Project 1001: Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder

This album is packed with amazing songs. Stevie Wonder’s voice never sounded better to me. My favorite is "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away". I think it has such an optimistic viewpoint and is uplifting with a strong statement of faith. Beautiful. “Creepin’” is another standout to me, although that maybe be simply because I am so familiar with the Luther Vandross version to which I’m partial. I’ve always loved Stevie Wonder, but he’s never been in consistently in my rotation for some reason. That ends now. I’ll be spinning this record and many of his others from now on with regularity.

I noticed a few musical tics, for lack of a better term, that made me think of Prince. A small grunt or high-pitched moan-like note. Stevie plays most of the music here and Prince was famous for often doing the same. I’ll have to ponder further, but I think there are lots of similarities between the two colossuses. My rating:

Even though Wonder performed almost every part of this album himself, he employs a virtual all-star contingent of collaborating artists on this album including Deniece Williams, Michael Sembello, Minnie Riperton, Paul Anka, The Persuasions, Syreeta Wright, The Jackson 5¹, and Sérgio Mendes² among others.

The AllMusic review:

After the righteous anger and occasional despair of the socially motivated Innervisions, Stevie Wonder returned with a relationship record…The only element lacking here, in comparison to the rest of his string of brilliant early-'70s records, is a clear focus; Fulfillingness' First Finale is more a collection of excellent songs than an excellent album.³

From the Rolling Stone review:

As its title declares, the album is a culmination of what has come before, but it is by no means a final destination…A self-assured serenity pervades FFF, and it opposes the tension and urgency which made Talking Book and Innervisions more exciting albums.

A striking example of his cosmopolitan approach is the stark and dramatic “They Won’t Go When I Go.” Inspired by gospel testifying, nonetheless the song variously sounds Islamic, Gregorian, and even Hebraic, reflecting the syncretism of Wonder’s religion. Stately and decorous, doleful, even stone-righteous, the track’s blend of tones and fervent piety make it FFF‘s most arresting track.⁴

Terry Gross took a deep dive earlier this year on her radio program Fresh Air. If so inclined, you can follow the link to listen to or read the whole thing: 50 years later, Stevie Wonder's 'First Finale' remains ripe for rediscovery.

In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, John Lewis wrote:

The songs, recorded after Stevie’s near-fatal car crash of August 6, 1973, are more lif affirming than 1973’s often-angry Innervisions…Most memorable of all was the militant “You Haven’t Done Nothin’.” It revisited the stomping funk-rock of “Superstition” and became Stevie’s fourth U.S. No. 1, aided by Motown label-mates The Jackson Five on backing vocals.”⁵

Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!

Prime Playlist: 205. Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

 Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #1, two weeks⁶
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: "You Haven't Done Nothin'", #1; “Boogie On Reggae Woman”, #3⁷
• RIAA certification: n/a

Released on July 22, 1974. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Annie’s Song” by John Denver⁸
• Number one album: Caribou by Elton John⁹
• Number one movie: Herbie Rides Again by Robert Stevenson¹⁰
• Most watched TV programs: All in the Family, The Waltons, Sanford and Son, M*A*S*H, Hawaii Five-O, Maude, Kojak, Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Mary Tyler Moore, Cannon, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bob Newhard Show, Wonderful World of Disney, Gunsmoke, NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, Happy Days, Good Times, Barnaby Jones, Monday Night Football¹¹
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Watership Down by Richard Adams¹²
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: All the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward¹³

Some other albums released that month

• Up for the Down Stroke by Parliament
• Another Time, Another Place by Bryan Ferry
• On the Beach by Neil Young
• Machine Gun by Commodores
• 461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton
• Avalanche by Mountain
• I'm Leaving It All Up to You by Donny and Marie Osmond
• Mirror Image by Blood, Sweat & Tears
• Small Talk by Sly & the Family Stone
• Some Nice Things I've Missed by Frank Sinatra
• Truck Turner by Isaac Hayes¹⁴

Sport

• Jul 21 61st Tour de France: Eddy Merckx of Belgium wins 5th Tour that he enters; equals Jacques Anquetil record for Tour victories.
• Jul 21 US Open Women's Golf, La Grange CC: Sandra Haynie wins by 1 shot from Beth Stone and Carol Mann.
• Jul 23 45th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 7-2 at 3 Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Steve Garvey MVP.¹⁵
• Jul 29 MLB St. Louis Cardinals' Lou Brock steals his 700th base.

