Stevie Wonder – Music of My Mind [Stereo] (Mobile Fidelity Silver Label Series Edition)

(AAA) — Lacquers cut from an analog tape copy by Paul Stubblebine at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

Stevie Wonder Music of My Mind on Numbered-Edition 33RPM LP from Mobile Fidelity Silver Label: Out of Print Edition Is Mastered on Mobile Fidelity’s Renowned Mastering System and Pressed at RTI

The First of Wonder’s Five Consecutive “Classic Period” Albums: 1972 Masterpiece Signaled New Direction for Motown, Includes Incredible Synthesizer Textures

1/2" / 30 IPS analog copy to analog console to lathe

Ranked #284 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and the beginning of the legend’s unsurpassed “classic period,” Stevie Wonder’s Music of My Mind remains a touchstone of American R&B. The record’s liner notes aptly sum up its genius: “The sounds themselves come from inside his mind/The man his own instrument. The instrument is an orchestra.”

Indeed, save for segments on two songs, Wonder played all of the instruments himself, demonstrating his newfound freedom of artistic control and upping the ante in terms of composition, performance, and execution. He draws from a diverse toolbox—warm drums, vibrant bongos, breezy harmonicas, Fender Rhodes organs, tonally resonant pianos—and of course, lays on his trademark, buttery smooth vocals. Yet Music of My Mind also features the first extensive use of synthesizers in black music. Wonder reveals the magic that’s contained within Moog and Arp models, conscientious of the benefits and careful not to taint what’s otherwise among the most organic soul and funk ever created.

Stretching out, Wonder lets several songs go beyond the five-minute mark. He employs the services of guitarist Buzz Felden, trombonist Art Baron, and an uncredited choir of background voices, but mostly, this is his show. Affectingly tender, “I Love Every Little Thing About You” and “Seems So Long” melt with conviction; “Happier Than The Morning Sun” epitomizes the contagious mood and upbeat emotions present throughout, Wonder delighting in mixing traditional melodies with then-unheard-of arrangements into a seamless whole.

For the first time, Mobile Fidelity’s Silver Label pressing affords listeners the opportunity to hear Wonder’s aural orchestra with a clarity, range, and expressiveness never before made possible by prior pressings. Frequency-rich harmonics are one of the keys on this 1972 gem, and this edition’s ultra-clean surfaces and wide grooves unveil more music. Mastered on Mobile Fidelity’s world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI, this numbered-edition LP presents the first of Wonder’s five must-own records in truly extraordinary sound.

"…This set also demonstrates Wonder's savvy usage of technology. He never lets it get in the way, so the album doesn't sound as synthetic as some of the Motown (and pending disco) albums of the era."
--Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, September 2012, 88% Sound Quality rating

(Above description from MusicDirect.com)