In 1972, following the success of What's Going On he was on top of his game. Sometime during this fruitful period, he also recorded the music for You're the Man. Gaye used his newly found confidence to record an album of aural erotica Let's Get it On, but the real icing was the fabulous I Want You (Tamla, 1976), a celebration of his love of Janis Hunter. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Capitol Records, 1967), it opened up whole new sound worlds, but this time for soul music. Though it was reported that Gordy was bewildered by the results, What's Going On went on to become one of Motown's biggest selling albums of all time. This album certainly remains as one of the most politically and socially sharp albums of all-time. David Van De Pitte's skillful orchestration and Gaye's subtle production touch allowed the arrangements to breathe a new clarity. Most importantly, the potent lyrics were couched in very accessible upbeat arrangements which seemed to swim along in their own ambiance. Gaye delved deeply into political and social consciousness in in this suite of sorts, with innovative music brimming with observations where poverty, loss of faith, despair, ecology and the need for love were the overwhelming themes. The end result, the album What's Going On? (Tamla, 1971), was inspired in part by his brother's experiences in the Vietnam War. But in 1970 he opted to work on a concept album that dragged through the summer of 1970 with additional work being done in the spring of 1971. Despite his reputation, Motown wasn't very keen about Gaye ruining its winning formula. The success of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"it was a monster hit, reaching the top of the Billboard Pop charts and staying there for seven weeks in late 1968 and early 1969allowed Gaye to escape from the restrictions of the three-minute songs that Motown's productions were famous for. The first thing with this long-thought-lost new Gaye release, then, is to recognize where it falls in that chronology in order to understand what he was aiming for at the time.
In order to celebrate what would have been Marvin Gaye's 80th birthday (on April 2) record label UMC/Island is issuing up a previously unreleased 1972 Tamla/Motown album, You're The Man from one of the most prolific periods of his creative life, the first half of the '70s. By the early '60s, he was singing, his lush velvety voice making evergreen classics of songs like "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar." These were followed by songs like "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (with vocalist Tammi Terrell) and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." On a trip to Detroit with one group, he was spotted by Tamla/Motown Records boss Berry Gordy and signed to the label as a drummer.
His gift took him to his high school orchestra before various vocal groups attracted his interest in his late teens.
He first performed publicly by playing the organ in his father's church. The story of Marvin Gaye, one of the great and enduring figures of soul music lived a life that was a mixture of bittersweet success and sexual confusion.Īmazingly, Gaye was a very shy man, a musician who grew up a musical prodigy. Those who listened to his songs danced to it and romanced to it during a career that ended abruptly on April 1, 1984, just one day before Gaye's forty-fifth birthday, when his father shot him dead. He left his indelible mark on popular music and literally transformed the entire recording process for black soul singers, changing the face of Motown and of soul music forever. There are many artists who could be lauded for their contribution to the art of singing but there aren't many others who have had such a profound effect on music in general with their voice, production abilities, and songwriting skills. Much has been written over the years about soul legend Marvin Gaye and his contributions to music.
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