Music CD - Marvin Gaye: What's Going on

	Music CD: What's Going on Artist: Marvin Gaye List Price: $9.98 Our Price: $5.14 Your Save: $ 4.84 ( 48% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Motown
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Tracks: 1. What's Going On 2. What's Happening Brother 3. Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky) 4. Save the Children 5. God Is Love 6. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) 7. Right On 8. Wholy Holy 9. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) 10. God Is Love (Bonus Track) 11. Sad Tomorrows a/k/a "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)" (Bonus Track)
Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0044006402222 Format: Extra tracks Label: Motown Manufacturer: Motown Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Motown Release Date: 2003-01-14 Studio: Motown
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Marvin's 'Crystal Ball' Comment: I remember the first time I heard the song 'What's Going On'.I was in the kitchen with my dad with the radio playing and the song came on the air.And I was amazed I had never heard a song like that before.With its multi-track vocals.Mr Marvin Gaye would come to use this technique with a lot of his other songs as well.Needless to say I bought the single right away.You know its hard to believe Marvin had to fight real hard to get this album out to the public.The powers at Motown only interest was in playing it safe and not rocking the boat.'What's Going On' is Marvin Gayes masterpiece and surely one of the best R&B recordings ever.It's as if Marvin Gaye was looking into a crystal ball while he was writing this album.And then singing about events that would still be taking place 10,20,40,50, years and maybe even more into the future.This album hits on everything from God,bigotry,taxs,social injustice the environment and the frustrations that sometime come with every day life.Marvin Gaye bought these things up before it became politically correct to do so.With songs like Inner City Blues,What's Going On and Mercy Mercy Me just to name a few.This album reads like today's newspaper headlines and is filled with lyrics just crying out to be heard.'What's Going On' gives us Marvin Gaye at his creative peak.And he will go on to do two more noteworthy albums 'Let's Get It On' and 'I Want You' two albums that are must haves for fans of Marvin Gaye.But to me this album 'What's Going On' is the best.What's Going On would also insprie others like Stevie Wonder,Curtis Mayfield,The Isley Brothers and so many others to take their music to a new level.This is one ablum that really changed the music industry for good.Well,many years have come and gone since that day in the kitchen with my dad.My dad is gone now,Marvin is gone now.But the question this album brings up is still with us today 'WHAT'S GOING ON?'. Customer Rating: Summary: God heard this music and said "That's Good" Comment: i won't try to do a Critical review here...i went to college 1969-1973...when this music came out on LP.we all thought ...but we all know that Marvin only got IT forso long before his demons won out and he died...i used to play this record every New Year's Eve...until my turntable died...now that i have the CD i cant wait until December 31st!!!!!!WHAT'S GOING ON???? honestly? Customer Rating: Summary: HEAVY lyrical content Comment: My father loves Marvin Gaye, so, growing up, I heard a whole lot of him. Unfortunately, Marvin isn't the kind of artist that most eight or nine year olds like typically, but now that I am a full-fledged adult, I have come to appreciate his creativity and innovation as an artist. If you listen to enough of his music, it would be evident to you that he pushed the envelope plenty of times throughout his musical tenure. Racy songs such as "Lets Get it On" and "Sexual Healing" and socially conscious numbers like the ones found on "What's Going On?" such as "Mercy Mercy Me" and "What's Going On?" all have controversial lyrical content. I enjoy his voice and delivery more than anything. He puts just enough soul into his music; never too much, never too little. He mastered the art of singing in my eyes. As a unit, this album is satisfying in many ways. It's not too long, the lyrics are great, and it is simply enjoyable all the way around. My few gripes are the fact that many of the songs sound alike production-wise and some of the songs are kind of eerie, perhaps because these songs were so far ahead of their time. If you were to listen to this album today, you would see how relevant his lyrics are to happenings of today. This album consists of mostly mid-tempos and ballads, all very touching and emotional. I have heard "What's Going On?" numerous times in my life, but today was the first time I listened with my undivided attention. It's a great song. The falsetto, hook and lyrics are all stand-outs. The song is about trying to come up with remedies for social problems. A lot of artists attempted to ape what Marvin did here by creating a socially-conscious album, but he is one of the few singers who was very effective. "Mercy Mercy Me" is also a nice song. Although this album has a strong 70s vibe, it doesn't sound dated. I highly recommend this album to R&B, soul, neo-soul and pop supporters. The content here will stick with you long after you have turned the album off. 4 stars. This one is a classic. Mikeisha's Top 5 "What's Going On?" "Save the Children" "God is Love" "What's Happening Brother" "Mercy Mercy Me" Customer Rating: Summary: All Time Classic Achievement Comment: Every now and then a selection of music comes along that begs me to set aside my (sometimes) petty concerns and just to review it as I see it. An important piece of music, such as this, really demands total focus. If not, you will not know how very special it is. Or how it all matters in all our trials here on earth. It is soul music (perhaps), but it cuts through to our heart and, collectively,our spirit that very few achieve. Even after so many years, it remains a milestone. Indeed, what is going on here? This is Marvin Gaye's ultimate plea- to God, to Jesus, to humanity to finally bring some semblance of coherence and something better within all our lives. It is not enough that it is so pivotal for it's time (so unlike the soul and rythmn and blues preceding this), but it delves into harder edged issues that cut through generations. It was relevant then, is relevant now, and will be relevant for the future. That is because it is universal. The urgency here, and what is at stake, is very important. It pertains to our survival and overcoming pain, in whatever form it appears to you. This effort is a treasure and definitely worth your time. First off, Marvin employs many various shades of musical excursions and motifs throughout. You'll hear the sax, piano, bells, guitar riffs and drums (and much more) weave in and out of musical themes in most creative ways. Using the orchestra to full effect - it weaves in magical waves to compliment his voice. And Marvin is up to the task and then some. On some songs it is difficult because just when you thought it moved in some