Details
Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Fingertips Pts. 1 & 2
2. Uptight (Everything's Alright)
3. Nothing's Too Good For My Baby
4. Blowin' in the Wind
5. Place in the Sun, A
6. Hey Love
7. I Was Made to Love Her
8. Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
9. I'm Wondering
10. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-da-Day
11. You Met Your Match
12. For Once in My Life
13. I Don't Know Why
14. My Cherie Amour
15. Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday
16. Never Had a Dream Come True
17. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
18. Heaven Help Us All
19. We Can Work It Out
20. If You Really Love Me
21. Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer
22. Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
23. I Love Every Little Thing About You
DISC 2:
1. Superstition
2. You Are the Sunshine of My Life
3. You and I
4. I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)
5. Too High
6. Visions
7. Living For the City
8. Golden Lady
9. Higher Ground
10. All in Love Is Fair
11. Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
12. He's Misstra Know-It-All
13. You Haven't Done Nothin'
14. Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away
15. Too Shy to Say
16. Boogie on Reggae Woman
17. Creepin'
DISC 3:
1. Sir Duke
2. I Wish
3. Knocks Me Off My Feet
4. Pastime Paradise
5. Isn't She Lovely
6. Ngiculela-es una Historia-I Am Singing
7. If It's Magic
8. As
9. Another Star
10. Send One Your Love
11. All I Do
12. Rocket Love
13. I Ain't Gonna Stand For It
14. Master Blaster (Jammin')
15. Lately
16. Happy Birthday
DISC 4:
1. That Girl
2. Ribbon in the Sky
3. Do I Do
4. Love Light in Flight
5. I Just Called to Say I Love You
6. Overjoyed
7. Part-Time Lover
8. Go Home
9. You Will Know
10. Skeletons
11. Gotta Have You
12. These Three Words
13. For Your Love
14. How Come, How Long
Album Notes
Includes 96-page full-color booklet.
Personnel includes: Stevie Wonder (vocals, various instruments, harmonica, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, keyboards, Moog & ARP synthesizers, drums, cabasa, percussion, vocoder, sound effects); Luther Vandross (vocals); Dean Parks (acoustic & electric guitars); Babyface (acoustic guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Michael Sembello, Buzzy Feiton, Earl Klugh (guitar); Bobbi Humphrey (flute); Greg Phillinganes (piano, keyboards); Herbie Hancock (keyboards); James Jamerson (acoustic & electric basses); Nathan East (bass); Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones (drums); Lenny Castro (congas); Sheila E. (percussion); Betty Wright, Michael Jackson, Minnie Ripperton, Paul Anka, George Benson, Philip Bailey (background vocals).
Producers include: Berry Gordy, Henry Cosby, Clarence Paul, Don Hunter, Harvey Fuqua.
Compilation producer: Harry Weinger.
Includes liner notes by David Ritz and Leonard Pitts Jr.
Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Kevin Reeves.
The 4-CD set AT THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY is a chronological history of Stevie Wonder's commercial successes. The first CD documents his early Motown years on tracks that emphasize his frenetic singing and superb harmonica playing. The songs taken from MUSIC OF MY MIND, his first fully written and produced effort, show significant vocal development. CDs two and three include material from INNERVISIONS, SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE, and TALKING BOOK, a creative period that is considered Wonder's strongest. It is on these cuts that Wonder uses his most varied production techniques and instrumentation to share his vivid creative spirit.
The fourth disc continues with pop hits recorded during the '80s and '90s, beginning with three songs he recorded for MUSIQUARIUM, and concluding with his duet with Babyface, "How Come, How Long." Disc four should surprise listeners who may remember only "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from Wonder's '80s work. Tracks like "Overjoyed" and "Ribbon in the Sky" make clear that Wonder had far more than one great song during the period. This box set is a great introduction to Stevie Wonder, and even after listening to all four discs in succession, fans will be left wanting more.
Industry Reviews
5 stars out of 5 - ...The most consistent and intriguing artist America has produced....70 clunker-free tracks....Only the absolute cream is here...
Q (05/01/2000)
...a wonderfully exhaustive crash course on r&b music....this retrospective is a must-have. It's a firm testament to Wonder's unquestionable genius...
The Source (03/01/2000)
...His career demonstrates [that] genius has no off-switch....his abundant natural gifts were driven by twin urges of innovation and emancipation...
Mojo (05/01/2000)
8 out of 10 - ...The definitive voice of soul rapture....[this is] incontrovertibly fantastic music.
NME (03/25/2000)
...Not a dud among them - boxed sets don't get much better than this....in a word, magnificent... - Rating: A+
Entertainment Weekly (12/17/1999)
...This remarkable collection contains most of his familiar classics, focusing on material from the 70s....Stevie at his funkiest can rival any singer-songwriter of any era...
CMJ (02/07/2000)
Included in Q's 5 Best Re-Issues of 2000.
Q (01/01/2001)
...a wonderfully exhaustive crash course on r&b music....this retrospective is a must-have. It's a firm testament to Wonder's unquestionable genius...
The Source (03/01/2000)
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