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Mobile Fidelity - MOFI1-017 - 140 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue

Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich from the Original Master Tape at MFSL

Numbered Limited Edition -   Pressed at RTI  

Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity The Gain 2 Ultra Analog System

AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only, from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head 

This Wonder LPs come from Mobile Fidelity’s Silver Label. They are pressed on regular-weight vinyl, but the mastering process is the same Gain 2 Analog System as used for the heavier, more expensive releases. While the vinyl may be in a lighter weight class, the sound delivers a heavyweight punch. The pressings are dead quiet, and the overall presentation is liquidly smooth and appears against a pure black background. Voices and instruments inhabit their own spaces both in width and depth, providing an expansive soundstage. I’ve been seduced by the sound nearly as much as the music each time I’ve played these records, which has been almost daily for weeks. The beauty of the sound is complemented by the heavy gatefold sleeves that make for a package well worth the cost. The Audio Beat

Fourth in Wonder's Five-Album Series of "Classic Period" Records Boogie on! Warm, personal, stripped-down, and mainly playful:

Stevie Wonder’s Fulfillingness’ First Finale primarily finds the legendary vocalist tracing the arcs of relationships on a spirited record that has gone down in history as one of the most cohesive, fully realized soul sets ever made. The fourth in Wonder’s five-album series of “classic period” creations, the 1974 landmark won three major Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal, and Best Male Rhythm and Blues Performance.

Indeed, there’s not one note out of place on the extraordinary ten-song set, notable for the way in which Wonder uses sparer arrangements to his advantage. Not that the overall tone is bleak or angry. Coming off of 1973’s socially biting Innervisions, Wonder intentionally returns to love-related fare here, investigating a surfeit of emotions involved with romance and passion.

As had become his trademark, he handles a bulk of the songwriting, production, and performance chores but gets help from a few choice friends. Appearances by singers Minnie Riperton, Paul Anka, Deniece Williams, and the Jackson 5 lend extra weight and breadth to the harmonies. Iconic Motown bassist James Jamerson and guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow lend instrumental support, but, as expected, Wonder is the center of his own universe.

He nails the feelings of being in love, falling in it, realizing when it’s gone away, and wondering how to properly express it. Fulfillingness’ First Finale also benefits from Wonder’s continuing forays into social consciousness. The number-one smash “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” toasted the Nixon administration in classic style and bookends his previous topical cuts such as “Living for the City.”

Mastered on our world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI (America's best record plant), this numbered limited edition LP of Wonder’s seminal creation bursts with color, tonality, texture, and openness. Deep electronic grooves, lively percussion, gospel-sent backing vocals, and involving bass notes pour out like cleansing rain. Above all, Wonder’s mellifluous vocals soar, taking on an intimate quality rarely heard on any soul or pop record.

Engineer, Programmed By  – Malcolm Cecil, Robert Margouleff
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Stevie Wonder
Recorded By – Gary Olazabal, Joan DeCola
Tape Op – Peter Chaikin

Stevie Wonder Fulfillingness' First Finale Track Listing:

1. "Smile Please" 3:28
2. "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" 5:02
3. "Too Shy to Say" 3:29
4. "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 4:56
5. "Creepin'" 4:23
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" 3:48
10. "Please Don't Go" 4:07

GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.