 | |
List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Motown
Salesrank: 3525
Released: March 21, 2000 |
| Our Price: $4.95 |
| Used Price: $4.75 |
|
| Media: Audio CD |
|
Fulfillingness' First Finale Track Listing:
1. Smile Please
2. Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away
3. Too Shy to Say
4. Boogie On Reggae Woman
5. Creepin'
6. You Haven't Done Nothin'
7. It Ain't No Use
8. They Won't Go When I Go
9. Bird of Beauty
10. Please Don't Go
Editorial Review:
Japanese exclusive reissue of 1974 album. Packaged in a miniature gatefold LP sleeve. Limited to 5,000 pieces. Motown. 2003.
Description of Fulfillingness' First Finale:
Stevie Wonder was in the middle of a multi-album roll when he put out this funk and soul collection, clunky title and all, in 1974. As usual, he adds depth and unexpected touches to even the most straightforward love song--the moving piano ballad "Too Shy to Say" has a spooky feeling, as if "I want to fly away with you, until there's nothing more to do" is the saddest line he ever sang. The harder songs, such as the fuzzy funk of "Boogie On Reggae Woman" and the angry "doo-de-wop" attack on Richard Nixon in "You Haven't Done Nothin'," add urgency without sacrificing the album's cohesiveness. --Steve Knopper
Fulfillingness' First Finale Reviews:
Simply Beautiful 
2007-12-08 - I just finished listening to this album again. Although I don't know every note by heart as with Songs In The Key Of Life, I love it just as much.
It starts rather slow with Smile Please, a beautiful call for people to put a smile on their faces, to stow away the frowns.
Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away to me is Stevie's all time best song. Wonderful melodies with lyrics that go so deep and stay with you forever.
Like with a concept album Stevie has never built a better tension, constructed a better flow of his different melodies on a single album. A slow start, slowing down even more, then, with Boogie Down Reggae Woman changing pace, only to slow down again. But don't worry, never boring for a second. Of course there's the mid tempo stompin' You Haven't Done Nothing with the Jackson Five as background vocals (and a great horn section). Speaking of which, Stevie's list of guests is incredible: Denise Williams, Minnie Ripperton, Syreeta of course, Paul Anka, Michael Sembello.
A beautiful romantic album that will stay with you forever.
Stevie's Most Romantic Album
2007-11-07 - Sanwiched between the masterpieces Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life, the 1974 album "Fulfillingness' First Finale" is often less debated but it doesn't make it less wonderful. However, it's quite diffrent then both of them, While "Innervisions" was socio-conscious and "Key of Life" more autobiographical this one ends up being a collective of mostly romantic love songs with quite sparse arrangements compared to Wonder's most adventourous efforts with his patented futuristic syntheziers. But Wonder was at his creative peak during the classic period 1972-1976 and his albums started to sell better and better after the crossover smash Talking Book when people of all backrounds had realized how amazing he was. "Fulfillingness' First Finale" was no exception and reached the top of the album charts spawning two top 3 singles aswell and just like "Talking Book" it also features plenty of interesting guest appearences like Paul Anka, Minnie Ripperton and Jackson 5 (all singing backround vocals). The album is defenitely worth a second look if you haven't heard about it before.
