reasonfaith's Full Review: Fulfillingness' First Finale [Remaster] by Stevie ...
Stevie Wonder's tribute song at Michael Jackson's funeral "They Won't Go When I Go" is contained in this classic album originally released July 22, 1974 by Jobete Music Company and Black Bull. Although the cost is low for Fulfillingness' First Finale, if you can find it digitally remastered since it is running out of stock, the rewards are great for seasoned and appreciative Wonder fans.
Time constraints kept Stevie Wonder from singing all the lyrics to this gospel tribute at the Memorial, but he did do justice to the tone and beautiful piano entrance into the song. George Michael first introduced the song during his fall-from-grace Faith period. The words, which you can hear more clearly from Wonder on this album, were co-written with Yvonne Wright and we also find some organ accompaniment which makes the song even more sorrowful.
"No more lying friends wanting tragic ends, though they do pretend, they won't go when I go."
The 70s collection which was re-released by a division of Motown in 2000 includes the popular Boogie On Reggae Woman as well as 8 other great songs and the harmonica from Stevie's early days has not been forgotten here and given extended play time. Half way through Boogie he asks, "Can I play? Can I play?"
As a further tip of the hat to the Jacksons, the Jackson 5 are backup singers to You Haven't Done Nothin and even mentioned in the song lyrics. "Jackson 5 join along with me say - Doo doo wop..." This was the quentissential activist anthem and I always thought the words were saying Do the walk not just simply funky "Doo doo wop":
"We are amazed but not amused by all the things you say you'll do." and "Cause if you really want to hear our views, you haven't done nothing."
This song also appeared on his greatest collection Musiquarium which went nicely alongside earlier hits like Front Line about a Vietnam War veteran and Living For the City about poverty and inner-city angst.
First Finale appears to be a collection of love songs with Creepin, Too Shy to Say, It Ain't No Use and Please Don't Go. The jacket cover divulges an interest in an Ellen since he tells us "I'm not too shy to say!!" Also included in First Finale comments are special thanks to Minnie Riperton, his dear friend who passed away, who helped do backup vocals for Creepin and who is also mentioned in his song Positivity from a more recent album A Time to Love.
Although its like apples and oranges comparing his latest highly complex releases to something as basic and classic as First Finale, it is nice to hear the simple love ballads and disposition of a younger and apparently inexperienced-with-love artist. Especially since many of these great songs did not hit the radio or Billboard - but they are all entertaining and signature Wonder-full. Unlike those 20th Millennium collections, think Fingertips Pt 2, First Finale includes untouched and raw period pieces with the sound slightly amplified.
Bird of Beauty (in the sky) reminds me of Donny Hathaway's Flying Easy; what American Idol's Simon Cowell might call a "treakly ballad" and just this side of commercial. Please Don't Go gives the same impression as Jennifer Hudson's "I Ain't Goin" from Dreamgirls - in otherwords, all tunes a little over the top emotionally and that's why we love them.
Smile Please the introduction song has Michael Sembello on Guitar, Reggie McBride on Bass, Bobbye Hall on Congas and Bongas. Some of the words in Bird of Beauty were translated into Portugese so that Stevie Wonder could in his words sing to "my people of Mozambique."
Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away shares more religious overtones - "Where Is Your God?" he asks and Paul Anka is actually one of the background vocalists. There is also a surprisingly self-depricating racial line in this song which today would probably be removed by the politically correct, but it is that gut-wrenching honesty in both lyrics and emotional tone that people love about Wonder's songs.
The jacket cover is also classic 70s and reminds me of the Haight-Ashbury posters of my post-highschool days designed by Bob Gleason and lacks the usual website info I suppose to keep it period-style.
You can download the Jackson Memorial tribute song, I videotaped the heart-wrenching and tearful performance, but the cost of this collection is around $7 from Amazon and worth every penny.
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