Customer Reviews

Stevie Wonder - Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Although Original Musiquarium & At The Close of A Century are better compilations,Song Review is a less expensive more well rounded collection,as well as a recommendation for the uninitiated.Unlike Musiquarium, that focuses on his brilliant 1972-1980 work,Song Review also features his 60's & 80's work.And for the Stevie fan,it featues the first appearance of Ebony & Ivory and Stay Gold(from The Outsiders) on a Stevie Wonder collection.Also a bonus are the single mixes of many songs making it a blessing when making Stevie mix tapes.The only problem is a "thrown together" feel of the sequencing,where different era & song styles don't mesh.And like many compilations,some essential songs aren't included in favor of others thats on every compilation(where's You Haven't Done Nothing, a #1 hit , If You Really Love Me,Shoo-Be-doo...)and the editing of the 10 minute plus Do I Do & the 6 Minute Lovelight In Flight would've left room for more songs.In all this should be a starting point for people getting into Stevie's Music.Then from there Innervision,Talking Book,Fullfillingness...you get the picture.

First things first: Stevie Wonder's album output of the '70s is
among the finest continuous strings in the history of
popular recorded music. Of that there cannot be any
argument. What can be argued is that there has never been
a wholly satisfactory compiliation that summarizes his entire
career, save for the 4CD set "End of a Century". Admittedly,
it's a difficult task, since you need to cover the '60s
Motown "factory" era, which yielded a lot of great pop/R&B
singles, the '80s and '90s which yielded a few delights,
though they are too sparsly scattered, and the '70s which
are hard to distill at all, since the original albums are so consistently strong.

That said, this collection is just not very good. The
sequencing is ridiculous (starting with the disposable
"Part Time Lover"?) and the track selection is questionable
(a lot of grade A tracks were left off so that...what?...they
could include "Ebony and Ivory"?) Ounce for ounce, Original
Musicquarium, a good if too-short compilation of the '70s
is a better bet. You could couple Original Musiquarium
with a '60s hits compilation (unfortunately, there's not
good definitive '60s set, but I guess you could go with
Greatest Hits Vol I [too bad Motown & Stevie haven't seen fit
to reissue the excellent 3LP "Looking Back" which DID cover
the '60s stuff properly) and get most of the essential Stevie
Wonder. But at that point, you'd still be missing the few
highlights from the 80s and 90s. For example, the brilliant
Overjoyed (good tune and dig that incredible phrasing) and
Stevie's terrific cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" which
is available on no other compilation but this one.

At the end of the day, the Stevie Wonder compilation catalogue
is still something of a mess (due in no small part to the
fact that Stevie has veto power over any Motown reissue), and
IMHO you're left with only two good alternatives: The 4 CD
"End of a Century", which is quite good, even if it is also
completely obvious in track selection, or the 2CD Original
Musiquarium. Or, heck, go back and buy the '70s albums, since
they are truly all worth owning in their entirty anyway, then
maybe break down and buy In Circle Square because you HAVE
to own Overjoyed. Maybe.

This is a definite treat for any Stevie Wonder fan. You will definitely get your fill. I was disappointed that this greatest hits collection did not include the WONDERful song "Isn't She Lovely" and the beautiful love song "As" both from the "Songs in the Key of Life" collection. I still gave it 5 stars though because I absolutely love Stevie. Peace!

This collection suffers from the same problem that afflicted Pat Benatar's "All Fired Up: The Best of ..." and David Bowie's "Singles Collection" -- if the record company could find a shorter version, they used it. What follows is the time for some of my favorite songs (not a complete list), with the version found on "At the Close of the Century" versus "Song Preview":

Superstition 4:26 > 4:02
Living For The City 7:23 > 3:41
Higher Ground 3:42 > 3:09
Boogie On Reggae Woman 5:13 > 4:09
Master Blaster (Jammin') 5:09 > 4:49
Part Time Lover 4:12 > 3:43

Here are some of the bigger songs missing from Song Preview that you'll find on Century:

Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
Until You Come Back To Me
For Once In My Life
Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday
We Can Work It Out
If You Really Love Me
Superwoman
Isn't She Lovely
You Haven't Done Nothin'
...and a few others (Century is 4 CDs)

Don't fool around with this package -- get Century. Century also supplants "Original Musiquarium", which also had the full-length versions but is missing many tracks included on Century.

Stevie Wonder is one of the most spectacular artists still living today. I understand how hard it is to try to consolidate ALL of the major hits of such an artist. The task is mind-blowing. Yet you would think the people who put this together would at least start in a particular order (chronological maybe). Starting with square one is usually important, especially for new fans. After we're past that fact, then we see that they are missing some very important milestone songs. You might want to put an artist's first major hit on the album (FINGERTIPS)! Other songs were not nearly as important: "Love's Light in Flight", "Hold On to Your Dreams", and "Hey Love" to name a few could have easily been replaced with hits like: "For Once In My Life", "Knocks Me Off MY Feet" or even "Isn't She Lovely".

