Fulfillingness' First Finale

The first time I listened to this I was riding in the front passenger seat on a road trip, tripping balls on mushrooms. It is, to date, one of my all-time favorite records.

10/10 how the fuck do you not like Stevie Wonder? the man has contributed some of the greatest albums on earth to humanity

Can't believe I overlooked this album for so long. The guy who say to listen to Wonder's albums chronically are correct over the ones who just say to listen to Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life. This album is fantastic. Doesn't have any hits, but these songs are pure genius. It just sounds incredible, with unconventional recording techniques that somehow manage to excel with the theme and Wonder's style. It's still distinctively soul, but it's really atmospheric, and you can hear the decades of influence these songs would have on neo-soul from the late 90s to modern age. Not to mention the diversity of these tracks. We go from the echoey emotional "Too Shy To Say" to the funky "Boogie on Reggae Woman", and neither sound like anything else from its time, yet both are fantastic, and that transition does not sound out-of-place. And who the hell plays the harmonica in a funk song? Who does that? Stevie Wonder, and he's been doing that since the 60s. It's so high-pitched but I'll be damned it works. And then what comes after that? I wish I knew music theory to talk about these songs. All I know is that it's weird and highly unconventional but still identifiable and sounds really good, like the Beatles. There's something that sticks out to me about every song, whether cool or unusual and yet it's aesthetically pleasing. It's odd how this is probably considered the weakest of his classic era, but I still consider this is a perfect entry. The only complaint is the lack of star tracks to tie it all together, but the two lead singles come close. Favorites: Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Creepin, They Won't Go When I Go, Bird of Beauty

I love Stevie Wonder and I feel this album is underrated in his catalog. Goes down easy all while making some genuinely heartfelt and poignant statements. No small feat. I used to put "They won't go when I go" on mixtapes and we'd get high and listen to it in silence and it would give us chills. Stevie is the real deal.

a little sesame street for me

Our second album from Stevie, and it's another great one! So many funky instrumentals here, with unusual rhythms and instrumental runs. "Boogie On Reggae Woman" is just otherworldly. As an album, not as grandiose or monumental as Song in the Key of Life, but really great nonetheless. I'll be returning to quite a few on here, they sound unlike anything I've heard before. Favorite tracks: Boogie On Reggae Woman, Bird of Beauty, You Haven't Done Nothin', Too Shy to Say, Please Don't Go. Album art: Absolutely fantastic art, wow. The piano key staircase, all the shadows and colors, this is really awesome. And I love the nod to the Grammys right there on Stevie's cheek, don't forget that this guy won like 300 Grammys in a span of about 10 years. 4/5

Jazz people love to say how great Stevie Wonder is at harmonisation and songwriting. Alas, I am not a jazzman, nor – it seems – constitutionally able to get through one of these songs unbored. More like Stevie Natural Occurrence!

I think this the weakest of the albums from Stevie's "classic period", so it suffers a bit in being compared to them. Compared to most other albums from most other artists, it's outstanding, but compared to his body of work, it's doesn't hit the same highs. For 1001 Albums, I think the average person would understand Stevie Wonder's brilliance with Innervisions and Songs In the Key of Life, so having four albums represented seems like overkill. The big singles both work: Boogie on Reggae Woman is slinky and funky, while You Haven't Done Nothin does have a Superstition vibe to it. Heaven is 10 Zillion Years Away is also a standout. The slower tracks don't have the same immediacy - Creepin isn't bad, but Too Shy to Say is pretty dull excepting the steel guitar from Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Again, I like this album, but it's never going to be my Stevie Wonder album of choice.

Compositional greatness unmatched, but the delicate baroque palette means the songs simply don't jam, and that reduces his generational reach, which is when he's at his best. Very pretty though.

Beautiful, happy music. I feel like music is rarely just purely happy, but Stevie Wonder always hits it right.

