Stevie Wonder - Hits Hits Hits!

I am not going to rate this collection very highly. this is not because of the included songs, of which are very good, but because there are hundreds of Stevie Wonder song collections, and if you want a complete collection, buy, 'At The Close Of A Century', a four CD bix set which is much more enjoyable and better value.

This review was made in 1998 and basically scans and plays Stevies hits mostly from the period 1971-1979, which is athough arguebly his greatest era, does not give the listener a 'complete' Wonder experience.

This is not to, in any way, dispute that the songs included will not make you dance, groove, feel good, and want to have a repeat listen.

On CD 1 we get a review of his 70's classics, a few 80's hits, and 1-2 60's gems.

CD 2 is fewer classic, more 80's and 3 previously unreleased hits, for the real fan.

On the first cd, we hear tunes such as Sir Duke. Starting off with a pounding kick drum, and trumpet, this lets us know what stevie is all about. A superb drummer, he drums to perfection in this tribute track to Duke Ellington, and powerful horns and guitars, make the track a treat.

The familar trait from Stevie Wonder, that is the analogue synthesizer, is ever present on CD1, the songs all have a splatter of this, from Master Blaster Jammin - a reggae summertime treat, 'Everyones feeling pretty, its the third of July' to songs such as 'I Just Called', the huge 1984 world wide hit, which is composed entirely on Yamaha FM synthesizers.

The mood on CD 1 is mixed. We hear the passion and beat in his musuc through the fast upbeat songs, which are danceable, party hits - yet we discover why he is the king of balledry through hits such as 'You are the sunshine of my Life' and 'Golden Lady'.

We also see on both CDs, the political mind of Stevie, how he feels about the world and his pain at how humans treat one another. This is expressed vividly on CD1 in 'Living For The City', his hit on racial violence, and 'Village Ghetto Land' on CD 2 where he beautifully declares his hate for politics ruining our land.

The real treat for fans however is the 3 new tunes present on CD 2. These are namely, Stay Gold, Redemption Song and 'Hold Onto Your Dream'. All three are great if not classics. Stay Gold is a beautiful ballad, better than most if not his best, it is very simple with Rhodes and Bass, yet achieves the same if not more than does a more complex piece.

Hold Onto Your Dream, is a upbeat piece, made entirely on synthesizers, this does take a away from the feeling, as the song is overly quantized, meaning it suffers from machine like drums, yet it is still a good tune.

And the other needs no introduction, it is Stevies cover on Bob Marleys Classic song of Redemption. Words cannot describe it, Stevie gives the song a touch of Wonder magic, and it works.

All in all, a pretty sound collection, but not a must buy if you own the box set, which I think offers better value as it contains 4 CDS, from all his musical eras, and a book spanning his career.

Readers may be interested to hear Stevie is releasing his latest studio album, his first in 7 years in January coming. He promised in a recent interview, that it is a return to the form that made him the 'wonder' he is today.

We wait patiently.

P.