The 12 Best Summer Albums of All Time

best summer albums stevie wonderBest Album For Battling Big-City Heat Waves

Stevie Wonder | Songs In the Key of Life ($13 @ Amazon.com) | 1976

Widely considered one of the greatest R&B/pop albums of all time — where would Coolio be if not for “Pastime Paradise?” — Songs mercifully predates Wonder’s post-disco treacle like “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Even a song called “Ordinary Pain” sounds happy, while the instrumental “Easy Going Evening” is as advertised. Unintentional summer-related coincidence: Lollapalooza is another term for an “all day sucker,” which is one of the bonus tracks on this album.

Summeriest song: “Summer Soft”