As far as the Stevie Wonder comparisons...both were progressive black artists from the early 70's who played keyboards and that's the only commonality I hear. Stevie seemed more electronic and rockish. Donny, on the other hand, appeared to be slightly more introspective and singer-songwriter-ish.
I actually thought "This Christmas" was a Stevie tune for a long while...
I actually thought "This Christmas" was a Stevie tune for a long while...
If you think about it, all the terrible male vocals you hear on black radio these days can be traced back to Stevie and Donny.
I have a friend who has been saying this for years. My questrion is "are you gonna blame Limp Bizkit for all the really bad rap rock that followed them?"
I actually thought "This Christmas" was a Stevie tune for a long while...
If you think about it, all the terrible male vocals you hear on black radio these days can be traced back to Stevie and Donny.
I have a friend who has been saying this for years. My questrion is "are you gonna blame Limp Bizkit for all the really bad rap rock that followed them?"
on Donny being one of the best, and Live being a top 5.
Here in Portland, where the Black population was small, finding OG Hathaway lps in any condition is very hard. International prices of $20-$30 from reputable dealers for nice copies is more than reasonable. $36 each for three is a little high, but if they were sealed, or perfect mint I see nothing wrong with that price. I know if you are in Chicago or Philadelphia you can but VG copies for $5.00 all day, but not out here.
On the other hand Stevie Wonder records are in every rock collection, thus very common. I think the reason they are compared is that they were both writers/arrangers/producers that showed both a sophisticated genius, yet could still make radio ready songs with weight and beauty. Compared to singer/songwriters like Bill Withers or singer/songwriters/producer like Curtis they were far more sophisticated in arrangements and harmonic complexity.
The Donny/Roberta records are well worth the dollar they often sell for. Some very nice music.
This LP I don't frequently come across ANYMORE, but I just found a copy today.
I'm not selling it, but you can kinda tell that the better performances wound up on Live. This other album pictured above are just decent leftovers (with a Carnegie Hall instrumental thrown in). I will say that the L.A. crowd on the Troubadour recordings are half the show - there are so many female voices going "amen" and "rat own" that you expect somebody to get the Holy Ghost and start falling out screeching in the aisles.
Comments
I actually thought "This Christmas" was a Stevie tune for a long while...
If you think about it, all the terrible male vocals you hear on black radio these days can be traced back to Stevie and Donny.
I have a friend who has been saying this for years. My questrion is "are you gonna blame Limp Bizkit for all the really bad rap rock that followed them?"
Nope, I'd put that on the Beastie Boys.
Here in Portland, where the Black population was small, finding OG Hathaway lps in any condition is very hard. International prices of $20-$30 from reputable dealers for nice copies is more than reasonable. $36 each for three is a little high, but if they were sealed, or perfect mint I see nothing wrong with that price. I know if you are in Chicago or Philadelphia you can but VG copies for $5.00 all day, but not out here.
On the other hand Stevie Wonder records are in every rock collection, thus very common. I think the reason they are compared is that they were both writers/arrangers/producers that showed both a sophisticated genius, yet could still make radio ready songs with weight and beauty. Compared to singer/songwriters like Bill Withers or singer/songwriters/producer like Curtis they were far more sophisticated in arrangements and harmonic complexity.
The Donny/Roberta records are well worth the dollar they often sell for. Some very nice music.
Dan
This LP I don't frequently come across ANYMORE, but I just found a copy today.
I'm not selling it, but you can kinda tell that the better performances wound up on Live. This other album pictured above are just decent leftovers (with a Carnegie Hall instrumental thrown in). I will say that the L.A. crowd on the Troubadour recordings are half the show - there are so many female voices going "amen" and "rat own" that you expect somebody to get the Holy Ghost and start falling out screeching in the aisles.
Please report to the secret society at once with that ish!
DUDE, I posted that already, courtesy of flatblackplastic who was kind enough to send me a CD rip. I can up it for you tomorrow via PM.
I love his vocals, but his arranging is what floors me these days.
Especially on these two: