Advantages: Classical Motown for almost every (love) occassion! Disadvantages: Perhaps been done before.
I had been contemplating buying this "Very Best Of" collection for a while. I alredy had a few recordings such as "What's Going On", which is easily his best album.
The attraction to this Very Best Of collection is probably for listeners who love Marvin Gaye but also wanted to pad out there collections.
The Music:
The Music as is typical of Gaye is excellent. The guy at my local store told me that they had been flying of the shelves with Valentines day the last weekend. Honey Drizzlers all over the country had been again turning to Marvin to "set the mood" on Saturday night!
Who can blame them with tracks such as "Sexual Healing" and "How Sweet It Is". A disapointing exemption is that of "Music" which is very difficult to track down but excellent "Get Down" music. Sampled by Eric Sermon (if you have heard of him) for his song ...
Advantages: Everything is perfect Disadvantages: None
In 1997, Motown Records released the posthumous Marvin Gaye album, "Vulnerable". The album, which was to be released sometime in 1979 as "Ballads", was shelved for years due to possible commercial reasons.
Finally released, the album brings way to one of the singer's most poignant concept projects he ever put out. Reviving some 1960s recording sessions, Marvin put all of his emotions from his tumultuous personal life and bared his heart in the way that was more cathartic than what created "Here, My Dear", recorded around the same time frame as this one was. All the tracks are exquisite and this album produces some of Marvin's greatest vocals yet. A tragic masterpiece in more ways than one indeed.
Among the best is "Why Did I Choose You" both in the final cut and the alternate version, "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" - which included ...
Advantages: The timeless Sexual Healing Disadvantages: None!
The late Marvin Gaye remains the most definitive male voices in Soul music. He truly was an utter genius and had such a creative and artistic flair and remains one of the key influences with todays new generation of wannabe Soul/R&B singers.
In October 1982, Marvin released his first (and his last) studio album for CBS Records, after fleeing from Motown Records in a bid, much like Diana Ross' exact reasons for escaping Motown, for wanting to exert total control over his career, an exercise he was most certainly capable of. The album would be the classic, Midnight Love, which though offered no social commentary or made any sort of profound political statement like much of his previous efforts had, it still stands as a compelling, solid production and a last triumph for the unbeatable legend of soul.
Marvin wrote all 8 songs ...