It's hard to listen to Stevie and not feel good. His voice is one of the best and the message in his music is so positive, even when it's a slower tune you still need to move along with it. Incredible artist, and this was great to peek into his lesser known stuff.

So talented and soulful. There are so many weaker copies of SW out there, it's refreshing to hear the real thing.

Released between two absolute 5 star crackers (Innervisions and Songs in the key of life). First few songs seem light weight sentimental ditties, and it takes a few songs before the funky grooviness starts. Then you realise that they’ve all got under your skin and you’re humming away to some lovely love songs. Subsequent listens double down on all this and before you know it your listening to a classic Stevie album. Just a pity it falls between such giant corkers!

It’s slower than I prefer. Musically it’s there, the production is good.

I'm surprised I missed out on this one back in my wider music nerd phase, but I'm sad I did - this was extremely good. "They Won't Go When I Go" is an absolute classic.

When I die im donating my eyes to Stevie Wonder 🙏

I tend to score Stevie's albums on the strength of the iconic hits with their ground-breaking keyboard licks while holding my nose for the syrupy ballads. In this case "Boogie on Reggae Woman" is great, "You Haven't Done Nothin" borrows heavily from "Superstition" but there are too many over produced ballads.

This is pop gospel for the masses. My husband doesn't like Stevie Wonder and he is wrong.

Excellent album. I'm not sure it's aged well though. The cheesy keyboards were probably amazing in 1974, but not so much now. If I were reviewing this in the '70s or even '80s, I might give it 5 stars, but... I hate to hold a trend or "fashion" against an album, but if yodeling was really popular for a few years, it's simply not going to age well, and I can't ignore it. A decent example is the last song, "Please Don't Go". It's a good song, but the "bass keyboard" hasn't aged well. Ever since the '70s, that line would have just been played on a bass guitar. It doesn't change that it's a good song, but production and implementation does matter. Still, 4 stars.

Fav: Too Shy To Say Least Fav: Boogie On Reggae Woman

It was good but not great.

Overrated and repetitive

Mostly super boring.

Surprisingly not so good.

Great old stevie wonder, hadn't heard many of these since i was a kid

ok wow first five stars and first stevie wonder album ive ever heard! you guys were NOT kidding this shit is amazing. best track: heaven is ten zillion light years away worst track: too shy to say

Not really given a listen to before and I suppose it stands amongst some nailed on all time classics.

Not a Stevie album I've heard before but from his prime era. Very cool.

Amazing! Of course!

BANGER

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad Stevie Wonder song and that says alot because the man has dropped a thousand albums

STEVIE WONDER

I feel like the US is going back to appreciating Stevie Wonder, good stuff here

Somehow I "didn't see" this album hidden amongst the other amazing albums Stevie Wonder had made in the 70's

First Stevie Wonder album I actually liked start to finish

my dad once said to me "Thing about Stevie, he has some of the best songs ever written... But some of them are absolute shit". Fulfillingness' First Finale is certainly the former. I've lost count of the amount of times I've listedened to Songs in the Key of Life, one of my all time favourites. But this is fantastic and gets better every time. It's insane to think you can have so many incredible tracks and there's no sameyness. A welcome listen.

I want to float in an inner-tube on the warm vat of maple syrup that is Stevie Wonder's voice. Like in a daydream montage in an animated movie.

139/1089 - Really good! A very original voice in songwriting and arrangement. I liked every song on it and am surprised I haven't heard a lot of these before. I guess it was inbetween the two of Wonder's most critically acclaimed albums so it got pushed down a bit. Honestly this rivals Innervisions for my favorite Stevie Wonder album, gonna have to relisten.

