Fulfillingness' First Finale
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Fulfillingness' First Finale | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 22, 1974 | |||
Recorded | Record Plant Studios and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles; Media Sound and Electric Lady Studios in New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:33 | |||
Label | Motown | |||
Producer | Stevie Wonder, Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil | |||
Stevie Wonder chronology | ||||
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Singles from Fulfillingness' First Finale | ||||
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Fulfillingness' First Finale is a 1974 album by Stevie Wonder; widely considered one of the albums from his "classic period".[2][3][4] Released on July 22, 1974 on the Tamla label, it is Wonder's nineteenth album overall, and seventeenth studio album.
Subsequent to the epic sweep and social consciousness of Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale projected a reflective, decidedly somber tone. While masterly, the musical arrangements used in several songs could be considered sparse in comparison to others among his 1970s masterworks, especially in the bleak "They Won't Go When I Go" and understated "Creepin'".
Though Fulfillingness' First Finale was largely a stripped down and more personal sounding record, Wonder had not completely foregone social commentary on the world around him. The Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "You Haven't Done Nothin'" launched a pointed criticism of the Nixon administration bolstered by clavinet, drum machine, and a Jackson 5 cameo.
Fulfillingness' First Finale was Wonder's first album to top the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart, where it remained for two weeks. It also reached number one on the Billboard Soul LPs chart, spending nine non-consecutive weeks there.[5] Fulfillingness' First Finale won three Grammy Awards at the 16th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album was voted number 413 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[6] It was also included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[7]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Austin Chronicle | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | A–[10] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[12] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound | 4/5[12] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Village Voice | B+[16] |
Fulfillingness' First Finale won Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal, Best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance (for "Boogie On Reggae Woman"), and Album of the Year in 1974.
Track listing
All songs written by Stevie Wonder, except where noted.
- Side One
- "Smile Please" – 3:28
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, drums
- Michael Sembello – electric guitar
- Reggie McBride – electric bass
- Bobbye Hall – congas, bongos
- Jim Gilstrap – background vocals
- Deniece Williams (credited as Denise) – background vocals
- "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" – 5:02
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Hohner clavinet, drums, Moog bass
- Paul Anka – background vocal
- Syreeta Wright – background vocal
- Shirley Brewer – background vocal
- Larry "Nastyee" Latimer – background vocal
- "Too Shy to Say" – 3:29
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, piano
- James Jamerson – acoustic bass
- Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" – 4:56
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Fender Rhodes, piano, harmonica, drums, Moog bass
- Rocky Dzidzornu – congas
- "Creepin'" – 4:22
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, harmonica, drums, Moog bass, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer
- Minnie Riperton – background vocal
- Side Two
- "You Haven't Done Nothin'" – 3:23
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Hohner clavinet, bass drum, hi-hat, cymbal
- Reggie McBride – electric bass
- The Jackson 5 – background vocals
- Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil – synthesizers
- Horns, drum machine – uncredited
- "It Ain't No Use" – 4:01
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, drums, Moog bass
- Lani Groves – background vocal
- Minnie Riperton – background vocal
- Deniece Williams – background vocal
- "They Won't Go When I Go" (Wonder, Yvonne Wright) – 5:58
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, piano, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer
- Bob and Malcolm - programming Moog
- "Bird of Beauty" – 3:48
- "Please Don't Go" – 4:07
- Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, piano, Fender Rhodes, harmonica, handclaps, drums, hi-hat, Moog bass
- Michael Sembello – acoustic guitar
- The Persuasions – background vocal
- Shirley Brewer – background vocal
- Deniece Williams – background vocal
Selected cover versions
- "Too Shy to Say" - Recorded by Diana Ross in 1978.
- "Too Shy to Say" - George Michael performed the song in his Faith Tour.
- "Creepin'" - Recorded by Luther Vandross for The Night I Fell in Love in 1985.
- "They Won't Go When I Go" - Recorded by George Michael for Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1 in 1990.
- "They Won't Go When I Go" - Recorded by Kevin Max for The Blood in 2007.
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Covered that same year by Jamaican reggae singer Pat Rhoden, released as a single only in the UK, produced by Webster Shrowder.
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Recorded by Stanley Turrentine on his 1987 album Wonderland.
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Recorded by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders on Legion of Mary: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1.
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Regularly performed live by Phish and featured on Hampton Comes Alive (1999) among other concert recordings.
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Recorded by Marcus Miller on Silver Rain in 2005.
- "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Recorded by Vulfpeck featuring singer Antwaun Stanley in 2015
- "You Haven't Done Nothing" - Recorded by Curumin for "Achados e Perdidos", in 2005.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year | Chart | Position |
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1974 | Soul Albums | 1 |
Top LP's & Tape |
Singles
Year | Single | Billboard Hot 100 |
Billboard Hot Soul Singles |
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1974 | "You Haven't Done Nothin'" | 1 | 1 |
"Boogie on Reggae Woman" | 3 | 1 |
See also
References
- ^ "Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)". Stereogum. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001). All music guide: the definitive guide to popular music (4 ed.). Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 447–448. ISBN 0-87930-627-0.
- ^ Cramer, Alfred William (2009). Musicians and composers of the 20th century. Vol. 5. Salem Press. p. 1645. ISBN 1-58765-517-9.
- ^ Brown, Jeremy K. (2010). Stevie Wonder: Musician. Black Americans of Achievement. Infobase Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 1-60413-685-5.
- ^ "Fulfillingness' First Finale - Stevie Wonder". AllMusic. 1974-07-22. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 154. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ Dimery, Robert (2011-12-05). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-84403-714-8.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Moser, Margaret. Review: Innervisions. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ a b "Fulfillingness' First Finale". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert (April 1, 2000). "Motown Releases Remind Us of Stevie Wonder's Impact". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ Q review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Christgau, Robert (October 24, 1974). "Consumer Guide (49)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ "Bird of Beauty" partial Portuguese lyrics provided by Sergio Mendes
External links
- Stevie Wonder albums
- 1974 albums
- Grammy Award for Album of the Year
- Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
- Tamla Records albums
- Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios
- Albums produced by Stevie Wonder
- Albums produced by Malcolm Cecil
- Albums recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios