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76-505: On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased The Hit Factory from Jerry Ragavoy. At that time The Hit Factory studios were located at 353 West 48th Street and consisted of two studios, A2 and A6. Eventually, a third studio, A5, was added. These studios were active from 1975 to 1981. Germano incorporated The Hit Factory into

152-813: A 24-page lyric and credit booklet. Wonder recorded the great majority of the album at Crystal Sounds in Hollywood, with Gary Olazabal and studio owner John Fischbach as engineers. Some material was recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood and the Record Plant in Sausalito. During a period when Crystal Sounds had a prior obligation to record another artist, the production team traveled to the Hit Factory in New York City to work for about six weeks, but only used one basic track from those sessions. As

228-836: A Euphonix System 5 digital console. A Solid State Logic K Series 9080 80 channel console was in Studio 6 and a Solid State Logic K Series 9080 80 channel console was in Studio 7. The analog tape machines were Studer A800 24 track 2 inch analog recorders, Studer A827 24 track 2 inch analog recorders, a Studer A827 16 track 2 inch analog recorder, Studer A820 2 track 1/2 inch analog recorders, and Studer A80 2 track 1/2 inch analog recorders. The digital tape machines were Sony 3348 48 channel 1/2 inch digital recorders, Sony 3348HR 48 channel 1/2 inch digital recorders, Mitsubishi X880 32 track 1 inch digital recorders, Sony PCM-3402 DASH 2 track 1/4 inch digital recorders, and Sony PCM 1630 2 track digital recorders. Digidesign Pro Tools systems were introduced as part of

304-698: A Neve 8128 28 channel console in Studio A4. The tape machines were Studer A800 24 track 2 inch analog recorders, Studer A820 24 track 2 inch analog recorders, Studer A827 24 track 2 inch analog recorders, Studer A80 2 track 1/2 inch & 1/4 inch 2 track analog recorders, a Studer A810 2 track 1/4 inch analog recorder, a Studer A80 4 track 1/2 inch analog recorder, and Otari MTR-90 24 track analog recorders. The digital machines were Sony 3324A 24 track 1/2 inch digital recorders with Apogee filters, Mitsubishi X880 32 track 1 inch digital recorders, and Mitsubishi X80 & X86 2 track 1/4 inch digital recorders. The outboard gear

380-421: A Solid State Logic G+ 4064 64 channel console in Studio 3, and a Solid State Logic J Series 9080 80 channel console in Studio 3. In Studio 4 there was a Solid State Logic 4000 SL96 E Series 96 channel console, followed by a Solid State Logic AXIOM 80 channel digital console in Studio 4, and then a Solid State Logic 9000 J Series 9080 80 channel console. There was a Sony Oxford digital console in Studio 5, followed by

456-578: A business, redesigned its studios, and created the logo it uses to this day. Notable albums from this location include Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder , One-Trick Pony by Paul Simon , Fear of Music by Talking Heads , Voices by Hall & Oates , Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf , Foreigner by Foreigner (band) , I'm in You by Peter Frampton , Live and Sleazy by Village People , Peter Gabriel ("Scratch") by Peter Gabriel , Emotional Rescue by

532-650: A live concert performance of the entire album at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. The event was his 18th annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert, and featured some of the singers and musicians who are featured on the original album, as well as several from the contemporary music scene. Then, in November 2014, Wonder began performing the entire album in a series of concert dates in the US and Canada. The start of

608-759: A mixture of desks between the locations as the consoles moved between the seven studios. An MCI JH-636 36 channel console with MCI automation in Studio A2 ( moved from West 48th Street ). A Neve 8068 32 channel console with Necam 1 moving fader automation, then GML moving faders in Studio A1 & Studio A ( moved from West 48th Street ). A Custom API 32 input console without automation in Studio A3 ( moved from West 48th Street ). A pair of Solid State Logic 4000 SL48 E Series 48 channel consoles in Studio A1 & A2, then an additional SSL 4000 SL64 G Series with Ultimation

