a good introduction to the New Fan

while there are 99 of these floating around on Marvin Gaye you still can never knock them because there is someone out here who is just getting into His work. His voice was a timeless Instrument that touched many lives&still does.

Re-issue of Very best of compilation

Exactly why Motown chose to repackage this collection is unclear, but the original now appears to be out of print. If you didn't buy the earlier compilation, you can buy it in this re-packaged form. Obviously, if you bought the original, you don't need this.



This comprehensive collection contains all Marvin's important American hits as well as highlighting other aspects of his music, including his political songs of the seventies. His British hits were sometimes different from his American hits. Three UK top ten hits are missing, though as this is an American compilation, there is no reason why they should have been included. Abraham Martin and John was an American hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - perhaps it was felt that Marvin's version was better for the UK market. You are everything, a duet with Diana Ross, made the UK top five. Onion song, a duet credited as being with Tammi Terrell but recorded with a stand-in, made the UK top ten.



The classic American hits (not all of which charted in Britain) are all here including Can I get a witness, How sweet it is, I'll be doggone, Ain't that peculiar, I heard it through the grapevine, Too busy thinking about my baby, That's the way love is. What's going on, Mercy mercy me, Trouble man, Let's get it on and Got to give it up. Some of his duets are here, too, including Ain't no mountain high enough, Your precious love, If I could build my whole world around you, Ain't nothing like the real thing, You're all I need to get by (all with Tammi Terrell) and It takes two (with Kim Weston).



Marvin always considered himself a balladeer like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole rather than a typical R+B singer, but his early attempts to establish himself in this role were not a success. Eventually, he did gain acceptance as a balladeer after proving that he could do the R+B material - compare his definitive version of I heard it through the grapevine with the Gladys Knight version, released a year earlier. Marvin actually recorded the song before Gladys but Berry Gordy initially rejected his version. It shows what perseverance can do.



Marvin once again had Berry Gordy worried when he completed his anti-Vietnam album, What's going on. Motown had always been primarily a singles label so this album was completely alien to the marketing department, although it appears that many people at Motown loved it. Once again, Marvin was right. The album was a huge success and three of its tracks are here - they are the first three on CD 2.



This double-CD is a nice introduction to the music of Marvin Gaye, one of the finest soul singers of the twentieth century.

RE-re-release

Is this just corporate re-branding to make this cd look like it has a newer release date (to boost sales) since this is the same cd released in 2001 titled 'Very Best of'? It doesn't say it was remastered in 2005 so I assume it's the same thing. What are they thinking?