Music of My Mind

Last updated
Music of My Mind
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind.png
Studio album by
Stevie Wonder
ReleasedMarch 3, 1972
Studio
Genre Progressive soul [1]
Length47:35
Label Tamla
Producer
Stevie Wonder chronology
Where I'm Coming From
(1971)		Music of My Mind
(1972)		 Talking Book
(1972)
Singles from Music of My Mind
  1. "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"
    Released: April 25, 1972
  2. "Keep on Running"
    Released: August 15, 1972

Music of My Mind is the fourteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder. It was released on March 3, 1972, by Tamla Records, and was Wonder's first to be recorded under a new contract with Motown that allowed him full artistic control over his music. For the album, Wonder recruited electronic music pioneers Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff as associate producers, employing their custom TONTO synthesizer on several tracks. [2] The album hit No. 21 in the Billboard LP charts, and critics found it representative of Wonder's artistic growth, and it is generally considered by modern critics to be the first album of Wonder's "classic period".

Contents

Recording

Wonder became interested in using synthesizers after hearing the music of electronic group Tonto's Expanding Head Band. [3] Inspired after a meeting with the group's members, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, in May 1971, he began utilizing Arp and Moog synthesizers, stating that "the synthesizer has allowed me to do a lot of things I've wanted to do for a long time but were not possible till it came along." [3] Margouleff and Cecil associate produced, engineered, and handled Moog programming for the album, and would go on to collaborate with Wonder on his next three albums. Wonder produced the album and played all of the instruments himself, except for the trombone on "Love Having You Around", which was played by Art Baron, and the guitar on "Superwoman", which was played by Howard "Buzz" Feiten.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Christgau's Record Guide B+ [6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
The Great Rock Discography 7/10 [8]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
MusicHound R&B Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]

When Music of My Mind was first released on March 3, 1972, it became a modest success with both black and white audiences in the United States, charting at number six and number 21 on the Billboard R&B and pop charts, respectively. [13] Contemporary critics viewed it as Wonder's final step into artistic maturity. [14] In Rolling Stone , Vince Aletti said it showcased the ambitious use of Wonder's newfound artistic control and maturity as a songwriter, although he found some of the studio and vocal effects both gimmicky and self-indulgent. [15] Robert Christgau of Creem believed that, like Ray Charles, Wonder transcended aesthetic sensibilities on Music of My Mind, which he said featured "some of the most musical synthesizer improvisations yet", but whose individual songs were not as impressive as the "one-man album" concept. [16] Cash Box particularly praised the Moog synthesizer work on the single "Keep on Running." [17] Penny Valentine was more enthusiastic in her review for Sounds , viewing the record as a milestone in modern music and a culmination of soul music's creative maturity. She especially praised Wonder's arrangement of "intriguing vocal patterns" on what she deemed "an album of explosive genius and unshackled self-expression". [14]

The album was voted number 645 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). [18] In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it number 284 on the magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time;[ citation needed ] it was number 285 on the 2012 version of the list, [19] and 350 on the 2020 edition. [20]

In 2008, the album was re-released in the UK to coincide with Wonder's European tour. [21]

The songs "Sweet Little Girl" and "Evil" feature prominently at the beginning and end of "Teddy Perkins", the sixth episode of the second season of the acclaimed FX television show Atlanta .

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stevie Wonder, unless stated otherwise

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Love Having You Around"Wonder, Syreeta Wright 7:21
2."Superwoman" 8:04
3."I Love Every Little Thing About You" 3:46
4."Sweet Little Girl" 4:54
Total length:24:05
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Happier Than the Morning Sun" 5:18
2."Girl Blue"Wonder, Yvonne Wright 3:35
3."Seems So Long" 4:27
4."Keep on Running" 6:35
5."Evil"Wonder, Y. Wright3:35
Total length:23:30

Personnel

Charting singles

YearNameUS [22] US

R&B [23]

1972Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)3313
Keep on Running9036

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)Position
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums [24] 21
U.S. Billboard R&B Albums [24] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)Position
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums [25] 47
U.S. Billboard R&B Albums [26] 17

Related Research Articles

<i>Freedom of Choice</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Devo

Freedom of Choice is the third studio album by the American new wave band Devo, released in May 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The album contained their biggest hit, "Whip It", which hit No. 8 and No. 14 on the Billboard Club Play Singles and Pop Singles charts, respectively. Freedom of Choice peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

<i>Talking Book</i> 1972 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Talking Book is the fifteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on October 27, 1972, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. This album and Music of My Mind, released earlier the same year, are generally considered to mark the start of Wonder's "classic period". The sound of the album is sharply defined by Wonder's use of keyboards and synthesizers.

