A Forgotten Masterpiece

In the 70's Stevie released an unprecedented series of masterpieces. This is the beginning of Stevie's creative control on his music and the start of his incredible run. Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, Songs in the Key of Life are all well-known for the masterpieces that they are by both fans and critics, yet Where I'm Coming From seems to be lost in the shuffle.



Where I'm Coming From, starts surprisingly different than the others, with the haunting "Look Around". It's clear to see Wonder wanted to set the creative tone and conscious lyrics early on. "Do Yourself a Favor" is a funky social commentary that repeatedly tells us "educate your mind". "Think of Me as Your Soldier" & "Something Out of the Blue" are both musically dense ballads. The first is one of his best ballads and the second is pretty deep lyrically with his metaphors.

"If You Really Love Me" is an excellent song, as it somehow handles both being a ballad and fast paced song back and forth. "I Wanna Talk to You" is really the only song I could do without, really only because of the voice repeating the title annoyingly (but then again that's probably the point of the song). "Take Up..." is a feel-good track, that is good enough to somehow avoid sounding cheesy.

"Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" is a forgotten classic and perhaps my favorite song of all time... for any artist. Wonder's music and his metaphorical lyrics are so emotional the song is literally heartbreaking. "Sunshine in Their Eyes" was Stevie's first attempt at two part songs, and here the second half "Everything is Happening" is the best conclusion to any of his albums (excluding Talking Book with "I Believe").



After done listening to it for the first time two things came to mind: there's no way that was only 37 min long, and I simply cannot believe that I've never heard anyone talk about this album. I never thought this album was going to be as good as the rest, but thankfully I was wrong. As with the rest of his series, Where I'm Coming From is stunning musically and lyrically. As with the entire Stevie Wonder masterpiece series, it really just depends on your opinion which of his albums is the best (and just like the others this could be to some the best). But if you neglect this one you're ignoring another spectacular piece of music. While all of Wonder's other masterpieces have been re-released and remastered, for some reason this one remains only available as an import. But, don't let that deter you from getting this album it's worth the Import price, so don't waste your time waiting for the re-release. Please don't let another masterpiece to his collection slip away like it has for so long.

I Played this Album to Death in the 70's

I had this album as a Motown promo LP since it was new and only recently discovered which album the tracks were actually from, the promo was untitled and the tracks were in a slightly different order. "Look Around" and "Sunshine int Their Eyes" actually ran into each other (and very effectively). The original title for the song on the end of Sunshine is "Everything is Happening", BTW. This is one of my favorite all-time childhood albums, I think I was about 9 when I got it, and I don't think I even ever owned a dustjacket for it, it was "just a nother promo". "Sunshine in their Eyes" still gives me chills to listen to it, I found an import CD of this and am so happy, I feel like I'm preserving the past by getting a digital transfer of it. My original LP is full of skips and scratches from constant playing on an old bright orange child's phonograph many years ago.

stevie wonder's creative break thru from 1971 and beyond...

