Fulfillingness’ First Finale

Another great Stevie album. Although not as high on the list for me as some of the other work, great songwriting and great music.

So good, but I have to revisit and maybe grow some more to give it a 5

The fourth record of Stevie's 'classic period,' this alliterative thing doesn't have the immediately recognizable singles that Songs in the Key of Life, Innervisions, and Talking Book enjoy, but it's still a fantastic album. Slow and saccharine at times, it's yet always intricate, and possesses amusing lyrics such as: 'I'd like to make love to you / So you can make me scream'; 'When you sleep at night, baby / I wonder do I creep into your dreams'; 'There awaits you a ticket / At 'Please Have A Good Time' Station.' The bangers are 'Boogie On Reggae Woman' and 'You Haven't Done Nothin',' but it was the final three tracks that stood out most to me, especially 'They Won't Go When I Go,' a stunning, co-written alloy of Chopin and gospel.

Another WONDERful album.

I know this is good music, just not quite my style...but he has a beautiful voice. 2.5/5

An average Stevie album

You really never see people talking about this album the same way they do Innervisions, Songs In the Key of Life etc. Stevie was on a different level at this stage of his career, top tier stuff.

This was a nice album, but felt a bit flat for me personally

I do really like Stevie Wonder but don't think this was his finest work

3 ⭐️

Good album with some GREAT tracks. Not perfect... which I expected based on other albums Stevie put out in this era.

Fairly good. Quite a variety of songs some much better than others.

It really feels like Stevie Wonder's very best is music that no one dislikes. In particular, his work from 1972 to 1976 is solid gold, and Fulfillingness' First Finale lands in the middle of this run. I will say, this has a hard time living up to its surrounding albums, but given the incredibly high quality ceiling here, that isn't exactly a damning accusation. This is still an excellent album full of really great songs, many on the same level as Wonder's best. The sound that Wonder is known for, combining soul with funk, motown, R&B and more is on full display here, and the topics discussed here are focused and consistently interesting. These songs are about love, religion, spirituality, hope and the occasional jab at Richard Nixon. There really isn't a bad song here, but highlights include Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away, which explores Wonder's relationship with religious faith, the breezy Bird Of Beauty, and the politically minded You Haven't Done Nothin, featuring The Jackson 5. I would like to make special mention of They Won't Go When I Go, which captures a tone heard nowhere else here, and carries some real gravity. It is one of Stevie Wonder's best songs ever. I will say that I don't think I connect to every song here, but I can understand that this is fantastically constructed from front to back. There is just something joyful and transcendent that Stevie Wonder's music is often steeped in, and that X-Factor is on full display here, making this a truly valuable project.

I love love Stevie, I am convinced everything he touches turns to gold. However, I would not say that this is his best album. But there is something about what he does to music that makes one grin from ear to ear.

They Won't Go When I Go is a banger. The rest is very nice as well!

essa arte da capa é bacana demais
a primeira metade eh obra de arte!!!!!
a segunda eh ok mas ele vai lá CANTA EM PORTUGUES DO NADA EM BIRD OF BEAUTY. LINDO DEMAIS PARABENS

Good enough album but not the best I’ve heard from Stevie Wonder. It’s lacking that mega stand out track, everything is kinda samey.

The Good: Again we are treated to a wonder!
The Bad: At times, it feels that we’ve heard the wonder before…
The Ugly: FFF…

Oddly enough, I thought I had listened to all of Stevie’s “classic period” albums, but I guess that this one escaped me.

I really liked it, and technically speaking, I should be giving this album a 5*, however, I frequently felt like I was listening to something I had heard before, but not as good… and that’s because his Opus was still to come…

Let’s flip that coin… 4 1/2* becomes...

It’s an extremely relaxed, funky record. Lots of zany keys and soulful ballads. It’s that dreaded thing though where, for me, it fades into the background and becomes just a nice “vibe.” It's definitely adding something to my day, but I won’t be rushing back for repeat listens.

I wasn't familiar with the album before. I liked it very much. I will listen to Stevie Wonder more often. 4/5

Not one of Stevie's I'd listened to before. Only managed a couple of listens. Seems to follow a similar formula of several funk/soul bangers and a couple of skippable ballads.

Il y a des artistes qui ont la chance de sortir un chef-d'oeuvre dans leur carrière. Et puis il y a Stevie Wonder, le mec, qui entre 1972 et 1976, n'a pas sorti un, mais une série de chefs-d'oeuvre absolus, une suite de disques si parfaits qu'on se demande encore aujourd'hui comment un seul être humain a pu atteindre un tel état de grâce. Cette période, qu'on appelle sa "période classique", est un monument de l'histoire de la musique.

Et c'est là tout le problème de "Fulfillingness' First Finale" car lui n'est pas un chef-d'oeuvre ni un grand disque mais c'est un bon disque. Et un "bon" disque de Stevie Wonder de 1974, croyez-moi, ça reste meilleur que 95% de la production musicale de n'importe quelle autre année.

Il faut tout de même lui reconnaître ses immenses qualités. C'est un album qui explose les étiquettes et le réduire à de la "black music" serait une insulte. Stevie, à cette époque, est un musicien total. Il brasse les influences avec une aisance déconcertante. On y trouve des rythmes latinos, du reggae ("Boogie On Reggae Woman"), de la samba funky ("Bird of Beauty"), de la soul, du gospel... C'est un véritable tour du monde musical, un témoignage de sa curiosité et de son génie à synthétiser des sons venus de partout pour en faire quelque chose d'unique.

C'est aussi, un album où il pousse plus loin son exploration des sons électroniques. Le synthétiseur Moog, l'ARP, le Clavinet... Ces instruments, qui pouvaient sonner froids et mécaniques chez d'autres, deviennent sous ses doigts des outils pour créer des textures chaudes, organiques, presque vivantes. Des morceaux comme le magnifique "Creepin'" sont des merveilles de production, des paysages sonores oniriques et enveloppants.

Alors, qu'est-ce qui cloche ? Pourquoi ce disque est-il considéré comme un ton en dessous des autres ?

Pour les raisons simples qu'il est moins cohérent, moins percutant que d'autres. "Fulfillingness' First Finale" est plus introspectif, plus personnel, plus apaisé. C'est un disque plus doux, plus romantique et forcément, il perd un peu en énergie ce qu'il gagne en tendresse.

Le seul véritable coup de gueule de l'album, c'est "You Haven't Done Nothin'", une charge anti-Nixon d'une efficacité redoutable, avec les Jackson 5 aux choeurs s'il vous plaît. Mais le reste de l'album est sur un tempo plus lent, plus méditatif.

Le 3 sur 5 est donc une note sévère, mais juste si on le juge à la discographie de Stevie Wonder. C'est le paradoxe du génie : on finit par le juger selon les standards impossibles qu'il a lui-même fixés. Pour n'importe qui d'autre, ce serait l'album d'une vie. Pour Stevie Wonder, c'est "juste" un très bon disque de transition. Un disque à découvrir absolument, pour la beauté de ses mélodies et la richesse de ses textures.