The extraordinary career of Marvin Gaye ( Marvin Gaye) corresponded to his extraordinary life, a mixture of blessings and misfortunes, magnificent success and incomprehensible pain. His biography and discography are twin reflections on the same duality: an artistic and personal struggle to heal the schism between head and heart, flesh and spirit, ego and God. Meanwhile, music exists because of the pleasure of contemplating its beauty and the miracle that was Marvin's voice.
Marvin's work spans several decades - the sixties, when he rose to fame as a somewhat unruly artist, a brilliant product of the Motown assembly line; the seventies, when he matured as an independent force, a pioneering filmmaker who both rose to the challenge and fell to the temptations of his time; and the early eighties, when, for a brief moment in time, he took the stage for the final, tragic act of his gripping drama.
The seeds of his discontent were sown in childhood. He was born on April 2, 1939 in Washington, DC. Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. was the eldest son of the charismatic preacher. The church was in joy, holy intoxicating music was playing; but the church was also serious and adhered to its strictly business-like strict instructions, without dancing, without libations and the like. The Church was also eccentric - a small Christian subculture that celebrated Jewish High Holy Days.
The hero of this story left high school just before it ended and joined the Air Force, only to be discharged. After working with original rocker Bo Diddley, he joined the Moonglows, the most harmonious band in existence. It was the late fifties, and Marvin's impressions of the burgeoning Golden Age of Doo-Wop - with its lush romanticism, its otherworldly aura, its idealization of women and pure melodic beauty - would prove strong and lasting.
Harvey Fuqua founded and promoted Moonglows. An excellent writer and musician, he became Marvin's father-guru. When the group broke up, Fiqua brought Gaye to Berry Gordy's newly formed Detroit Motown Records. Marvin wanted to be both in the studio and with the Godey family. Gaye got what he wanted by marrying Berry's sister Anna, a woman 17 years his senior, and recording the initial series of his work, which quickly spread despite Godey's ideas about black sales. dance music white teenagers.
Marvin dreamed of becoming pop singer in the "silky smooth" Nat Cole style, like Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. Shy but ambitious, mature but fearful, thoughtfully serious, the singer wanted to sit on a chair, smoke a cigarette, slowly sip a martini and interpret the ballads of Gershwin and Porter. Godey indulged Marvin's fantasies, even producing many of his early efforts. But Marvin and Motown were unable to crack the adult market. Gaye's destiny was the Top Ten.
Watching his peers—Mary Wells, the Marvelettes, the Miracles—Gaye entered the game with "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," a self-penned piece of autobiography that established his ability to play to the rhythms of Young America. The song became a hit in 1962, as did a number of others - "Pride and Joy", "Can I Get A Witness?", "I"ll Be Doggone", "Ain"t that Peculiar". As a writer, Marvin contributed to the promotion of the song "Dancing In The Street", which became the secret revolutionary anthem of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.
Not only did Gaye prove himself to be a solo artist, but he was also able to prove that he is an impeccable duet partner. "What"s the Matter With You, Baby" with Mary Wells, "It Takes Two" with Diana Ross, received wide popularity. But it was the combination of his talent with the talent of Tammi Terrel that created a series classical works- "You"re All I Need to Get By", "Ain"t Nothing Like the Real Thing", "You Ain"t Livin" Till You"re Lovin"", "Good Lovin" Ain"t Easy to Come By " - significant for their lyricism.
Norman Whitfield became a major factor in motivating Marvin in the second half of the sixties. Their relationship was difficult. Two stubborn people who almost came to blows, they created sounds that combined passionate anguish and restless anger. Whitfield's songs, addressing Gaye, became a reflection of the problems of Marvin and Anna's marriage. The most significant fruit of their collaboration, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", expressed anguish never before heard in Marvin's voice.
At the start of a new decade and with new sales of his records, Marvin made his 1971 declaration of independence clear. Now he becomes his own producer, singing his own songs, setting his own agenda. The result was a turn to global popularity with "What's Going On", a stunningly complex structure and one of the first concept albums in which Gaye expressed his views on Vietnam, ecology, racism and religion in sophisticated musical ways.
He loved to shock; he enjoyed surprises. Who else would trade work of high social significance for the celebration of wild eroticism? The change from "What's Going On" to "Let's Get It On" in 1973 delighted Gaye's fans and cemented his image as both an unpredictable rebel and a mysterious man of love. While he was creating "Let's Get It On", 33-year-old Marvin met Janis Hunter, who at 16 would become the second great love of his life. (Marvin and Anna adopted one boy, Marvin III ; before divorcing Anna, Marvin and Janice already had two children, Frankie and Nona (current singers).
