When Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” was released in November of 1972, Wonder had already had many hit records under his belt and his trajectory of fame was well underway. In early 1972, he began to assert more autonomy over his creative direction and began collaborating with electronica pioneers Bob Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil.
This era, which was one that saw many artists asserting more artistic control over their recording careers, saw Wonder enter his prolific and introspective “classic period,” which produced some of R&B’s most interesting crossover records such as Music of the Mind, Talking Book and Innervisions. In 1972, Wonder had completed a North American tour with the Rolling Stones and this helped expose his music to larger and more receptive audiences, further catapulting his well-deserved exposure and fame well beyond its Motown base. Interestingly, Wonder had originally written “Superstition” for Jeff Beck (indeed, a different version appeared on a later Beck album entitled Beck, Bogert & Appice). In the end, though, he wisely decided to record and release it himself. He did end up handing over another track to Beck called “’Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”--one of the more emotional tracks on Beck’s Blow by Blow album.
Electric Lady Studios and “Tonto”
Oftentimes there are people behind the scenes who play an important role in developing an artist’s sound. In the case of Stevie Wonder, this was undoubtedly the case—especially during the early ‘70s. Robert Margouleff and Malcom Cecil were Wonder’s “production team” and the wheels of his success in the studio. Each of them brought very distinct skills to the table: Cecil was very musically inclined, while Margouleff’s strengths were in synth programming and other areas. They were both more than capable as recording engineers.
By the time they started recording “Superstition” in 1972, the team already had one record together under their belt. They had settled into New York City at a new studio in Greenwich Village called Electric Lady. Electric Lady was the creative home of none other than Jimi Hendrix until his untimely death in 1970. Designed by legendary studio designer John Storyk, it was also arguably the first “artist-driven” studio in the world...
This era, which was one that saw many artists asserting more artistic control over their recording careers, saw Wonder enter his prolific and introspective “classic period,” which produced some of R&B’s most interesting crossover records such as Music of the Mind, Talking Book and Innervisions. In 1972, Wonder had completed a North American tour with the Rolling Stones and this helped expose his music to larger and more receptive audiences, further catapulting his well-deserved exposure and fame well beyond its Motown base. Interestingly, Wonder had originally written “Superstition” for Jeff Beck (indeed, a different version appeared on a later Beck album entitled Beck, Bogert & Appice). In the end, though, he wisely decided to record and release it himself. He did end up handing over another track to Beck called “’Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”--one of the more emotional tracks on Beck’s Blow by Blow album.
Electric Lady Studios and “Tonto”
Oftentimes there are people behind the scenes who play an important role in developing an artist’s sound. In the case of Stevie Wonder, this was undoubtedly the case—especially during the early ‘70s. Robert Margouleff and Malcom Cecil were Wonder’s “production team” and the wheels of his success in the studio. Each of them brought very distinct skills to the table: Cecil was very musically inclined, while Margouleff’s strengths were in synth programming and other areas. They were both more than capable as recording engineers.
By the time they started recording “Superstition” in 1972, the team already had one record together under their belt. They had settled into New York City at a new studio in Greenwich Village called Electric Lady. Electric Lady was the creative home of none other than Jimi Hendrix until his untimely death in 1970. Designed by legendary studio designer John Storyk, it was also arguably the first “artist-driven” studio in the world...
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Curtis Berry @'ProSound'
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