Journey through the Secret Life of Plants

Infobox Album |
Name = Journey through the Secret Life of Plants
Type = Album
Artist = Stevie Wonder


Released = October 30, 1979
Recorded = February - April 1979
Genre = R&B
Length = 88:23
Label = Motown
Producer = Stevie Wonder
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:yguk6j3h71u0 link]
*"Rolling Stone" (mixed) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/steviewonder/albums/album/208408/review/5943723/journey_through_the_secret_life_of_plants_sdtk link]
Last album = Looking Back - Anthology
(1977)
This album = Journey through the Secret Life of Plants
(1979)
Next album = Hotter than July
(1980)

"Stevie Wonder's Journey through the Secret Life of Plants" is an album by Stevie Wonder, originally released on the Tamla Motown label on October 30, 1979 (see 1979 in music). It is the soundtrack to the documentary "The Secret Life of Plants", directed by Walon Green and based on the book of the same name by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird.

Coming after Stevie Wonder's 1976 Grammy Award-winning "Songs in the Key of Life", "Journey through the Secret Life of Plants" was panned by most critics and was confusing to many fans, who didn't know what to make of the conceptual, mostly instrumental double album.Fact|date=April 2008 Even so, such was Wonder's commercial appeal at the time that "Journey" went all way up to number four in the Rock and R&B Billboard charts in 1979. It is now considered by many to be a classic in its own right.

Although written mostly by Stevie Wonder, a couple of songs were collaborations with former wife Syreeta Wright and with Michael Sembello.

"Journey through the Secret Life of Plants" contained unusual synthesizer combinations including the first use of a digital sampling synthesizer, the Computer Music Melodian, used in virtually every track of the album. "Journey" is also notable for being an early digital recording, released three months after Ry Cooder's "Bop Till You Drop", generally believed to be the first digitally recorded popular music album. Stevie Wonder was an early adherent of the technology and used it for all his subsequent recordings.

Stevie's moderate-hit song "Overjoyed" was left off this album and rewritten and re-recorded for his 1985 album "In Square Circle".

Track listing

All songs written, produced and arranged by Stevie Wonder, except where noted

ide one

#"Earth's Creation" – 4:06
#* "Instrumental."
#"The First Garden" – 4:48
#* "Harmonica-based instrumental."
#"Voyage to India" – 6:29
#* "Instrumental, featuring two movements. One orchestral, the other citara-based."
#"Same Old Story" – 3:44
#"Venus' Flytrap and the Bug" – 2:25
#* "A jazz-comedy piece, with Stevie Wonder playing the role of bug."
#"Ai No, Sono" – 2:06
#* "Japanese chant-"

ide two

#"Seasons" – 2:53
#* "Instrumental piece"
#"Power Flower" – 5:29
#* "Lyrics by Michael Sembello."
#"Send One Your Love (music)" – 3:05
#* I"nstrumental rendition of the main single."
#"Race Babbling" – 8:51

ide three

# "Send One Your Love" – 4:01
# "Outside My Window" – 5:29
# "Black Orchid" – 3:47
#* "Lyrics by Yvonne Wright."
# "Ecclesiastes" – 3:42
#* "A religious, choral piece."
# "Kesse Ye Lolo De Ye" – 3:03
# "Come Back as a Flower" – 4:59
#* "Lead vocals and lyrics by Syreeta Wright."

ide four

# "A Seed's a Star/Tree Medley" – 5:53
# "The Secret Life of Plants" – 4:16
# "Tree" – 5:47
# "Finale" – 7:01
#* "Instrumental, a reprise of several songs from the album."

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078217/ IMDB]