Maps of Music

Stevie at the Beach (1964)

Where the lyrics of Stevie at the Beach take you, and where it was really made.

A surf-themed concept album meant to make Wonder a surf singer failed to connect with audiences, and his next hit did not come until 1965.

Key places

Vocals recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. (1964)

Recording site Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A — The album's vocals were recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit, Michigan. The marker uses the building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Instrumentation recorded in Los Angeles (1964)

Recording site Los Angeles — The album's instrumentation came from various Los Angeles session musicians. The marker is set at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Stevie at the Beach: fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder
• Released 23 June 1964 on the Tamla (Motown) label
• Wonder was 14 years old when the album came out
• A concept album of sorts, built around beach and surfer anthems
• Apart from the mild hit 'Hey Harmonica Man', the songs keep to a beach theme
• Many tracks are standards

Background

• The project grew out of Wonder's appearance in Muscle Beach Party, the 1963 sequel to Beach Party
• Surf music was booming in 1964, led by the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean
• The label first tried to make Wonder a teenage version of Ray Charles, then made him a lounge singer for one album
• The surf-themed attempt failed to connect with audiences
• Wonder would not have another hit until 1965

Recording

• Wonder performed vocals, harmonica, drums and keyboards
• Various Los Angeles session musicians played the instrumentation
• Background singers are uncredited

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Stevland Hardaway Morris, known as Stevie Wonder, was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, and became blind shortly after birth.
• He signed with Motown's Tamla label at age 11 in 1961, receiving the name Little Stevie Wonder.
• His single "Fingertips" topped the Billboard Hot 100 when he was 13, the youngest solo artist ever to do so.

Career

• Music of My Mind and Talking Book (1972) marked the start of his classic period, moving away from the Motown sound toward synthesizer- and keyboard-driven music.
• Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life (1973–1976) won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, and he is the only artist to have done so.
• In the 1980s he campaigned to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday and scored several number-one hits, including "Ebony and Ivory" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You".
• He has sold more than 100 million records and won 25 Grammy Awards, the most by a male solo artist.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• English Wikipedia: the beach and surfer theme was an attempt to get Wonder to sing surf tunes, but the album failed to connect with audiences
• The label's earlier plans, first a teenage Ray Charles and then a lounge singer, did not work either
• Its only chart success noted in the sources was the mild hit 'Hey Harmonica Man'
• Japanese Wikipedia: the single 'Castles in the Sand' came out before the album and was a commercial failure

Reappraisal

• Japanese Wikipedia calls 'Castles in the Sand' a commercial failure but a fairly strong work
• Japanese Wikipedia says the project was decided after Wonder appeared in the film Muscle Beach Party
• The album is described as a surf-themed venture that did not bring Wonder an audience

Records

• 'Hey Harmonica Man': mild hit
• No further hit until 1965, when the label finally let Wonder show his musical talents more

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Wonder's appearance in the film Muscle Beach Party led to the album plan
• The album was made during the 1964 surf boom, which the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean had helped spread
• The closing track 'Beyond the Sea' is a version of Charles Trenet's 'La mer'
• The track 'Hey Harmonica Man' was written by Marty Cooper and Lou Josie

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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