I tænker måske at den ikke er en 5/5 fordi der ikke er nogen numre man kender med, men I tager fejl. Det er et Stevie album fra mellem 1972 og 1976, så det er selvfølgelig en 5'er. They Won't Go When I Go er en af hans bedste numre

Soft, energetic and smooth. With FFF Stevie developed his sound even more. The grooves are funkier, the lyrics more political and the vocals smooth as ever. FFF is a great step up in the right direction, but for me personally a slight little setback from Stevie's achievements on his previous record: Innervisions(my personal favorite stevie wonder record). Nonetheless FFF is a landmark and a testament of a record that is unmatched and a unique piece in his already mindblowing catalogue, for me FFF, together with Innervisions, is where Stevie perfects his sound, making way for completion on Songs in the Key of Life. All in All this record blows my mind each play and is a record I come back to on the regular, as Stevie's feel for making songs is so unique and just perfect and FFF is a perfect example of his grand design. Favorite song: Creepin'. Overall score: 9,4/10

Sensacional! A vibe é indescritível, meo. Tem até música em português

Просто любовь к Стиви и всему его светлому и волшебному творчеству! My soul <3

Easy five star album... 1975 Album of year

i listened to songs in the key of life instead 10/10 fav: knocks me off my feet least fav:

stevie wonder né completamente fora da casinha

Muito bom

I think this struggles sat as it is between innervisions and songs Iin the key of life. But that's not to take away from its joy and its love. We'll miss all this when he's gone

Stevie can do no wrong. Classic.

very good for completing physics packet

Groovy fun

9.5/10 Overrated, nah. One or two syrupy sweet ballads to move album sales…might be able to see better than he lets on, possibly. The genius and joy are undeniable

"Boogie on Reggae Woman" was excellent. You Haven't Done Nothin' was an exercise in extreme funk. It Ain't No Use had a steady, relaxing sound. His vocal performance in Please don't go was a standout for me. Overall, a great way to spend 42 minutes. Love from Daytona Beach, Florida! :)

Stevie is awesome.

Great album. Even my 9 year old really enjoyed it.

The Moogs are bumping and grinding. Stevie's voice is telling the truth. You can't help but get transported back to the mid 70s.

An amazing album! His classic albums made during 70s are the epitome of creative songwriting, performance and production. I haven't listened to this in ages. I need to get back to his catalog. This music fills my heart with joy. Love you, Stevie.

This album is awesome, I like it a lot better than the other earlier Stevie Wonder album. I listen to. Feels a little bit more cohesive, more of a groove, less monotonous and repetitive. I’m thinking five out of five.

Class, sophistication, soul - Stevie!

Some of the most danceable songs in the world here! Stevie Wonder is responsible for a majority of the world’s best songs, who knew!

Stevie is a national treasure. Such an amazing talent!

One of my faves from his classic era. So well done.

smooth af

man I'm not much of a Stevie Wonder guy but I cant deny how good this was. It has a pretty soft start until Boogie on Reggae Woman and it gets funkier and a little more energetic. You Havent Done Nothin' is probably my favorite from this entry but honestly the whole thing is a pretty good listen. That horn section!

What a superb album. It’s probably the 4th best album during his Renaissance period and it’s still an easy 5. “Please Don’t Go” is the perfect evolution of Stevie’s Mowtown sound. “Boogie on Reggae Woman” is so funky and danceable. There really isn’t a dud on the whole album.

March 25, 2025 The last 70s album belongs to… Stevie Wonder! It’s been so long since a Stevie album, I almost forgot there was more to the list besides Songs, Innervisions and Talking Book (all were brought to me here by 2022, though I had heard Talking Book earlier in life) Perhaps I was a little biased from this album before, just because there was no song from this as ubiquitous as “Higher Ground” or “Sir Duke”. I actually only knew the marching band stop of “You Haven’t Done Nothin’”. Yet learning 9 new Stevie Wonder songs has never been an issue in the past. The fact that “It Ain’t No Use” and “Smile Please”might be my least favourite tracks speaks volumes to the consistency of FFF. Only thing wrong with em is that they’re next to even better songs. The fact that the 4 Wonder albums featured here were all released 4 years apart, one after each other, blows my mind. Absolutely legendary run HL: “Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away”, “Boogie On Reggae Woman”, “Creepin’”, “You Haven’t Done Nothing”, “They Won’t Go When I Go”

Wonderful album.