In 1976, Gaye continued to explore notions of sexuality with "I Want You", a ball of overwhelming sensual energy. A year later, he wowed again with "Got to Give It Up," a seductive homegrown dance hit that became a successful disco curiosity of the era. Oddly enough, the song talks about Marvin's shyness and his obsessive fear of dancing.
His obsession is autobiography with 1978's Here, My Dear, a graceful epic document of the breakdown of his marriage to Anna. His theme "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You" was particularly poignant; By the time his album was released, Marvin's second marriage had also disintegrated, accelerating the collapse of his soul and career.
Wars raged in both Marvin's head and heart. He talked about giving up music and becoming a monk. He talked about how he was an even bigger sex symbol than Elvis Presley. He poured out his desperate conflicts on his final album for Motown in 1981, In Our Lifetime. His salvation, only temporary, came with a move to Ostend, Belgium, where he and I, based on an Odell Brown track, wrote the lyrics to the song "Sexual Healing". As the author of his biography, it was my way of offering what I believed he needed, a reconciliation of the irreconcilable, from childhood, between pleasure and pain.
Signing a new contract in 1982 with CBS, "Sexual Healing" topped the charts and Marvin ended his three years of exile. His return was triumphant, but quickly became tragic. His drug addiction worsened, his emotional stability eroded, his humor and easy charm gave way to paranoia and fear.
On April 1, 1984, at his parents' home in Los Angeles, Marvin attacked his father for insulting his mother. The father responded by shooting his son - using the gun that Marvin himself had given him four months before that fateful day.
Since then, the power and reach of Marvin's music has increased. His position as an artistic rebel and a sensual romantic is strong. His songs are loved all over the world, sung and covered younger generations who feel the sincerity of his struggle and the joy of his spirit. Marvin Gaye is still alive in our hearts.
Marvin Pentz Gaye was born in 1939 in Washington into a Christian family. WITH three years sang in the church choir, then as a teenager learned to play the organ. By the age of 15, he mastered the keyboards and drums and performed with various black street groups, including The Rainbows and the Moonglows, who played rhythm and blues. In 1957 he joined the group “Marquees”, which performed romantic songs... Read all
Marvin Pentz Gaye was born in 1939 in Washington into a Christian family. From the age of three he sang in the church choir, then as a teenager he learned to play the organ. By the age of 15, he mastered the keyboards and drums and performed with various black street groups, including The Rainbows and the Moonglows, who played rhythm and blues. In 1957, he joined the Marquees group, which performed romantic jazz ballads and even released one album. In 1961, Marvin was noticed by Berry Gordy, founder of the record label Motown Records, who was struck by his beautiful young voice with a three-octave range and offered a contract.
From 1962 to 1965, Marvin Gaye continued to work primarily in the rhythm and blues style, his most famous compositions were “Can I get a witness” (1963) and “Stubborn kind of fellow”, which was included in the TOP10 list. Then, according to the idea of Motown producers, Marvin began recording a duet with such famous performers as Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell. Among his compositions were mainly romantic blues and rhythmic dance jazz suites, including the famous “Baby don’t do it” (1967). In 1970, after the tragic death of his last partner Tammi Terrell from a stroke on stage, Marvin dramatically changed his style. His new album"What's Going On" (1971), a mixture of jazz, funk and classical, addressed many serious issues such as racism and drug addiction. Despite Motown Records' misgivings, the album was a huge success. The funk composition “Mercy, mercy me” was especially popular. With the release of this album, Marvin Gaye gradually achieved creative and financial independence from Motown. And the next album, “Let’s get it on” (1973), becomes his most successful work.
Marvin Gaye paved the way to the stage for many talented funk performers. It was he who brought the young Stevie Wonder to the stage, and in 1973 his joint album with Diana Ross was released.
Unfortunately, the evil that Marvin fought in his songs did not bypass him either. His recordings from the late 1970s reveal his increasingly destructive addiction to cocaine. Fleeing tax problems, in 1980 Marvin moved to Europe, where one of his last lifetime concert albums, “In our lifetime,” was soon released.
His last album “Midnight love” (1982) and the composition “Sexual healing” from it were awarded a Grammy Award in the category “Best Male Vocal in the Style of Rhythm & Blues”.
Marvin's father, a priest, believing that the singer's profession was a disgrace for his family, in one of the quarrels at the family table... shot Marvin. April 1, 1984.