To 2 CD set's credit, there are some very commendable liner notes by someone obviously pretty educated (from Stanford). There are also rare songs like "Ebony and Ivory", "The Redemption Song", and quiet hits like "That Girl", "All I Do", and "Kiss Lonely Goodbye" which is not on the box set. This is a good CD if you just want to hear some Stevie Wonder (nothing wrong with that). For true fans, you may want to get a more extensive album (Looking Back, Essential, and At the Close of a Century). Although this CD set does not have everything, it has enough for me to say that I wouldn't trade it for the world. The rare tracks and selective arrangement make this an album to take into consideration.

If you are a avid Stevie Wonder fan like myself you would consider yourself disappointed by the way Song Review is put together. My biggest problem is the songs are randonmly put together. This being said its hard for fans to see his musical progression from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Also with any Greatest Hits collection some of his most groundbreaking work is missing such "As", "Isn't she Lovely" among my personal favorites. Yet the cd isn't all bad as you can hear the beautiful ballads and roaring funk that Stevie Wonder has protrayed all through his incredible career.

The 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's...R&B, pop, jazz, dance...piano, vocals, drums, harmonica...you name it, Stevie Wonder has conquered and excelled in it. And "Song Review," a 31-track retrospective of his career, is about as close to perfect as you can get.

It's hard to say exactly what's the most striking: his intricate, layered production that lets you hear new nuances with each listen; his writing, full of lush and jazzy chord progressions and structures; or his voice, that remarkable instrument that can, with equal ease and success, joyously deliver a romantic love song or stir the soul with the pain and longing inspired by one of his commentaries on the wrongs of society.

Of course, his funk is the most fun: modern groups like the Brand New Heavies or Jamiroquai still have yet to achieve the likes of "Superstition," "I Know," or "Boogie On Reggae Woman"...the rhythms and keyboard parts of these songs seep under your skin until your body is awash with the groove. The same can be said for his more pop-flavored material, such as the delightful "Sir Duke," and especially "That Girl," the ultimate in high-quality, 80's slickness.

But Wonder's ballads are certainly the most compelling of his work. His voice has the quality to open up and simply ache, so when he sings the longing lyrics of "Overjoyed," paired with gorgeous chord progressions, it makes for one of the most beautiful ballads ever recorded. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Ribbon in the Sky" are timeless treasures, and "My Cherie Amour," Stevie's 1969 classic, still holds up as a classic that can bring out the romantic in anyone.

As with most greatest-hits packages, some of the song selections are puzzling: where is "Isn't She Lovely," one of his biggest hits? And what about "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"? Surely these two classics could have been included instead of the lackluster ballad "Stay Gold" and Stevie's adequate but not essential cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." (And does anybody really need to give another listen to the ultimate in bland, mid-80's cheese, otherwise known as "Ebony & Ivory" with Paul McCartney?) Still, these are small complaints: for soul-stirring vocals, infectious musical landscapes and sheer songwriting brilliance, "Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection" is a treasure to behold.

Stevie Wonder's career is among the most successful in music history. From his years as boy genius in the 1960s' to his groundbreaking 1970s' albums to his 1980s' career, right up to today, Stevie has been consistently a force to be reckoned with, both artistically and commerically. Which makes it extremely hard to compile his best work into a one or even two - disc set, because technically (and this is just an opinion), he's never really done anything bad. 1996's "Song Review - Greatest Hits" tries to put Stevie's best on 2 discs, with mixed results.

For a solid two disc collection of all Stevie's "biggest hits", "Song Review" is a good start for beginning Stevie fans. Boasting classics such as "I Just Called To Say I Love You", "My Cherie Amour", "Sign, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours", "Master Blaster (Jammin'), "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and "I Wish", it features some classic hit singles. Also, some lesser known works such as "Hey Love", "You Will Know" and "These Three Words" have been included to entice hardcore fans.

Now, here are my problems. For starters many of Stevie's biggest hits singles aren't here. They are all great songs, including "You Haven't Done Nothing" (a number one hit), "Fingertips" (Stevie's first chart hit and another number one single), "If You Really Love Me" (possibly my all time favorite), "Heaven Help Us All", "For Once In My Life" (a number two hit), "Shoo - Be - Doo - Be - Doo - Da - Day", "Yester - Me, "Yester - You, Yesterday", "Go Home", "Blowin' In The Wind" and "A Place In The Sun" - and these are just the omissions that made the top ten. There are numerous top forty hits missing, too many to name.

