The Best of Marvin Gaye (Motown Anthology Series) Reviews

Forty-seven songs, two-discs and the only thing missing is “Sexual Healing,” which couldn’t be included because it wasn’t a Motown release. A historic and varied career like Marvin Gaye’s would seem difficult to condense to two-disc’s worth of material, but the compilers somehow did it. And thank god that they did. This is a feast for any music fan. Especially if they’re looking for a collection of sophisticated, intelligent soul-pop confections.

Each disc smartly and economically summarizes the two distinct phases of Gaye’s career: the early years in which he was a matinee idol and the later years in which he took artistic control and crafted socially conscious, spiritually aware and sexually provocative material. His first single, “Stubborn Kind of Fellow,” is smartly named if the stories of his obsessive need for perfection and control-freak studio tantrums are to be believed. (And they probably should be. No great artist is without their own set of ‘quirks.’) It’s a gloriously upbeat, danceable piece of soul-pop fluff. The kind that Motown was infamous for turning out at a regular basis, but just because it is fluffy doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own artistic merits or cultural worth. Just because no one song on the first disc is as socially conscious as “What’s Going On” doesn’t mean that they’re any less vital, alive, pleasurable. The first disc is an amazing run through some of the most influential soul-pop music of the 20th century. Numerous duets with Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston appear, about six total, which is to be expected. The dynamic back-and-forth in songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “It Takes Two” are magically charged moments. But the real highlight on the first disc is the minimalist, dark groove of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” which snakes along slowly and stealthily before bursting out into the chorus.

The second disc picks up with 1971’s What’s Going On and ends with 1981’s “Heavy Love Affair.” This second disc covers his concept album phase which went on to become his most influential period. So much so that What’s Going On ranked at No. 6 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. (The other two albums chosen for the list were Let’s Get It On and Here, My Dear, two other concept albums.) This period shows a surprising amount of range, not only in subject matter but in soundscapes. There’s the space-age funk of “When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You,” the sexually provocative “Let’s Get It On,” the disco-funk of “I Want You” and spiritually-centered soft soul-pop of “God Is Love.” Each is a magnificent song, expertly crafted and performed. But nothing tops the still-relevant “What’s Going On” for sheer artistic might and influence.

These forty-seven songs prove why Marvin Gaye was listed at No. 18 on Rolling Stone’s The Immortals list. These forty-seven songs prove what a huge wake Gaye left before his untimely death; the reverberations of these recordings are still being felt. Without Gaye imagine what the R&B, soul and pop landscapes would be like. It would be a sad and plain world. DOWNLOAD: “What’s Going On,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Can I Get a Witness,” “I Want You”