Here, My Dear

Marvin Gaye has a great voice. Aside from some brief moments this album fails to capture his best. The rhythm section was great. The sax had some rough moments. I heard a squeak or two and some strain on the high end. Thematically one dimensional overall.

This one was a bit of a chore tbh. Interesting concept and very solid musically, but the lyrics are so un poetic and on the nose that the whole album is cringe worthy. I feel like there must have been a better way to express these feelings, Mr. Gaye. In no way is this essential listening.

An album about (his) divorce, but manages to shy away from whining, blaming, crying or complaining. Beautifully sung, but drags a wee bit and does not really need to be over 70 minutes long!

Ik heb nooit heel veel naar dit soort muziek geluisterd, terwijl ik het genre wel fijn vind. De 1001 biedt mij daardoor voor dit genre meer inzicht. Leuk.

Ik merk nu wel dat ik Marvin ten opzichte van vergelijkbare muziek toch wat saaier vind. Deze muziek heeft wat power nodig wil ik erin komen. Het eerdere album Let's Get It On was meer zwoel dan krachtig. Dit album is ook niet zo krachtig. Het voelt zelfs net wat leger. Geen hoog cijfer, maar wel leuk om eens goed beluisterd te hebben.

A bit corny and on the nose if I'm being honest. Instrumentally it's darker than some of his other work, which matches the subject matter well but comes off as somewhat drab unfortunately. Definitely not his strongest in my opinion but still solid.

It's Marvin Gaye, so there's a great vocal performance. It's Tamla Motown so there are incredible bass parts. It's late 70s soul, so there's some deeply funky Rhodes parts with jazzy hand-percussion. But I'm not sure it amounts to much - the songs themselves are a let down, leaning into that washy unresolved lounge sound and ending up cluttered with too many instruments. But when that sultry sax hits, oooohhhhh baby

Favorites: Anger, Is That Enough, Time to Get it Together, You Can Leave

Didn't really find anything interesting to this album, but it wasn't bad either.

God funk!

This is why you get a prenup, gents!

I’ve never really listened to much Marvin Gaye beyond his hits and What’s Going On. This was a surprise to me. The lyrics are very personal and emotional. You can tell for better and for worse that he put his soul into this album. Some songs aren’t winners. Great instrumentation throughout. That yell he does in Anna’s Song is incredible. Album is a little too long.
Favorite songs were When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You, Everybody Needs Love, and Falling In Love Again.

Fascinating album and a good listen, although maybe more for the back story than anything. "Somebody tell me please, tell me please/
Why do I have to pay attorney fees (My baby's)" is a WILD lyric and worthy of it's inclusion on the list alone

Its a hard album to listen to. But I feel if I listened to it a few more times it would grow on me. Gets an extra star for that I guess

"We gon be getting down on the moon. Light years, interplanetary funk"

I used this album as background music, otherwise I'm not sure if I would've been able to stand 1hr 10 mins of Marvin Gaye crying about the fact that his wife divorced him. It was very nice as background music. The entire album (predictably) merged together into what felt like one long song. some particular tracks that stood out to me sonically include T4- Anger, with a nice funky beat alongside his usual type of vocals. and T11- A funky space reincarnation (which is the playlist track), which is super funky and I think the lyrics are hilarious. I'm not sure why he felt the need to include the same song three times in this album, and not a particularly good song either. I guess he really wanted to drive home the point that he wasn't sure when his ex-wife stopped loving him, so he included an instrumental and a reprise.

Whatever Mr. Gay
2/5

damn he really had a bad life huh

Took one glance at the artwork... I couldn't bring myself to listen to it yesterday! Listened today, it was alright, it's no What's Going On or Trouble Man though.

A Funky Space Reincarnation blew my tiny little mind.

Mr smooth’s break up album, I liked this and deserving of being on the list. But come the end of it dragged a bit. Not quiet making my rotation list, might come back to it if I ever get a divorce.

Today's album was a slog for sure. Firstly, it is a double album. Secondly, it is very heavy lyrically as the whole album is about Marvin Gaye's divorce. It flopped upon release, because more than being an album, it was Marvin laying everything he was going through (the rollercoaster of emotions) out on tape. If you purchased this hoping for some more typically upbeat Marvin vibes, this isn't it.

Marvin's telltale recording style of doubling his voice so he can harmonize with himself is spectacular. This record still has that silky smoothe slow, funky soul feel to it, that I can only describe as "bedroom music". It is soothing to listen to.

There are a few more lighthearted tracks on this record, notable A Funky Space Reincarnation. The lyrics of this song are hilarious, and so typical of Marvin...

2073, 2084, 2093 Light years ahead,
You and me gonna be getting down on a space bed,
We gonna get married in June,
We gonna be getting down on the moon.

Or, another gem from the same song:

Let's razzmattazz and all that jazz,
Let's feel each other's ass

Overall, a great listen today. Marvin's music is always good. This album is so long though, and the topic so heavy, that it just doesn't hit like the rest of his stuff does. Don't get me wrong, the album is great, it's just not something that I would put on again. It is perfectly average.

Favorite songs: A Funky Space Reincarnation, Time to Get It Together, I Met A Little Girl, Anger, Everybody Needs Love, Is That Enough

Least favorite songs: Sparrow

4/5

Crazy... I had just put this album on the turntable earlier this evening! Marvin's working through some real shit here and I respect him for being so candid. Yes, this is a sprawling mess of an album, but in the best and weirdest way. Something like "A Funky Space Reincarnation" doesn't even seem to fit the concept of the album, but it's so batshit bonkers that I'm tickled he sandwiched it in there. Just shows you how off the rails he must have been at that point in his life. I think recording in your own studio tends to lend itself to this type of wild self indulgence. I'm glad Marvin had the opportunity to make such an artful and thorough public catharsis.

Marvin pistää menee! Ei lemppari artistilta, mut 3/5