<i>Innervisions</i> 1973 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Innervisions is the sixteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on August 3, 1973, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. A landmark recording of Wonder's "classic period", the album has been regarded as completing his transition from the "Little Stevie Wonder" known for romantic ballads into a more musically mature, conscious, and grown-up artist. On the album, Wonder continued to experiment with the revolutionary T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer system developed by Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, and Innervisions became hugely influential on the future sound of commercial soul and black music.

<i>Diamonds & Rust</i> 1975 studio album by Joan Baez

Diamonds & Rust is the sixteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Joan Baez, released in 1975. The album covered songs written or played by Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, The Allman Brothers, Jackson Browne and John Prine. Diamonds & Rust, however, also contains a number of her own compositions, including the title track, a distinctive song written about Bob Dylan, which has been covered by various other artists.

<i>Good Old Boys</i> (Randy Newman album) 1974 studio album by Randy Newman

Good Old Boys is the fourth studio album by American musician Randy Newman, released on September 10, 1974 on Reprise Records, catalogue number 2193. It was Newman's first album to obtain major commercial success, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and number 58 in Canada. The premiere live performance of the album took place on October 5, 1974, at the Symphony Hall in Atlanta, Georgia, with guest Ry Cooder and Newman conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonto's Expanding Head Band</span> British-American electronic music duo

Tonto's Expanding Head Band was a British-American electronic music duo consisting of Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff. Despite releasing only two albums in the early 1970s, the duo were influential in the development of electronic music and helped bring the synthesizer to the mainstream through session and production work for other musicians and extensive commercial advertising work.

<i>Fulfillingness First Finale</i> 1974 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Fulfillingness' First Finale is the seventeenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. It is the fourth of five albums from what is considered Wonder's "classic period".

<i>Where Im Coming From</i> 1971 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Where I'm Coming From is the 13th studio album by Stevie Wonder. The album was released by Motown Records on April 9, 1971, and peaked on the Billboard Pop Albums at No. 62, and on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart at No. 7. All nine songs were written by Wonder and Motown singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright, Wonder's first wife. It was the last album produced under his first contract with Motown Records. Including live albums, this is Wonder's fifteenth album overall, and thirteenth studio album.

<i>3 + 3</i> 1973 studio album by the Isley Brothers

3 + 3 is the eleventh album released by the Isley Brothers for the Epic label under their T-Neck imprint on August 7, 1973. In 2020, the album was ranked at 464 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

<i>Its My Pleasure</i> 1975 studio album by Billy Preston

It's My Pleasure is the tenth studio album by Billy Preston, released in June 1975 on A&M Records. The album shows the modernisation of Preston's music, placing a heavier emphasis on synthesizers. It was also his first collaboration with the singer Syreeta Wright who sings on one track. The album is notable for featuring harmonica by Stevie Wonder on two tracks. George Harrison also appears, playing guitar on "That's Life".

<i>Signed, Sealed & Delivered</i> 1970 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Signed, Sealed & Delivered is the 12th studio album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released on August 7, 1970, by Tamla Records. The album featured four hits that hit the Billboard Hot 100: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours", "Heaven Help Us All", "Never Had a Dream Come True" and Wonder's cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out". The album hit No. 25 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart as well as No. 7 on the R&B Albums chart.

