Marvin Gaye's MIDNIGHT LOVE

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

There has to be another thread about this somewhere, but can't find with search function.

This might possibly be my favorite album of all time; every time I listen to it, I wonder why I listen to anything else. Thoughts, comments, wrongheaded dissenting opinions?

― forksclovetofu, Thursday, 12 April 2007 17:48 (eighteen years ago)

"Sexual Healing" is still great, especially the instrumental, and the awesome SH re-write "My Love Is Waiting."

― Michael F Gill, Thursday, 12 April 2007 19:05 (eighteen years ago)

Great album, no doubt. I don't listen much to What's Going On and Let's Get It On, but I sure play this and Here, My Dear.

I love the rhythms on Midnight Love. Stuff like "Third World Girl" and "Midnight Lady" is endlessly fascinating. Wonderful vocals, too, and a great sense of humor and lightness pervading. "Peas and rice are awful nice, but not as nice as you!" Gaye's death still seems like a shame, and a part of that is because he didn't pull out of his depression to make a true followup to this one.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Thursday, 12 April 2007 20:06 (eighteen years ago)

Second sentence should read "I don't listen much to WGO and LGIO anymore": I've lived with 'em for a long time.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Thursday, 12 April 2007 20:07 (eighteen years ago)

Superb thread idea, Forks. Much love to MG's "Sexual Healing"-like "Star Spangled Banner" too.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Thursday, 12 April 2007 20:09 (eighteen years ago)

This might possibly be my favorite album of all time;

yes. i completely agree. Third World Girl is one of my all time favorite songs. have you heard the "original reggae version" they put on the 2 cd reissue? it sounds screwed and chopped.

― jaxon, Thursday, 12 April 2007 20:33 (eighteen years ago)

There's an excellent collectors edition two disc set with a ridiculous number of outtakes and pastiches that's totally recommended. This (along with Dolemite) is the real spiritual forefather of SO much of modern RnB; R. Kelly's been striving for a Midnight Love his whole career.

― forksclovetofu, Thursday, 12 April 2007 21:26 (eighteen years ago)

"Midnight Love" is great, but "What's Going On" and "Here My Dear" are still greater. And "I Want You" is underrated too.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 13 April 2007 08:42 (eighteen years ago)

A rare concurrence w/ Geir -- I Want You is his best record.

― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 13 April 2007 19:29 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.ilxor.com:8080/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=41563#unread

from direct ilx search- Marvin Gaye POX

― curmudgeon, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:17 (eighteen years ago)

Jaxon repped Midnight Love on that thread

― curmudgeon, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:19 (eighteen years ago)

A rare concurrence w/ Geir -- I Want You is his best record.

-- Naive Teen Idol, Friday, April 13, 2007 2:29 PM (51 minutes ago)

― deej, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:20 (eighteen years ago)

I Want You is dullsville.

I didn't really get ML (hits plus filler) until last year, when "Rockin' After Midnight" and "Joy" sounded great.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:32 (eighteen years ago)

Alfred is on cracksville

― deej, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:34 (eighteen years ago)

I actually started, wrote two-thirds of, and stopped a feature on Marvin from I Want You through In Our Lifetime, where he was personally going off the rails and writing some of the most bizarre shit of all time. Dude had characters, alter-egos and crises of faith before Prince ever put on his raincoat.

― Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, 14 April 2007 03:42 (eighteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

I've known Midnight Love and always been impressed w/ how totally INSANE "Midnight Lady" is. As I love what they'd done w/ I Want You, I'd been thinking about picking up the 2CD Legacy Edition for a while and took my immediately seeing it sitting in the racks of "New Releases" at the DuPont Olson's in DC as a sign (not sure why it was in that section, tho).

As far as I'm concerned, the jury's still out a bit for me -- but who knows, it could easily be something I worship in a week. The sound of the record is undeniably classic, 808'd to the max.

The tunes, on the other hand, don't immediately stick out. In the liners by Ritz, Marvin is even quoted as saying he ran out of inspiration for "Til Tomorrow" and just wrote some lyrics that weren't about anything, really.

I actually like this Dave Marsh review of it from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/marvingaye/albums/album/115825/review/6067353/midnight_love

I dunno, interesting...

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:13 (eighteen years ago)

After seeing this thread back a few weeks, I pick this up at the used record shop (since there is always a rather large stock of this one there). I've still only listened to the A side and thusly haven't heard enough to develop a strong opinion about it. But what listening I have done would leave me agreeing with the "the tunes...don't immediately stick out" assessment. I mean I'm hugely impressed that Marvin seeming played/programmed much of this himself. This was a huge step away from his classic 70's sounds that weren't so far in past. He was a quick learner/adapter clearly. A true talent.

