Stevie Wonder Greatest Hits CD

Out of print in the U.S.! Digitally remastered reissue of the first volume of Stevie's greatest hits. Concentrating on his '60s recordings, many of them cut when he was known as Little Stevie Wonder, this 12 track collection features many thrilling tracks including 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)', 'Fingertips Pt. 2', 'I Was Made To Love Her' and more. Motown.

Personnel includes: Stevie Wonder.
Producers: Henry Cosby, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Hal Davis, Mark Gordon, Berry Gordy.
Originally released on Tamla (282).
Digitally remastered by Kevin Reeves (Polygram). Includes liner notes by Scott Regen.
Personnel: Stevie Wonder (vocals, harmonica, piano, keyboards); Benny Benjamin (drums).
When it was released, Stevie Wonder's first hits collection, a 12-track disc tracing his work from 1963 to 1967, served a common function of compilations: It gathered together stray, disparate pieces, from "Fingertips -- Pt. 2" to "I Was Made to Love Her," and focused attention on the artist. Wonder had a spotty singles record: five Top Ten hits, but only two of them in succession over the four-and-a-half years, yet Greatest Hits made him seem like a consistent hitmaker with an astounding range, from those early harmonica instrumentals to soulful wailers like "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and even oddball ballads like "A Place in the Sun." By now this set has long since been eclipsed, notably by the Looking Back album, but as a demonstration of Wonder's early promise, it is notable. ~ William Ruhlmann
Given the length of Wonder's career, the fact that this anthology cuts off in 1968 may render the album title something of a misnomer. Still, this does collect Wonder's most entertaining early music, from a time when, like most of the performers at Motown, he was working on an extremely efficient yet amazingly creative artistic assembly line.
This is 1960s R&B and soul at its best, from crazed live workouts like "Fingertips 2," to anthems like "Uptight," and "I Was Made to Love Her." The real highlight, however, may be the addictive doo wop of "Contract on Love," featuring a Wonder so youthful that one might mistake him for a girl singer.