In 2008, American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Marvin the 6th greatest singer of all time, and 18th of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
Discography:
1961 - The soulful of Marvin Gaye
1963 - That stubborn kind of fellow
1964 - When I'm alone I cry
1964 - Together (with Mary Wells)
1964 - Hello Broadway, this is Marvin
1965 - How sweet it is to be loved by you
1965 - A tribute to the great nat king cole
1966 - Moods of Marvin Gaye
1966 - Take two (with Kim Weston)
1967 - United (with Tammy Terrell)
1968 - I heard it through the grapevine
1968 - You’re all I need (to get by) (with Tammy Terrell)
1969 - Marvin Gaye & His girls (with Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Tammy Terrell)
1969 - Easy (with Tammy Terrell)
1969 - Marvin Pentz Gaye
1970 - That's the way love is
1971 - What's going on
1972 - Trouble man (film soundtrack)
1973 - Let's get it on
1973 - Diana & Marvin
1976 - I want you
1977 - At the London Palladium (live)
1978 - Here my dear
1981 - In our lifetime
1982 - Midnight love
- Marvin was born on April 2, 1939 in Washington, DC. His parents were clergyman Marvin Gaye Sr. and Alberta, a housekeeper.
- Thanks to his father's profession, young Marvin became acquainted with music very early. Already at the age of 4, he sang in church or accompanied his parent on the piano. In addition, it was during those years that Gaye Jr. gained his first experience playing drums.
- Subsequently, the musician recalled that his mother did not encourage his passion for singing, which instilled thoughts of suicide in his son’s childhood soul. In addition, Marvin’s sister said that he was subjected to domestic violence from the age of 7 until adolescence.
- Having dropped out of school at the age of 17, tired of family squabbles and dreaming of heaven, Marvin volunteered for the US Air Force. However, the service did not last long. Frustrated by having to do menial work, Gay pretended mental disorder and was soon discharged. The sergeant to whom Marvin was subordinate would later state that the future musician simply refused to follow orders.
- In 1957 Gay formed The group Marquees. The team released the song Wyatt Earp, for which Bo Diddley recorded backing vocals.
- Despite the short career of The Marquees, Gaye's activities with the group attracted the attention of Harvey Fuqua. Harvey's wife, Gwen, introduced Marvin to her brother, Berry Gordy, an aspiring producer who had just founded a new label, Motown Records. Gordy was impressed by the pleasant timbre of Gay's voice and offered him a contract. And Berry's older sister, Anna Gordy, became Marvin's first wife.
- Nevertheless, for all his vocal talents, Marvin began his career at Motown as a session drummer on Smokey Robinson's recordings.
- Before the release of his first single, Marvin changed his last name somewhat. He began to get tired of the ambiguous question they teased him with - “Is Marvin Gay?” As a result, the singer began writing his name as "Marvin Gaye". He also added the letter “e” because his idol, Sam Cooke, did the same at one time. Interestingly, these musicians, Cook and Gaye, will suffer a similar fate - both will be shot dead, being not yet old people.
- For a long time, Marvin, under pressure from the label, was engaged in rather lightweight, from his point of view, rhythm and blues. It wasn't until the early 1970s that Gaye achieved creative control over his own recordings (similar to Stevie Wonder). The result was the album What's Going On, which amazed the public with the complexity of its sound and the sophistication of its performance. The album is now considered a milestone in the history of rhythm and blues and one the brightest examples soul.
- Despite this success, it was not an easy time in Marvin's life. In the 1960s, he sometimes recorded romantic duets with Motown singers. One of his partners, Tammi Terrell, once fainted while performing with Gay. Doctors diagnosed her with a brain tumor, the disease progressed, and in 1970 Tammy died. His death plunged Marvin into a deep depression, and he never fully recovered from this shock until the end of his life. It is worth noting that it was from the early 1970s that Gay moved away from active political position, and his work becomes more introspective.
- For example, Marvin's hit single Let's Get It On was originally intended to be a political song, but ended up focusing on more personal themes of love and sex.
- The title of one of Gaye's later albums (Here, My Dear) was an appeal to his first wife, the same Anna, Berry Gordy's sister. By that time, the couple had divorced, and the money received from the sales of the record went to pay alimony.
- In total, Marvin tied the knot twice. First wife, Anna Gordy, was 17 years old older than musician, and the second, Janice Hunter, is 17 years younger.
- The last years of Marvin's life were overshadowed by litigation over the payment of taxes and divorces from his wives, a conflict with the management of Motown and, most importantly, serious problems with drugs. Nevertheless, even in this difficult time, the musician achieved success - the composition Sexual Healing became a popular hit, and Gay’s performance of the American anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game was recognized as a classic.