684-424: A new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975, thinking he was better off making the most of his career. At the time, rival labels such as Arista and Epic were also interested in him. The contract was laid out as a seven-year, seven LP, $ 37 million deal ($ 209,506,494 in 2023 dollars ) and gave Wonder full artistic control, making this the largest deal made with a recording star up to that point. Shortly after signing

760-488: A pair of Gonzalez custom analog multi-channel desks. The analog tape machines were Studer A80 24-track 2-inch ( wide body ) analog recorders, Studer A80 16-track 2-inch ( narrow body ) analog recorders, Studer A80 2-track 1/4-inch analog recorders and an MCI JH-24 24-track 2-inch analog recorder. The outboard gear was a combination of numerous custom pieces from that period plus Eventide, Neve, Lang, Teletronix, Universal, Pultec, Orban, Kepex, EMT, Fairchild and API. The monitoring

836-456: A perfectionist, Wonder spent long hours in the studio for almost every track he recorded. He was "not eating or sleeping, while everyone around him struggled to keep up." According to Wonder, "If my flow is goin', I keep on until I peak." Bassist Nathan Watts remembered getting home at 3 am after very long hours in the studio, only to have Wonder phone to request him return immediately to help with "I Wish". A total of 130 people worked on

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912-420: A press preview. Everybody received autographed copies of the album and Wonder gave interviews. Critical reception was immediately positive. The album was viewed as a guided tour through a wide range of musical styles and the life and feelings of the artist. It included recollections of childhood, of first love and lost love. It contained songs about faith and love among all peoples and songs about social justice for

988-496: A single, " Isn't She Lovely " received wide radio airplay and became one of Wonder's most popular songs. David Parton 's cover of the song, recorded and released soon after Wonder's album, gave him a top 10 hit in the UK in early 1977. Over time, Songs in the Key of Life became a standard, and it is considered Wonder's signature album, even by Wonder himself: "Of all the albums," he told Q magazine for their April 1995 issue, " Songs in

1064-463: A writing and production room for guest producers and artists. In 2012, the Germanos sold the studio as Criteria Recording Studios and retained The Hit Factory name, logo and trademark. Edward Germano died in 2003 and The Hit Factory closed its main headquarters in 2005. Contrary to reports in the media that the studios in New York City were shuttered due to the advancement of home digital recording ,

1140-499: Is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey. Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR , Dua Lipa , Drake , Ed Sheeran , Gwen Stefani , Harry Styles , Lady Gaga , Rihanna , Selena Gomez , Twenty One Pilots , Lana Del Rey , Lil Nas X , Lizzo , and many others. Works engineered by Gehringer span many genres such as pop, R&B, hip hop, and dance. Gehringer

1216-427: Is an arsenal of selected pieces from Neve, API, Chandler, Retro Instruments, Lavry, Bricasti, AMS, Focusrite, Universal Audio, Tube-Tech, Moog, Heritage Audio, Empirical Labs, Black Lion, SSL. The microphone collection consists of Telefunken, Neumann, Coles, Sennheiser, DPA, Schoeps, AKG, Shure, Austrian Audio, Royer, AEA, Electrovoice, Beyer Dynamic, Tul, Yamaha and Sony. Songs in the Key of Life Songs in

1292-619: The Billboard Hot 100 . The album spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the album with the most weeks at number one during the year, and was the second-best-selling album of 1977 in the US. In 2005, the album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating sales of 5 million units for a double album. The album won Album of

1368-413: The 19th Grammy Awards ceremony, as he was visiting Africa . In February 1977, he traveled to Nigeria for two weeks, primarily to explore his musical heritage, as he put it. A satellite hook-up was arranged so he could accept his Grammys from across the sea, but when Bette Midler announced the results during the ceremony, the audience was only able to see Wonder at a phone smiling and giving thanks, as

1444-589: The Billboard R&;B/Black Albums chart, spending 20 non-consecutive weeks at number one. The album became the second-best selling album of 1977 in the US (behind only Fleetwood Mac 's blockbuster Rumours ), and was the highest selling R&B/Soul album on the Billboard Year-End chart that same year. It was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005, indicating sales of 5 million copies in

