Customer Reviews

Where I'm Coming From

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stevland Hardaway Judkins had been under contract with Motown since the age of 12 in 1962. Motown's CEO Berry Gordy gave his the name Little Stevie Wonder, later shortned to just Stevie Wonder. One year later at 13 he experienced his first big hit with "Fingertips PT2" that reached the top of the billboard charts. Throughout the 16 the wonderboy would have many hits like "Uptight", "I Was Made To Love Her", "For Once in My Life" and and "My Cherie Amour" to mention a few. But he still wasn't happy with not having more to say on his music and he had confronted Gordy several times to have more imopact on his music, but with no luck. Many of the 60's albums had been based on singles sales and they contaied the typical motown sound of the time. When Marvin Gaye broke free to release What's Going on he opened the doors to Stevie Wonder aswell. Wonder's current contract with Motown expired when he became an adult at 21. "Where I'm Coming From" would be the last album to be released. Gordy rejected it cause it was too futuristic and diverse in his oppinion. But with an contract about to expire and many arguments he had no choise to release it. For the first time in his life at only 21 in 1971 Wonder did not only sing and write all of the songs (With the assistence of his then wife Syreeta Wright) but he also produced and played most instrumnets on the album. Quite impressive for a 21 year old who was also blind since birth?.

"Where I'm Coming From" is not considered to be part of Wonder's classic 1972-1976 where his creativity came out to it's full capacity, even if it was his first album to be produced entirely by himself. This album is defenitely the blueprint for what was coming and Wonder show hints of his genius time after time, but what differs from latter 70's albums is the production. He doesn't use the trademark synthesizer til his following album Music of My Mind and the overall effort isn't very coherant either, with many diffrent sounds in the mix. A third reason would be that Wonder does not get as socially consious on this album for most of the time. It's just a mix of very good songs, so perhaps Gordy did have a point? but compared to previous albums "Where I'm Coming From" is a mamoth release with a sound that was so diffrent from anything else at the time that it could be hard to market it.

"Look Around" kicks of the album in the best of ways. It's a somewhat psychedelic midtempo song that features Wonder playing the clavinet, very unusual instrument in Popular music so you will not miss it. Wonder sings lyrics that sounds philosopical "Look around and you'll see/Ruins of the human history/ Look around and you'll see/ Time is only floating in your mind". "Do Yourself a Favour" does really stick out, it got a funky Hammond organ sound that would make you think of latter songs and the lyrics are about the black youth, "Do yourself a favour/ Educate your mind/ Get yourself together/ Hey there ain't much time" This was one of the first times Wonder was getting socially consious and it worked perfectly fine. A sweet soul ballad "Think of Me as Your Soldier" almost sound like it's classical music with it's sensual aproach. "Something Out of the Blue" got a very simular sound, once again the clavinet is used and it sounds classical. "If You Really Love Me" sounds like a personal take of the Motown sound, it's a very uplifting uptempo and became the biggest hit of this album reaching #8 on the Pop Charts. On the odd "I Wanna Talk With You", Wonder portait a racially charged conversation between a black and a old white man. Apparently Gordy is suppost to be the white man, while he wasn't white per se, he didn't want to lose his grip over his empire and controlled motown in every detail. "Take Up a Course in Happiness" is a very meliodic midtempo with strange arrangements while "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" a slow piano song show Wonder at his best with lots of vulnerability and emotion. The last "Sunshine in Their Eyes" is dedicated to poor children and you can hear children choirs in this one too. It's also a slow-paced song full of emotion.

Overall, A wonderful collective of songs, but like aformentioned they don't make up a real concept cause many songs are as diffrent as night and day. That's why I'm only giving it 4 stars. However, "Where I'm Coming From" is full of great songs, the only one I didn't like was the conversation song "I Wanna Talk With You". And it does work as a blueprint for what was coming during his classical period starting the year after. Even if this one is vastly overlooked, it's a great and enjoyable album fullpacked with memorable songs. Recommended incase you want to start your collection with Wonder's emancipation.

In the 70's Stevie released an unprecedented series of masterpieces. This is the beginning of Stevie's creative control on his music and the start of his incredible run. Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, Songs in the Key of Life are all well-known for the masterpieces that they are by both fans and critics, yet Where I'm Coming From seems to be lost in the shuffle.