what an amazing time 4 me 2 be a child from that era.this album was released in april,1971.i was 7 years old in the 1st grade in elementary school.on the album cover,stevie wonder is dressed in a soldier's uniform inside the first 2 letters of his last name. inside the letter 'w'wonder is holding an oreo cookie.wonder once said about this shot:'the whole thing is symbolic.if soldiers held cookies in their hands instead of guns,they'd still be living and so would their so called enemies'/and 4 the 1st time in his career,wonder included the lyrics on the back of the album.this album in my opinion is far better than the 'signed,sealed&delivered'album.wonder's 'where i'm coming from' album predated marvin gaye's 'what's going on'album by a solid month.motown chairman berry gordy did not like the political and social content of the album.but 4 wonder,it hardly mattered what motown or mr.gordy thought,he had gone as far as he could within the motown system and it was time 4 a change musically in his career and that change came with 'where i'm coming from'which was the last album that fulfilled his contract by the time wonder reached the age of 21.but it was also the start and foundation of his future albums of which he would attain artistic&creative control of his music.'where i'm coming from'opens with 'look around'a track that warns people 2 stop living 4 greed.even the track's bass&clavinet sound provide a mysterious warning.the song's key line:'look around and you'll see ruins of the human history'/'do yourself a favor'is wonder's 1st major hardrockfunk tour de force!it is a million times better than 'signed,sealed&delivered'which gets radio overkill.'do yourself a favor'is the foundation 4 'superstition'and is just as powerful or better than 'superstiton'4 that matter.blackradio chooses 2 ignore this hardfunkrock tour de force!don't even look 4 black radio 2 play this wonderjam.buy this cd 4yourself&loudly play 'do yourself a favor'& let this 1971 explosive funkblaster blow the roof off your speakers&home.in the song,wonder advises us 2 do ourselves a favor,educate our minds,get ourselves 2gether because their isn't much time.the song's true message is 2 separate from the evils of the devil.this funkblaster is funky as hell!'think of me as your soldier'is the 1st ballad of the album.4 this tender slowjam,wonder divides himself n2:seeing himself following n the footsteps of jesus with the verse:'think of me as your soldier-the man whose life is for you'(the people)&2ndly being a soldier of romantic love 4 his lady:'in our hearts there are no others,we are bound as two lovers'(he has love 4 his people thru worlds of hate&the romantic love 4 his lady)this is a song of spirituality,leadership&romantic love all n the same song.'think of me as your soldier'is a classic wonderlovesong.'something out of the blue'is the album's 2nd ballad but more simple in melody expressing one's gladness 2 know that their love has been found.'if you really love me'was the album's biggest hit single&the 1st song on the album that features the beautiful vocals of syreeta wright(wonder's 1st wife at the time.)syreeta co-wrote all of the songs with wonder on this album.'i wanna talk to you'is the 1st song in wonder's career in which wonder plays 2 parts:the master-slave relationship.in the song,wonder portrays himself as 'the man'(a whiteman who tries 2 keep the blackman under his control)in this funny but serious satire.the funny'whiteman'voice that wonder uses is hysterical as the argument between the whiteman&the blackman escalates,the the blackman tells 'mr.charlie'about listening 2 him 4 250thousand years(of lies&deceit)& by the song's end,the brother has had enough of 'mr.charlie'he had had it!2 hell with him!('the man'that is)this song is a precursor 2 stevie's 'cash in your face'from his 1980 album 'hotter than july' of which wonder plays the same 2 parts of both men.'take up a course in happiness'has a sammy davis jr.showbiz glitz vibe 2 it.in the song,wonder sings when life takes you on a downward spiral 2 rough roads but there is always a way 2 reclear your mind&have a smile.'never dreamed you'd leave in summer'is the 3rd&final ballad on the album.the song expresses regret about a lost lover.the finale of the album,'sunshine in their eyes'is the most dramatic track on the album.wonder is suppoted by a chorus of children.stevie provides the chorus of children with these beautiful lines:'you feel that they're too young, to take a look around'...'he can't wait to see the day til there's sunshine in our eyes'-this song is a thing of beauty&sadness about sad hungry children&the social ills of society which then blends n2 the unlisted track 'everything is happening?'syreeta's beautiful vocals along with wonder's desparate furious dramatic vocals blending in his da da da da da vocal riffs and the concluding rapid fire ending brings the song&album 2 a high dramatic conclusion.stevie wonder's 'where i'm coming from'reached #7r&b,#62pop.it did not reach the top 20 in the pop charts because of motown's record company politics&reluctance 2 promote another socially conscious album and having it being released so closely 2 marvin gaye's 'what's going on' album in the same year of 1971.nonetheless,wonder had released his 1st full length classic social statement album irrespective of what berry gordy&motown thought of the album.it was wonder's 1st real creative break thru as far as he was concerned.a classic nonetheless...