1520-470: The 1980s. In 1988, he moved to the Hit Factory , where he worked for twelve years. During his time there, he witnessed the golden age of hip hop , mastering landmark releases by artists such as Naughty By Nature , Mobb Deep , Wu Tang Clan , and PM Dawn . In 1999, Gehringer joined Sterling Sound as a senior mastering engineer. Gehringer received his first Grammy Awards nominations in 2012 in

1596-569: The 500 greatest albums of all time (it was number 57 on the 2012 version of the list, and number 4 on the 2020 edition); it was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ; and in April 2008, it was voted the "Top Album of All Time" by the Yahoo! Music Playlist Blog, using a formula that combined four parameters – "Album Staying Power Value + Sales Value + Critical Rating Value + Grammy Award Value". Many musicians have remarked on

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1672-616: The Apple Mac Studio M1 computers and Sonnet expansion racks. There are no longer any tape recorders, analog or digital, available at the studios in 2020. The monitoring systems are custom Exigy S412G monitors with custom dual 18" subwoofers in each of the control rooms. The near field speakers are Amphion One 18 passive monitors, Avantone CLA-10 active monitors, Avantone CLA-10 passive monitors, Yamaha NS-10M Studio passive monitors, Avantone Mix Cube passive & active monitors, KRK Rokit 7 G4 monitors, and Auratones. The outboard gear

1748-704: The Blackhearts , Forever by Kool & the Gang , the Bodyguard soundtrack by Whitney Houston , Hell Freezes Over by Eagles , August by Eric Clapton , Talk Is Cheap by Keith Richards and Dangerous by Michael Jackson . In 1987, Germano opened another location, The Hit Factory Times Square, at 130 West 42nd Street. Previously known as Chelsea Sound, the studios were redesigned by Ed and Troy Germano. This facility had two recording studios, Studio C and Studio B, as well as three mastering rooms under

1824-692: The Future" by John Legend , "Queen" by Nicki Minaj , "Luv Is Rage 2" by Lil Uzi Vert , "Time Clocks" by Joe Bonamassa , "Unvarnished" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts , "My World 2.0" by Justin Bieber , "Anti" by Rihanna , "4" by Beyoncé , "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" by Mariah Carey , and "Clapton" by Eric Clapton . The studios occupied several spaces in and around Midtown West, Times Square and Noho. Locations: 25 RIAA Diamond Awards albums and songs have been recorded at The Hit Factory: The Hit Factory has 10 wins and 33 nominations for Album of

1900-600: The Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder . A double album , it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records , a division of Motown . It was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood , with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito , and The Hit Factory in New York City; final mixing

1976-406: The Key of Life (which also received six other nominations), the album was seen as the favorite by many critics to take the award. The other nominees were Breezin' by George Benson , Chicago X by Chicago , Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs , and the other favorite, Peter Frampton ’s Frampton Comes Alive! , which was also a huge critical and commercial success. Wonder was again absent from

2052-452: The Key of Life I'm most happy about. Just the time, being alive then. To be a father and then… letting go and letting God give me the energy and strength I needed." It has been cited as one of the greatest albums in popular music history. For example, in 2001, the TV network VH1 named it the seventh greatest album of all time; in 2003, it was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of

2128-478: The Key of Life his favorite Stevie Wonder album. Distinguished heavy metal drummer Gene Hoglan has said Stevie Wonder invented the blast beat . Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor has praised named Wonder as a major influence on his playing. George Michael cited the album as his favorite of all time. He released a live recording of " Love's in Need of Love Today " as a B-side to " Father Figure " in 1987 and performed

2204-511: The New York City operations into this building. Some of the albums recorded or mixed at this facility include HIStory by Michael Jackson , Butterfly by Mariah Carey , Let's Talk About Love by Celine Dion , Dangerously in Love by Beyoncé , Diary of a Mad Band by Jodeci , CrazySexyCool by TLC , Ray of Light by Madonna , No Strings Attached by NSYNC , Falling into You by Celine Dion , Daydream by Mariah Carey , Ready to Die by