Where I'm Coming From, starts surprisingly different than the others, with the haunting "Look Around". It's clear to see Wonder wanted to set the creative tone and conscious lyrics early on. "Do Yourself a Favor" is a funky social commentary that repeatedly tells us "educate your mind". "Think of Me as Your Soldier" & "Something Out of the Blue" are both musically dense ballads. The first is one of his best ballads and the second is pretty deep lyrically with his metaphors.
"If You Really Love Me" is an excellent song, as it somehow handles both being a ballad and fast paced song back and forth. "I Wanna Talk to You" is really the only song I could do without, really only because of the voice repeating the title annoyingly (but then again that's probably the point of the song). "Take Up..." is a feel-good track, that is good enough to somehow avoid sounding cheesy.
"Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" is a forgotten classic and perhaps my favorite song of all time... for any artist. Wonder's music and his metaphorical lyrics are so emotional the song is literally heartbreaking. "Sunshine in Their Eyes" was Stevie's first attempt at two part songs, and here the second half "Everything is Happening" is the best conclusion to any of his albums (excluding Talking Book with "I Believe").

After done listening to it for the first time two things came to mind: there's no way that was only 37 min long, and I simply cannot believe that I've never heard anyone talk about this album. I never thought this album was going to be as good as the rest, but thankfully I was wrong. As with the rest of his series, Where I'm Coming From is stunning musically and lyrically. As with the entire Stevie Wonder masterpiece series, it really just depends on your opinion which of his albums is the best (and just like the others this could be to some the best). But if you neglect this one you're ignoring another spectacular piece of music. While all of Wonder's other masterpieces have been re-released and remastered, for some reason this one remains only available as an import. But, don't let that deter you from getting this album it's worth the Import price, so don't waste your time waiting for the re-release. Please don't let another masterpiece to his collection slip away like it has for so long.

Music Of My Mind has always been praised as the turning point in Stevie Wonder's musical direction.But if anyone was truly listening,Where I'm Coming From signals the real beginnings to the string of albums that redefined R&B music in the 70's.
Whereas Signed Sealed & Delivered shows Wonder's abilities with production,WICF showed a musical vision that belies his Little Stevie Wonder past.
Aside from the BST/Chicago-esque hit If You Really Love Me,and the classic ballad Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer,Do Yourself A Favor lays the groundwork for Superstition,Look Around is stirring,Take Up A Course In Happiness is fun in a Fifth Dimension style of genre.Think Of Me As Your Soldier and Something Out Of The Blue are underrated gems.The closing track,Sunshine In Their Eyes is his most ambitious piece with not only dealing with social issues,but an open ending Hey Jude-esque ending.
Released so close to Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On,the album only made #62 on the Billboard Charts,probably due to Motown's lack of promoting another social conscience album from an artist who also craves control over his music.Maybe one day,Motown will remaster,re-package and re-release this under-rated gem and give it the same respect his other 70's album were granted.

I had this album as a Motown promo LP since it was new and only recently discovered which album the tracks were actually from, the promo was untitled and the tracks were in a slightly different order. "Look Around" and "Sunshine int Their Eyes" actually ran into each other (and very effectively). The original title for the song on the end of Sunshine is "Everything is Happening", BTW. This is one of my favorite all-time childhood albums, I think I was about 9 when I got it, and I don't think I even ever owned a dustjacket for it, it was "just a nother promo". "Sunshine in their Eyes" still gives me chills to listen to it, I found an import CD of this and am so happy, I feel like I'm preserving the past by getting a digital transfer of it. My original LP is full of skips and scratches from constant playing on an old bright orange child's phonograph many years ago.

I feel lucky enough to have baught this CD before it went
out-of-print stateside because it's a missing link between
"Signed,Sealed And Delivered" and "Music Of The Mind"-i.e the
place where the commercial and the purely artistic cross paths.
Here we are treated to many Wonder first's-his first clavinet-led
pop masterpieces in "Look Around"-a wonderful commentary piece
and the love song "Something Out Of the Blue",his first heavy funk number "Do Yourself A Favor" and a closer that defies any
description "Sunshine In Their Eyes".Of course we also get three
pretty classic Wonder Motown pop in "If You Really Love Me" (the
albums only big hit),"Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" (not
so big a hit) and the shoulda',coulda' woulda' been a hit in the
pop claptrap of "Take Up A Course In Happiness".Of course the
remaining few cuts arn't that interesting but as with any
Stevie Wonder album no one really cares by the end.Probably the
beginning of the beginning for Wonder's artistic flights of
fancy but the beginning of the end of his commercial Motown
aspirations.Pivitol.