Notable Births

• Jul 22 Franka Potente, German actress known for Run Lola, Run, The Bourne Identity, and The Bourne Supremacy, born in Münster, West Germany.
• Jul 23 Kathryn Hahn, American actress (WandaVision), born in Westchester, Illinois.
• Jul 23 Maurice Greene, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m 2000; World C'ship gold 100m 1997; 100m, 200m, 4x100m 1999; WR 100m 9.79s 1999), born in Kansas City, Kansas.
• Jul 30 Hilary Swank, Two-time Academy Award-winning American actress (Boys Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby), born in Lincoln, Nebraska.¹⁶

Historical Events

• Jul 20 Turkey invades Cyprus establishing Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
• Jul 21 US House Judiciary approves two Articles of Impeachment against President Richard Nixon.
• Jul 23 Greek military dictatorship collapses.
• Jul 24 Supreme Court unanimously rules Nixon must turn over Watergate tapes.
• Jul 27 House Judiciary Committee votes 27-11 recommends Nixon impeachment.
• Jul 29 Episcopal Church ordains female priests.
• Jul 30 House Judiciary Committee votes on 3rd & last charge of "high crimes & misdemeanors" to impeach President Nixon in the Watergate cover-up.¹⁷

Notable Deaths

• Jul 9 Earl Warren, Governor of California and 14th US Supreme Court Chief Justice (1953-69), dies at 83.
• Jul 24 James Chadwick, British physicist (Nobel Prize, 1935; discovered neutron), dies at 82.
• Jul 26 Arthur K. Watson, American businessman (IBM), and US Ambassador to France (1970-72), dies from injuries suffered in a fall at 55.
• Jul 27 Lightnin' Slim [Otis Hicks], American Louisiana blues electric guitarist, singer, and songwriter ("Nothing But The Devil"; "Bad Luck And Trouble"), dies of stomach cancer at 61.
• Jul 29 Cass Elliot, American pop vocalist (Mamas & The Papas - "California Dreaming"; "Monday, Monday"; solo - "Dream A little Dream Of Me"; "Make Your Own Kind of Music"), dies of a heart attack in London at 32.¹⁸

1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/fulfillingness-first-finale-mw0000196743#credits

2. http://www.steviewonder.org.uk/discography/albums/fulfillingness_first_finale/lyric9.html?i=1

3. https://www.allmusic.com/album/fulfillingness-first-finale-mw0000196743#credits

4. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/fulfillingness-first-finale-110901/

5. Lewis, John, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 317.

6. https://elpee.jp/album/Fulfillingness%20First%20Finale/Stevie%20Wonder/

7. https://elpee.jp/artist/Stevie%20Wonder/

8. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-07-27/

9. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1974-07-27/

10. https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1974-07-24_275_11/page/14/mode/2up

11. http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2019/12/1973-74-tv-ratings-history.html

12. https://www.hawes.com/1974/1974-07-21.pdf

13. https://www.hawes.com/1974/1974-07-21.pdf

14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_in_music#:~:text=200,000%20music%20fans%20attend%20The%20California

15. https://www.onthisday.com/sport/events/date/1974/july#:~:text=Events%20in%20sport%20in%20July%201974.%20See%20what

16. https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/date/1974/july#:~:text=Celebrate%20the%20birthdays%20of%2067%20famous

17. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1974/july#:~:text=Historical%20events%20in%20July%201974.%20Learn

18. https://www.onthisday.com/deaths/date/1974/july#:~:text=Famous%20deaths%20in%20July%201974.%20Learn%20about