- In the same 1983, the English “new romantics” Spandau Ballet, influenced by soul music, dedicated their most famous hit, the song True, to Marvin and even mentioned his name in the lyrics.
- One of Gaye's unfulfilled creative plans was a duet with Barry White. Marvin died a week before rehearsals began.
- April Fool's Day in 1984 was marred by tragedy. As a result of a family quarrel, the famous musician Marvin Gaye was killed by his own father. By an evil irony of fate, the gun from which Gaye Sr. fired the fatal shots was once given to him for Christmas... by his son, Marvin Gaye Jr. The singer did not live one day before his 45th birthday.
What does it sound like
Almost all of the 1960s Motown songs recorded by black artists from Detroit always sounded the same: until about 1965, they were recorded R'n'B hits driven by repeated guitar or piano chords, after which they became richly arranged high pop music. with obligatory strings and winds. Even though Gaye's hits are superficially indistinguishable from the rest of the label's material, he seems to be the strangest performer on Motown's entire hit roster at the time. The reason for this is his unique, completely unimitable voice. From the very beginning, the gay man did not fit into the framework of that characteristic (emphasis on the second syllable) voice that Motown boss Berry Gordy was endlessly searching for. He could never deliver the high melodrama of Diana Ross from The Supremes, the street brashness of David Ruffin from The Temptations, the deep sensuality of Left Stubbs from the Four Tops, and even less so the refined teenage tenderness of first Stevie Wonder and then Michael Jackson. Passed through church choirs and doo-wap Gay developed a special style - a wild voice that changes during one song from baritone to tenor, a very gospel voice. Of the singers of similar stature from the 1960s, he can only be compared to Wilson Pickett - but while he sounded like a Neanderthal at the microphone, Gay sounded more like a man stunned by life's endless problems. Actually, many of his early hits are about just such problems: Gay scours the United States in search of a girl who ran away from him (“Hitch Hike,” which influenced everyone from Lou Reed to Johnny Marr with its guitar rhythm), learns from unfamiliar people about betrayal (“I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, almost best song of all times and peoples), is trying to get along with thoughts of breaking up (“Can I Get a Witness,” by far the wildest song on early Motown). Even in lyrical or relatively calm things, in which Gay speaks about one and indivisible love, notes of internal dissatisfaction and lack of reconciliation with oneself are still heard in his voice.
Place in history
It was Gay, along with Smokey Robinson, who was the first superstar of Motown - and in many ways shaped the famous sound of the label, which at the beginning of its history released comic records, lounge jazz, country, and much more, and raised its internal bar to the prohibitive height. Released in 1970 "Super Hits" - still best collection his hits. Motown's albums of those years were traditionally a weak point, although - to be fair - Berry Gordy once did not very successfully try to make Gaye an album artist (see the records "Moods of Marvin Gaye" or "M.P.G.").
Example
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
Compilation of the best duets of Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell - the greatest of the Motown star tandems of the sixties
What does it sound like
Marvin Gaye was not only an important solo artist for Motown, but also the most suitable singer on the roster for recording mixed-sex duets, a popular segment of pop music in the sixties. Back in 1964, his collaborations with Mary Wells, “Once Upon a Time” and “What’s the Matter With You Baby,” became all-American hits. Two years later, thanks to the heavy R’n’B “It Takes Two”, Gay repeated his success together with Kim Weston, and in 1967 he finally found a permanent partner - not very lucky solo singer Tammy Terrell, girlfriend of David Ruffin from The Temptations. Gay and Terrell wrote their duets separately from each other - which can be heard from the not-so-successful mixes of the songs themselves - but this did not in the least prevent one from feeling 100% chemistry in their voices (baseless rumors about their romance followed immediately after the couple’s first hit). Most of the duo's material was, however, of second freshness, but at least "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" are classics of sixties duets, standing on the same level as Lee's "Some Velvet Morning" Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra or “Je t'aime... moi non plus” by Gainsbourg and Birkin.
Place in history
"Greatest Hits" gives the best insight into Gay's career as a duetist - a career that was important but short-lived and tragic. Terrell, whom Gay, according to the recollections of Motown employees, treated as his own sister, was diagnosed with brain cancer back in 1967, at the age of twenty-two - which by the end of the decade had turned her into a wheelchair-bound blind and deaf a woman, and a year later he killed her. Gay took his partner’s illness very hard - he went into a year and a half depression, from which, however, he emerged as a completely different person.
