Rating: 8/10

Top Track: ‘Let’s Get It On’

I was taking a look at my blog page recently and noticed that it is mostly white men. I wanted to change things up a bit and add a person of color (POC) to the list of artists and not have Jimi Hendrix be the token POC on my blog. My dad’s record collection consists of mostly 70’s classic rock and prog rock, which is mostly white men. I was looking for a POC artist I could cover on this blog along with an album of theirs that most people would be familiar with; and there was Marvin Gaye just waiting for me. I couldn’t find “What’s Going On”, but “Let’s Get It On” is easily my second favorite Gaye album. It’s a great combination of early R&B, funk, and soul which gives some credence to Gaye’s nickname “Prince of Soul”. This self-produced album with the help of Ed Townsend was centered around Gaye’s belief that, “I can’t see anything wrong with sex between consenting anybodies. I think we make too much of it. After all, one’s genitals are just one important part of the magnificent human body.” – inside cover of “Let’s Get It On”. Well, let’s get it on and talk about an album all about sex.

Is there any surprise in my Top Track pick? Well, there shouldn’t be. ‘Let’s Get It On’ is rightfully the title track of the album and an absolute all-time classic. I can’t speak for Marvin, but I think the idea behind the song, and whole album, is that the listener would throw on the album right before two people made sweet love. The instantly-recognizable intro of the wah-wah notes from a guitar and the crash of symbols is now synonymous with making love; for that, I gotta blame Hollywood for seemingly inserting the song in every love scene since 1973. I think almost everyone who has heard this song is guilty of trying to match Gaye’s voice from the high croons to the softness of the hook. The combo of the funky guitar and simple rhythm of the drums is sure to tempt anyone into dancing and grooving along with Marvin. I, myself am guilty of dancing like an awkward hooligan alone in my room to this song. No one has caught me, yet.

I do have to point out one flaw in Marvin Gaye’s idea for an album to be made love to. He made it in 1973. Someone would have to get up and flip it over at some point during the act. Right? All jokes aside, can I also point out how smooth and dreamy Marvin Gaye’s voice is? As I currently listen to his voice coming through my speakers, all I can think is, “Wow, that man’s voice was a once in a lifetime kind of voice.” I mean, really, who is ever going to sing like him again? Sure there are R&B artists who come close, but c’mon. This man is one of the people who brought R&B to the mainstream and created a larger following of Motown music. He was just one of those people whose voice transcended all of the corporate music crap that black artists had to deal with back then. His voice appealed to almost everyone, from jazz enthusiasts to hard core rock dudes. Marvin Gaye pushed the envelope, he created a whole album dedicated to sex for crying out loud! Not only was this album his most commercially successful, it cemented him as a sex icon of the time and cemented his music as some of the greatest of all-time.

This was my first time listening to this album all the way through. I didn’t know much about Marvin Gaye other than his hits, but this album taught me a lot about how musical artists can present themselves to the world through their music. Gaye wanted to create an album about sex and he did that. That’s what wanted to be seen as: a sex symbol. No one was going to tell him any different. He had complete creative control and created a masterpiece of an album. The reason this album is so great is because Gaye new how to create a themed album. The songs on this album is almost like a group of paintings from an artist’s collection. They’re each individually different and great in their own way, yet fit together and compliment each other so well. Bravo, Marvin Gaye, bravo.

Now I would like to end this post with a quote printed on the vinyl album itself, à la my post on “Are You Experienced”, from the love-making, beanie-wearing “Prince of Soul” himself.

“I contend that SEX IS SEX and LOVE IS LOVE. When combined, they work well together, if two people are of about the same mind. But, they are really two discrete needs and should be treated as such. Time and space will not permit me to expound further, especially in the area of the psyche. I don’t believe in overly moralistic philosophies. Have your sex, it can be very exciting, if you’re lucky.

I hope the music that I present here makes you lucky.” – Marvin Gaye