AMAZING

ANOTHER AMAZING CD OF MARVIN'S LOOK FOR MY DOCUMENTARY "AIN'T THAT PECULIAR" THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MARVIN GAYE



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Marvin's best live collection to date

Again, it's your boy Tim, on the 411 about Mr. Marvin Gaye again (you know I had to do it)...



I was meaning to post something about this great live album some time ago but didn't get a chance to and now that I got a chance to, lemme just say that if it came to great live albums, Marvin definitely gets an A+ for his accomplishments in 1977's "Live at the London Palladium".



Recorded during a tour at the Palladium at London in 1976, a 37-year-old Marvin reportedly still a victim of stage fright managed to make the most confident performer seem chummy and tame. Marvin's emotions always take over in anything he does - be it on a song or on an album or live onstage, where he was considered to be one of the greatest live performers of his generation. Is there no question why?



It's a shame though because people always look up to Michael Jackson for his stage dynamics and yet he always rely on "The Moonwalk" or any dance move so he can't sing. Marvin was definitely the anthesis (sp?) of all of that. Unlike Ashlee Simpson and Lindsey Lohan and other "lip-synchers" out there, Marvin Gaye was an actual SINGER. He didn't have to rely on no back track to prove he was GREAT. And back then if you couldn't sing to save your life, you would be yanked off the stage so how come they're not doing it now?



And it's another shame that this album or any other Marvin Gaye album pre-1982 didn't get Grammy recognition! Again, it goes to show you how critics can be so shady.



Anyway, Marvin shines through this emotionally-charged performance. Whether he turns it out in "Let's Get It On" or he takes us on a trip down memory lane on some joints back in the '60s or if he lets us remember how great "What's Going On" was or his great period of making duets or the fabulous show-stopping rendition of "Distant Lover", you know that no other artist in soul or pop music or rock music can come close to his magic.



And just when he's done, he comes even harder with "Got to Give It Up". Off the record, it's one of the greatest dance/funk records of all time. Without this joint, Michael Jackson's adult solo career probably wouldn't have happened (i.e., "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough", "Shake Your Body Down to the Ground")... and it wasn't just James or Sammy who gave Michael a little help. Marvin needs his respect, y'all.

The master's best live album.

Forget all of the many poor-quality live bootlegs and budget releases, this is the live album that features Marvin performing at his peak. The disc is at it's most amazing with Gaye's performances of his then-recent hits. Marvin's live renditions of "Since I Had You," "Trouble Man," "Come Get To Get To This," and especially his extended performance of "Let's Get It On" are absolutely phenomenal! The obligatory medley of `60s hits has been wisely revamped by rendering the usually chipper numbers in a slower, more melancholy style that gives the numbers a fresh spin.



I don't particularly like having the incomparable WHAT'S GOING ON songs crowded into one slightly rushed medley (these classics definitely deserve equal time), however the "Save The Children" finale does pack an unbeatable punch. The only real negative to the set is the horrendous "duets" medley, with the awful Florence Lyles butchering some truly great songs. PALLADIUM also contains the full-length 11 minute version of the hit "Got To Give It Up" (#1 Pop, #1 R&B), which is one of the greatest dance anthems to emerge from the disco area. The success of the single helped propel this disc all the way to #3 on the Hot 200, making it Marvin's second most commercially successful album behind LET'S GET IT ON..