The Secret Life Of Plants (1978 Documentary Film)

 (67 customer reviews)

As bassist Jeff Berlin said, Stevie Wonder is one of the five or six most important and creative musicians of the 20th century. The Secret Life of Plants ices it. Weirdly, The Secret Life of Plants is one of Stevie Wonder's most hard-to-find records. I rate it as his best. One way to describe this record is Duke Ellington writing about trees, bugs and venus fly traps. As a synthesist (ie. synthesizer player), on these albums Stevie Wonder brings the instrument probably as far as it has ever gone as a human, expressive instrument. But always his voice, acoustic piano, drums and bass and found ambient sounds meld with electronic textures to create something nobody had ever done before and people have been copying ever since. Secret Life of Plants has some of his best singing as well, freed from trying to get a "hit." In my opinion, this sound cycle is one of the most important recordings of any genre made in the 20th century. Why all the gushing? My dad was a tree cutter and landscaper...Read more

This album forever redefined my look on Stevie Wonder's music. I've always liked his R&B albums, but this one really illustrates his immense talent for instrumental composition and elegant, classic melodies. Although people may not agree, my favorite number is "Ecclesiastes" - its apparent simplicity and outstanding use of minor keys (not to mention the 12/8 meter and some virtuoso synthesizer playing) just seem to overwhelm. I've played this number to many people who love classical music (but not that familiar with Stevie Wonder) - most of them thought it was written by likes of Nino Rota or Michel Legrand. They refused to believe it was, in fact, by Stevie. Many of them asked me to borrow the album and were very impressed.

Every number offer surprises. Simply put, it is a great, great album!!

After hitting his musical peak with the double album, Songs In The Key Of Life, every one wondered what Stevie Wonder would do next. Showing that he wasn't afraid to experiment, he released another double album, this time a soundtrack to the documentary film The Secret Life Of Plants. This album is different from just about anything in his catalog. The album is made up of mostly instrumentals, but the songs truly convey the feeling of the film. We are taken into the world of plants and the songs move between lush and serene to funky. "Send One Your Love" is the one song that doesn't really fit into the concept (obviously included to attract people to the album) but it an absolutely gorgeous song and one of his best ballads. To show that Mr. Wonder was a major force on the charts, the album that was from an obscure documentary, a second double album in a row and made up of basically instrumentals, still hit the top ten on the album charts.