Is it better to burn out or fade away?

[SalParadise]

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
   

Originally posted by SalParadise:
   

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  You may be forgetting this little album called Songs In The Key Of Life.  

if only it were a little album... that thing is like 8 songs too long. [/b]

Disc one
 "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Wonder) â?? 7:05
 "Have a Talk with God" (Hardaway/Wonder) â?? 2:42
 "Village Ghetto Land" (Byrd/Wonder) â?? 3:25
 "Contusion" (Wonder) â?? 3:45
 "Sir Duke" (Wonder) â?? 3:54
 "I Wish" (Wonder) â?? 4:12
 "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) â?? 3:36
 "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) â?? 3:27
 "Summer Soft" (Wonder) â?? 4:14
 "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) â?? 6:23
 
 Disc two
 "Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) â?? 6:34
 "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) â?? 6:29
 "Black Man" (Byrd/Wonder) â?? 8:29
 "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" (Wonder) â?? 3:48
 "If It's Magic" (Wonder) â?? 3:12
 "As" (Wonder) â?? 7:08
 "Another Star" (Wonder) â?? 8:28
 
 A Something's Extra
 "Saturn" (Sembello/Wonder) â?? 4:53
 "Ebony Eyes" (Wonder) â?? 4:08
 "All Day Sucker" (Wonder) â?? 5:05
 "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" (Wonder) â?? 3:56
 
 PLEASE tell me which 8 songs you could POSSIBLY be talking about.  I cram to understand you . . . [/b]

glad you asked...
 
 getting the axe:
 "have a talk with god"
 "village ghetto land"
 "contusion"
 "isn't she lovely"
 "ngiculela"
 "if it's magic"
 "saturn"
 "ebony eyes"
 
 'innervisions' would be taking a backseat had he released it like this.

[TheDirector217]

Originally posted by SalParadise:
   

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
   

Originally posted by SalParadise:
     

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  You may be forgetting this little album called Songs In The Key Of Life.  

if only it were a little album... that thing is like 8 songs too long. [/b]

Disc one
 "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Wonder) â?? 7:05
 "Have a Talk with God" (Hardaway/Wonder) â?? 2:42
 "Village Ghetto Land" (Byrd/Wonder) â?? 3:25
 "Contusion" (Wonder) â?? 3:45
 "Sir Duke" (Wonder) â?? 3:54
 "I Wish" (Wonder) â?? 4:12
 "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) â?? 3:36
 "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) â?? 3:27
 "Summer Soft" (Wonder) â?? 4:14
 "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) â?? 6:23
 
 Disc two
 "Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) â?? 6:34
 "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) â?? 6:29
 "Black Man" (Byrd/Wonder) â?? 8:29
 "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" (Wonder) â?? 3:48
 "If It's Magic" (Wonder) â?? 3:12
 "As" (Wonder) â?? 7:08
 "Another Star" (Wonder) â?? 8:28
 
 A Something's Extra
 "Saturn" (Sembello/Wonder) â?? 4:53
 "Ebony Eyes" (Wonder) â?? 4:08
 "All Day Sucker" (Wonder) â?? 5:05
 "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" (Wonder) â?? 3:56
 
 PLEASE tell me which 8 songs you could POSSIBLY be talking about.  I cram to understand you . . . [/b]

glad you asked...
 
 getting the axe:
 "have a talk with god"
 "village ghetto land"
 "contusion"
 "isn't she lovely"
 "ngiculela"
 "if it's magic"
 "saturn"
 "ebony eyes"
 
 'innervisions' would be taking a backseat had he released it like this. [/b]

That sound you hear is crickets chirping.  I have no rebuttal. Do you . . .

