Stevie Wonder brought his poetic social insights and cinematic spiritual idealism into the synthesized funk of this iconic soul landmark. After striking a new deal with Motown giving him creative control over his recordings, he began a fruitful collaboration with engineers Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil that produced 'Music of my Mind' and 'Talking Book' and continued with 'Innervisions'. Wonder played most of the instruments on the album and all of the instruments on several tracks. 'Innervisions' was recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles and Media Sound Studios in New York with Stevie Wonder on lead vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes, harmonica, drums, congas, Moog bass, background vocals, Fender Rhodes, Hohner clavinet, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer, and handclaps; with Malcolm Cecil on upright bass; Dean Parks and Ralph Hammer on acoustic guitar; David T. Walker on electric guitar; Clarence Bell on Hammond organ; Larry "Nastyee" Latimer on congas; Scott Edwards and Willie Weeks on electric bass; Yusuf Roahman on shaker; Sheila Wilkerson on bongos and Latin gourd; and Lani Groves, Tasha Thomas, and Jim Gilstrap on background vocals. The music creates a rich tapestry of funk, gospel, soul, Latin, balladry, jazz, and blues that melds morality and mysticism.
Three days after the release of 'Innervisions', Wonder was involved in a car accident in which he was struck in the forehead by a log and spent four days in a coma: "For a few days I was definitely in a much better spiritual place that made me aware of a lot of things that concern my life and my future and what I have to do to reach another higher ground ... I would like to believe in reincarnation. I would like to believe that there is another life. I think that sometimes your consciousness can happen on this earth a second time around. For me, I wrote Higher Ground even before the accident. But something must have been telling me that something was going to happen to make me aware of a lot of things and to get myself together. This is like my second chance for life, to do something or to do more, and to value the fact that I am alive ... You can never change anything that has already happened. Everything is the way it's supposed to be... Everything that ever happened to me is the way it is supposed to have been ... The accident opened my ears up to many things around me. Naturally, life is just more important to me now... and what I do with my life."
'Innervisions' became another huge success for Wonder, becoming his first top ten album in the UK, going to number four on the US Billboard album chart, and number one on the Cashbox album chart and the Billboard R&B album chart. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording and "Living for the City" won the Grammy for Best R&B Song.
'Innervisions'
full album:
1 Too High 4:36
2 Visions 5:23
3 Living for the City 7:23
4 Golden Lady 4:58
5 Higher Ground 3:43
6 Jesus Children of America 4:10
7 All In Love Is Fair 3:42
8 Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing 4:45
9 He's Misstra Know It All 5:35
2 Visions 5:23
3 Living for the City 7:23
4 Golden Lady 4:58
5 Higher Ground 3:43
6 Jesus Children of America 4:10
7 All In Love Is Fair 3:42
8 Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing 4:45
9 He's Misstra Know It All 5:35
1. Jam
2. Contusion
3. Higher Ground
4. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
5. I Can See The Sun In Late December
6. He's Misstra Know-It-All
7. Living For The City
8. Superstition
'Innervisions' promotional in studio performance and interview:
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