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- Artist: Stevie Wonder
- Rating:
- Release Date: November 23, 1999
- Total Time: 312:27
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
- Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Review
He's been called one of the most influential performers and songwriters of the century, but until 1999 Stevie Wonder didn't even have a box set to call his own. Such was the reissue campaign at Motown that, until very recently, some of the best pop music of the '60s sounded poorer in reissue form than when it was first played on AM radio. In 1996, the long-awaited Stevie Wonder digital-age hits package Song Review reached the shelves, but it didn't even follow compilation etiquette (that is, chronological order). Finally, At the Close of a Century made everything right -- complete with digital remastering, near-perfect sound, complete coverage of his epic career, an attractive design, and copious liner notes and pictures. The box, a four-disc set spanning 1962 to 1996, debuts with "Fingertips, Pts. 1 & 2," the long-unheard seven-minute version of his first hit. The first disc includes every hit that fans can remember, including great-sounding versions of "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and "Hey Love," plus plenty of moderate hits they may not remember, like his definitive cover of the Beatles' "We Can Work It Out." Disc two features more than a dozen of his biggest hits, including "Superstition," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Living for the City," "Higher Ground," and "Boogie On Reggae Woman." Disc three begins with no less than nine tracks from Songs in the Key of Life, his standout double album from 1976. Right into the '80s and '90s, Stevie Wonder remained at the top of the charts, with hits like "Rocket Love," "Master Blaster (Jammin')," "Happy Birthday," "I Just Called to Say I Love You," and "Part-Time Lover." It took far too long, but Motown finally issued a box set worthy of Stevie Wonder's continuing artistry. ~ John Bush, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Fingertips, Pts. 1-2 | Henry Cosby, Clarence Paul | Stevie Wonder | (6:58) |
| Uptight (Everything's Alright) | Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy | Stevie Wonder | (2:56) |
| Nothing's Too Good for My Baby | Henry Cosby, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Sylvia Moy | Stevie Wonder | (2:46) |
| Blowin' in the Wind | Bob Dylan | Stevie Wonder | (3:08) |
| A Place in the Sun | Stevie Wonder | (2:53) | |
| Hey Love | Clarence Paul, Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (2:47) |
| I Was Made to Love Her | Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy, Lula Mae Hardaway | Stevie Wonder | (2:40) |
| Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) | Clarence Paul, Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (3:03) |
| I'm Wondering | Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy | Stevie Wonder | (2:58) |
| Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day | Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy | Stevie Wonder | (2:49) |
| You Met Your Match | Stevie Wonder | (2:41) | |
| For Once in My Life | Stevie Wonder | (2:51) | |
| I Don't Know Why | Stevie Wonder | (2:51) | |
| My Cherie Amour | Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy | Stevie Wonder | (2:55) |
| Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday | Stevie Wonder | (3:05) | |
| Never Had a Dream Come True | Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy | Stevie Wonder | (3:14) |
| Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours | Lee Garrett, Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (2:40) |
| Heaven Help Us All | Stevie Wonder | (3:14) | |
| We Can Work It Out | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Stevie Wonder | (3:18) |
| If You Really Love Me | Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (3:00) |
| Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer | Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (2:56) |
| Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (8:08) |
| I Love Every Little Thing About You | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:56) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Superstition | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:28) |
| You Are the Sunshine of My Life | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (2:59) |
| You and I (We Can Conquer the World) | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:39) |
| I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever) | Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (4:52) |
| Too High | Paul Bollenback, Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:36) |
| Visions | Paul Bollenback, Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:23) |
| Living for the City | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (7:23) |
| Golden Lady | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:59) |
| Higher Ground | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:42) |
| All in Love Is Fair | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:42) |
| Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:45) |
| He's Misstra Know It All | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:36) |
| You Haven't Done Nothin' | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:25) |
| Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:02) |
| Too Shy to Say | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:29) |
| Boogie on Reggae Woman | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:14) |
| Creepin' | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:20) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Sir Duke | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:54) |
| I Wish | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:13) |
| Knocks Me off My Feet | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:36) |
| Pastime Paradise | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:29) |
| Isn't She Lovely | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (6:36) |
| Ngiculela-Es Una Historia-I Am Singing | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:49) |
| If It's Magic | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:12) |
| As | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (7:08) |
| Another Star | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (8:22) |
| Send One Your Love | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:04) |
| All I Do | Clarence Paul, Stevie Wonder, |
Stevie Wonder | (5:15) |
| Rocket Love | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:39) |
| I Ain't Gonna Stand for It | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:40) |
| Master Blaster (Jammin') | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:09) |
| Lately | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:06) |
| Happy Birthday | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:56) |
CD 4
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| That Girl | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:15) |
| Ribbon in the Sky | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:38) |
| Do I Do | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (10:30) |
| Love Light in Flight | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (6:55) |
| I Just Called to Say I Love You | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:23) |
| Overjoyed | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (3:46) |
| Part-Time Lover | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:12) |
| Go Home | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:20) |
| You Will Know | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:01) |
| Skeletons | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:24) |
| Gotta Have You | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (6:28) |
| These Three Words | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (4:55) |
| For Your Love | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:00) |
| How Come, How Long | Babyface, Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | (5:11) |
