Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On or What's Going On?

(besides the last track which is like the best song in the world ever)

< / sleazeball>

If your smokin...Whats Going On.

next, someone here is going to say a change is gonna come was overrated social commentary. or blowin in the wind was.

So HE GAVE AN ALBUM CALLED LET'S GET IT ON TO HIS MOTHER. WRONGNESS.

The year is 1978 and Marvin Gaye is fresh off a divorce from Anna Gordy, the sister of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. MG’s choice of release therapy? Chronicling the entire divorce, his feelings, and his failure at love on his out-of-print, oft-slept on album, Here, My Dear. When the album was initially released in 1978 during the height of the disco era, the LP was highly criticized for it’s uncommercial sound and intensely introspective lyrics. When the LP was first re-issued in the early 90s, it debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B charts and featured in-depth liner notes from Gaye’s biographer David Ritz. Ritz wrote that Gaye was convinced that Motown would never push an album critical of the sister of company founder Berry Gordy, Jr., and did all he could to alienate the label, never giving Motown a chance to promote the album properly.

“Here, My Dear” will be available again for the first time in over a decade on January 15th. The two disc set includes a remastered version of the original double album and a new mix of the "Dream of a Lifetime" track "Ain't It Funny (How Things Turn Around)" by bass player Bootsy Collins. The second disc offers a resequencing of "Here, My Dear" comprised of Gaye's demo vocals and unused instrumental tracks from the period. The artists and producers who crafted the disc 2 material were asked to not use overdubs and only work with the original multi-track tapes. The Roots' ?uestlove tackled "Sparrow," while Prince Paul was behind the boards for a new "Everybody Needs Love." Other contributors include Mocean Worker, Easy Mo Bee, Leon Ware and Salaam Remi.

I Want You crushes all.

-- Stacey Pollen (Andy K), Monday, 7 June 2004 12:44 (3 years ago) Link

Man, I can't stand either of these as albums, even though they both have some AMAZING songs on 'em.

But Let's Get It On is so cliché now that it's like putting anti-sex on the hi-fi (in the same way that I find it nearly impossible to actually fuck to Prince, though I think many of his songs are pretty sexy).

Both overrated as fuck.

I love Marvin but I feel so alone as I enjoy his poppier, 60s work, esp his work with Norman Whitfield, much more than his more respected, "serious" work like WGA or LGIO.

...since when is Here, My Dear "out of print"? I bought a copy last month, for God's sake. Unless they mean the LP, in which case a 2xCD reissue is hardly going to remedy things, is it?

Also, it's kind of weird that Motown/Universal are farming this out to Hip-O Select, unlike the 2xCD versions of What's Going On and Let's Get It On...

Having held off buying HMD for this very reason, I'm stoked for that release.

The second disc offers a resequencing of "Here, My Dear" comprised of Gaye's demo vocals and unused instrumental tracks from the period. The artists and producers who crafted the disc 2 material were asked to not use overdubs and only work with the original multi-track tapes. The Roots' ?uestlove tackled "Sparrow," while Prince Paul was behind the boards for a new "Everybody Needs Love."

Wait, does that second disc include other people playing? In one sentence, it sounds like demos. In another, it sounds like people are "working" with the multi-tracks. And by the third, it sounds like people are backing up Marvin "Unforgettable"-style.

Maybe I'm not so excited about this after all.

It sounds like they're setting up new producers for each song with demos and unused takes from the original recording sessions and asking them to put together new recordings of the songs. Could be interesting, could be horrible. We'll see.

what a shitty idea. they couldnt find any demos or outtakes? they had to let other people who had nothing to do with the HMD sessions remix the master tapes?

...since when is Here, My Dear "out of print"?

^^OTM, and the second disc sounds like a disaster in the making.

Anyways, "What's Going On?" and "Let's Get it On" are both amazing albums. They're both also overrated. I'd have to give the nod to "What's Going On?" if only for the fact that it's undeniably a more "important" record as far as the history of Motown goes.

