Review of Marvin Gaye – What's Going On – 40th Anniversary Edition Review". BBC – Music. June 27, 2011 . Retrieved September 10, 2012. Benson, George (February 22, 2004). "The Classic: Marvin Gaye: What's Going On". The Observer. Archived from the original on March 27, 2007 . Retrieved January 17, 2010. Sounes, Howard (2006). Seventies: the sights, sounds and ideas of a brilliant decade. Simon & Schuster. p.134. ISBN 0-7432-6859-8. "...such as Bobbye Hall whose insistent bongos can be heard..." This 50th Anniversary reissue mastered by Gray is phenomenal, it is my absolute favourite 'feel good', version of this release, it sounds amazing and it feels right on every level.

If spending a coupla years in the white, middle-class Home Counties of England caused Charles and Dee any problems, they never showed it. Charles had served in Vietnam, and was a proper Brother - I guess living in Thame wasn't so hard. Later on, I learned that they liked England very much, and thought about returning to the UK. Sadly, that never happened. But Charlie Smith sho nuff left his influence on one particular corner of this green and pleasant land... Almost without exception, I loved it. (The exceptions were usually jazz - "I don't like it when there's no singing and it's all strange, Charlie") And the stuff I loved the most was Marvin Gaye. Gulla, Bob (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul: An Encyclopedia of the Artists Who Revolutionized Rhythm. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-34044-4. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Marvin Gaye discussed what had shaped his view on more socially conscious themes in music and the conception of his eleventh studio album:

What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla. Recorded between 1970 and 1971 in sessions at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World, and United Sound Studios in Detroit, and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California, it was Gaye's first album to credit him as a producer and to credit Motown's in-house studio band, the session musicians known as the Funk Brothers. But the main reason for playing _What's Going On_ - something I do maybe three or four times a week, _every_ week. At least - is that it still sounds _sooooooooooooooo damn good_. The melodies are sublime, the execution of said melodies is an exercise in vocal perfection. The arrangements are little droplets of joy. The whole damn groove is aural sex. If you have a heart, it will feel. If you have hips, they will move. And if your ears have lips, they will smile. Breihan, Tom (May 19, 2011). "Marvin Gaye's What's Going On Gets Box Set". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 30, 2021. Lynskey, Dorian (April 5, 2011). 33 Revolutions per Minute: A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day (Google eBook). HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-167015-2. BTW, a word for the younger generations. This record is not just pretty music and lovely singing that you can listen to when you are stoned or making love — although admittedly, a lot of that happened at the time. It's about war, social inequality and the destruction of our planet, and the loneliness, the pressure and depression that one can feel in this environment — war, inequality, depression, ecology (it was a new word then), all the themes of 1970s' America, which probably have never been as relevant than today.

Sixties Medley" (" That's the Way Love Is"/" You"/" I Heard It Through the Grapevine"/" Little Darling (I Need You)"/" You're All I Need to Get By"/" Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"/" Your Precious Love"/" Pride and Joy"/" Stubborn Kind of Fellow") By the end of the 1960s, Marvin Gaye had fallen into a deep depression following the brain tumor diagnosis of his Motown singing partner Tammi Terrell, the failure of his marriage to Anna Gordy, a growing dependency on cocaine, troubles with the IRS, and struggles with Motown Records, the label he had signed with in 1961. One night, while holed up at a Detroit apartment, Gaye attempted suicide with a handgun, only to be saved from committing the act by Berry Gordy's father. [3] Listen to it if you don’t know it yet, I'm pretty sure that you’ll be extremely satisfied. Don't just listen to it though, LISTEN to it! (or make love on it :)

On The Go

Year-long celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s seminal 1971 album What’s Going On continue with today’s announcement of Motown/UMe’s December 3 release of the premium vinyl 50th Anniversary 2LP Edition. Lewis, Miles Marshall (2006). There's a Riot Goin' On. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp.70–72. ISBN 0-8264-1744-2.

Bowman, Kirk (May 21, 2021). "Marvin Gaye – What's Going On (album review)". Sputnikmusic . Retrieved July 29, 2022. If you noticed, I haven't named any Crown Jewels, because, this is one big Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate, Ultimate Crown Jewel!!!!!! This is beyond an album, it's a Documentary!!!!! The production of the record was also stunning, having it as a complete suite was priceless......

I first heard this album a few years ago. I heard it because I wanted to expand my musical horizons away from hip hop. My first step in branching out was listening to Bob Marley. After that was very successful, I decided to move on to the genre of soul, figuring I would like it. Marvin Gaye was my artist of choice because I had heard him referenced in multiple hip hop songs and he's often claimed to be one of the best in the genre. This album was the first album that I heard from him. Right off the bat, I loved it. I thought that it was beautiful, incredible music and I couldn't believe how narrow minded I had been before I listened to it. It inspired me to discover new music, not only in soul, but in many other genres as well. I had been looking at music so close mindedly, but this album single-handedly opened my mind to a whole new world of music. This album will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason. Christgau, Robert (December 12, 1971). "Consumer Guide (21)". The Village Voice. New York . Retrieved October 22, 2012. For anyone who likes this record, or wants to discover why it was such a massive success worldwide half a century ago, this is clearly a golden moment. This release has amazing clarity and depth, perfect tonal balance, vocals shine, but most importantly the rhythm and the flow of the album are intact. In fact, this record should not sound like pretty music and lovely words, it should move you and make you feel deeply sad, depressed, happy and hopeful, all at the same time —. It says STOP THE WAR, stop the madness, wake up to reality, take care of the world and of each other. What's Going On is a concept album with most of its songs segueing into the next and has been categorized as a song cycle. The narrative established by the songs is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to his home country to witness hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye's introspective lyrics explore themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. He has also been credited with promoting awareness of ecological issues before the public outcry over them had become prominent (" Mercy Mercy Me").