Summary:

by Arthur

From time to time people come up to me and ask for an album that will make them start to love soul music, maybe it’s because this whole soul resurrection movement has raised the general public’s interest in 60′s/70′s soul music. The first album that comes to my mind is this one. An album that represents to me, the true form of soul music and can change the whole way you see the world.

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From time to time people come up to me and ask for an album that will make them start to love soul music, maybe it’s because this whole soul resurrection movement has raised the general public’s interest in 60′s/70′s soul music. The first album that comes to my mind is this one. An album that represents to me, the true form of soul music and can change the whole way you see the world.

“What’s Going On” is an entirely personal album, with Marvin going down a road that he had never walked before. Coming from commercial, radio-friendly songs (and from a depression because of the death of his “vocal-mate” Tammi Terrel that even made him consider playing for the Detroit Lions) Gaye realised that he needed to do something true, something that could reach people’s souls, not the usual romantic and utopic vision of the world, but a record with topics relatable to real life. He accomplished this by seeing things in a different and positive way. The reality is in there; the desperate situation of economy in “Inner City Blues”, drug problems in “Flying High (In The Friendly Sky)” or even the environmental problems in “Mercy Mercy Me”. But Marvin sings every song with positivity, showing that our problems only depend on us, that it depends on our hearts and souls.

The musical composition of the album is fantastic and incorporates sounds that you can’t find in another record from the era. Using jazzy harmonies, beautiful orchestration, latin percussions and heavy vocal effects (with Marvin singing the backing vocals too, an effect that would later become a trend in soul songs) giving the album not only a grandiose feeling, but a unique sound too. Another curious fact about the album is that all the songs lead to the next one helping the concept of it being a more personal and soul touching album.

Without a doubt, this is the masterpiece, the best of Marvin Gaye’s genius and musical inspiration. A perfect album to be introduced to soul music and this style, it represents a piece of music history and how it’s had a huge influence on today’s artists from the genre.

by Arthur