That being said, I think I actually might listen to "I Want You" and "Here, My Dear" more than both. "Midnight Love," too, for that matter.

...since when is Here, My Dear "out of print"?

It was for several years before the early 90s CD release.

It is still the only Marvin Gaye album not to have been remastered though. All of the other albums from his prime have even spawned Deluxe editions etc.

Only I see it is finally being reworked now. About time then.

hear my dear is awfully underrated. when did you stop loving me is one of marvins most powerful songs.

I think part of the reason why it is underrated is because his label hasn't exactly supported it.

And, one can understand.... I mean, imagine you are a record label boss and one of your leading acts releases a double concept album about how much he hates your daughter.....

I can't see a Marvin Gaye album poll - is there such a thread that I'm missing? Anyone fancy one, if not?

singles or albums?

predict a strong showing for Here My Dear, lol

there's plenty of good shit on Here, My Dear, the case against that album is mad overstated

I meant albums.

I'm not knockin it just noting that ILM contrarians being what they are, don't count on What's Goin On to win the poll

Weird -- I listened to In Our Lifetime last Friday. Marvelous album.

yeah I guess you're right shakey

imo to express the opinion "What's Going On is overrated" without the qualification "it's a fuckin awesome album don't get me wrong" is like challops central

Marvin is such a singles guy to me - I don't love any of his albums straight through. shit, my favorite thing of his is the 17-minute "Got to Give It Up" track inexplicably tacked onto the last side of the "Marvin Live" double album.

midnight love and in our lifetime are both great Gaye records. he really went out on high notes, imo. i like 'em both a little more than WGO, and about as much as LGIO, i think

I used to think Gaye was a singles guy too (WGO and LGIO excepted). Then I realized the crit community had done him a disservice by overlooking his full lengths. outdoor_miner OTM about his early eighties recovery.

I don't even like all of WGO or LGIO tho

*hides*

I don't either!

HE DID THE GESTURE

ha - wrong thread

wgo is only overrated in the sense that it really isn't that much more fuckin awesome than his other 70s records.

I Want You crushes all.
― Stacey Pollen (Andy K), Monday, June 7, 2004 8:44 AM (6 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I assume folks would want the Live albums on any prospective poll, in addition to the solo Studio ones, but how about the Duet albums? I'd be inclined to miss them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Gaye_discography

The albums he made with Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross are all really great. I especially love the Diana Ross album after recently reading they really couldn't stand each other at the time and had to record the duets in separate studios, it really gives a different take on the sweet and loving songs they chose to record.

I would pick Let's get it on as my favourite but that and What's going on are both total classics in my book. I want you and M.P.G are both really great albums too.

man the outtakes from What's Going On are just insane, so many backing tracks left on the studio floor that are totally amazing and largely unlike what actually made it onto the album

The six minutes of Cleo's Apartment + Trouble Man on the soundtrack sandwiched in between these two albums are some of his best

funny to see so many ppl going "what's going on is sooooooo overrated!!!" like everyone had the exact same experience of buying that album based on it always placing high in "greatest album" polls and deciding it only had a couple classic tracks and a lot of dross. i felt that way for years but happened to put it on again last year and kind of fell in love with a lot of the more ignored tracks. there's a very melancholy/mournful vibe to the album that offsets the occasional corniness ("save the children") for me.

The Midnight Special Marvin Gaye Special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1EK6aRkqOw

A 1974 live concert in Atlanta intercut with documentary interviews with Marvin & family (including, uh, Marvin Sr.)

Brief glimpse of a pregnant Janis Hunter next to Marvin during one of the sitdowns too.

https://variety.com/2024/music/news/save-the-children-netflix-70s-concert-film-jackson-5-marvin-gaye-1236199144/

An obscure long unavailable doc called Save the Children apparently has live Marvin Gaye footage plus other early 70s Rnb acts and Netflix is now making it available to see

These Midnight Special episodes they've been uploading have been a revelation