Opinions On Eveything

Yep I know i'm a day late, so sue me! Anyways as you can tell by the photo on the left TAFFT #2 focuses on music and my favourite singer of ALLLL time Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. otherwise known as the Prince of Soul Marvin Gaye.

So how did I get into his music? Well it was 1990 and I was going through my father's LPs and found a greatest hits compilation called Every Great Motown Hit of Marvin Gaye. I was hooked immediately but I only thought "well that sounds pretty cool. I wonder what happened to him?" When I heard of how his father killed him one day before his 45th birthday I was shocked and it led me to seek out any of his material I could find and to learn as much as I can about him.

Even before I knew the details of his life I found his music to be very powerful, not only musically but just hearing that voice one could feel the emotion and soulful yearning for peace and love that he seeked throughout his life. It was after I read what I, and many other Marvin Gaye fans feel is his official biography Divided Soul by David Ritz that I learned the story of this brilliant and troubled soul. It made me identify with him all the more. Marvin was at heart a decent soul but it was the abuse of his father and the dysfunction between father and son that started Marvin towards a confused and tortured life in so many ways.

The main themes of his music and ultimately his life was love (both carnal and spiritual) and love of God as well as spiritualism. He had the goal of bridging the sexual with the religious. Unfortunately he never quite accomplished what I think is pretty much the impossible. His closest to achieving that goal was the posthumously released "Sanctified Lady". The original title was "Sanctified Pussy" but CBS records overdubbed the offending word along with putting WAY too much electro-funk stylings onto the song.

Marvin's music still touches the soul of anyone who listens to it. Every song was personal to him even if he never wrote or produced it. (give a listen to "Where are we Going?" to see what I mean) There was the added quality of just about every song being something you can relate to. I guess that's how I got hooked. I could identify with the emotions that he brought to the fore.

So after explaining why I like Marvin Gaye here's my top 3 albums in order:

1. Here My Dear: This album is Marvin's most personal album ever. It chronicled the breakdown of his marriage to Anna Gordy. This album contained just about every style of modern soul music from the 1950s right on up to the late '70s. I guess it's fitting that only Marvin could do an album that would have a doo wop styled song ("I met a Little Girl") and a funk number ("A Funky Space Reincarnation") in it. My favourite track on the album is a toss up between the soul sermon that is "Anger" and the funky and funny "You can leave but it's going to cost you". If you do buy this album I warn you it could actually leave you kinda depressed afterwards. (The only other MPG album that has left me distraught and depressed is Trouble Man)

2. What's Going On (deluxe edition): If you thought the original was the be all and end all of soul music then you haven't heard the deluxe edition! Nothing needs to be said about the original album but I have to say this, as Marvin told Smokey Robinson "Smoke, this album wasn't done by me. It was done by God." and by God it was! There has never been album before or since that has the kind of impact that WGO had on soul music and social awareness. It was the first secular album to fully embrace religion and God to a full extent. It was the one of the first concept albums in soul music history. (Isaac Hayes beat him to the punch with Hot Buttered Soul ) It was also the first time since Elvis that an album had 3 consecutive #1 Billboard hits.

Whew that was a long intro. I needed to start a new paragraph! Anywho let's talk about the extras that make this a deluxe edition and why it enhances WGO. First of all this edition contains the original Detroit mix of the album. The finished product you hear on the original album was actually vocals that Marvin did off of a remix of the original arrangements. The Detroit Mix is a lot more rough but that doesn't mean it loses the gravitas of the finished album. In fact I actually like the Detroit Mix versions of "What's Going On" and "Inner City Blues (make me wana holler)" more then the finished versions of the tunes. The DE also includes the rare Marvin Gaye Day 1972 concert rendition of the album. This is one of those rare bits of history that you're glad is still around to be heard. Marvin was completely on his game that night. The renditions of "What's Going On" and "Inner City Blues" were just superb. I especially love how Marvin basically sent out a prayer to everyone in the encore of ICB. The DE has other goodies like the single version of "God Is Love" which I just LOOOVE. The slower and more intimate gospel sound fits the lyrics much better. You just gotta love Marvin harmonizing with himself. Finally but not least is the special instrumental version of the title track. It's kinda interesting. It reminds me of a theme for a night time soap LOL!

3 Midnight Love and the Sexual Healing Sessions: This is another one of those releases with the original album with "brand new" material supplementing it. I'll quickly say that this album is probably one of the most underrated piece of work that Marvin ever did. Most people today say "well it was a good album but "Sexual Healing" was the only truly good song" when in reality the critics were all over this album in a good way back in '83. This was Marvin's "comeback" after his self imposed exile in Ostend, Belgium. The man came back with a vengence and a sound that mixed funk, electronica, reggae, Rick James styled funk and Barry Whitesqe brassiness. The mix produced a sound that was totally Marvin. My favourite song on the album other then the title track is "Joy". The track had a funkiness to it that's infectious. The brief guitar solo (there's a longer one along with a sax solo in a promo version of the song) gives it a sound similar to James Brown and believe it or not Michael Jackson. The reason I love this song so much is the concert version where he dedicated it to his father. It was truly a song that celebrated his religious upbringing.

So let's get with the "brand new" material. This is the actual sessions that led up to the album. There are two things that stand out to me

1) the acappella version of "Sexual Healing" which is just mind numbingly good. I kinda wish Marvin did acappella versions of some of his hit songs. It could've made for some interesting listening. If that wasn't enough the original vocal/mix of the song is a lot better then the original IMO. It has a running 4 note beat that repeats and gives the song a bit of a funkier edge. I also find Marvin's vocals a lot more emotional in this mix of the tune.

2) The original conception of "turn on some music" with Marvin meditating on the powers that music has on the soul. It was to me a "sexual healing" for the spirit instead of the body. It's this version of the song that was sampled in Erick Sermon's "music" in 2001. The final version of the song that's on the album is good but I really wish CBS had gone with the original version of the tune as it was more musically complex and stronger as well. I honestly feel if they had gone with the original version of the song that it'd be just as big of a hit as "Sexual Healing" was.

The Sexual Healing Sessions gives the listener an in depth tour of a master at work and it's what propels what is a fairly good album with a unique sound into one of those required listening type of albums.


WHEW! That was a lot. This is definitely my longest post and I barely scratched the surface. I think I will do an in depth look at my favourite MPG songs next week.