Motown Classic

After the early death of his duet partner Tammi Terrell Marvin Gaye fell in early 1970 in an existential crisis. Depression and drug influenced the following months. His brother Frankie, just from Vietnam to home leave in Detroit, pulled him through portrayals of the war in the Far East from the lethargy. Finally, he took up the anti-war song "What`s going on". Only against the great resistance of Motown boss Berry Gordy, who held like almost all in the Motown song for its theme for the unpatriotic and uncommercial, Gaye was able to publish the song. But when the song musically convincing and also met the Zeitgeist and thus stormed into the top chart regions called Gordy Marvin Gaye an entire album in the very style of the successful single.

The nine songs on the original album into each other, you realize sometimes not know where one track ends and the next begins. A concept album. About a percussive-flowing background landscape is Marvin Gaye with the Motown studio band "The Funk Brothers" of color of soul, jazz and classical music. For this he sings in a soft voice, which differs from many of his womanizer songs from the 60s. Matching we see on the cover and two different Photos Marvin Gaye defiantly with a new beard, purified and thereby hopefully in Detroit the rain, between swings, slide and children's tricycles.

Up to "What`s going on" was the subject of soul music almost exclusively from the themes of love and God. Now it came to war, drugs, corruption and (wait for it) to ecology. The shameful fact that black Americans in Vietnam lost their lives, but at home were still mostly treated as second-class citizens, is subject. Gaye sings confidently that God / Jesus is his friend. There is no divinely ordained racial barriers. Music that not only wanted to address the feeling or the body but also the brain and mind. Fittingly, the texts were first printed in Motown. Occasionally the disc as the black Sgt. Pepper was called. Through the commercial and artistic success of "What`s going on" Marvin Gaye was greater freedom in Motown. Of this ultimately benefited other Motown artists.

"What`s going on" is a concept album at a high level, so it is difficult to highlight a song. There are no weak track and for me is "What`s going on" next "Here, my dear," the best album of Marvin Gaye. And of course, absolutely a classic. No question, 5 stars!