Sparked by Phish's performance of “Boogie On Reggae Woman" last evening in Jones Beach, we offer up a hearty compendium of funk-did-li-upmtious Stevie Wonder clips to uplift yo' soul and land y'all on the good foot for the weekend ahead.
We begin with one of Motown's killer time capsule videos for 1975 soundtracked by Stevie's original “Reggae Woman."
Here's Wonder getting' superbad on German television in 1973 with his urban development anthem. Such a nasty keyboard sound!
This was definitely the day you wanted to make your way to Oscar's garbage can to grab a tasty dimebag! And this ain't no kid's TV version either, these muthas jam it the hell out!
Sometimes overlooked in all the high style funkin' is Stevie's facility with slow numbers. Here's a classic example sure to make you all butterfly swoony.
He's jammed with myriad artists but there's something offhandedly cool about this intimate moment with Brazil's amazing Gilberto Gil that finds two masters quietly scatting and strumming. One imagines this pair could do this for hours.
Since it's Stevie's signature tune we thought we'd give you a second version, which segues into a killer deep track from Talking Book. Nifty factoid: Ray Parker Jr. of Ghostbusters fame played the original slinky ass electric guitar on the studio version of “Maybe Your Baby" and was a member of Wonder's live band for a spell, too.
Next, a poignant reading of this beautifully simmering cut captured at a baseball stadium in Japan.
If there's more joyous music than this we haven't found it!
We send you off into your Saturday with something “as lovely as a summer day." Enjoy your weekend, kids.
And don't forget, you can eyeball video sweetness 24/7 with JamBase TV.