2280-579: The Notorious B.I.G. , the Titanic soundtrack album , Merry Christmas by Mariah Carey , Duets by Frank Sinatra , My Life by Mary J. Blige , Rhythm of Love by Anita Baker , Songs by Luther Vandross , The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson , Invincible by Michael Jackson , Pop by U2 , Space Jam with Seal , X&Y by Coldplay , Music by Madonna , River of Dreams by Billy Joel and Sogno by Andrea Bocelli . From 1989 to 1993,

2356-635: The Rolling Stones , Double Fantasy by John Lennon and Yoko Ono . In 1981, The Hit Factory moved to a new location at 237 West 54th Street, across the street from Studio 54 . Dubbed The Hit Factory Broadway, the new location had five studios designed by Germano: A1, A2, A3, M1, and M4—the last of which was later transformed into the first mastering suite for Herb Powers Jr. Germano's son, Troy Germano, started working full-time with him at this location. Albums that were recorded and/or mixed at this location include Graceland by Paul Simon , Born in

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2432-555: The Same and Rod Stewart 's A Night on the Town . On January 15, 1977, the album finally dropped to number two behind Eagles ' Hotel California , and it fell to number four the following week, but on January 29 it returned to the top for a fourteenth and final week. By the end of its run, it had spent 35 weeks inside the top ten of the Billboard albums chart and was on the chart for a total of 80 weeks. The album also saw longevity atop

2508-474: The Technique by Eric B. & Rakim , and Storm Front by Billy Joel , Mariah Carey (album) by Mariah Carey . In 1991, Ed Germano acquired a 100,000-square-foot building at 421 West 54th Street. It opened in 1993 as simply The Hit Factory. Ed and Troy designed and built this facility with David Bell, Derek Buckingham, Alan Cundell of White Mark Limited and Neil Grant of Harris Grant Associates UK. As

2584-723: The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen , Undercover by the Rolling Stones , Under a Blood Red Sky by U2 , The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon , Live/1975–85 by Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band , True Colors by Cyndi Lauper , Whiplash Smile by Billy Idol , Steel Wheels by the Rolling Stones, Long After Dark by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , Agent Provocateur by Foreigner , Tunnel of Love by Bruce Springsteen , Riptide by Robert Palmer , Up Your Alley by Joan Jett &

2660-470: The US alone (though a Diamond certification is awarded for sales of 10 million units, the RIAA counts each individual record or disc included with an album as a separate unit). Songs in the Key of Life was also the most successful of Wonder's albums in terms of singles, the first of which, the upbeat " I Wish ", was released in November 1976, more than a month after the album was released. On January 15, 1977,

2736-542: The Year at the 19th Grammy Awards and is the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Wonder's career. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums in history, and many musicians have remarked on its influence on their own work. It was voted number 89 in Colin Larkin 's All Time Top 1000 Albums and ranked number 4 on Rolling Stone 's 2020 list of the " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ". In 2002,

2812-497: The Year: The Hit Factory has three wins and seven nominations for Best Original Song Public awareness of The Hit Factory increased after the death of John Lennon on December 8, 1980. Lennon had recorded his final album at The Hit Factory at 353 West 48th Street, a fact mentioned in some newspaper accounts of the murder. There are contradictory reports as to whether he was recording and mixing at The Hit Factory or

2888-658: The album surpassed all commercial expectations. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart on October 8, 1976, becoming only the third album in history to achieve that feat (after British singer/composer Elton John 's albums Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock of the Westies , both from 1975), and the first by an American artist. In Canada , it achieved

2964-770: The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , and in 2005 it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress , which deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". By 1976, Stevie Wonder had become one of the most popular figures in R&;B and pop music, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. Within a short space of time, the albums Talking Book , Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale were all back-to-back-to-back top five successes, with

