Maps of Music
Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)
Where the lyrics of Fulfillingness' First Finale take you, and where it was really made.
A more somber follow-up to Innervisions, this album still won Album of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards.
View on the mapKey places
Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles (1974)
Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — One of the studios linked to this album's recording. The pin marks the building, and the session dates are not given here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles (1974)
Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — One of the studios linked to this album's recording. The pin marks the building, and the session dates are not given here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Electric Lady Studios, New York City (1974)
Recording site Electric Lady Studios — One of the studios linked to this album's recording. The pin marks the building, and the session dates are not given here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Fulfillingness' First Finale: 17th studio album by Stevie Wonder
- Released 22 July 1974 by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records
- Fourth of five albums from what is considered Wonder's classic period
- Ten tracks, five on each side
- Wonder's second album to top the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart
Background
- Follows Innervisions, which had epic scope and social consciousness themes
- Tone is more reflective, personal and somber than its predecessor
- Social commentary was not completely dropped
Recording
- Arrangements on several songs are sparse, especially “They Won't Go When I Go” and “Creepin'”
- “They Won't Go When I Go” was written by Wonder and Yvonne Wright
- Side two track “You Haven't Done Nothin'” was a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Smile Please | 3:28 |
| 2 | Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away | 5:03 |
| 3 | Too Shy to Say | 3:28 |
| 4 | Boogie On Reggae Woman | 4:58 |
| 5 | Creepin’ | 4:20 |
| 6 | You Haven’t Done Nothin’ | 3:23 |
| 7 | It Ain’t No Use | 4:01 |
| 8 | They Won’t Go When I Go | 5:59 |
| 9 | Bird of Beauty | 3:49 |
| 10 | Please Don’t Go | 4:07 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Stevland Hardaway Morris, known as Stevie Wonder, was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, and became blind shortly after birth.
- He signed with Motown's Tamla label at age 11 in 1961, receiving the name Little Stevie Wonder.
- His single "Fingertips" topped the Billboard Hot 100 when he was 13, the youngest solo artist ever to do so.
Career
- Music of My Mind and Talking Book (1972) marked the start of his classic period, moving away from the Motown sound toward synthesizer- and keyboard-driven music.
- Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life (1973–1976) won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, and he is the only artist to have done so.
- In the 1980s he campaigned to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday and scored several number-one hits, including "Ebony and Ivory" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You".
- He has sold more than 100 million records and won 25 Grammy Awards, the most by a male solo artist.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Released 22 July 1974 on Tamla, a Motown Records subsidiary
- Topped the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart for two weeks
- Reached number one on the Billboard Soul LPs chart, for eight non-consecutive weeks between 5 October and Christmas 1974
Reappraisal
- Voted number 413 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000)
- Included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Records
- Album of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, Wonder's second consecutive win in that category
- Best Male Pop Vocal at the same ceremony
- Best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, for “Boogie On Reggae Woman”
- The ceremony was held in 1975
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- The Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “You Haven't Done Nothin'” launched a pointed criticism of the Nixon administration.
- That track was bolstered by clavinet and drum machine and featured a cameo by the Jackson 5.
- Only one of the ten songs, “They Won't Go When I Go”, was co-written; Yvonne Wright shares its credit with Wonder.
- The album is the fourth of five records from what is considered Wonder's classic period.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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