coherent pattern, it changes and then you get some augmented about face in another direction. I think that, with anything new (at that time) acceptance is a hard road. But do not forget you are talking about an incredible, innovative talent here. There are not many that measure up to this. He starts off with "What's Going On" whereby he gives you the main theme of the album, "You know we've got to find a way, to bring some lovin' here today". And, from that point on, he will relate, or reveal to you, the hard truth of life and how to go about changing it. Certainly, these songs relate on an individual, personal basis. And, how wise that is. For, if any real, effective change is to take place, it begins within yourself. I like this song also for the lyric "Don't punish me with brutality, Talk to me so you can see". A plea to connect to a better level of understanding. "What's Happening Brother", is about a man returning from war who is faced with good news from the newspaper but is faced with a bad economy, no jobs, and bleak prospects all around. He asks, but probably knows, that he's returned to a darkness, instead of the heaven he wanted when he arrived. This song morphs into the heavy laden "Flyin' High", whereby a way to deal with the pain is drug addiction. But, with that, we learn that the pain is real and does not go away. Marvin then connects this to a plea to "Save the Children". "Who really cares?", he asks. The music here comes in certain strains and stanzas, varying the mood and leading to, hopefully, an upswing of hope. "God is Love" escalates towards a higher purpose. In a way, Marvin creates his own soul gospel sound here. Love, here, is not just a word. It is the answer. And it comes across as pure and not contrived in the least. The groove then gets slowed down just a notch with the nexus of "Mercy Mercy Me" which is an ode to the abuse of our environment. Marvin covers alot of ground here - but indeed, he asks the tough questions of the world. After cruising through this song, notice the dread and flat chords and notes at the end. An ominous warning so take heed. "Right On" musically percolates along with a piano and flute journey that allows Marvin to soul cruise. That no matter where you are in the spectrum of life, to have pride in the gift of love you have been given. "Wholy Holy" then becomes an ambient, slow ethereal blessing and ode to God. Filled with tenderness and heart. Finally, "Inner City Blues" harkens back (with insistent groove) towards the harshness and trials of life. But, this time he is sure that love is the answer to the madness. Again, he knows, "we've got to find a way, to bring some lovin' here today", and thus, the theme comes full circle. In closing, this album was a bold move back in 1971, yet I can see why it remains extremely high in any list of the best popular recordings of all time. He changed the course of this genre and influenced alot of great artists along the way. Beautiful, eloquent and superb. To be without it, your vast musical archive will suffer dearly. Highly recommended! Mery mercy me - Seers ain't what they used to be ---LOVE --- Metamorpho ;) Customer Rating: Summary: What's Going On Comment: Marvin Gaye-What's Going On ***** It is beyond the comprehension of my mind why for the sake of me that Motown didn't want to release What's Going On. Not only did it go on to be Marvin Gaye best selling album, and one of the best selling of Motown in general, it spawned three monster hit singles, The title track, 'Mercy Mercy Me', and 'Inner City Blues.' But more then that What's Going On has gone on to be acclaimed as one of the very best albums of all time, appearing on just about every best of list you can think of. Originaly released in 1971 What's Going On is the master, Marvin Gayes greatest achievement. Yes, his early hit singles were fantastic and have themselves gone on to become classics, and readio staples, and yes whats going on and all the sexual music to follow is perfect for that sort of thing but none of it can hold a candle to this album. This is his most important. The Orchesral arrangements made by David Van DePitte make give this record character and layering. Marvins vocals are insindeary. You can tell that he really feels what he is singing, and you can hear his heart breaking on this record as cliche as it sounds, it's true. That may be in some small part due to the fact that Marvin helped wrote every track on the album. Opening with the classic title track, 'Whats Going On' which is a plea, much as the entire album is starts things off nicely, I wont go into to much detail of the song because it's all been said. 'What's Happening Brother' is in the same vein as the title track but with lyrics a bit less personal. 'Save The Children' is the best example of the brilliance of the production on this album, which Gaye also lent a hand in. See he layered the vocals on all the songs many times and in several ways, even using backing vocals and choirs for texture. 'God Is Love' is a plea to live and let God. To let him take care of things, and live the way he wants us to and take care of the world he built for us. However your religious beliefs maybe the song does not come across pretentious, self-rightious, nor preachy, just simply as a man at his whits end asking us to help each other up instead of breaking us down. While seaguing straight into 'Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)' another one of the major hit singles on th elabum we find Marvin bringing to our attention the state of the Earth and how little we take care of it and how much we destroy it. 'Right On' aside from the underlining message has one killer groove. The original album closes with what I concider to be the strongest and best song that Marvin Gaye ever recorded, 'Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).' Still get chills all over my body when I hear this song. Breathtaking isn't the right word just the first that comes to mind. Would have sat perfectly well in the hands of a punk band at the end of the 1970's the way the lyrics are written which is wht I feel makes the song most enduring is that the lyrics really are written for everyone. A perfect end to and amazing album. Depending on the version of What's Going On that you purches it may come with two bonus tracks. They are the B-sides to the original singles. 'God Is Love' is just a alternate version of the album version but really worth owning for true fans. 'Sad Tomorrows' is just a great song that was left off the album but would have fit right into place had it been left. Inspired by the return of his brother from Veitnam, Marvin Gaye wrote one of the greatest, most personal, and important albums of all time. The album plays like one continues song seageing into the next one with ease and coming to a close with 'Inner City Blues' which much like a well written essay ends as it began wrapping everything up again in one beautiful bow, and thats what, What's Going On is a world of horrid, horrid situations wrapped in a wonderful melody and voice. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: Sly & 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