Marvin Gaye - Gold [Motown]

Marvin Gaye left behind one of the greatest legacies in American pop music, a fascinating and irresistible string of chart hits and stunning album-long suites that explored the sacred/secular divide in his own soul, and by extension, the philosophical divide in the American psyche, and he did it all with grace, ease, assurance, and style. This double-disc anthology hits the obvious high points, but also is deep enough to include some rarities (like the wonderful What's Going On footnote song "Where Are We Going?"), live tracks (his famous live performance of "Distant Lover" from an Oakland concert is included), a generous selection of his classic duets with Tammi Terrell, and his late, last burst of brilliance, 1982's "Sexual Healing." There are countless Marvin Gaye compilations on the market, but Gold does as well a job as any of them at skating across the high points of his career. The thing to remember, though, is that the water is deep, and listeners owe it to themselves to eventually dive down past these kinds of "greatest hits" collections into the full sweep of this brilliant singer's body of work. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Name Credits Art Stewart Producer Berry Gordy, Jr. Executive Producer Brian Holland Producer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Arranger Dale Oehler Arranger David Ritz Liner Notes David Van De Pitte Arranger Ed Townsend Producer Fonce Mizell Soloist, Producer, Trumpet Freddie Perren Producer Gene Page Conductor, Arranger Harry Weinger Mixing Producer, Compilation Producer Harvey Fuqua Arranger, Production Advisor, Producer Henry Cosby Producer Jeff Moskow Executive Producer Jim Hendin Photography Joe Hunter Producer Johnny Bristol Producer Kevin Reeves Digital Remastering, Mixing Lamont Dozier Producer Larkin Arnold Executive Producer Leon Ware Producer Marvin Gaye Executive Producer, Arranger, Producer Mathieu Bitton Design Monique McGuffin Production Coordination Nickolas Ashford Producer Norman J. Whitfield Producer Paul Riser Orchestra Director Ramon Galbert Product Manager Rene Hall Arranger Ryan Null Photo Coordination Smokey Robinson Producer The Vandellas Vocals, Accompaniment Valerie Simpson Producer Vartan Art Direction Wade Marcus Orchestra Director William "Mickey" Stevenson Producer