It all starts with a slow ballad called "Smile Please", at first it may sound rather forgettable but after repeated listens it will find it's way to your heart. The song is about taking life for what it is and making the best out of what it has to offer. Stevie sings "Don't mess your face up with better tears/'Cause life is gonna be what it is/ It's okay, please don't delay from smiling.../There're brighter days ahead". And he is so right about that. The standout here in my oppinion is "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" a midtempo with gospel choirs about finding god. Stevie sings "Why can't they say that hate is 10 zillion light years away/ Why can't the light of good shine God's love in every soul/ Why must my color black make me a lesser man/I thought this world was made for every man/He loves us all, that's what my God tells me". "Too Shy To Say" is one of the slowest songs I ever heard him sing, it's basically only Stevie and a piano but it's still a very beautiful ballad. "Boogie On a Reggae Women" is Jazzy piano vs Funky bass. This song is a midtempo and reached a #3 on the pop charts. "Creepin" a slow ballad and among the alltime finest and most romantic. Backround vocals from Ripperton, I guess you recognize her unique voice?. The Jackson 5 joins in on the most funky song here "You haven't Done Nothing" which follows the same musical path as "Higher Ground" and "Superstition", the lyrics deal with the same thing as "He's Misstra Know It All" from his last album. It reached number 1!. "It Ain't No Use" another slow ballad with backround choirs, the song is about a relationship going wrong and once again Wonder makes the song better then it is with his performence. A sensitive but sad piano ballad with gospel called "They Won't Go When I Go", good song after repeated listens. One of the best songs is defenitely "Bird of Beauty" with it's exotic feeling and funky bass lines, Stevie also sings in Portuguese here so I guess he was inspired by Brazilian music at the time. Sergio Mendes maybe?. The album's last song is the soulish midtempo/ballad "Please Don't Go", yet another wonderful song.
Overall, "Fulfillingness' First Finale" may not be his most selling album nor most adventurous but song after song here is memorable on their own right. A few funky numbers but mostly romantically written and very beautiful love songs sets the tone for the 4th out of 5 albums from Stevie Wonder's most creative time. It may not be the first album to pick up but any ambitious Stevie Wonder fan should defenitely give it a chance. You won't regret it.
Not his best, but certainly not his worse....
2007-09-17 - Even a not so great Stevie Wonder album in comparison to other artist is a masterpiece. This isn't my favorite Stevie album maybe because of the last half of the album. "Too Shy to Say" and "Boogie on Reggae Woman" are great songs, as are others on here. But they all come during the first half. Again though, even a not so great Stevie album is a great album compared to other artists. So even the second half of the album isn't bad. I just tend to skip more of the last few songs than listen to them. I still say "Talking Book" is his best album or "Songs in the Key of Life" A lot of people love this one as much as the others, just not me though. It's just missing something. I still consider this in his top 4 best albums. With "Music of My Mind" fifth.
One of Stevie Wonder's many classic albums
2007-07-25 - This is a very moody album. Even "Smile Please", which you'd expect by the title to be this all-out joyous funfest like "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing", has a hint of melancholy. To say nothing of the really melancholy songs: the spiritual "Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away"; the emotional "They Won't Go When I Go"; eerie love song "Creepin'" - two of the three songs concern death. Hell, even the funk-a-thon "You Haven't Done Nothin'" is a tirade against Nixon - it was a hit, and it's catchy, danceable, smart and easily a highlight, but I can't shake the nagging feeling that it sounds like "Superstition". Then again, "Superstition" laid the groundwork for all of Stevie's funk-a-thons, so maybe that's a moot point. Wonder's only genuinely happy in a couple spots: the reggae-funk hybrid "Boogie on Reggae Woman", a massive hit and it's a damn good time; the lovely "Bird of Beauty", and "Please Don't Go", with full choir singing backups. Not that I'm saying the only Stevie is joyous Stevie - come on, I gave Innervisions five stars! And the darker songs are among the best: "Creepin'" is my favorite outside of "Boogie On"; "Heaven" has interesting keyboards; "They Won't Go" is, like "All in Love is Tony Blair", therapeutically cathartic. I think the spacey "Too Shy to Say" is a bore, but that's it: this is another of Stevie's best.
An almost spiritual experience
2007-05-18 - The only thing new that I could possibly add to any forum regarding this phenomenal piece of musical artistry is that whenever I put it on, I experience something that goes way beyond listening pleasure. Listening to this CD, from beginning to end, is for me, almost like a spiritual experience. I find it spiritually healing. It's restful and uplifting all at the same time. Each song picks me up in a soothing emotional embrace and carries me like a newborn baby on to the next one, right till the end of the CD, when I wake up from my trance and wonder where all the time went.
Stevie Wonder doesn't have many peers but I will forever be in awe of him and his small group of fellow legends whose music is still relevant, still vibrant, still totally engaging, well over 30 years after it was first made.
Absolutely beautiful. Five stars are nowhere near enough.
