Stevie Wonder, where do I go next?

The Secret Life Of Plants is his underrated masterpiece.

it just needs patient listeners , who also have an affinity for slow/ambient type of music

an acquired taste , but a great taste.

 

Don't overlook A Time 2 Love (and to a much lesser extent, Conversation Peace and Jungle Fever) just because they're newer. Anyone who recommends Secret Life of Plants before A Time 2 Love is either unexposed to it, square, or needs to have their head examined. A Time 2 Love is truly epic and may have even less filler than some of his bonafide classics... not to mention the fact that it has Prince on it. The vinyl is rare, but obtainable apparently.

Stevie Wonder – A Time 2 Love (2005, Vinyl)

 

You should revisit A Time 2 Love.

 

Like David Bowie, you want everything from 1970-1980.

For Stevie Wonder that means Signed, Sealed And Delivered thru to Hotter Than July.

 

+1

 

Hotter then July doesn't get enough praise, such a joyous record

 

Somebody, answer the OP's question, please.

(I would, but I don't know the answer.)

 

The old RCA Hollywood cut sounds nice. Think this was where most may have been manufactured at the get go.
However when I play this album anymore it's the old Sanyo CD

 

Even if you get all the acknowledged seventies classics you still need the ORIGINAL MUSIQUARIUM comp for the four new songs (one per side).

 

Well I just ordered this one, so I will let you know!

Stevie Wonder – Talking Book (1972, Braille, Superior Pressing, Vinyl)

 

great album, especially side 2. lots of hidden gems on that side.
Overall I think it is close to as good as Innervisions side 2 and better than Innervisions Side 1.

 

One of a kind album. Weird and...wonderful.

 

I consider Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants a wonderfully weird masterwork.

 

Music of My Mind has many recommendations, but I'm not really a fan of it. It's an important transitional album, marking the beginning of Stevie playing almost all of the instruments and exploring the range of the synthesizer. However, IMO, the experimentation outshines the songs. He would write much better songs on his later albums beginning with Talking Book and improving even more with Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale. With Music of My Mind, the songs are not as mature, and this is where he first revealed his tendency toward excessive repetition. I lost count of how many times he and his background singers repeated "Keep on running from my love." OK, Stevie, we get it. (Just my opinion.)

 

It was his "Something/Anything", despite not being a double album like "Songs...".

 

So I now have talking book Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
and hotter than july, Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July
I've listened to both and both are really superb, but at this moment I have to give it to HTJ, it's just transcendent! This can change, and indeed has changed before!

 

Personally that's the last resort for any relatively new fan- it was a self indulgent vanity project that bombed.

 

It was self indulgent twaddle. I listened to it once. I have a pristine copy taking up shelf space for the past 40 plus years!

 

Do you have Fulfillingness' First Finale yet? Magnificent album. Highly recommended.

 

Record 2 of Secret Life of Plants is better than Record 2 of Songs in the Key of Life.