3040-475: The album was played throughout the photo sessions for her compilation album Whitney: The Greatest Hits , as can be seen on the home video release that accompanied that album). Its importance has also been recognized by heavy metal musicians, with singer Phil Anselmo describing a live performance of Songs in the Key of Life as "a living, breathing miracle". The album's tracks have provided numerous samples for rap and hip-hop artists. " Pastime Paradise "

3116-508: The album, but Wonder's preeminence remains evident. Among the musicians who contributed were some legendary figures of R&B, soul, and jazz music: Herbie Hancock played Fender Rhodes on "As", George Benson played electric guitar on "Another Star", and Minnie Riperton and Deniece Williams added backing vocals on "Ordinary Pain". Mike Sembello is a prominent personality throughout the album, playing guitar on several tracks and also co-writing "Saturn" with Wonder. While Wonder wrote most of

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3192-793: The building at 421 West 54th was sold for estate planning purposes. In 2008, Troy Germano, completed Germano Studios in Noho. Germano Studios changed its name to The Hit Factory in 2023 and is now the only "The Hit Factory" recording studio in the world. Notable albums recorded at this location include "Hackney Diamonds" by The Rolling Stones , "Jose" by J Balvin , "Crosseyed Heart" by Keith Richards , "Manana Sera Bonito" by Karol G , "Astroworld" by Travis Scott , "Hollywood's Bleeding" by Post Malone , "That's What They All Say" by Jack Harlow , "DAMN." by Kendrick Lamar , "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga , "21" by Adele , "Blonde" by Frank Ocean , "Yeezus" by Kanye West , "Uptown Special" by Mark Ronson , "Love in

3268-713: The category of Album of the Year . He was nominated both for his work on Rihanna ’s Loud and for his work on Lady Gaga ’s Born This Way . Since then, he has been nominated for 20 Grammys and 7 Latin Grammys . In 2022, he won Latin Grammy Awards for Best Engineered Album and Album of the Year for his mastering work on Rosalía 's album Motomami . In 2016, he became an official partner of Sterling Sound. Grammy Awards Latin Grammy Awards TEC Awards As adapted from

3344-512: The company also operated The Hit Factory London. In 1989, Ed and Troy, in a joint venture with Sony Music UK , took control of CBS Studios on Whitfield Street in Soho, London. They redesigned the facility and reopened at the beginning of 1990 with the Rolling Stones working on their album Flashpoint . Sade recorded her album Love Deluxe in Studio 2 and Alison Moyet recorded her album, "Hoodoo" in Studio 3. The studios were designed by Ed, Troy, and

3420-446: The contract, Wonder took a year off from music. There was huge anticipation for the new album, which was initially scheduled for release around October 1975. It was delayed on short notice when Wonder felt that further remixing was essential. According to him, Motown's marketing campaign decided to take advantage of the delay by producing "We're almost finished" T-shirts. Work on the new album continued into early 1976. The working title

3496-557: The jazzy " Sir Duke ", was released in March 1977 and surpassed the commercial success of "I Wish". It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (where it spent three weeks, starting on May 21) and the R&B chart (for one week, starting on May 28), but it reached number two in the UK, where it was kept from the top spot by the song " Free " by Deniece Williams , who provided backing vocals on Wonder's album. Released during

3572-502: The latter two winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1974 and 1975, respectively. In 1975, Wonder became serious about quitting the music industry and emigrating to Ghana to work with handicapped children. He had expressed his anger with the way the U.S. government was running the country. A farewell concert was being considered as the best way to bring down the curtain on his career. Wonder changed his mind and signed

3648-492: The main headquarters at 421 West 54th Street, just known as The Hit Factory which had seven studios. The consoles consisted of a Neve 8068 72 channel console with Flying Faders in Studio 2 ( this was a combination of custom joining of an original Neve 8068 32 and a Neve 8068 40 ). Also a Neve VSP 72 channel console with Flying Faders in Studio 1, and a Solid State Logic 9000 J Series 9080 80 channel console in Studio 1. A Solid State Logic K Series 9080 80 channel console in Studio 2,

