Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale
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Free Music Notes for Fulfillingness' First Finale
Free Music Review: The best of the best
Hit: 5 Stars
I just revisited this album, which is my favorite Stevie Wonder set. I forgot how good these songs really are, from beginning to end. No tracks are too short nor do they last forever. We know Stevie can be guilty of that from time to time (hello, Songs In The Key Of Life!), but no such thing occurs on FFF.
I think the thing that really took me by storm this time around was the quality of the remastering. For years I had the old CD reissued by Motown with no liner notes and muddy, airy sound. Well, I received the remastered version a couple years ago with full liner notes and credits ... but this is the first time I had a chance to really BLAST it while I was on the road on a solo trip. All the songs sound full and clear with plenty of bass, and every note of every instrument and vocal lick are apparent. In 1974 Stevie was still singing songs rather than doing acrobatics all the way through them, and his vocals are well-recorded and effective, a perfect fit for his own music. Listening to Smile Please all the way through to Please Don't Go while driving through hills lined with autumnal-colored trees and silvery skies was an awesome experience, and gave me an even deeper appreciation for this set of songs.
Creepin' is probably the most widely-known song from this set. It has been done justice many times by a wide variety of artists, but Stevie's remains the definitive version, a timeless classic.
I would implore anyone who likes Stevie, 70's music, or just good music in general to check this album out!
Free Music Review: A Most Fulfilling Album
Hit: 5 Stars
How much does one really have to say about Stevie Wonder? If you don't already know that he's a genius you've been living under a rock for the last 40 years. "Fulfillingness' First Finale" falls right in the middle of Wonder's most fruitful period or pretty much the entire 1970's! When he says "Sing it loud for your people" in "You Haven't Done Nuthin" you'll surely join in the pure confection. If you don't you must not have a soul because this music is so powerful, moving, romantic and soulful that it would make anyone stand up and testify to the power of Wonder. The songs flow seamlessly from one into the next switching grooves without missing a beat. There's also spectacular guest appearances by The Jackson 5 and backing vocals by the late great Minnie Ripperton. If you don't own this album you should buy it now because you won't buy anything better! It's not the sprawling masterwork that "Songs In The Key Of Life" is (though what is?) but it's just as good an album . It's amazing to think that this music was recorded 31 years ago. It sounds as fresh today as any R&B music you'll hear and like most of Wonder's music it holds up well. Buy it now!Free Music Review: ....stevie's musical finale...a musical dream reality....
Hit: 5 Stars
stevie wonder's 1974 album 'fulfillingness first finale'is an album of musical ethereal beauty.it is also mixed with social and spiritual overtones,romantic love and classic seventies funk.wonder produced and arranged this album for his taurus productions,inc.(black bull music)'fulfillingness first finale'would be the fourth straight album in a row of which wonder would be working with his hired synthesizer comrades robert margouleff and malcolm cecil.this 1974 masterpiece was recorded at the record plant-L.A./media sound-new york/westlake audio-L.A./and jimi hendrix's legendary electric ladyland studios-new york.also on hand were the recordists joan decola and gary olazabal.4 me as a child of the sixties and the seventies when i grew a little older 2 appreciate music even more,i was awestruck by stevie wonder's musical genius.having been amazed by wonder's classic'innervisions'album the year before in 1973 as a 9 or 10 year old kid,'fulfillingness first finale'4 me brings back so many sweet memories when i was a child in elementary school.as is the tradition that is of music,an artist will release singles before the actual album is released.i and many other fans of wonder could not wait 4 the release of this album.but first things are first.it was those exciting 45 single discs!i remember as a ten year old kid going on eleven when stevie released the funk singles from this album:'you haven't done nothin'and 'boogie on reggae woman'both of these 45 singles were singles that my sweet mother bought 4 me in which i still do have 2 this day.as a kid,i just completely wore out the grooves of these 45 singles til they were white!i still remember it like it was yesterday when my mother bought me the second single from the album,'boogie on reggae woman'-my mother thought that something was wrong with the needle on the beginning of the song.she actually thought that the needle was actually skipping from groove 2 groove on the 45 single.but that was the way stevie used that synthesizer effect on the song that caught my mother off guard'/'fulfillingness first finale'is the first album that my mother bought 4 me on an 8 track tape (of which that i still have 2 this day.)