The one thing that did really, really stand out to me though was that first 30 seconds or so of "Til Tomorrow" sounds so deranged and truly menacing. I actually kinda hate it when the proper tune comes in. If it all sounded like that intro, he would have been way ahead of the game in minimal, doom-laden sound.

― matt2, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:23 (eighteen years ago)

Listening now to "Til Tomorrow," I kinda agree. Though, I like Marvin when he just sorta riffs. The song on In Our Lifetime, "Far Cry"--which was supposedly released unfinished, with an improv vocal and without Marvin's sanction--is actually one of the best things on that record (which is every bit as bizarre as Here, My Dear, if not more so). So there's something to be said for that.

I will say, tho: the a cappella "Sexual Healing" on the second disc is revelatory in that this track that always creeped me out as a kid suddenly sounds like a gospel cut.

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:39 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

I love this record.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 18:51 (seventeen years ago)

two months pass...

Peas and rice are awful nice
But not as nice as you

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Monday, 4 August 2008 00:21 (sixteen years ago)

"Rockin' After Midnight."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 4 August 2008 00:30 (sixteen years ago)

I'd love to read more commentary on In Our Lifetime, which I finally bought a couple of weeks ago.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 4 August 2008 00:30 (sixteen years ago)

six years pass...

This album is everything.

― example (crüt), Sunday, 31 May 2015 15:21 (ten years ago)

otm. Love this record so much.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 31 May 2015 15:24 (ten years ago)

I miss you baby
And I miss your mind
We had so much love
I need to love your body

― example (crüt), Sunday, 31 May 2015 15:28 (ten years ago)

I'd love to read more commentary on /In Our Lifetime/, which I finally bought a couple of weeks ago.

I almost wrote a piece for Stylus on Marvin Gaye's period from I Want You to In Our Lifetime.

― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 31 May 2015 21:09 (ten years ago)

Apparently I mentioned that upthread.

― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 31 May 2015 21:11 (ten years ago)

it's worth writing about. so is this record

― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Sunday, 31 May 2015 23:29 (ten years ago)

midnight love would be an incredible 33 1/3 on multiple levels

― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Sunday, 31 May 2015 23:30 (ten years ago)

otm

― example (crüt), Sunday, 31 May 2015 23:54 (ten years ago)

"Rockin' After Midnight.," y'all.

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 1 June 2015 00:11 (ten years ago)

"Midnight Lady" is srsly underrated in Gaye's oeuvre, and the rest is caviar besides. Who else could forge as subtle and sinuous a groove out of a Jupiter-8 synth (look it up), a few brushes of rhythm guitar and an 808?

Side note: I never really appreciated "The Way You Move" until I heard this record. Sans historical reference it's a better-than-decent single, but as a Midnight Love tribute it's near-transcendent.

― Futuristic Bow Wow (thewufs), Monday, 1 June 2015 00:12 (ten years ago)

Yep. Said it at the time -- it rips the first song.

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 1 June 2015 00:13 (ten years ago)

Also, Xgau's review of this record just nails it: http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Marvin+Gaye

― Futuristic Bow Wow (thewufs), Monday, 1 June 2015 00:16 (ten years ago)

midnight lady is a really, really funny and weird song

― Karl Malone, Saturday, 6 June 2015 01:15 (ten years ago)

four years pass...

Something's going on in the men's room
Soon as we come out we'll be high soon
Did you save a line for the ladies
We're not into that are you crazy

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 13 May 2020 04:18 (five years ago)

« Tu es incroyable ! »

― AlXTC from Paris, Wednesday, 13 May 2020 15:53 (five years ago)

The sung melody at the end of Third World Girl ("Oooh, Jamaica lady! etc.") sounds like the Police. Could they have been an influence? Or are they both cribbing from others, ie the aforementioned "original regggae."

Side note: I never really appreciated "The Way You Move" until I heard this record. Sans historical reference it's a better-than-decent single, but as a Midnight Love tribute it's near-transcendent.

Yes!

― dinnerboat, Thursday, 14 May 2020 00:02 (five years ago)

I love this record.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 May 2020 00:28 (five years ago)

https://youtu.be/Nlv_QRsP7lc

― calstars, Monday, 25 May 2020 23:23 (five years ago)

Well that was quite the rabbit hole

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 27 May 2020 14:59 (five years ago)

three years pass...

I miss you baby
And I miss your mind
We had so much love
I need to love your body

― example (crüt), Sunday, May 31, 2015 10:28 AM (eight years ago)

otm

― c u (crüt), Friday, 8 September 2023 23:57 (one year ago)

“Need to rock you and hold you all night long”

― calstars, Saturday, 9 September 2023 00:35 (one year ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.