Example
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
One of the greatest albums of all time - nine unusual and timeless chamber soul songs
What does it sound like
In mid-1969, when Terrell was already quite ill, Berry Gordy persuaded Gay to record another joint album with her - “Easy”, published in September of that year. It was the recording of this record that became the starting point for Gay in his crusade against Motown’s policies, which actually controlled the lives of the label’s artists. At first, he simply stopped communicating with Gordy (even the fact that Gay’s wife was Anna Gordy, Berry’s sister, did not help the Motown boss), and then he completely announced that he was leaving music. He spent the spring of 1970 training with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League and thinking about a career in sports, but as a result of the training he turned out to be too old and weak for a career as an American football player, which, according to all of Gay’s biographers, became very difficult for him. a serious blow. Around the same time, the previously apolitical Gay began to closely follow political events within the United States - according to Anna Gordy, this interest was explained by the singer’s meeting with his brother, who had returned from Vietnam at that time. In the summer, being in a completely deafening depression, he recorded “What’s Going On” - a sad piano soul song about the uncertainty within the country, between the lines of which the drama of the uncertainty of Gay’s own life was easily read. Berry Gordy refused to release the song as a single - and Gay had no choice but to boycott the label. “What’s Going On” hit the market only at the beginning of 1971 - and became Motown’s best-selling song in its entire history. Amazed by the success of the song, Gordy booked a studio for Gay and - for the first time in the history of the company, which always relied on in-house producers - gave the musician complete carte blanche to record.
The very title of “What’s Going On” makes it easy to guess the state in which Gay was during recording: the songs here seem to be out of focus. Each of them contains a melody that inherits all the hallmarks of the Motown hits of the 1960s, but it is not always heard behind the unusual arrangements, atypical for any soul album of those years: instead of funk, bass, flirtations with psychedelic soul - here are rare and accurate piano chords, muffled percussion sound, light and lyrical saxophone. The blur of focus is also enhanced by Gay’s voice, firstly, who sang much softer than on his previous hits, and secondly, during the course of the record, several times he launched into lengthy half-sung, half-spoken monologues.
Place in history
Now “What’s Going On” sounds like a precursor to a million different things, from the introspective Stevie Wonder albums of the mid-1970s to the soft black radio music of the late 1980s and early 1990s; in 1971 it sounded like the most avant-garde pop music ever. However, one only has to hear three singles from this record - the title track, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)” - to understand that this is the avant-garde that in no way does not run away from the listener, but on the contrary, reaches out to him. On “What’s Going On,” Gay doesn’t say anything important—most of his lyrics are about the peaceful political protest that was commonplace in the early 1970s, ecology, and the difficult lives of lower-class African Americans—but he says it all more convincingly and sensitively than many.
Example
"What's Going On"
The soundtrack to Ivan Dixon's blaxplotation "Trouble Man" - made in the wake of the success of the music of Isaac Hayes for "Shaft" and Curtis Mayfield for "Superfly" and is almost entirely instrumental
What does it sound like
"Trouble Man" is a rather masterful, but completely typical soundtrack for its time, for a niche film for African-Americans. Funky bass, sharp crescendos, an atmosphere of heavy night fatigue subtly present in the music - everything here seems to have been made based on the same “Shaft”. The only exception is the plangent blues “Trouble Man,” which Gay delivers with the impeccable conviction of a man in trouble.
Place in history
There is no need to be surprised that this album is present in Gay’s discography. Firstly, this was the era. Secondly, Gay himself just started in Motown as an instrumentalist (mainly a drummer), arranger and producer - and “Trouble Man” gives a full picture of these talents.
Example
The sexiest soul album in history
What does it sound like
The best way to describe this record is a quote from its booklet, written by Gay himself: “There is nothing wrong with consensual sex. I think we're being too hard on him. Genitals are just part of the amazing human body. SEX IS SEX and LOVE IS LOVE. Taken together, they complement each other. But sex and love are two completely different human needs, and we should think about them that way.” “Let’s Get It On” is really an album not about love, but about sex, about desire, about bodily craving. Slow, ballad driven, driven by very typical guitar inclinations, it is quite similar to “What’s Going On” in terms of its slightly ghostly sound, but is as far removed from its predecessor as possible in mood, texture and form. The melodies here are much more tangible, the groove is much more sensual, in the lyrics there is not a drop of topicality, care or search for truth, but exceptional hedonism. The key thing is “Distant Lover”, just the slowest and most attractive, the most suitable music in the world not for sex itself, but for the caresses that occur after it.