And that’s the story, of the key change baby

First time listening to this album and something about it already feels so timeless. His voice sounds so smooth on this record and makes for easy listening

What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said? It's a masterpiece. I am fortunate enough to own an original copy and have listened to it more times than I can remember.

Solid

great! nothing more to say.

This album falls between Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life and is sometimes an overlooked part of Stevie Wonder’s classic period. Perhaps the problem is that there is just too much good Stevie Wonder to listen to? This was his 17th album and the fourth out of arguably five of the best albums ever made. There are no well known hits here (with just one number one single), just consistently great tunes in a unique progressive soul style. We have heartfelt love songs (Too Shy to Say) leading into lovely, squelchy boogie rhythms (Boogie On Reggae Woman) and it all flows perfectly. There’s a down tempo number about Creepin’ into someone’s dreams (with backing vocals from Minnie Ripperton!) that segues into a blistering funk attack on the moribund Nixon administration (with backing vocals from the Jackson Five!). This is a great way to spend a Friday - I’ve listened to this twice in a row, and I’m just about to put it on again! Why not join me?

brilliant from the first notes. this music feels like a hug

Stevie is without match. Great album

Stevie Wonder kreiert eine unschlagbare Atmosphäre, eine unaufgeregte, gelassene gute Laune. Wo soll ich anfangen: Seine Stimme ist wandelbar vom schönen Bariton zum frechen Tenor und verschmilzt mit den wunderbaren Background Voices. Zusammen mit den Instrumenten bilden die Singstimmen schöne und dissonante Harmonien und einen angenehmen Trott im Rhythmus. Sowohl Harmonien als auch Rhythmen bringen immer wieder überraschende Wendungen.

Stevie at the height of his powers. Great songs, music, and vocals.

Beautiful. My favorite Stevie Wonder album I've heard so far.

Hdp

Super!

Enjoyed too shy to say and creepin It ain’t no use Piano solo they won’t go when I go I love , gospel/ medieval inspiration - harmonies gorgeous- favourite Bird of beauty is amazing bosa vibes , makes me think of Brazil be sunshine , happy vibes 9/10

70s stevie is all 5‘s.

I was not familiar with this Stevie album but after listening to it, realized I had heard more songs than I thought (Boogie on Reggae Woman, You Haven't Done Nothin'). It's Stevie during his imperial period so of course it's fantastic. I loved it. Favorites: Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away, You Haven't Done Nothin', It Ain't No Use, They Won't Go When I Go (especially the piano intro), Please Don't Go Would I listen to it again: Yes

kl

Effortless playing Has a mood lifting function Nearing perfection

Not his best album but the worst of Stevie Wonder is better than most other artists

It’s like a whole album of awesome album cuts.

Black excellence.

He's got the funk.

Woooo doggy this was a good one! Stevie really knew how to crank out the classics in the 70s. Standouts: “It Ain’t No Use”, “Bird of Beauty”, “Please Don’t Go”

Finally a fun, flamboyant, and full-fledged album from famous fingers of fine fellow Fevie Fonder

Not a single bad song in this album!❤

Alliterations are awesome So splendid, smart, so Stevie Fulfillingness' first finale finds few flaws Grower gains gigantic greatness

Great album, genuinely enjoyed it.

Magnificent soulful funk

excellent

Golden Era Stevie

A lot of emotion. So much skill. Legend for a reason.

My fav Stevie album I can say

you alr know this is my favorite stevie album... Now to be fair... I think songs in the key of life and innervisions hold a candle to this one for sure, but i just think this one has the most heart and the best sleeper picks. (Plus a personal favorite sleeper, too shy to say). it's a 10

Great album...Stevie always brings it.