Marvin Gaye was a Master Ahead of His Time

In my humble opinion, compilation CDs can either flop or rejuvenate a singer's career. I've owned this CD for about 10 years and it wasn't until a few years ago that I sat down and really listened to this CD. It's amazing the message Marvin conveys through his music. I've been blessed to grow up in a family where music was always around us. My musical library ranges from all types of genres and I'm always adding to it every day. I'm amazed how music can touch a person's soul and really speak to you when you listen to it.

Such is the case with Marvin Gaye.

DISCLAIMER: You'll have to forgive me because as much as I tried, I couldn't keep this review short. There's just too much to cover and I didn't want to leave too much out. You have been warned.

Disk 1 - The Early Years

I dubbed this first disk The Early Years simply because I thought of this to be an introduction to Marvin and his singing style. Here are the songs that you will find on Disk 1:

1. Stubborn Kind of Fellow - 2:44
2. Pride and Joy - 2:07
3. Hitch Hike - 2:32
4. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) - 2:14
5. What Do You Want With Him - 2:37
6. Once Upon A Time (with Mary Wells) - 2:32
7. What's The Matter With You Baby (with Mary Wells) - 2:22
8. Can I Get a Witness - 2:47
9. Couldn't Ask For More - 2:42
10. You're Wonderful - 2:45
11. I Wonder - 3:44
12. You're a Wonderful One - 2:45
13. It's Got to be Love - 2:38
14. Try it Baby - 3:00
15. Leavin' - 2:22
16. My Love For You - 2:59
17. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) - 2:59
18. Baby Don't Do It - 2:33
19. Just Like a Man - 2:49
20. Pretty Little Baby - 2:35
21. Talk About a Good Feeling - 2:24
22. I'll Be Doggone - 2:50
23. Little Darling (I Need You) - 2:45
24. One More Heartache - 2:34
25. Ain't That Peculiar - 2:59
26. You're The One For Me - 3:42
27. Take This Heart of Mine - 2:43
28. Your Unchanging Love - 3:02

Total Playing Time - 1:16:59

What I like about Disk 1 is the songs are simple and to the point. Sometimes all you need is a little simplicity to get your point across and Marvin conveyed his message through these songs on Disk 1. The disk opens with an upbeat, toe-tapping tune with Stubborn Kind of Fellow and right from the opening drums, you are compelled to sway from side to side and snap your fingers. Martha and the Vandellas offer their voices in the background and add that extra pizzazz to this track.

Listening to Disk 1 puts you in a time warp. You feel like you're at the local sock-hop or at the diner with your girlfriends or on that special first date and the waitresses are on roller-skates chewing gum and blowing bubbles. Disk 1 puts you in a happy mood and takes you back to your parent's days as kids. It's a playful disk with catchy tunes. With the exception of a couple of songs on this disk, I wasn't all that familiar with most of these songs, but once you listen to them, they become a part of you.

Your Unchanging Love is the last song on this disk and it's almost a prelude of what's to come in the future for Marvin. It has that touch of innocence, but you can sense in his voice another level of Marvin that's trying to break out and this is a small taste of that change.

There are 28 songs on this disk, but believe me, they go by so quickly that by the time you realize it, the disk is done.

Disk 2 - Melody through Duets

I've given Disk 2 many different titles: Marvin & Company and The Marvin & Tammi Hour, just to name a couple. This disk is filled with many duets and it further confirmed my theory of Marvin trying something new. Here are the songs you'll find on Disk 2:

1. It Takes Two (with Kim Weston) - 2:56
2. I Couldn't Help Falling For You (with Kim Weston) - 2:53
3. Lonely Lover - 2:24
4. Without Your Sweet Lovin' - 2:28
5. Ain't No Mountain High Enough (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:27
6. If I Could Build My World Around You (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:20
7. Your Precious Love (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:59
8. If This World Were Mine (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:41
9. Without You (My World Is Lonely) - 2:39
10. Together We Stand (Divided We Fall) - 2:50
11. You - 2:23
12. Chained - 2:34
13. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - 3:11
14. You're What's Happening (In The World Today) - 2:19
15. This Love Starved Heart of Mine (It's Killing Me) - 2:40
16. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:16
17. Keep On Lovin' Me Honey (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:27
18. You're All I Need To Get By (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:38
19. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby - 2:55
20. More Than A Heart Can Stand - 2:55
21. How Can I Forget - 2:02
22. That's The Way Love Is - 3:15
23. Yesterday - 3:23
24. The End of Our Road - 2:50
25. Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:25
26. What You Gave Me (with Tammi Terrell) - 2:24

Total Playing Time - 1:10:20

Marvin shows that not only does he sing well alone, but also when he's in the company of a good woman, it's taken to a different level. You can fell the chemistry Marvin has with his female counterparts in the duet tracks. It's such a great relationship musically that they almost sound as if they could be one. I like the playfulness of the duets - they're obviously having fun and love working with each other.

There are a number of tracks on Disk 2 that aren't duets and they are just as powerful. Marvin does a cover of The Beatles's Yesterday that is unlike anything I've ever heard. "Wow" was all I could say after I heard it for the first time. It's a softer side of Marvin and you can feel the emotions as he sings this song. The Fab Four should be proud of this rendition.

Disk 2 is a good disk to listen to when you want to have fun and you want to be close to the one you love.