[SalParadise]

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
   

Originally posted by SalParadise:
   

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
     

Originally posted by SalParadise:
     

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  You may be forgetting this little album called Songs In The Key Of Life.  

if only it were a little album... that thing is like 8 songs too long. [/b]

Disc one
 "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Wonder) â?? 7:05
 "Have a Talk with God" (Hardaway/Wonder) â?? 2:42
 "Village Ghetto Land" (Byrd/Wonder) â?? 3:25
 "Contusion" (Wonder) â?? 3:45
 "Sir Duke" (Wonder) â?? 3:54
 "I Wish" (Wonder) â?? 4:12
 "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Wonder) â?? 3:36
 "Pastime Paradise" (Wonder) â?? 3:27
 "Summer Soft" (Wonder) â?? 4:14
 "Ordinary Pain" (Wonder) â?? 6:23
 
 Disc two
 "Isn't She Lovely" (Wonder) â?? 6:34
 "Joy Inside My Tears" (Wonder) â?? 6:29
 "Black Man" (Byrd/Wonder) â?? 8:29
 "Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing" (Wonder) â?? 3:48
 "If It's Magic" (Wonder) â?? 3:12
 "As" (Wonder) â?? 7:08
 "Another Star" (Wonder) â?? 8:28
 
 A Something's Extra
 "Saturn" (Sembello/Wonder) â?? 4:53
 "Ebony Eyes" (Wonder) â?? 4:08
 "All Day Sucker" (Wonder) â?? 5:05
 "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)" (Wonder) â?? 3:56
 
 PLEASE tell me which 8 songs you could POSSIBLY be talking about.  I cram to understand you . . . [/b]

glad you asked...
 
 getting the axe:
 "have a talk with god"
 "village ghetto land"
 "contusion"
 "isn't she lovely"
 "ngiculela"
 "if it's magic"
 "saturn"
 "ebony eyes"
 
 'innervisions' would be taking a backseat had he released it like this. [/b]

That sound you hear is crickets chirping.  I have no rebuttal. Do you . . . [/b]

haha, sounded more like plain ol' silence from someone without a rebuttal.
 
 and no, i don't have a rebuttal for my own post.

[Mobius]

Songs In the Key of Life does sound more dated to me than Talking Book and Innvervisions.  Its like a movie encapusulating (defining?) a certain aspect of urban life in the late 70's.  Its also exhausting if you listen to the whole thing straight through.  I find Talking Book and Innervisions more timeless and interesting (as a single white male from the burbs who was not there when it was released) - although all three are border-line miraculous.  
 
 Like Ray Charles (or Willie Nelson) in later years, he sort of has become a 'character' which has overshadowed his classic work. Ebony and Ivory also didn't help.  I will say that I Just Called to Say I Love You is pretty great in an uber-80's way.  When you hear his name people should think 'equal to Brian Wilson, Marvin Gaye or even McCartney (and not E&I either)', rather than Eddie Murphy on SNL . . . maybe they do, but probably most don't.
 
 Radiohead remains strong like bull.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  Smackie's always all good with me but in the same token, know your history before you make off-brand comments.

First off, the vast majority of my comments on this thread are those of an author of fiction, so your beef is with Nick Hornby's portyral of Stevie Wonder, not Smackies.  Now is the time that I tell you that I agree with most of what is said about Stevie in the book, but you didn't know that when you posted.
 
 Secondly, I never said Songs in the Key of Life was a bad album.  I rather like that album and would put it third on my list of Stevie albums.  I just wouldn't put it in the "Brilliant" category, as I would the other two.  But it's waaaay ahead of any Stevie album I would put fourth on my list.  
 
 Thirdly, no artist escapes criticism.  But just because they are criticized does not mean they are not brilliant.  They are more likely criticized in duration because they are brilliant.  The rest become the butt of a joke as somebody who was forgotten, and certainly not brilliant.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  If I was to go & tell you something like Radiohead's been eating off the brilliance of OK Computer for YEARS now, you cats would lose your fuckin' minds . . .      :roll:  

Actually, I would agree with you whole heartedly on that statement and have argued the same on this board back when Markie was still a regular poster and loved to flame this discussion.
 
 The one and only thing that me and Smackette can get into heated discussions about is Radiohead in the new millenium.  No joke.  We've actually agreed to just stop talking about it and don't listen to Radiohead while we're in the same room.  When I'm alone, I listen to the first three albums and when she's alone she listens to Kid A on, which is too bad for her because she likes the first three albums too.