3724-461: The main headquarters for The Hit Factory, the studios expanded to seven recording-and-mixing studios (Studios 1-7), five mastering studios (The Hit Factory Mastering) and five private writing-production suites, including rooms for Mark Ronson , Kevin Shirley and Trackmasters . Studio 1 was built for orchestral recordings that could accommodate up to 140 musicians. In 2002, Troy Germano consolidated

3800-467: The moniker The Hit Factory DMS, for digital mastering studios. The mastering rooms were for engineers Herb Powers Jr., Chris Gehringer , and Tom Coyne . The Times Square recording and mastering studios existed until 1992. Albums of historical importance recorded or mixed at this location include Freedom by Neil Young , Foreign Affair by Tina Turner , Down with the King by Run-DMC , Don't Sweat

3876-408: The music industry and emigrating to Ghana to aid children with disabilities. When plans for a farewell concert had already begun, Wonder changed his mind and signed a new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975. This outlined a seven-year, seven-album deal, with full artistic control. This deal included $ 13 million upfront, a potential bonus of up to $ 20 million, 20% of the royalties, and ownership of

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3952-457: The nearby Record Plant on the day he was murdered. Most publications give the Record Plant as the location, as do producer Jack Douglas and others who were with Lennon that day. However, Keith Badman, not an eyewitness, writes in his book The Beatles: After the Break-up, 1970–2000 that Lennon had been at The Hit Factory the night of his murder. He also writes that Lennon had been at the studio

4028-604: The new hard disk recorders for all of the studios as of 2000. The monitoring systems changed from Boxers to Augspurgers as well as a selection of Yamaha, Genelec, ProAcs, Auratones, Dynaudio and Mastering Lab for the near field speakers. The outboard gear included AMS, AMS Neve, Lexicon, Eventide, API, Focusrite, SSL, Avalon, Manley, Weiss, Tube-Tech, Pultec, Universal Audio, Teletronix, GML, EMT and Quantek. The microphone collection grew to include Coles, Neumann, Telefunken, Sennheiser, AKG, Schoeps, B&K, Sony, Shure, RCA, Norelco, Beyer Dynamic & Electrovoice. The Hit Factory London

4104-471: The poor and downtrodden. In The Village Voice ' s annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, it was voted as the best album of the year. From 1973, Wonder's presence at the Grammy Awards ceremonies was consistent – he attended most of the ceremonies and also often performed on stage – but in 1976 he did not attend and was not nominated for any awards, as he had not released any new material during

4180-446: The previous few days working on and mixing tracks for Yoko Ono . The Hit Factory's original facility at 353 West 48th Street used a mixture of recording equipment. Consoles included a Neve 8068 32-channel console with Necam 1 moving fader automation, a Custom API 32 input console without automation, an MCI JH-500 36-channel console with MCI automation, and an MCI JH-636 36 channel console with MCI automation. Initially, there were

4256-413: The previous year. When Paul Simon accepted the award for Album of the Year at the 18th Grammy Awards (for Still Crazy After All These Years ), he jokingly thanked Stevie for not releasing an album that year, as Wonder had won the award at the two preceding ceremonies (for Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale ). When, a year later, Wonder was again nominated in the category for Songs in

4332-461: The publishing rights. At the time, it was the biggest recording deal in history. Songs in the Key of Life was released as a double LP with a four-song bonus EP . It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming only the third album to achieve that feat, and the first by an American artist. Both the lead single " I Wish " and follow-up single " Sir Duke " reached number one on

4408-509: The quality of the album and its influence on their own work. Elton John said, in his notes about Wonder for Rolling Stone ' s 2003 list of "The Immortals – The Greatest Artists of All Time" (in which Wonder was ranked number 15): "Let me put it this way: wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life . For me, it's the best album ever made, and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it." In an interview with Ebony magazine, Michael Jackson called Songs in

