Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I
1982 compilation album by Stevie Wonder
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Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I is a compilation album by R&B/soul musician Stevie Wonder that was released in 1982 by Motown Records. It collects eleven Top-40 hit singles and five album tracks, including four previously unreleased tracks, from 1972 to 1982. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the U.S., and went to No. 8 in the UK. It has been certified gold by the RIAA. The four new songs were issued as singles to promote the album, with "That Girl" and "Do I Do" reaching the top 10 and top 20 of the US pop chart and number one and two on the R&B chart, respectively.
| Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I | ||||
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | May 4, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1971–1982 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 85:47 | |||
| Label | Tamla | |||
| Producer | Stevie Wonder | |||
| Stevie Wonder chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I | ||||
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Critical reception
Robert Palmer of The New York Times described Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium as "an impressive album" where "the songs flow into one another and are grouped loosely into four categories - protest funk on Side One, sophisticated ballads and lightly swinging rhythm tunes on Side Two, tributes to various influences and inspirations on Side Three, and dance tunes with jazz-like chord structures on Side Four."[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote "Wonder remains a quintessential album artist, but this record is a terrific snapshot of the highlights."[1]
Content
Eleven previously released tracks were taken as singles from their respective albums, with "Higher Ground" and "Master Blaster (Jammin')" released before the LP. "Isn't She Lovely" was not released as a single from Songs in the Key of Life, while "Superstition", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "You Haven't Done Nothin'", "I Wish", and "Sir Duke" all topped the Billboard Hot 100. "Living for the City" and "Boogie On Reggae Woman" appear in slightly different versions to those on their albums, and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is the single mix with the horns added.
The double album covers Wonder's "classic period" running from 1972 to 1980, compiling tracks that appeared on every album from Music of My Mind through Hotter than July. It also included four new songs, each tagged on as the last track on each album side: "Front Line"; "Ribbon in the Sky"; "That Girl"; and "Do I Do". The latter track features a solo by bebop jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The album's title is a portmanteau of "music" and "aquarium".
Track listing
All songs written by Stevie Wonder except "Front Line" by Wonder and Gary Byrd.
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Superstition" | Talking Book (1972) | 4:25 |
| 2. | "You Haven't Done Nothin'" | Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Living for the City" | Innervisions (1973) | 7:26 |
| 4. | "Front Line" | Previously unreleased | 5:55 |
| Total length: | 21:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" | Music of My Mind (1972) | 7:57 |
| 2. | "Send One Your Love" | Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (1979) | 4:02 |
| 3. | "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" | Talking Book (1972) | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Ribbon in the Sky" | Previously unreleased | 5:35 |
| Total length: | 20:25 | ||
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Higher Ground" | Innervisions (1973) | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Sir Duke" | Songs in the Key of Life (1976) | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Master Blaster (Jammin')" | Hotter than July (1980) | 5:08 |
| 4. | "Boogie On Reggae Woman" | Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) | 4:55 |
| 5. | "That Girl" | Previously unreleased | 5:15 |
| Total length: | 22:56 | ||
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wish" | Songs in the Key of Life (1976) | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Isn't She Lovely" | Songs in the Key of Life (1976) | 6:32 |
| 3. | "Do I Do" | Previously unreleased | 10:27 |
| Total length: | 21:11 | ||
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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