 'Fingertips' through to 'Hotter Than July' enough to receive an advance pardon for the hideous fork-scrape-across-plate atrocity that is 'I Just Called To Say.I Love You'? I'll let the aficionados decide.
Last edited:
Stato
Well-known member
- Dec 21, 2011
- 7,374
There wasn't an album called Superstition. The single is on the album 'Talking Book'. That was one of half a dozen albums made between the early seventies and 1980 that stand alongside the work of any musical artist ever. 'Music of My Mind', 'Innervisions', 'Songs in the Key Of Life', 'Fulfillingness First Finale' and 'Hotter Than July' being the others.
However, even this run of classics was interrupted by the prog jazz mess that was 'Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants' and included some songs like 'Isn't She Lovely' that, for me exposed his occasional tendency towards the schlocky, which was given free reign into the eighties and nineties. However, I know that some on here love the honest sentimentalism of 'Isn't She Lovely'. I'm a bit too British to appreciate someone doing something so heartfelt and sincere without feeling a bit weird and uncomfortable. Perhaps its not you, its me Stevie.
I can easily put this aside, because, during this period, he pretty much invented a style of music that was all his own, playing a lot of the instruments himself and doing things with a Moog synth that had never been done before. Many of the songs are absoulte stone cold classics. He made some great pop songs before this period. (and I mean great - His recording of 'For Once In My Life' is possibly the mostjoyously life affirming three minutes ever committed to vinyl). He made some fairly decent ones afterwards, but for this decade he should be lauded up there with the absolute greats.
If you're unfamiliar and don't want to jump straight into the albums, just listen to the singles from this period: 'Living For The City', 'He's Mistra Know It All', 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life', 'Happy Birthday', 'Sir Duke', 'Lately', 'I Wish', 'Higher Ground', 'You Haven't Done Nothin', 'Don't You Worry Bout A Thing', 'Master Blaster': Fantastic tunes, social comment, rock solid funk, touching ballads. The variety is equalled by the consistent excellence. I'd say that a lot of this gets forgotten because of his later output. For these reasons, for me he's hugely underrated.
Stato
Well-known member
- Dec 21, 2011
- 7,374
That's the word. One of the few pop musicians who has the recorded evidence of innovation to back up that label.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
- Thread starter
- #20
Can’t argue with that but every time I have seen him on TV with people raving about him in the last 20 years I’ve turned him off after a few minutes. Unwatchable for me and 100% living on past glories whilst still being deified
