Search - Marvin Gaye :: The Best of Marvin Gaye (Motown Anthology Series)

Marvelous Marvin

Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 02/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Anthology of Marvin Gaye is a great retrospective of a brilliant career. The two disks are broken up in a way we hear the two distinct eras of his career. Disk one contains all his work from the 1960's including the amazing "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (his first number one hit) and other hits including "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", "Pride & Joy", "Hitch Hike" and "Can I Get A Witness", his duets with Kim Weston and the late Tammi Terrill including "It Takes Two", "Your Precious Love" and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" and some lesser known gems like "Little Darlin'". During his time at Motown in the 60's, he was a typical Motown artist, recording the songs that were given to him and had no real creative control. In the 1970's he rebelled against this system and took control over his music with tremendous results. Disk two covers the 70's songs including the number songs "Let's Get It On" and "Got To Give It Up (Part 1)" and other classics like "What's Going On", "Inner City Blues", "Trouble Man" & "I Want You"."

Excellent compilation of his Motown music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 03/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This comprehensive collection contains all Marvin's American hits for Motown as well as highlighting other aspects of his music, including his political songs of the seventies. It does not include Sexual healing, recorded after he left Motown. His British hits were sometimes different from his American hits. Three UK top ten hits are missing, though as this is an American compilation, there is no reason why they should have been included. Abraham Martin and John was an American hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - perhaps it was felt that Marvin's version was better for the UK market. You are everything. A duet with Diana Ross, made the UK top five. Onion song, a duet credited as being with Tammi Terrell but recorded with a stand-in, made the UK top ten.The classic American hits (not all of which charted in Britain) are all here including Can I get a witness, How sweet it is, I'll be doggone, Ain't that peculiar, I heard it through the grapevine, Too busy thinking about my baby, That's the way love is. What's going on, Mercy mercy me, Trouble man, Let's get it on and Got to give it up. Some of his duets are here, too, including Ain't no mountain high enough, Your precious love, If I could build my whole world around you, Ain't nothing like the real thing, You're all I need to get by (all with Tammi Terrell), It takes two (with Kim Weston), What's the matter with you baby (with Mary Wells) and My mistake (with Diana Ross).Marvin always considered himself a balladeer like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole rather than a typical R+B singer, but his early attempts to establish himself in this role were not a success. Eventually, he did gain acceptance as a balladeer after proving that he could do the R+B material - compare his definitive version of I heard it through the grapevine with the Gladys Knight version, released a year earlier. Marvin actually recorded the song before Gladys but Berry Gordy initially rejected his version. It shows what perseverance can do.

Marvin once again had Berry Gordy worried when he completed his anti-Vietnam album, What's going on. Motown had always been primarily a singles label so this album was completely alien to the marketing department, although it appears that many people at Motown loved it. Once again, Marvin was right. The album was a huge success and four of its tracks are here - they are the first four on CD 2. There are plenty of other great songs here besides the hits and the anti-Vietnam song, too numerous to mention. This remains the best double CD of Marvin's Motown music notwithstanding the omissions. The British hits and Sexual healing are all easy to find elsewhere - not just on other Marvin Gaye albums, but also on various artist compilations.If you can't find this album, you can either buy the more recent double-CD, Very best of Marvin Gaye, or go for the boxed set. In any event, no collection of soul music is complete without at least one Marvin Gaye album."