Place in history
“Let’s Get It On” is important for the contextual understanding of Gay as an individual. Growing up in an extremely religious environment, as a child Gay perceived any thoughts of physical love as exclusively sinful - as a result, as an adult he suffered from problems with potency and indecisiveness in relationships with women. This record is also an important attempt for Gay himself to overcome his own complexes. It couldn't be more intimate.
Example
"Let's Get It On"
An album of Gay's duets with Diana Ross, another Motown superstar.
What does it sound like
After Tammy Terrell's death, Gay vowed never to record duets again - but in the wake of the sudden success of "What's Going On" and under the influence of Anna Gordy, he somewhat revised his views. A record of duets with Diana Ross, created according to the good old principle of the Motown factory - other people's songs, third-party producers, control over every step of the performer - looked to him from the outside as a quick way to further expand the audience without straining himself. The second one didn’t work out very well - although both Ross and Gay had enormous experience working in the Motown system, the album sessions turned out to be absolute hell for both of them, who turned out to be completely different people. The first one turned out better - the record actually sold a million copies, and Berry Gordy was very pleased. Nowadays, “Diana & Marvin” cannot be listened to as anything other than an attempt to make a quick buck. The song material here is rather weak, the arrangements tend towards music of the lower category for housewives, and no chemistry is felt between the performers themselves - Gay for some reason screams all the time, and during the recording Ross, who is pregnant, seems to be preparing for motherhood and singing lullabies.
Place in history
Despite its rather low quality, this is still the only joint record of two pop music legends of its kind - and this alone is of considerable cultural interest.
Example
"My Mistake (Was to Love You)"
The best live album in Gay's discography
What does it sound like
It's hard to believe, but Gay, one of the most charismatic black singers of the sixties, was not a particularly good live performer when he was a full-time performer on the Motown roster. There are two fundamental documentary evidence of this: live album 1963 "Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage" and a recording of his concert at the Copacabana club, made in 1966, but released only forty years later. Both of these records are, to put it mildly, not “Live at the Harlem Square Club” by Sam Cooke or “In Person at the Whiskey a Go Go” by Otis Redding: the incredible introvert Gay was clearly afraid of large audiences and the big stage and struggled for a long time to suppress I have these phobias in myself. "Live!", recorded during the Let's Get It On tour, features a seasoned Gay - and performing in front of a mostly black audience in Oakland. Such a Gay is also far from an ideal concert performer (in particular, through a nine-minute medley of old Motown hits that he clearly dislikes, he makes his way with the ease of a man fulfilling court-imposed debt obligations), but at least he is already able to forget about the audience and sing as if only for himself . The proof is a gorgeous version of “Distant Lover”, spliced with the theme from “Trouble Man” and performed not as a suggestive ballad, but as a real church hymn.
Place in history
Gay later released another live album, “Live at the London Palladium,” traditionally considered better than “Live!” This, however, is far from an indisputable point of view: firstly, there is even more classic Motown on it than on Live! - in addition to a nine-minute solo medley, there is also an eleven-minute (!) medley of duets, both of which Gay performs on obvious autopilot, and secondly, the song material on it is clearly weaker than what is presented on “Live!”
"Distant Lover"
Another Marvin Gaye album about sex, this time about sex for love: while recording “I Want You,” Gaye was literally obsessed with a woman named Janice Hunter
What does it sound like
Like a much funkier and more powerful version of "Let's Get It On" with one big exception - almost complete absence truly outstanding songs. If you subtract the infectious title track and the instrumental version of the song “After the Dance” (strikingly similar to Alexander Zatsepin’s music for “The Secret of the Third Planet”), the bottom line on “I Want You” is deeply sentimental and not fully structured songs that sometimes break off at the most unexpected moments and in in a bad way devoid of any shame. Several times throughout the record, the listener is offered a recording of a certain woman orgasming - a cheap move that would have worked for anonymous soundtracks to seventies porn films, but here it comes across as a calculated and clichéd trick that pushes too hard on the conceptual side of the record.
Place in history
Leaving aside the subjective view of the author of this “textbook” on “I Want You”, it is impossible not to mention that the record is generally considered an absolutely classic - along with “What’s Going On” and “Let’s Get It On”. If only for this reason it is worth listening to - it is possible that the author’s heart is simply deaf to the fusion of drive and tenderness that is usually heard in “I Want You”.