(ah,if only the young folk of today could just understand how special those times were when musicians PLAYED and singers SANG.)i also have the original album on vinyl format and now on cd.when my mother bought me this album on a white plasic 8 track tape cartridge in late 1974, i was excited as a child could be.i was also amazed by the amazing cover illustration of this album which was done by artist bob gleason. the title of this album came 2 stevie in a dream.'smile please'the moderate upbeat opener of the album,is a song that so much expresses that when sadness or unhappiness takes over smiling is the answer.there is not much lyrical content in the song,but it's few key lines make the message worth while:'a smiling face is an earthlike star-a frown can't bring out the beauty that you are;don't mess your face up with bitter tears cause life is gonna be what it is-love within and you'll begin smiling-there are brighter days ahead'.../the heavenly ethereal but spiritual 'heaven is 10 zillion light years away'is the first of the two spiritual songs on the album.(the other one is 'they won't go when i go')/'heaven is 10 zillion light years away'(my father's favorite cut on this album)(which also features paul anka,shirley brewer,larry latimer and stevie's ex-wife at the time the beautiful syreeta wright providing background vocals) with it's incredible melody has a message that is of the heavens and feeling the spirit of god while at the same time wonder addresses with biting stinging comentary in the song of which he addreses atheists:'for those who don't believe(in god)will never see the light'(institutional) racism done towards black people of which wonder cuts through the heart of the matter:'why must my color black make me a lessor man?'-'i thought this world was made for every man,he(god)loves us all'...'but in my heart i can feel it,feel his spirit'...wonder brilliantly mixed the wrong doings of man and heavenly enlightenment with this classic spiritual./'too shy to say'is the first slow cut on the album.the song is about sensual longing with his woman but is being shy about expressing his feelings 2 her in that he really loves her.this slow cut has a slight'country and western'vibe 2 it.on the song,wonder has the classic legendary motown bassist james jamerson on acoustic bass and'sneakey'pete on pedal steel guitar.'boogie on reggae woman'with it's laid back caribbean-reggae groove has wonder playing all of the instruments except the congas.in the song,wonder expresses his vocal 'drawl'4 his hot desire for a 'reggae woman' whom he spots on the dance floor...'i like to see you boogie right across the floor-i like to do it to you-til you holla for more'...the 'drawl'that stevie uses in his voice is funny and funky at the same.the deep heavy synthesized bass groove on this cut controls the rhythm of the funk.as the groove picks up more momentum,wonder asks us ''can i play?-CAN I PLAY???(stevie's classic harmonica playing with vocal and instrumental interplay takes the song over the top)-another funny memory about this cut reminds me of my father back in the day.whenever i would play this song, stevie would ask can i play?my father would playfully shout back NO!!!this groove is still funky after 30 years and will remain funky 4 ever...but 'creepin'(sorry luther vandross fans this is the original!)no matter how good the rest of this album is,'creepin'is my favorite cut on this album when i was a child and still is now that i'm an adult.for this cut,wonder returns back 2 his one man band persona.also for this track wonder has the beautiful minnie riperton providing her sweet sensual backing vocals in the song.the lyrics in this song 4 his lady are simply incredible:'when i'm sleep at night babaa,i feel those moments of ecstacy-when you sleep at night babaa i wonder do i creep into your dreams-or could it be i sleep alone in my fantasy....'oh love is so amazing-guess you will be stayin'-so let it be!that you always creep into my dreams...this classic dreamy technicolor slowjam is one 4 the ages.my special memory about this song was that when i was a ten or eleven year old kid back in the 5th grade when i was in elementary school,i would walk to school singing this song and thinking about the two girls in my class that i had a crush on.i had school boy dreams that i had married one of them.the first girl i had a crush on her name was donna and the other girl's name was robin.(even though i was 2 shy 2 express my feelings for either girl,it was only a puppylove fantasy.)ah,'creepin'was the jam back when i was a 10 or 11 year old kid and is still the jam now.'you haven't done nothin'is the album's most powerful cut and the first single release.as a kid i liked the song so much i begged my mother 2 buy the 45 single 4 me and she did.i remember playing this 45 everyday getting ready 4 school looking out the window and jamming 2 it by the windowpane.by playing the 45 single so much,i completely wore out the grooves 2 it until the single was damn near white!!!the song is stevie's vocal assault on the then so-called devil president richard 'TRICKY DICK'nixon.stevie's scathing assault on this bastard serves this devil right.wonder immediately cut thru the chase and and pulls no punches with no mercy blew this fool out the water with these scathing lyrics:'it's not to cool to be ridiculed,but you brought this upon yourself!'/'we would not care to wake up to the nightmare that's becoming real life...but when mislead who knows a person's mind can turn as cold as ice...'and we are sick and tired of hearing your song-tellin' how you are gonna change right from wrong-cause if you really want to hear our views,you haven't done nothin!'