Talking Book (1972)

RELEASE DATE

27 OCTOBER 1972

LABEL

TAMLA (MOTOWN)

BILLBOARD 200

#3

BILLBOARD R&B ALBUMS

#1

ROLLING STONE'S "500 GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME" (2023)

#59

PLAYLIST

  SIDE ONE  SIDE TWO
 1YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE 6SUPERSTITION
 2MAYBE YOUR BABY 7BIG BROTHER
 3YOU AND I (WE CAN CONQUER THE WORLD) 8BLAME IT ONE THE SUN
 4TUESDAY HEARTBREAK 9LOOKIN’ FOR ANOTHER PURE LOVE
 5YOU’VE GOT IT BAD GIRL 10I BELIEVE (WHEN I FALL IN LOVE IT WILL BE FOREVER)

LEAD VOCALS

STEVIE WONDER

WRITERS

STEVIE WONDER, SYREETA WRIGHT, YVONNE WRIGHT

PRODUCERS

STEVIE WONDER, MALCOLM CECIL, ROBERT MARGOULEFF

SINGLES

“SUPERSTITION”

“YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE”

TRIVIA

  • Stevie Wonder was 22 years old when this project was released.  Yet by that time, Talking Book was already his 15th studio album.
  • Talking Book was the second album Stevie dropped in 1972.  The first was Music of My Mind, which was also a studio project.  As such, this year is considered to be the onset of the “classic period” of Wonder’s career, which lasted until the release of Songs in the Keys of Life in 1976.
  • This was the era in which, though remaining signed to Motown Records, Stevie Wonder was afforded a higher degree of artistic freedom.  That shift was a result of Stevie, upon turning 21 years old in 1971, signing a new contract with Motown.  At the time, he was under the impression that the executives at the label ‘didn’t know where he was coming from’ and couldn’t “understand it”.  And since there was a bidding war for his services, he possessed the leverage to secure “complete creative control for himself” in the process of re-signing.  Upon being granted that freedom, he opted to “write and produce his own songs, release albums when he decided… and choose his own collaborators”.
  • Berry Gordy, music industry bigwig and founder of Motown, is a big fan of Talking Book.  He describes it as having “secured Stevie Wonder’s stature as a superstar for the ages”.
  • Talking Book peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200.  That was the highest Stevie reached on that list since Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius (1963), which topped the chart.
  • Talking Book marked the first time Stevie Wonder topped Billboard’s R&B Albums chart (which is now known as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums).  He replicated that feat with his next three studio projects, Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness’ Final Finale (1974) and Songs in the Keys of Life.
  • This album also represents the first time Stevie Wonder had won any of his 25 Grammys to date.  Two tracks from this album won Grammy Awards in 1974.  You Are the Sunshine of My Life took home the trophy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.  Meanwhile, Superstition earned two Grammys, Best Rhythm & Blues Song, as well as Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.
  • Interestingly, Stevie Wonder also won Album of the Year at the 16th Annual Grammy Awards in 1974.  However, it was not for Talking Book but rather its follow-up, Innervisions.
  • This is one of four Stevie Wonder projects which made Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ranking in 2023, where it was placed at number 59.  The other three are Songs in the Keys of Life (#4), Innervisions (#34) and Music of My Mind (#350)
  • The cover art to Talking Book may be considered one of Stevie’s most memorable.  Wonder is depicted chillin’ in nature, while rockin’ cornrows.  Moreover, as pointed out by Wikipedia, he’s wearing “Indian jewelry and a velvet kaftan”.
  • Besides Stevie’s first wife, Syreeta Wright, there are a number of other notable musicians who contributed to this project.  That list includes the likes of guitar legend Jeff Beck, who played on Lookin’ for Another Pure Love.  Ray Parker Jr., of Ghostbusters (1984) fame, rendered electric guitar on Maybe Your Baby.  And soul singer Deniece Williams provided backup vocals to Tuesday Heartbreak.
  • Although Talking Book is buttressed by a plethora of musicians, there are four tracks upon which Stevie served as the sole instrumentalist.  Those are You and I, Blame It on the Sun, Big Brother and I Believe.
  • Wonder also employed the services of Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil for Talking Book.  They were pioneers in synthesized music, which is notably utilized on the album.  Margouleff and Cecil would later go on to win their own 1974 Grammy – in the category of Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical – for their contributions to Stevie’s following album, Innervisions.
  • The longest song on the album is Maybe Your Baby (6:45), and the shortest is Tuesday Heartbreak (3:09).
  • Stevie Wonder was a supporting act for The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972, headlined by the legendary English rock band, The Rolling Stones.  That was during the summer of 1972, just a couple of months before Talking Book was released.  Stevie was concurrently recording the album.  He teamed up with the Stones to make name for himself outside of the R&B genre.  And apparently, that experience had an impact on the production of Superstition. 

SOURCES

“Talking Book”.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 13 May 2023.

“Stevie Wonder discography”.   Wikipedia.  Last edited on 21 May 2024.

“Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 2023 Edition”.  MusicBrainz.  1 January 2024.

“50 Year Ago, Stevie Wonder Heard the Future”.  The New York Times.  27 October 2022.

“The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.  Rolling Stone.  31 December 2023.

“16th Annual Grammy Awards”.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 6 April 2024.

“50 Years Ago: ‘Talking Book’ Begins Stevie Wonder’s Amazing Run”.  Ultimate Classic Rock.  27 October 2022.

“Stevie Wonder”.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 24 May 2024.

“The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972”.  Wikipedia.  Last edited on 18 May 2024.

Discos Redondos (Full Albums).  “Stevie Wonder – Talking Book – 1972 (FULL ALBUM)”.  YouTube.  27 April 2023.