Misplaced Pages

Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I
Compilation album by Stevie Wonder
Released	May 4, 1982
Recorded	1971–1982
Genre	Pop soul funk R&B
Length	85:47
Label	Tamla
Producer	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder chronology
Hotter than July (1980) Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I (1982) The Woman in Red (soundtrack) (1984)
Singles from Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I
"That Girl" Released: December 30, 1981 "Do I Do" Released: February 19, 1982 "Ribbon in the Sky" Released: June 13, 1982 "Front Line" Released: January 1983

Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I is a compilation album by R&B/soul musician Stevie Wonder that was released in 1982 by Tamla Records. It collects eleven Top-40 hit singles and five album tracks, including four previously unreleased tracks, from 1972 to 1982. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the U.S., and went to No. 8 in the UK. It has been certified gold by the RIAA. The four new songs were issued as singles to promote the album, with "That Girl" and "Do I Do" reaching the top 10 and top 20 of the US pop chart and number one and two on the R&B chart, respectively.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

Robert Palmer of the New York Times described Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium as "an impressive album" where "the songs flow into one another and are grouped loosely into four categories - protest funk on Side One, sophisticated ballads and lightly swinging rhythm tunes on Side Two, tributes to various influences and inspirations on Side Three, and dance tunes with jazz-like chord structures on Side Four." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote "Wonder remains a quintessential album artist, but this record is a terrific snapshot of the highlights."

Content

Eleven previously released tracks were taken as singles from their respective albums, with "Higher Ground" and "Master Blaster (Jammin')" released before the LP. "Isn't She Lovely" was not released as a single from Songs in the Key of Life, while "Superstition", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "You Haven't Done Nothin'", "I Wish", and "Sir Duke" all topped the Billboard Hot 100. "Living for the City" and "Boogie On Reggae Woman" appear in slightly different versions to those on their albums, and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is the single mix with the horns added.

The double album covers Wonder's "classic period" running from 1972 to 1980, compiling tracks that appeared on every album from Music of My Mind through Hotter than July. It also included four new songs, each tagged on as the last track on each album side: "Front Line"; "Ribbon in the Sky"; "That Girl"; and "Do I Do". The latter track features a solo by bebop innovator Dizzy Gillespie. The album's title is a portmanteau of "music" and "aquarium".

Track listing

All songs written by Stevie Wonder except "Front Line" by Wonder and Gary Byrd.

Charts

Certifications

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1982 (U.S.)

References

1. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Stevie Wonder - Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium". Allmusic.
2. Palmer, Robert (June 6, 1982). "STEVIE WONDER TAKES A LONG LOOK BACK". New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
4. "Austriancharts.at – Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 1" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
5. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6536". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 1" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
8. "Charts.nz – Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
9. "Swedishcharts.com – Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
10. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
11. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
12. "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
13. "Top Selling Albums of 1982 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
14. "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
15. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
16. "1982 Was A Big Year". Billboard. 25 December 1982. p. TIA-57. Retrieved October 28, 2020 – via Google Books.
17. "New Zealand album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Original Musiquarium I". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
18. "British album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Original Musiquarium I". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
19. "American album certifications – Stevie Wonder – Original Musiquarium I". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 19, 2019.

• 1982 compilation albums
• Stevie Wonder compilation albums
• Albums produced by Stevie Wonder
• Tamla Records compilation albums