Example
What does it sound like
Devastated by an apparent lack of finances resulting from a reckless spending habit and a serious cocaine addiction, Gay saw the work on Here, My Dear as a quick way to earn the money he owed his first wife after his divorce - the record was expected to be released short and will consist mainly of various kinds of pop standards. However, as soon as the sessions for the album had just begun, the musician suddenly became immensely carried away by the work - and he began to compose something completely different. The result was a double album of half-improvised songs in the format diary entries- with texts that openly talked about Gay’s everyday and marital problems. Naturally, “Here, My Dear” failed miserably. Naturally, critics adore him - including the author of these lines. Even more spontaneous than “What’s Going On”, even less structured than “I Want You”, narcissistic and betraying the singer’s completely non-status self-pity, “Here, My Dear” is a concentration of all the shortcomings of Gay’s music of the seventies - and brings them to the point of no return, turning them into advantages. Key, repeated in different options Already three times the song on “Here, My Dear” is called “When did you stop loving me? When did I stop loving you? - and the music of the record seems to be fruitlessly searching for an answer to this eternal question. Although the basis of the album is classic light funk, Gay breaks into doo-wap at various moments, quotes his old songs, turns to cosmic motifs clearly borrowed from George Clinton, and leaves the listener alone with multi-minute saxophone solos. This whole kaleidoscope of light styles is accompanied by lyrics clearly composed by Gay on the fly about complete collapse and disappointment in life, which cannot be prevented by newfound love (“Falling In Love Again”), resulting in not even a record, but a monodrama of unheard-of power.
Place in history
“What’s Going On” and “Let’s Get It On” are unattainable peaks in Gay’s work, but “Here, My Dear” is a key album for understanding him as a person. A deeply imperfect person - but, unlike many, not afraid to expose these imperfections to the general public.
Example
"When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You"
A disco album purported to be a concept record about God and the world through the eyes of Marvin Gaye, remixed and remastered by Motown without the musician's permission
What does it sound like
Immediately after “Here, My Dear,” Gay, already completely bankrupt and even breaking up with Janice Hunter, under the command of an army of Motown producers, recorded a full-fledged disco album called “Love Man” - but managed to withdraw it at the last moment, left for London and, armed with kilograms of cocaine, he remade the record into a concept album about the structure of all living things. Then some not very clear things happened: somehow the entire master of the album ended up with Motown, which remixed the finished songs, removed the song “Far Cry” from the tracklist and changed the already finished design of the record, at the same time removing from its planned title - “In Our Lifetime? - question mark. After this, Gay finally broke with his label and stopped communicating with it in any way - and called the resulting record “ridiculous.” In 2007, “In Our Lifetime?” was re-released on two discs, which contain Gay’s original mix, the Motown version, the Love Man album, and even the single “Ego Tripping Out,” recorded before the musician left for London. So what's the end result? Firstly, Gay's anger can clearly be attributed to his poor health and drug addiction - if between his version of "In Our Lifetime?" and the label's mix there are differences, then fairly minimal. Secondly, the album “Love Man” turns out to be not as bad as one might expect. Yes, this is a shameless attempt to force Gay into the confines of club disco - but, with the exception of the terrible lyrics, it is, frankly, a good attempt; not Donna Summer, but not Rod Stewart either. As for “In Our Lifetime?” itself, this record plays even more strongly on the contrast of music (disco, but much less obvious and in some places even close to what the ZE Records label released in those years) and lyrics (absolutely depressive and sometimes even frighteningly gloomy) than “Here, My Dear”, which turns out to be almost the funkiest and most danceable in Gay’s discography - and without any bad songs at all.
Place in history
Gaye's most underrated album. "In Our Lifetime?" - this is far from “What’s Going On”, but it is not at all clear why the reputation of this recording does not go beyond the amusing incident in the career of a great singer.
Example
Gay's last lifetime album, which suddenly returned him to the charts
What does it sound like
After the story with “In Our Lifetime?” Gay moved to live in Belgium - where he recorded his final album. Dedicated, as in better times, sex and rhythm, “Midnight Love” is no longer even soul, not funk, not disco, but real synthpop with Caribbean motifs. Drum machines are knocking, synthesizers are singing - and the extremely perky-sounding Gay plays the role of a man in whose house the best party in the world is about to begin. At first it makes a strange impression: it is impossible to believe that this frivolous album, filled with the intonations of songs for Hollywood films of the eighties about surfing and love affairs on golden beaches, really belongs to the pen of Gay, who always strived for high spiritual drama. Then you get used to it - and it turns out that the lightness of “Midnight Love” only benefits this record. This is best seen in the main hit “Sexual Healing” - a surprisingly beautiful and personal song, without its strange arrangement it would lose its naturalness and would probably become a little more ponderous.
Place in history
Two years after the release of “Midnight Love,” Gay was shot and killed by his own father - and the last disc of the singer, who went through a lot of troubles and saw a lot of troubles, turned out to be, ironically, the most inconsistent with his biography. Therefore, if there is anything to close the story about Gay, it is his performance of the US anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. An incredible performance - and a good indication of the caliber of man he was.