Another problem is that may of the songs are edited from their original versions. Part of the beauty of Stevie's songs is that some can stretch out into seven, eight, nine or even ten minutes, but Stevie would always add something new to keep it from getting repetitive. Which means there's no reason to cut "Part-Time Lover", "Ribbon In The Sky", "Master Blaster (Jammin')", "Living For The City", "For Your Love", "Boogie On Reggae Woman" and "Higher Ground", which are ten times better in their long versions. I guess you can say the edits on disc one were to include all ten minutes and twenty seven second of the excellent "Do I Do" (one of my all time favorites), but the ones on disc two should have been definitely been kept in their entirety.

For a far better representation of Stevie's career, try picking up the four disc boxed set "At The Close Of A Century". This set features almost all of the songs on this compilation as well as lesser known gems like "I'm Wondering", "Don't Know Why", "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer", "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)", "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)", "Creepin'", "Knocks Me Off My Feet", "Pastime Paradise", "Isn't She Lovely", "Ngiculela-En Historia-I Am Singing", "If It's Magic" "As", "Another Star", "Rocket Love", "Happy Birthday", and "How Come, How Long" (a duet with Babyface).

The only reason to buy this collection if you already have "At The Close Of A Century" is for four songs that are on "Song Review". First, there's the smash Paul McCartney duet "Ebony And Ivory", which I guess can also be found on a few Paul McCartney albums. Then there's three songs only available on here. First, there's the gorgeous ballad "Stay Gold", from the 1983 movie "The Outsiders" (great movie, by the way). Then there's the pretty "Kiss Lonely Goodbye". Following that is the uplifting hip hop number "Hold On To Your Dream". Finally, there's an excellent cover of Bob Marley's classic "Redemption Song".

Overall, a pretty good collection of Stevie's best. My advice is if you can't afford the four cd boxed set, pick up "Song Review" and it will do...for now. However, the songs are great nonetheless and should be cherished for many more years to come.

Being a die-hard Stevie fan, I never thought I would be saying this: I can't believe I actually bought this. "Song Review" is possibly the lamest, poorly representative compilation I have ever heard of any artist's material. I could go on for days about all the great songs that are curiously absent in this collection, but I won't. I trust that people who know Stevie Wonder's music are hip enough to realize that this album is simply not Stevie's greatest hits. The most concise statement I could make about the play list is to say that there is a general lack of attention to Stevie's greatest albums- "Talking Book", "Innervisions", "Fulfillingness' First Finale" and "Songs in the Key of Life." I find the neglect of this ingenious music deeply disturbing, I can't understand how anyone in his/her right mind could dedicate almost the entire second disc to Stevie's least memorable material. Beginning the compilation with "Part-Time Lover" and "I Just Called . ." was a very poor call, it's just that simple. I don't buy these "Greatest Hits" collections to begin with, I can thank Motown for reminding me why I don't. After hearing this disgrace I refuse to ever buy one again.

It is widely acknowledged that Stevie's creative peak occured between 1972 and 1976, when he recorded four of the greatest albums in the history of pop. This is not to slight the beauty of later songs such as "Overjoyed" or "Ribbon in the Sky" because they certainly have their place here. However, my advice to a Stevie novice would be to buy "Songs in the Key of Life"-here you will actually hear Stevie Wonder. I am not trying to sound like and old and bitter purist- I grew up in the 80's, but I'm not an idiot. I know what grooves and what puts me to sleep.

In summary, this collection is not recommended for anyone with good musical sensibilities.

Stevie is definitely one of, if not the best, musician to ever walk the face of this Earth or any other planet for that matter. Somehow someone managed to take what they believed were his best songs and compact them into 2-CDs. Whoever did it must have known that it was a miracle to pick only 31 of his songs and call them his best. Overall they did a very good job. Evryone will have a different opinion of what should be on it but the fact remains that most of the songs we all love is on this. In my opinion "You and I" and "A Place in the Sun" should be included but this is fine. Its difficult to write a review simply because thinking about the pure genius of Stevie leaves me speechless. "Ribbon in the Sky" "Lately" "All I Do" and "Overjoyed" was enough for me and that was only in addition to all the other timeless classics listed on this album. This collection is simply a blessing from God for those who cant afford the "At The End of a Century" Box set. But no matter how heavenly this cd is, there is still one problem : "Ebony and Ivory". Never should have been placed next to (let alone in between) "Send One Your Love" and "All I Do". This is a collection for anyone who has any musical bone in their body. This is the type of collection that a deaf person would give 5 stars or more.