Disk 3 - Peace, Love, Harmony, Togetherness

Here are the tracks you will find on Disk 3:

1. What's Going On - 3:52
2. Save The Children - 4:01
3. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - 3:15
4. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) - 5:28
5. I'm Going Home - 4:39
6. Piece of Clay - 5:11
7. You're The Man - Pts. I & II - 5:46
8. Checking Out (Double Clutch) - 4:52
9. Trouble Man - 4:55
10. Let's Get It On - 4:52
11. Come Get To This - 2:41
12. Just To Keep You Satisfied - 4:26
13. Pledging My Love (with Diana Ross) - 3:34
14. My Mistake (Was To Love You)[with Diana Ross] - 2:55
15. Distant Lover (Live) - 6:22
16. I Want You - 4:33
17. After The Dance - 5:11

Total Playing Time - 1:16:41

Right now, Disk 3 is my anthem disk and I've been listening to this one religiously. This disk has two parts for me. The first part is that it's a plea for all of us to look at life through different eyes. You get this message with What's Going On, Save The Children, Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues. This is pretty much a given because as you listen to these songs, you can't help but think, "Is this world where it should be?"

The other side of the coin is this. When I listen to Disk 3 it's as if I don't have a care in the world. I just want to let loose, let my hair flow and maybe walk around naked in my house. I just don't care about what's going on around me and it's almost okay to be a little crazy. Oh who am I kidding - it's all about Let's Get It On.

The song that I find myself listening to over and over again is Piece of Clay. It starts off very quiet and the organ starts to get louder as well as a Jimmy Hendrix-type guitar solo introduces this song. Somehow this song has gotten to a certain part of my soul that hits close to home for me. The whole meaning behind this song is that people are always trying to mold others into replicas of themselves and we all need to have our own identity. It's been said that this song was indirectly about Marvin's relationship with his parents, but I think we can all relate to this song. Unfortunately this song was never released as a single, but when you hear it, you'll feel as if a light bulb went off in your head.

Disk 4 - Trials, Tribulations, Triumphs, Tragedy

Here are the songs you'll find on Disk 4:

1. Got to Give It Up Pt. I - 4:13
2. Here, My Dear - 2:48
3. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You - 6:15
4. Anger - 4:01
5. Anna's Song - 5:54
6. A Funky Space Reincarnation - 8:17
7. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Reprise) - 0:44
8. She Needs Me - 3:31
9. Why Did I Choose You - 2:37
10. Life Is For Learning - 3:40
11. Funk Me - 5:35
12. Love Me Now or Love Me Later - 5:00
13. Ego Tripping Out - 5:12
14. The Star-Spangled Banner - 3:13
15. I Heard It Through The Grapevine (with Gladys Knight & The Pips) - 3:47
16. Rockin' After Midnight - 6:04
17. Sexual Healing - 4:03
18. The Lord's Prayer - 2:00

Total Playing Time - 1:16:59

Disk 4 gets the party started with Got To Give It Up and with this song, there is no way you can avoid dancing. It's got a great 70s disco funk that is so good, this song has been featured in several movies. It's a party song and the voices you hear in the opening (as well as throughout the song) makes you feel as if you are at this party. I don't know about any of you, but each time I hear this song, I have to stop what I'm doing and get my groove on. It's the ultimate feel-good song that is sure to get you off your feet.

Most of these songs on this disk are songs that I am not too familiar with and with some of them the first time I heard them, I had to do a double take. For instance, Ego Tripping Out is Marvin's attempt at rap, but it just sounds so out there that you have to wonder was he on something when he recorded this song.

His rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner at the 1982 All-Star Game, however, brings us back to the Marvin we know and love. I never had the opportunity to see him perform live, but I do remember watching this particular performance on television. It was unbelievable. Feelings of pride, joy, elation, all these great feelings would rush through you. I was pretty young at the time, but I remember it well and each time I listen to it, I'm brought back to that moment. Marvin's rendition of the National Anthem is one of the few that are so moving and powerful that it was released as a single. Each time I hear it, I'm proud to be an American.

The Lord's Prayer is the perfect closing to this 4-disk set. There's no music in the background, it's not a duet, and it's just Marvin and his voice praising the Lord and showing his appreciation of the Lord through his interpretation of this prayer. It's very simple, but also very powerful and after it's done, it's as if the chapter has come to a close. I thought it was executed very well.

Bonus Features

Aside from 89 songs and about 4-5 hours of playing time for your listening pleasure, in this set are testimonials from various musicians (some who worked with Marvin) as well as other celebrities who offered their opinion on the impact Marvin's music has had on society. It's great to read how others have been moved and touched by his musical talents.

Another great treat is The Master, which is a biographical account of Marvin's life written by David Ritz. It's a great read and I learned some interesting things about Marvin growing up as a kid, his rocky relationship with his father and his tragic death. April 1, 1984 is a day that changed the music world. When Marvin's father shot and killed Marvin, nobody really believed it was true because it was thought to be an April Fool's joke.

You also get a musical chronology of all Marvin's albums, singles and their chart peaks. This is a great read and I recommend that if you do purchase this box set that you read through the entire booklet.

Final Thoughts

I purchased this compilation set through Columbia House sometime between 1997 and 1998. I believe they may still be selling this box set, but you can also look on ebay or Amazon.com for copies of The Master - Marvin Gaye 1961-1984. I really don't think there's anything else to say except this is one set that you should have in your collection. Marvin Gaye was an amazing performer. He had soul, funk, jazz, heart; he was the whole package. Many have tried to copy his style, but he is definitely the master. There aren't many artists today who have reached the level of greatness that Marvin reached during his days, but through the magic of music, he continues to live on for many generations to enjoy and learn from.

Take care and if you lasted to the end, many thanks for reading.