Mikhail Marvin is an aspiring singer and songwriter originally from Ukraine. Included in the label " Black Star" Gained fame thanks to the hit "I Hate". He is especially popular among young people and actively collaborates with other successful performers.Childhood
Misha Marvin was born in the picturesque city of Chernivtsi (Ukraine), where he spent his childhood. He was an ordinary boy, the only thing that distinguished him from most of his peers was sincere love to music and the desire to use their capabilities to the maximum. 
Mikhail studied at one of the schools in Chernivtsi and already showed himself at that time creative person. After graduating from school in 2006, he moved to Kyiv to make his way into show business there, in the capital. To realize his dream, Mikhail decided to get vocational education, and therefore entered the Academy of Management Personnel of Culture and Arts (Department of Musicology).
Music career
While still a student, Mikhail began writing his own lyrics. During those same years he became a member male pop group. The guys recorded several songs and even shot a video, which cost them only $350. It was the composition “Super Song”, and, by the way, although the musician himself is embarrassed to remember this period of creativity, the song was even taken into rotation by a couple of music channels. But soon they decided to stop the group.Simultaneously with the collapse of the group, Marvin was expelled from the third year of the academy after another failed session. The activities of the group and active music studies took up most of the guy’s time with music, and he simply did not have time to prepare for the exams.
Misha Marvin on the radio
At first, he worked as a host in a karaoke club and worked on lyrics for songs. Misha liked to put her feelings into rhyming lines, so the texts turned out strong and emotional. It is not surprising that very soon his talent was noticed.
In 2013, Misha wrote a couple of songs with a friend, who sold them the next day for a thousand dollars. The same friend introduced Misha Marvin to Pavel Kuryanov, director of the Black Star Inc. label, who offered cooperation to the ambitious young man.
To begin with, Misha Marvin helped with the preparation of singer Hannah’s album. Subsequently, the song “Being Modest is Out of Fashion,” the lyrics of which were written by Mikhail, firmly entered the young singer’s repertoire.
Next, Marvin and other team members worked on Yegor Creed’s album “The Bachelor”. Mikhail also co-authored the famous hits of Nathan, Mota and a number of other performers. For example, Misha became the author of the song “Oxygen”, which Mot performed together with the group “ VIA Gra" This kind of cooperation continued for two years.
In 2015, Pasha invited Marvin to try himself as a performer. His first work was the song “Well, what are you doing.” It was assumed that Misha would perform the composition together with DJ Kan, but then another singer wanted to join the duet. It turned out to be the well-known rapper Timati. Undoubtedly, this was a spectacular trio, the result of which the listeners were satisfied with. Olga Buzova even took part in the recording of the video. A little later, Marvin and Dj Kan presented a song with the shocking title “Bitch”.
In mid-summer 2016, Misha Marvin presented his first solo song, “I Hate,” for which a very high-quality video was shot.
Misha Marvin - I Hate (2016)
Within a few hours of its release, the composition became the leader of the iTunes pop chart and took a place in the top five of the entire chart, successfully competing with the duet of Creed and Timati “Where are you, where am I.” The video for the song “I Hate” took sixth place in the YouTube rating and received more than half a million views in just 24 hours.
This was followed by collaboration with his longtime friend Mot, which ended with the release of the composition “Or maybe?!”
Misha Marvin ft Mot - Or maybe?! (2016)
Personal life of Misha Marvin
Mikhail Marvin tries to avoid questions about his personal life, although the paparazzi are persistently trying to find out information on this particular topic. For example, journalists paid attention to the song “Bitch,” because such lyrics are not written without mental trauma. Misha had to admit that yes, one girl broke his heart. The guy recalled this event as follows: “Then I lived in Kyiv, worked in karaoke, and, you know, what my salary was. I met a girl who lived in Vladivostok and was from a wealthy family. Our feelings flared up, she moved to live with me, but a month later she realized that she was uncomfortable with the poor guy.” Kim Kardashian. It should not be boring and sincere - that’s for sure.”Misha is focused on self-development and is very seriously involved in choreography and acting skills to look perfect both in videos and at concerts. In addition, the talented guy is learning to play the piano, because he believes that every musician should master this instrument.
Misha Marvin now
The young artist plans to release his solo album. He wants to grow and develop as a performer. Understanding the prospects and profitability of writing lyrics for other artists, Misha still strives to convey to listeners his own thoughts from his own lips. 