4484-541: The same feat, entering the RPM national albums chart at number one on October 16. The album spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number one in the US, eleven of which were in 1976, making it the album with the most weeks at number one during that year. During those eleven weeks, Songs in the Key of Life managed to block four other albums from reaching the top: Boz Scaggs ’s Silk Degrees , Earth, Wind & Fire 's Spirit , Led Zeppelin 's soundtrack for The Song Remains

4560-627: The second half of 1977, as sales for the album began to decline, the last two singles from Songs in the Key of Life failed to match the success of "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". " Another Star " was released in August and reached number 32 on the Hot 100 (number 18 on the R&B chart, and number 29 in the UK), and " As " came out two months later, peaking at number 36 on both the Pop and R&B charts. Though not released as

4636-551: The song on his Faith tour the next year, performed "Village Ghetto Land" at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute in 1988, covered " Pastime Paradise " and "Knocks Me Off My Feet" on his 1991 Cover to Cover tour , and (with Mary J. Blige ) had a hit single in 1999 with a cover of "As". Many R&B singers have praised the album: Mariah Carey generally names it as one of her favorites, and Whitney Houston remarked on its influence on her singing (at Houston's request,

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4712-465: The song reached number one on the Billboard R&;B chart, where it spent five weeks. Seven days after, it also reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 , although it spent only one week at number one. The track became an international top 10 single, and reached number five in the UK. "I Wish" became one of Wonder's standards and remains one of his most sampled songs. The follow-up single,

4788-529: The songs on the album himself, some of the album's most socially-conscious songs had co-writers: Wonder wrote "Village Ghetto Land" and "Black Man" with Gary Byrd , and he wrote "Have a Talk with God" with his brother Calvin Hardaway. At the time of the album's release, reporters and music critics, and everyone who had worked on it, traveled to Long View Farm , a recording studio in Massachusetts , for

4864-568: The team from Harris Grant Associates UK (David Bell, Derek Buckingham, Alan Cundell & Neil Grant). This facility had three recording studios: Studio 1, Studio 2, and the Rooftop Studio 3, as well as five mastering rooms and hosted many of the artists from that era from Sony Music's UK labels (primarily Columbia Records & Epic Records). Studio 1 was designed for orchestral recording and could accommodate 100 piece orchestra. The film score for Basic Instinct , by composer Jerry Goldsmith ,

4940-601: The tour coincided with the 38th anniversary of the release of Songs in the Key of Life . All tracks are written by Stevie Wonder , unless otherwise noted. Original LP editions included a bonus 7-inch EP, titled "A Something's Extra", containing four bonus tracks. These songs were later included as bonus tracks on CD and streaming versions of the album. Credits adapted from Songs in the Key of Life liner notes. Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962)

5016-437: The video signal was poor and the audio inaudible. Andy Williams went on to make a public blunder when he asked the blind-since-birth Wonder, "Stevie, can you see us?" In all, Wonder won in four out of the seven categories in which he was nominated at the Grammys that year: Album of the Year , Producer of the Year , Best Male Pop Vocal Performance , and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "I Wish"). Highly anticipated,

5092-510: Was Let's See Life the Way It Is , before Wonder settled on Songs in the Key of Life . The title would represent the formula of a complex "key of life" and the proposals for indefinite success. The album was released on September 28, 1976, after a two-year wait as a double LP album plus a bonus 7-inch EP titled A Something's Extra (which featured "Saturn", "Ebony Eyes", "All Day Sucker", and "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)"), and included

5168-493: Was a combination of AMS, Quantek, Eventide, Publison, Lexicon, Universal Audio, Teletronix, Tube-Tech, Pultec, GML, SSL, Neve, API, EMT, Apogee, Focusrite, Manley and Avalon. The monitoring was a combination of UREI, Quested, Tannoy, Augspurger, Yamaha, Auratone, Westlake, Genelec, Meyer, Altec, and David's. The microphones collection included Telefunken, Neumann, Sony, B&K, RCA, Schoeps, Beyer Dynamic, AKG, Sennheiser, Norelco, Electrovoice & Shure. These years focus solely on

