(The .5 deduction is because a sealed Japanese first pressing exists, and no one has ever actually seen one in the wild.)
In the pantheon of box sets, few are as ironically invisible as Stevie Wonder’s "At The Close Of A Century." Released on November 23, 1999, this 4-CD behemoth was supposed to be the definitive statement on the genius of a 20th-century titan. Instead, it became a phantom—a whispered legend among collectors, a digital ghost, and arguably the most RAR (Rare and sought-after) official release in Motown’s history. STEVIE WONDER AT THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY RAR
Why?
For those who own it, it is a sacred text. For those who don’t, it is the one that got away. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: You cannot stream this set. It is not on Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal. Physical copies (the original longbox, the 4-panel digipak, and the rare Japanese pressing) command prices between $250 and $600+ on Discogs and eBay. For those who own it, it is a sacred text
Do you own a copy? Or are you still hunting for the FLAC rip of "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away (Alternate Vocal)"? Sound off below. It is not on Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
Produced by Stevie’s then-manager, Keith Harris, the set was released during the tumultuous transition from physical to digital media. It contained deep cuts, alternate mixes, and live tracks that Motown’s legal team later realized overlapped with complex licensing agreements for Stevie’s Original Musiquarium and the At The Close... companion DVD. Rather than renegotiate, Motown (under Universal) simply let it go out of print in 2001. They never looked back.
For the casual fan? No. Buy Songs in the Key of Life and stop.
