Music of My Mind

Wonder became interested in using synthesizers after hearing the music of electronic group Tonto's Expanding Head Band.{{cite book |last1=Stubbs |first1=David |title=Future Sounds: The Story of Electronic Music From Stockhausen to Skrillex |date=2018 |publisher=Faber & Faber |pages=177–179 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oa0wtAEACAAJ |access-date=10 May 2019|isbn=9780571346974 }} Inspired after a meeting with the group's members, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, in May 1971, he began utilizing Arp and Moog synthesizers, stating that "the synthesizer has allowed me to do a lot of things I've wanted to do for a long time but were not possible till it came along." Margouleff and Cecil associate produced, engineered, and handled Moog programming for the album, and would go on to collaborate with Wonder on his next three albums. Wonder produced the album and played all of the instruments himself, except for the trombone on "Love Having You Around", which was played by Art Baron, and the guitar on "Superwoman", which was played by Howard "Buzz" Feiten.

{{Album reviews

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r22213/review|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]

|rev2 = The Austin Chronicle

|rev2Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite news|last=Moser|first=Margaret|date=May 19, 2000|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2000-05-19/77259/|title=Review: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale|newspaper=The Austin Chronicle|access-date=September 26, 2015}}

|rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev3Score = B+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: W|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70|access-date=March 9, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies}}

|rev4 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

|rev4Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Larkin |editor1-first=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2007 |publisher=Omnibus |page=1522 |edition=5th concise |ol=11913831M}}

|rev5 = The Great Rock Discography

|rev5Score = 7/10{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=2004 |publisher=Canongate |location=New York |page=1688 |ol=18807297M |edition=7th}}

|rev6 = Los Angeles Times

|rev6Score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=April 1, 2000|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-01-ca-14758-story.html|title=Motown Releases Remind Us of Stevie Wonder's Impact|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=September 25, 2015}}

|rev7 = MusicHound R&B

|rev7Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Graff |editor1-first=Gary |editor2-last=Freedom du Lac |editor2-first=Josh |editor3-last=McFralin |editor3-first=Jim |title=MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide |date=1998 |publisher=Visible Ink |location=Detroit |page=629 |ol=690592M}}

|rev8 = Q

|rev8Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite journal|journal=Q|location=London|title=none|page=123|date=August 2000}}

|rev9 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

|rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Considine|first=J. D.|author-link=J. D. Considine|year=2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/885 885–87]|chapter=Stevie Wonder|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA885|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=0743201698|access-date=September 25, 2015|title-link=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide}}

}}

When Music of My Mind was first released on March 3, 1972, it became a success with both black and white audiences in the United States, charting at number six and number 21 on the Billboard R&B and pop charts, respectively.{{cite book|last=Perone|first=James E.|page=30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HISHiLVxVnIC&pg=PA30|title=The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2006|isbn=027598723X|access-date=September 29, 2015}} Contemporary critics viewed it as Wonder's final step into artistic maturity.{{cite web|author=Penny Valentine |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/article.html?ArticleID=3603 |title=Sounds review |publisher=Sounds |date=1971-12-04 |access-date=2013-12-27}} {{subscription required}} In Rolling Stone, Vince Aletti said it showcased the ambitious use of Wonder's newfound artistic control and maturity as a songwriter, although he found some of the studio and vocal effects both gimmicky and self-indulgent.{{cite magazine|last=Aletti|first=Vince|author-link=Vince Aletti|date=April 27, 1972|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/music-of-my-mind-19720427|title=Music of My Mind|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|access-date=September 29, 2015}} Robert Christgau of Creem believed that, like Ray Charles, Wonder transcended aesthetic sensibilities on Music of My Mind, which he said featured "some of the most musical synthesizer improvisations yet", but whose individual songs were not as impressive as the "one-man album" concept.{{cite journal|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=October 1972|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/crm7210.php|title=The Christgau Consumer Guide|journal=Creem|access-date=September 29, 2015}} Cash Box particularly praised the Moog synthesizer work on the single "Keep on Running."{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=September 2, 1972|page=14|accessdate=2021-12-11|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1972/Cash-Box-1972-09-02.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}} Penny Valentine was more enthusiastic in her review for Sounds, viewing the record as a milestone in modern music and a culmination of soul music's creative maturity. She especially praised Wonder's arrangement of "intriguing vocal patterns" on what she deemed "an album of explosive genius and unshackled self-expression".

The album was voted number 645 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2006|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=212|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums}} In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it number 284 on the magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time;{{CN|date=December 2023}} it was number 285 on the 2012 version of the list,{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/stevie-wonder-music-of-my-mind-173831/| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=Rolling Stone| access-date= September 10, 2019}} and 350 on the 2020 edition.{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2021-07-05|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}

In 2008, the album was re-released in the UK to coincide with Wonder's European tour.{{cite web|url=http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/333/stevies_in_town/ |title=Stevie Wonder interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' March 1995 |publisher=Bluesandsoul.com |access-date=2013-12-27}}

The songs "Sweet Little Girl" and "Evil" feature prominently at the beginning and end of "Teddy Perkins", the sixth episode of the second season of the acclaimed FX television show Atlanta.

{{ tracklisting

| all_writing = Stevie Wonder, unless stated otherwise

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Love Having You Around

| writer1 = Wonder, Syreeta Wright

| length1 = 7:21

| title2 = Superwoman

| length2 = 8:04

| title3 = I Love Every Little Thing About You

| length3 = 3:46

| title4 = Sweet Little Girl

| length4 = 4:54

| total_length = 24:05

}}

{{ tracklisting

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Happier Than the Morning Sun

| length1 = 5:18

| title2 = Girl Blue

| writer2 = Wonder, Yvonne Wright

| length2 = 3:35

| title3 = Seems So Long

| length3 = 4:27

| title4 = Keep on Running

| length4 = 6:35

| title5 = Evil

| writer5 = Wonder, Syreeta Wrighthttps://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/350064950

| length5 = 3:35

| total_length = 23:30

}}

• Stevie Wonder – lead vocals (all), background vocals (1–5, 8), drums (all but 5), handclaps (8), T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer (2, 6, 7, 9), piano (8, 9), Rhodes piano (1–4), talk box (1, 6), harmonica (4, 6), bongos (3), clavinet (5, 8), Moog bass (all)
• Art Baron – trombone (1)
• Buzz Feiten – electric guitar (2)
• Malcolm Cecil – Moog programming, associate producer, engineering
• Robert Margouleff – Moog programming, associate producer, engineering
• Syreeta – background vocals (4)
• Uncredited – background vocals (1, 8, 9)
• Joan DeCola – recording
• Rick Rowe – recording

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|87436}}

{{Stevie Wonder}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Stevie Wonder albums

Category:1972 albums

Category:Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios

Category:Tamla Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Stevie Wonder

Category:Albums produced by Malcolm Cecil

Category:Progressive soul albums