Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants
Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants
Three years after Steveland Morris a.k.a. Stevie Wonder, released the landmark "Songs In The Key Of Life" album, he dropped what a lot of die hard fans thought was the ultimate, HUH?!?!?!, ....... "Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants".
Released on longtime record label, Motown Records in October 1979, the then 2vinyl record set (of course available on CD now), was music from a little seen documentary film of the same name. To this day, I've yet to see this doc in it's entirety. (You can watch some of the doc's clips on You Tube).Mainly instrumentals, this record was one of experimentation in regards to sonic textures, melodies, and themes. It's almost neo classical is how to best describe it. To me, this non-formulaic project is Stevie Wonder's BEST album to date. I'll spotlight as many tracks as space will allow because there are so many great songs on here.
Opening track, "Earth's Creation", sounds exactly just that. With it's Space Odyssey 2001feel, you hear mainly synthesizers recreating the sound of a full orchestra, with tympani hits and hand held cymbal crashes accompanying it. It's very haunting, scary, but at the same time, beautiful. Think of the heavens opening up, that's the effect you'll get.
"The First Garden", starts off with rain forest sound effects of exotic birds chirping,then Stevie playing the harmonica in a lullaby mode, with a music box melody. It's amazing how Stevie recreates the sound of a live orchestra with the analog synthesizers of that era. I'm thinking the ARP String Assemble synthesizer utilized here. Without constantly repeating myself,Stevie and other notable keyboard players perform most of what we'll perceive as the orchestra throughout the album.
"Vovage To India", is well versed in the Indian music tradition of tablas and other Mideastern and African percussion instruments such the Djembe, Jimbae,and finger cymbals. It's oceanic soundscape underlaying it will certainly make one feel like your crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
"The First Story", we hear Stevie's vocal for the first time. It almost has an old world Italian feel to it. With just an acoustic bass and guitar, it's one of Stevie's finest vocal performances, and harmonica's as well.
"Venus Flytrap And The Bug",is a very interesting song to say the least. It's performed in a straight ahead jazz context with just an acoustic bass, piano,synthesizer and drums. Here's where it gets interesting, Stevie on a vocorder, portrays a flying insect about to be eaten by a Venus Flytrap plant, ........ then eventually at the end, the bug is taken out by the Venus Flytrap plant. GULP !
"Ai No Sono",once again Stevie's takes us down the same old Italian road via Tokyo.With the Japanese koto intro, it goes directly into synth orchestral piece. Afterwards, comes in a chorus of Japanese children singing. Tome, this is World Music at it's best.
"Seasons", starts off again with a lullaby-eqse feel of a mother tucking her child into bed, telling him a bedtime story, which you'll sonically hear.Then comes in a windstorm effect, segueing into the synth orchestra performed in Old English ballroom context.
"Power Flower", is one of the few tracks that is actually a song in the traditional sense. Mid tempo melody, complete with Electric Piano, light bass synths, live drums, and Stevie singing in slightly higher pitch than usual, almost female-like.
The album's only radio single that most of us know of is a classical/jazzy version of one of his all-time greatest songs, the brilliant "Send One Your Love". (The radio version appears on disc two). On this version, you'll what appears to be two French people having dinner at a cafe in the background.
The 8:53 timed "Race Babbling", has a very disco appeal to it, and if you listen very carefully, you can almost hear the skeleton of another Stevie classic. 1985's "Go Home" from the "In Square Circle"album. Stevie uses the vocoder extensively throughout, and it's rhythm track is sequenced (Which I believe he was among the first to use one.Very ahead of it's and HIS time to say the least). Several horn players from the "Songs In The Key Of Life" appear on this track as well, trumpeter Larry Gittens, and Stevie's longtime saxophonist, Hank Redd.
Disc # 2 starts with the radio version of the great "Send One Your Love". (Refer to the YouTube clip above). What can I say about this song, is just one of the many wonderful songs in Stevie's songbook.
"Outside My Window", is a happy song to say the least. A strummed acoustic guitar, bass synth, percussion, and children having fun in the playground soundscape, is best how to describe this one. Another one that falls into the song mode of this album.
"Black Orchid",has a great lyric, and a great melody. Featured instruments are the upright acoustic bass, drums, bass and orchestral synths, and harpsichord.
"Ecclesiates", Stevie goes deep classical here. Very dark, scary, haunting once again. It's the old church organ played here that'll have the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The tympani's, the once again, near replicated sound of a full orchestra via synthsizers, will remind one of those Frankenstein movies.
"Come Back As A Flower",is the only track Stevie did not sing live. I could be wrong, but I think it's Syretta Wright on lead vocal .... and what a fantastic lead vocal it is. It's sweet and innocent as she's accompanied by the acoustic bass and piano, congos, rain forest soundscapes. A tenderhearted ballad I could just play over and over, and so will you hear upon first listen.
The remaining songs on this often misunderstood album, "Kesse Ye Lolo De Ye", "A Seed's Star/Tree Melody", "Secret Life Of Plants", "Tree", and the "Finale" round out what will be a Stevie Wonder album that'll only be truly appreciated when Stevie departs this earth ..... Relax ! I'm not trying to kill him off, I hope he lives to be a hundred years old.Unfortunately, this album did not even go Gold, and it's a shame too because 31 years later, it holds up to anything that's currently out there now. If you own this record and didn't get it in 1979, and still to this day in 2010 don't get it ? ...... It's OK, maybe you weren't suppose to.
Happy Listening !
Randy Holmes
The Urban Music Scene
Posted by Administration at 9/17/2010 10:08 AM 
Categories: Rhythm and Blues, Old School Soul, Videos
Categories: Rhythm and Blues, Old School Soul, Videos
I "discovered" this album shortly after its 1979 release and I was totally captured, sucked in, blown away . . . it owned me. I knew that the music was the soundtrack to a movie somewhere, but my search was futile, and the Internet was really here yet. Over the next 15 or 20 years, I got a little further, I knew this was a documentary, that it was viewed by mostly university students and researchers over there in England. I knew that Stevie watched the movie and went into his studio and created the music, uncannily syncing near perfectly, more often than not, with the visuals he never saw. With the Internet finally exploding at the beginning of the 21st century, I got closer; yes this is a real movie, yes the movie and the music were technological marvels for 1978-79, no it is not available for viewing or purchase anywhere. In the world. I left my contact info at several movie sources, tell me when it appears on VHS, videodisk, smoke signal, whatever. Nothing. Nada.
Each year I return for an extended search for the video and today, I found it. The entire film, with soundtrack,
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-secret-life-of-plants/
I will plug it into my home theatre tomorrow and savor each moment. Each musical thrill. Each frightening crash as the Earth is created and each goose bump as a flower opens its petals, and I will ponder the dream of coming back some day as a flower.
This review of the soundtrack is thoughtful and perceptive. The soundtrack was a technological breakthrough on so many levels. A magical marriage between Western Classical and African Roots. Whatever, and I mean What Ever your musical preferences, you haven't heard it until you've heard Stevie Wonder's Secret Journey Through The World Of Plants.
Olde Hippie
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