5244-447: Was a combination of Westlake, Hidley, Altec, UREI and Auratone. Microphones were Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser, Sony, Norelco, Shure, and Electrovoice. Vocals were recorded primarily with a Neumann U 87 or an AKG C414. The studios also had EMT 140 plates, Cooper Time Cubes and Spring reverbs. This period saw multiple locations: The Hit Factory Broadway at 237 West 54th Street and The Hit Factory Times Square at 130 West 42nd Street. There were

5320-618: Was a large selection of AMS, Neve, SSL, GML, Lexicon, EMT, Pultec, Tube-Tech, Teletronix, Universal Audio, Manley, Eventide, API & Focusrite. The microphone collection consisted of Neumann, Telefunken, Sennheiser, AKG, Sony, Shure, Electrovoice, Beyer Dynamic, Coles, B&K. The Hit Factory in New York's Noho consists of two studios. The consoles are a pair of Solid State Logic Duality Delta 48 channel consoles for recording and mixing in Studio 1 and Studio 2. Both studios are equipped with Avid Pro Tools PT Ultimate 2023.9 HDX3 64/64 systems with

5396-549: Was added to Studio 2. A Solid State Logic 4000 SL64 E Series 64 channel console in Studio M1 and a Solid State Logic 6000 SL72 E Series console in Studio M1. A pair of Neve VR 60 channel consoles in Studio A1, A2 & A3, a Neve VR 36 channel console in Studio A3, a Neve VR 72 channel console in Studio A1, a Neve V Series Vatican 60 channel console in Studio A3, a Neve 8068 40 channel console with Necam II moving fader automation, then GML moving faders in Studio A3 & Studio B, and

5472-718: Was born in Teaneck, New Jersey and raised in Bergen County . After graduating from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey , he attended the Institute of Audio Research . Gehringer’s first job in the music industry was at Greene Street Recording. From there, he went on to work as a cutting assistant at Trutone Records. In 1985, Gehringer joined Tom Coyne and Herbie Powers at Frankford-Wayne Mastering and mastered primarily dance and R&B records throughout

5548-467: Was conducted at Crystal Sound. The album has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder's "classic period" of recording. By 1974, Wonder was one of the most successful figures in popular music ; his previous albums Music of My Mind (1972), Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), and Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) were all back-to-back critical successes. However, by March 1975, Wonder seriously considered quitting

5624-802: Was located on Whitfield Street in Soho London. There were three studios and the consoles consisted of a Neve VR 72 channel console in Studio 1 for orchestral recording & mixing, a Neve VR 72 channel console in Studio 2 for overdub recording & mixing and a Solid State Logic 4000 SL56 E Series 56 channel console for band recording & mixing. The analog tape machines were Studer A820 & Studer A827 24 track 2 inch analog recorders and Studer A80 2 track 1/2 inch analog recorders. The digital tape machines included Sony 3348 48 channel 1/2 inch digital recorders, and Sony PCM 1630 2 track digital recorders. The monitoring systems were Boxer's as well as Yamaha, Genelec & Auratone near field speakers. The outboard gear

5700-775: Was recorded here. The Hit Factory London remained through 1993 until the Germano's sold their interests back to Sony Music ending the partnership and retaining The Hit Factory name and trademark. This facility later became Sony 's Whitfield Street Studio. In 1998, Ed and Troy purchased Criteria Recording in Miami, Florida , revamping and reopening the studios under the new name The Hit Factory Criteria Miami. The studios were designed again by Ed, Troy, and White Mark Limited UK (David Bell, Alan Cundell & Derek Buckingham). The facility had five recording studios–Studio A, Studio C, Studio D, Studio E, and Studio F–a completed mastering room used as

5776-447: Was reworked by Coolio as " Gangsta's Paradise " in 1995. That same year, smooth jazz artist Najee recorded a cover album titled Najee Plays Songs from the Key of Life , which is based entirely on Wonder's album. In 1999, Will Smith used "I Wish" as the base for his US number-one single " Wild Wild West " (Smith's song repeated the main melody of "I Wish" as a riff and re-formed some of Wonder's lyrics). In December 2013, Wonder did

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