<i>Conversation Peace</i> 1995 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Conversation Peace is the 22nd album released by American musician Stevie Wonder, on the Motown label in 1995. The album was Wonder's first full-length non-soundtrack studio album since 1987's Characters. This album yielded the hits "For Your Love" and the reggae-flavored "Tomorrow Robins Will Sing". This album also saw Wonder reuniting with Robert Margouleff, who assisted during Wonder's "classic period" from 1972 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)</span> 1972 single by Stevie Wonder

"Superwoman " is a 1972 soul track by Stevie Wonder. It was the second track on Wonder's Music of My Mind album, and was also released as the first single. The song reached a peak of number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<i>Open Our Eyes</i> 1974 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Open Our Eyes is the fifth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in March 1974 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 15 on the Top Pop Albums chart. Open Our Eyes has been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Cecil</span> English musician and record producer (1937–2021)

Malcolm Cecil was a British jazz bassist, record producer, engineer, electronic musician and teacher. He was a founding member of a leading UK jazz quintet of the late 1950s, the Jazz Couriers, before going on to join a number of British jazz combos led by Dick Morrissey, Tony Crombie and Ronnie Scott in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He later joined Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner to form the original line-up of Blues Incorporated. Cecil subsequently collaborated with Robert Margouleff to form the duo TONTO's Expanding Head Band, a project based on a unique combination of synthesizers which led to them collaborating on and co-producing several of Stevie Wonder's Grammy-winning albums of the early 1970s. The TONTO synthesizer was described by Rolling Stone as "revolutionary".

Robert Margouleff is an American record producer, recording engineer, electronic music pioneer, audio expert, and film producer.

<i>Syreeta</i> (1972 album) Debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Syreeta Wright

Syreeta is the debut studio album by American R&B and soul singer and songwriter Syreeta Wright, released on June 20, 1972, on MoWest, a subsidiary of Motown Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living for the City</span> 1973 single by Stevie Wonder

"Living for the City" is a 1973 single by Stevie Wonder from his Innervisions album. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the R&B chart. Rolling Stone ranked the song number 104 on their 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<i>Zero Time</i> 1971 studio album by Tontos Expanding Head Band

Zero Time is the debut album by British-American electronic music duo Tonto's Expanding Head Band, released on 15 June 1971 by Embryo Records. The album is a showcase for TONTO, a multitimbral, polyphonic synthesiser built by the two members of the band, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, as a developed version of the Moog III synth in 1969. The duo began producing their own music together on the synth with the intention to push the machine's abilities, and their own abilities as musicians, to the limit. Recording their compositions in New York, they approached TONTO with no pre-conceived notions and intended to make music intrinsic to the synthesiser.

"Golden Lady" is a song by the American musician Stevie Wonder, released in 1973 on his album Innervisions. While it was never released as a single, the album itself peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top 200. The love song, written by Stevie Wonder, contrasts with the other songs on the record that comment upon societal issues within America. Examples include his comments on drug addiction within the song "Too High" and his political commentary on US President Richard Nixon in "He's Misstra Know-It-All".

References

  1. ↑ Lester, Paul (August 30, 2012). "Stevie Wonder: 'I never thought of being blind and black as a disadvantage". The Guardian . Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ Hogan, Ed. "Hogan, Ed at". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  3. 1 2 Stubbs, David (2018). Future Sounds: The Story of Electronic Music From Stockhausen to Skrillex. Faber & Faber. pp. 177–179. ISBN   9780571346974 . Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Allmusic review
  5. ↑ Moser, Margaret (May 19, 2000). "Review: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 9, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus. p. 1522. OL   11913831M.
  8. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). New York: Canongate. p. 1688. OL   18807297M.
  9. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (April 1, 2000). "Motown Releases Remind Us of Stevie Wonder's Impact". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ Graff, Gary; Freedom du Lac, Josh; McFralin, Jim, eds. (1998). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink. p. 629. OL   690592M.
  11. ↑ Q . London: 123. August 2000.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  12. ↑ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Stevie Wonder". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp.  885–87. ISBN   0743201698 . Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ Perone, James E. (2006). The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 30. ISBN   027598723X . Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Penny Valentine (1971-12-04). "Sounds review". Sounds . Retrieved 2013-12-27.(subscription required)
  15. ↑ Aletti, Vince (April 27, 1972). "Music of My Mind". Rolling Stone . New York. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  16. ↑ Christgau, Robert (October 1972). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem . Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  17. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 2, 1972. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  18. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 212. ISBN   0-7535-0493-6.
  19. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  20. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  21. ↑ "Stevie Wonder interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' March 1995". Bluesandsoul.com. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  22. ↑ "Stevie Wonder". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  23. ↑ "Stevie Wonder". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  24. 1 2 "Allmusic: Sweet Baby James: Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  25. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ Top Pop Albums of 1972". billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  26. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.