...stevie also has the group the jackson 5 harmonizing the doo doo wop background vocals in this scathing funk cut.'it ain't no use'is a moderate ballad about the end of a love affair between a man and a woman(with backing vocals provided by lani groves,minnie riperton and deniece williams).in the song,wonder describes that love's fire had burned out and the relationship cannot be saved,but still offered hope and redemption 4 the both of them 2 find love anew:'we still are young and both of us have time to find our winter love in spring'...of course by the song's end the breakup is official:'it ain't no use cause we done run out of juice'and he tells her:'so long baby,bye bye baby'...'they won't go when i go'is the second and final spiritual cut on the album.co-written with yvonne wright,the song is spiritually powerful with wonder's opening quiet piano intro.it would be almost a full minute until wonder began his serious spiritual vocals.in the song,wonder intones to us all that GOD wants us 2 steer away from those who are not of good and are of the evil persuasion.the song's key dramatic section when he states:'unclean minds mislead the pure/the innocent will leave for sure/for them there's a resting place/people sinning just for fun/they will never see the sun/for they can never show their faces/there ain't no room for the hopeless sinner/who will take more than he will give'...wonder's spiritual message is clear.there are those of us who want peace thru all eternity and there are those of us who do not.the final lyrics 2 this song completes it's message:'since my soul conceived/all that i believe/the kingdom i will see/cause they won't go when i go/and i'll go where i'll go /no one can keep me from my...DESTINY/they won't go WHEN I GO...4 me personally after hearing this spiritual cut no matter what one's spiritual affiliation is,you cannot helped but be moved by this classic,spiritual meditation piece.'bird of beauty'is a similar twin 2 'smile please'but is more musically vibrant.the song has an unusual beginning and is also sung in 2 different languages.it's message is for one to relax their mind when one is in stress.shirley brewer,lani groves and deneice williams provide exciting vocals 2 start the song off and they shine throughout the song.with free your mind lyrics,we all need time off and wonder delivers these time 2 relax sentiments:'simon says that now your mind desires a vacation/free it to join in fun and plenty recreation/there awaits you a ticket at ''please have a good time station''...these lyrics are for one 2 escape and to get away and let the mind and soul be free while at the same time wonder warns his listeners 2 enjoy life but leave the trappings of drugs alone when he states:'there is so much in life for you to feel/unfound in white,red or yellow pills/a mind excursion can be such a thrill/you please satisfy-take a chance and ride/the bird of beauty of the sky...stevie thanked jazz musician sergio mendes for the translation of lyrics on 'bird of beauty'to portuguese for him 2 be able 2 speak 2 his beautiful people of mozambique and the beautiful people of brazil.'smile please'is the final upbeat cut from this classic album.it's message is not for his woman 2 leave him in the midst of a breakup:'and i'll do everything you want me to/if you promise that you won't leave tonight/cause i'll cry a river of tears/with just the thought of you not here in my life'...the track has a strong climatic finish and ending with wonder begging 4 his woman 2 stay with him in the midnight hours and 2 never leave him,ending the album with an exhaustive breathtaking conclusion...as an 11 year old kid my father and i attended his concert together when he came 2 dallas and i still have his 1974 concert brochure entitled 'stevie wonder's fall festival tour'...stevie wonder would win grammies for his 'fulfillingness first finale'album in march,1975... Free Music Review: Effortless masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
To say that Stevie Wonder experienced an "artistic peak" in the early-to-mid 1970s seems like a gross understatement. Here's a guy who, if he had retired after "Signed Sealed and Delivered" would be remembered as a great Motown soul artist, who then took an enormous leap forward into a realm of creativity that combined an avant-garde approach both to rhythm and to electronic instruments, with a naked expressiveness about a wide range of emotions and feelings, from love to grief to political rage. All the while, manufacturing the freshest-sounding melodies and richest harmonies this side of Brian Wilson. If you haven't explored this music, take your pick from "Music of My Mind," "Talking Book," "Innervisions," this album, or its follow-up "Songs in the Key of Life." They're all equally accomplished, with their moments of sheer ecstasy, and I would say they're all essential listening.
I happen to prefer "Fulfillingess'..." slighly over the others, because for me it hits its emotional targets with songs like "Smile Please," "Creepin'" and "It Ain't no Use," and sets up some deeply funky rhythms with "You Haven't Done Nothin'" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" and "Bird of Beauty." Whereever you start, you won't be sorry.
Free Music Review: Deserves More!
Hit: 5 Stars
When it comes to blending moods,textures,funkiness and mellowness with that ever important quality of song NO ONE canand probably will match Stevie Wonder!His words abound in high
sociopolitical optimism while also reveling in often regretful
romantic revelries!And he wraps all that into this a sea of
tasteful arrangements,slightly jazz texutures and a great sense of a groove!
Now THAT'S just the overall sound!There are classic hits
like "Boogies On Reggae Woman" and the scathingly political
"You Haven't Done Nothin'".And when the rest of the album consists of songs like "Creepin'","Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light
Years Away" and the as yet undiscovered "Bird Of Beauty" sound
even MORE like potential hits then you've got it made!