3 September 2025

Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)

Fulfillingness' First Finale is the seventeenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. It is the fourth of five albums from what is considered Wonder's "classic period".
The album was Wonder's second to top the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart, where it remained for two weeks, and also reached number one on the Billboard Soul LPs chart, where it spent eight non-consecutive weeks between October 5 and Christmas 1974.
Following the epic scope and social consciousness themes of Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, in contrast, projected a more reflective, personal, and somber tone. 
The musical arrangements used in several songs, especially the bleak "They Won't Go When I Go" and the understated "Creepin'", were sparse compared to those of some of Wonder's other 1970s tracks. 
Wonder had not completely foregone social commentary, as evidenced by the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "You Haven't Done Nothin'", which launched a pointed criticism of the Nixon administration bolstered by clavinet, drum machine, and a cameo by the Jackson 5.
The songs and arrangements are the warmest since Talking Book, and Stevie positively caresses his vocals on this set, encompassing the vagaries of love, from dreaming of it ("Creepin'") to being bashful of it ("Too Shy to Say") to knowing when it's over ("It Ain't No Use"). 
The two big singles are "Boogie on Reggae Woman," with a deep electronic groove balancing organic congas and gospel piano, and "You Haven't Done Nothin'," an acidic dismissal of President Nixon and the Watergate controversy (he'd already written "He's Misstra Know-It-All" on the same topic). 
As before, Fulfillingness' First Finale is mostly the work of a single man; Stevie invited over just a bare few musicians, and most of those were background vocalists (though of the finest caliber: Minnie Riperton, Paul Anka, Deniece Williams, and the Jackson 5). 
Also as before, the appearances are perfectly chosen; "Too Shy to Say" can only benefit from the acoustic bass of Motown institution James Jamerson and the heavenly steel guitar of Sneaky Pete Kleinow, while the Jackson 5 provide some righteous amens to Stevie's preaching on "You Haven't Done Nothin'." 
It's also very refreshing to hear more songs devoted to the many and varied stages of romance, among them "It Ain't No Use," "Too Shy to Say," "Please Don't Go."
At the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, it won in three categories: Album of the Year (Wonder's second consecutive win in this category), Best Male Pop Vocal, and Best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance (for "Boogie On Reggae Woman") at the ceremony held in 1975. 
Retrospectively, the album was voted number 413 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000) and included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.


Track listing
  1. "Smile Please" – 3:26
  2. "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" – 5:01
  3. "Too Shy to Say" – 3:31
  4. "Boogie On Reggae Woman" – 4:54
  5. "Creepin'" – 4:17
  6. "You Haven't Done Nothin'" – 3:27
  7. "It Ain't No Use" – 3:58
  8. "They Won't Go When I Go" – 5:59
  9. "Bird of Beauty" – 3:46
  10. "Please Don't Go" – 4:06
 All songs written by Stevie Wonder, except "They Won't Go When I Go", written by Wonder and Yvonne Wright.


Personnel

"Smile Please"

"Heaven Is 10 Zillion Years Away"

  • 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"

"Boogie On Reggae Woman"

  • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Fender Rhodes, piano, harmonica, drums, Moog bass
  • Rocky Dzidzornu – congas

"Creepin'"

"You Haven't Done Nothin"

  • 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"

  • 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"

  • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, piano, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer
  • Bob and Malcolm – programming Moog

"Bird of Beauty"

  • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Fender Rhodes, Hohner clavinet, drums, percussions, Moog bass
  • Bobbye Hall – cuíca
  • Shirley Brewer – background vocal
  • Lani Groves – background vocal
  • Deniece Williams – background vocal
  • Sérgio Mendes – Portuguese lyrics
  • Drum machine – uncredited

"Please Don't Go"

  • 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

Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released:  July 22, 1974 
Recorded:  Studio Record Plant, Los Angeles, Westlake, Los Angeles, Mediasound, New York City, Electric Lady, New York City
Genre:  Progressive soul 
Length:  42:21 
Producer:  Stevie Wonder · Robert Margouleff (assoc.) · Malcolm Cecil (assoc.)
Label:  Tamla

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