Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Marvin GayeBrand: GAYE,MARVIN
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2003-01-14
Music Label: Motown
Soundtracks:
- What's Going On
- What's Happening Brother
- Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)
- Save the Children
- God Is Love
- Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
- Right On
- Wholy Holy
- Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
- God Is Love (Bonus Track)
- Sad Tomorrows a/k/a "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)" (Bonus Track)
Free Music Notes for What's Going On
Free Music Review: What's Going On - 35 Years Later
Hit: 5 Stars
The year was 1971, Marvin Gaye had been under contract with Motown for his entire career but never been able to express himself freely on his albums let alone produce them. Motwons's founder Berry Gordy wanted the music under his label to remain radio friendly and commercial and Marvin Gaye wanted more artistic integrity and more personal control over his music. At the time, singles were still more important then albums, especially in Soul and Motown had a specific sound and style that couldn't be modified. Gaye was very depressed for a while after the death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell in 1970, he took a break from music and even had a tryout with a football team (with little success). Some time later he came into contact with a songwriter from Motown called Al Cleveland that was working on a political song called "What's Going On" for the Originals. Gaye liked it and said he would produce it but eventually they changed their minds and offered the song to Gaye instead. Gaye went back from his hiatus, talked with Gordy who initially opposed it but eventually had to give in and let the single be released. The song became a smash hit and topped the R&B charts and reached the #2 position on the pop charts. Berry Gordy finally gave up to let Marvin record the album he always wanted. The rest is history. The album that was called "What's Going On" just like the single would become an massive success with huge impact on Soul music in the early 70's and is now generally known as the greatest Soul album of all time. It serves as the blueprint for political conceptual soul albums and helped artists like Stevie Wonder to release his personal albums aswell.
"What's Going On" is the album where Marvin Gaye explain all the troubles he's seing in America in the early 70's. It's more then just a simple protest album for the Vietnam war, cause Marvin raise the issues of poverty, crime, racism and drug use. As aformentioned, this is a concept album and based on the single with the same name many songs are rather simular in arrangements and theme. It's based on the return of a Vietnam veteran to America and how he see things changing and how the experience of war changed him. Marvin tries to find shelter and soloutions thanks to gospel and prayers. Curtis Mayfield had already released a simular album one year prior called Curtis that is close to being flawless but Marvin's album is even deeper and wider and reached out to the people in diffrent way. Let's take a look at the songs to ge a better perspective of this albums impact and greatness.
"What's Going On" is not too surprisingly the first song. Considering that Marvin was in a deep depression at the time you can hear the sorrow in his voice when he sings the lyrics but he still shows incredible emotion and that's why it sticks out over 35 years later. The Song Is about the Vietnam war but also about the things happening in his own country with racism, sexism and so on. Marvin replied with the lines "We don't need to escalate/ You see, war is not the answer, For only love can conquer hate". This is the song that probably desribes the world at the time in the best ways. "Whats's Happening Brother" is rather simular, it desribes the return of his brother from a 3 year duty in the Vietnam war and how he's a changed man but just aswell desribing the changes in America during the 3 years he was gone. On "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Skies) Marvin deals with drug use and what it does to you. He sais "Well I know I'm hooked my friend/ To the boy who makes slaves out of men". Curtis Mayfield would also make songs about this on his album Superfly. "Save the Children" deals with poverty among children and the dreadful situation they sometimes live in. "When I look at the world it fills me with sorrow/ Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow/ Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live". Sadly there's still alot of children growing up under tough conditions today.
"God Is Love" is such a beautiful song. Here he talks about his love and faith in god. Marvin Gaye grew up in a very religious home and a strong faith followed him through out his life. "Mercy Mercy Me" is a song that Al Gore probably could use cause it deals with polution and environemt problems caused by man and how it is destroying our beautiful world. "Right On" deals with the rich and poor, good and evil. Apart from tne other songs here it's arrangements sounds more like Latin-Jazz then Gospel infleunced Soul. This song is considerably longer then the other one's an clocks at 7 minutes and then it seques into "Wholy Holy". This one is very slow and sophisticated and is about Jesus. The last song is "Inner City Blues" and deals with the problems in the inner cities. It's very simular to "What's Going On". Main themes, povery, crime, police bruality.
Overall, the imapact of this album is undeniable, not only it was an emancipation for Marvin but it also helped others to become socially conscious and make the music in the way they wanted. It isn't strange that "What's Going On" started a trend that would get all these kind of albums started. Now, it's been 35 years ago and it does sound a little dated with it's sound and too many songs sound very simular but the lyrical themes are still present today and songs like the title track are still amazing to this day. A classic of classics, "What's Going On" is deeply recommended and should have a special place in any music lovers collection.
What's Going On Poster
Limited edition Japanese-only 200 gram vinyl LP pressing of this classic 1971 album complete with OBI strip. Universal. 2007Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicized soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalized it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going On, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavoring it with layer upon layer of his own multi-tracked vocals, oceans of hand percussion, strings, flutes, and jazzy horn solos. Spacey and loose as a spliff-fueled Sunday afternoon jam in the park, the nine songs all played like a hit single. The title track--inspired by his brother's return from the Vietnam War--and the obvious social commentary of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" actually were hit singles. Two other tracks ("Wholly Holy" and "Save the Children") would inspire hit covers by Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, respectively. Nevertheless, What's Going On sounds as fresh today as it did the week that it came out. Recommended reading: Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz (McGraw-Hill, 1985). --Don Waller
Marvin Gaye's What's Going On may be the most powerful soul record ever made. On this Deluxe Edition, the original recording is embellished with an alternate Detroit Mix of the album (which is almost equally strong) and a previously unreleased recording of Gaye's live performance at the Kennedy Center in 1972. It also includes brilliant liner notes, song lyrics, and a mini-essay by Smokey Robinson, who calls What's Going On his favorite album of all time. The raw emotionality of the live disc further demonstrates Gaye's commitment to his own sentiments and captures the longing and sadness that permeate the album. Gaye went into uncharted R&B territory on What's Going On: leaving love ballads behind, he explored social commentary from an intimate personal perspective. The world weighed heavy on his heart, and the album brings home the confusion of the Vietnam era, when America the Beautiful began to seem a bit ugly. Armed with only his heart and his voice, Marvin Gaye took on Uncle Sam, and won over the hearts of many Americans. --Lizz Mendez Berry
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