Stuck for a last-minute gift for the music connoisseur in your life? Well, look no further than this, a veritable compendium of incredible tunes by one of the greatest songwriters in history. Still need convincing? Well, here’s a boon: not only is this the first time The Definitive Collection (first released in 2002) has been made available on vinyl, but also, and this should be the slam dunk – ‘Ebony And Ivory‘ is not on it.
To be fair, I never actually minded that song myself, but I would acknowledge and agree with the almost universal opinion that it is a travesty of justice that this was Stevie Wonder‘s first solo UK number one, his only other chart-topper in this country sadly coming in the form of the saccharine 1984 smash ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You‘. Not that I particularly disliked that either though, if I’m totally honest, but it’s undoubtedly one of the weakest tracks on this compilation, compared to the master blaster’s quintessential highlights, of which there are so many.
With that very minor gripe out of the way, we are left to soak in an astounding four sides of irrefutable genius, in wide-eyed wonder. It starts with the live rendition of ‘Fingertips‘, recorded when the erstwhile Stevland Morris was merely twelve years old, and an early indicator of the performer’s brilliance. It’s actually astounding to realise that several of these compositions, which became standards, were written before Wonder had even turned 20. Just look at that Side A track listing: ‘Uptight (Everything’s Alright)‘, ‘Hey Love‘, ‘I Was Made To Love Her‘, ‘For Once In My Life‘ and ‘My Cherie Amour‘ and ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours‘ – that’s more classics than most artists achieve in their entire lifetime, and Little Stevie was barely out of nappies at the time! (Oh OK, ‘diapers’ then, as he’s American).
Proving equally adept at funk, soul or heartfelt ballads – whatever he turns his hand to, in fact – the positivity simply oozes from Stevie’s every pore, and while the more sentimental moments (such as ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life‘ and the aforementioned million seller) might not appeal quite as much, they’re clearly still well-written compositions with heart. But it’s the joyful soul of numbers like ‘Sir Duke‘, or the political awareness of ‘Higher Ground‘ and ‘Living For The City‘ that really make Stevie a true luminary of his art.
You’ll already know most, if not all, of these songs, even if you think you don’t, so there’s little point in me trying to break down and analyse the foundation or fabric of them, as the snapshots in time they are. All you need to know is that this double vinyl release comprises largely of Stevie Wonder’s greatest singles. Admittedly, I’ve been playing sides A, B and C a whole lot more than side D, but that’s no reflection on those later releases being anything approaching ‘disappointing’, it’s solely down to the fact that those first three sides are about as close to perfection as you can get, and that makes this an absolutely vital item to have in your collection.
The Definitive Collection is out now on Universal Music.