Stevie Wonder's 1971 release, Where I'm Coming From signaled a change in his musical styling. The album is filled with socially conscious themes, but catchy melodies that would be the hallmark of his 70's work. The blueprint for the album was Mr. Wonder's 1970 top ten single, "Heaven Help Us". The album opens with the psychedelic tinged "Look Around" based around a spooky clavinet and thumping bass. "Do Yourself A Favor" is a message song in the Curtis Mayfield style that preaches education over violence set up with gospel feel and a funky beat. "Think Of Me As Your Soldier" has a jazzy riff with a sublime guitar and "Something Out Of The Blue" is a lovely ballad with lush strings. "If You Really Love Me" is the album's lone hit single, peaking at number eight in the autumn of 1971. It kicks off with punchy horns and a roaring vocal that is backed up by Mr. Wonder's then wife Syreeta Wright. It is a true R&B gem. "I Wanna Talk To You" is the weakest song on the album, a weird song about picking up girls with Mr. Wonder suppling a bizarre vocal in an old man's voice. "Take Up A Course In Happiness" is a bouncy, upbeat number that has a definite sunny, trippy early 70's feel. "Never Dream You'd Leave In Summer" is a gorgeous track framed by heartbreaking strings and woodwinds that provide a canvas for Mr. Wonder's aching and longing vocals. The album closes with "Sunshine In Their Eyes" which closes out the album on a promise of hope. Where I'm Coming From was not a commercial success, only hitting number 62 on the album charts, but it showed tremendous growth and was a harbinger of greatness to come.

Stevie Wonder may be soul's greatest genius, along with Curtis Mayfield and Sly Stone. But even I as a fan have to admit that some of his early "post-Berry-Gordy-controlled" albums of the early 70's suffer from a lack of discipline and focus. Sure, it was great that Stevie and Marvin and Smokey broke free from the strict confines of The Motown Sound and began to do their own thing. But for me, more than half the tracks on Stevie's 1972's "Music Of My Mind" and even his other 1972 LP, the famed "Talking Book," could use a really sharp editor.

Which leads me to what's fun about "Where I'm Coming From." In this, Stevie's first effort where he began to break free from Motown's strict 8-cylinder formalized sound, he pushes the boundaries, but is also still close enough to those paternal ties that bind to hold the whole album together better than those 2 more renowned albums that followed the next year. Is "Where I'm Coming From" better than "Talking Book"? Well, probably not. But is it more consistently enjoyable from song to song. Incredibly, YES!!!

It doesn't hit all the heights of some other Stevie albums, buy boy does it display a mature and disciplined sound. "Think Of Me As Your Soldier" presages "Send One Your Love" and "As," setting a template for years to come. "I Wanna Talk To You" is a type of gospel/blues joy that Stevie has rarely revisited. It's great to hear these formative sounds here in this transitional LP, just as it is to hear the sound of Marvin Gaye's future in "What's Goin' On."

This album has not received the acclaim of "What's Goin' On" and Sly's "There's A Riot Goin' On" partly because it doesn't contain as many blockbuster compositions as those landmark, transitional LP's. But if you love Stevie Wonder like I do, you'll really be missing out to not see this first flowering of his mature paradigm. Get this album and see a former kid artist changing before your eyes!

I can't understand how in the heck Motown never released this Stevie Wonder classic on cd. Not only should it been released, but it should be remastered as well. These songs were very socially conscious. It was a great prelude to his other follow up albums of the 70's.

Where I'm Coming From was released in 1971 when Stevie Wonder was 20 years old. It was the first album where he was able to control all the aspects from song selection to recording, etc. It's easy to hear the path he was taking that would lead to Music From My Mind which came out six months later and 1972's masterpiece, Talking Book. Stevie's voice, instrumentation, and subject matter are becoming more adult and complex. His first wife, Syreeta Wright, co-wrote all of the songs and appears on several of the cuts. Some of this material is very similar to the Stevie Wonder produced songs from Syreeta's solo albums.

This album includes the hits If You Really Love Me and Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer. Other Highlights include Look Around and I Wanna Talk To You. In the latter, which addresses 400 years of slavery and other issues, Stevie uses a voice that sounds verrrrrrrrry similar to Berry Gordy's as "The Man."

Where I'm Coming From is currently out of print and very hard to find but if you happen to stumble upon a copy it's well worth a few extra bucks to hear Stevie Wonder's transitional phase between the little genius and the superstar he would soon become.

On "Where I'm Coming From" we get glimpses of the more socially consious lyrics and upward reaching balladry and laments that would become a staple of Wonder releases for the rest of the decade. Releases like the classic "innervisions" and "songs in the key of life". And better yet we find flashes of the more realized technical genius of the Wonder musicianship that lets his albums hold up to repeated listenings even 30 years later.

Opening with the lush vocals of "look around" and " I wanna be your soldier" you get treated to new audio pleasures. The big single "If you really love me" moves to a jazzy groove and "Never Dreamed you'd leave in summer" is delicate majesty. "Sunshine in their eyes" closes the album with the social optimism people would hear 2 years later with "higher ground". All in all this album really brings Wonder into his more fruitfull phase of his career (at this time Wonder was about to renegotiate a new contract giving him more artistic freedom over his work).

This album is out of print but if you are lucky enough to find it at a reasonable price you won't be dissapointed.