Best of the best

I've owned "Midnight Love" ever since it came out on CD, and even before that I had an 8-track version of it that I wore out. Marvin Gaye has been one of my favorite singers because he actually sings. So much of what's out there today has no soul, no heart and most of all no rhyme or reason. Marvin was the last of the great soulful singers like Otis and Sam Cooke. The extra disc just adds to the greatness of "Midnight Love." The vocal only cut of Sexual Healing is worth the price of the disc alone. I also know that there is a SACD version of "Midnight Love" out there... which must sound incredible. But, just because you need to save the cash to buy a SACD player doesn't mean you can't buy this album. I wish Marvin was still around because he was growing so much as an artist. Truthfully he never stopped growing. Right now I suspect he would be as tall as the Empire state building.

One of Many Albums Overshadowed by Michael Jackson

When you think of Marvin Gaye, CBS Records and the year 1982, you think of these things:



1.) Marvin was now 43 years old at this point

2.) Marvin had been in exile from U.S. soil in three years

3.) Marvin hadn't had a big hit since 1977

4.) Marvin had just left Motown

5.) CBS was starting to get into a overhaul for new records from Billy Joel among others

6.) Younger artists like Rick James, Luther Vandross, Prince, Cameo, and the Gap Band had taken over the airwaves once dominated by Gaye and Stevie Wonder, who was still atop the pop music world around this time

7.) Michael Jackson was releasing an upcoming album in the months following the release of this record

8.) Marvin was considered a "has-been" and "old" at this point

9.) Marvin had just gotten out of a drug addiction

10.) Marvin was given doubts he would return back to the top



Despite these obstacles and more, somehow, some way, and UNBELIVABLY... and tragically for the last time on this earth, Marvin Gaye gave it his all and more. With the release of "Midnight Love", he calmly let his music and vocal prowess do the talking.



With "Midnight Love", Marvin learned how to mesh in contemporary R&B styles with his classic soul and rhythm and blues sound. Each track display an emulation of a sound that had already been established by other artists but mesh brilliantly by the Prince of Soul:



1.) Midnight Lady was a tribute to the overflowing horn sounds and conga rhythms of '70s era Earth, Wind & Fire



2.) Sexual Healing, of course, the most original of the joints, brings in a reggae meets disco meets electronica new wave meets classic R&B flow that is as complex as beautiful



3.) Rockin' After Midnight had the feel of Cameo and the Gap Band but was less rough as it was smooth and intricate - as always the style of Marvin



4.) 'Til Tomorrow was classic Marvin with his usual "DON'T GO, GIRL!" stance as he had used during some of the classic moments in 1973's "Let's Get It On"



5.) Turn On Some Music is the real tribute to Rick James... but it's less punk-funk... in fact, you can say it's the kind of funk that Rick overdub too many times... Marvin is in a different brand of funk called cool-funk... no one really gives him props for it



6.) Third World Girl has Marvin once again dabbing in reggae and it's a great tribute to reggae legend Bob Marley



7.) Joy was a funk-rock tribute to his father and in the rarest moments of his career, other than Ray Parker, Jr.'s great guitar solo in "I Want You", marked another time Marvin put a guitar solo in a song, it's used perfectly



8.) My Love Is Waiting has Marvin thanking God and his fans before he goes into song and then he goes into that contemporary R&B feel that almost seems as home to Marvin as he was in two decades ago



But that's not the most amazing thing about the album. In this one, Columbia showcases Marvin's making-of efforts into what became "Midnight Love". Some of the songs sounding different than the other. Of course if your biggest hit is "Sexual Healing", they're gonna want to get it all over the album. It's almost redundant but I love hearing the different mixes. Erick Sermon got his props to sample Marvin's raw demo of "Turn on Some Music". While "Third World Girl" showcases a mixture of reggae and blues with the harmonica over a deeper-sounding Marvin almost overlapping his vocals down a notch than he's used to.



Overall, it's a great album and recollection of how far Marvin Gaye had gone from where he was and how he got back to the top, if not for one more time.



With the album's release, it debuted atop the Black Albums chart at #1 and at #7 on the Pop Albums chart, his first Top 10 Pop album since 1977's "Live at the London Palladium". It also served him right that "Sexual Healing" would become the artist's biggest hit of his recording career and 22 years later, it's still a classic... never overrated or overplayed. It won Gaye two Grammy's when he should've received a Grammy for throughout his 2-decade career.



I honestly think if Marvin had stayed over at Belgium and had Michael released his album maybe in EIGHTY-THREE instead of eighty-two then maybe Marvin's album (and other albums released that year) would get bigger props. In today's Grammy's, this album would easily notch a Best R&B Album Grammy nomination or better. It's a shame Marvin didn't get his rightful props until before he really die. But hopefully younger fans who are just getting into Marvin would understand how really talented dude was and how big of a hole he left for R&B artists to fill when he died. Twenty years has passed and no one has really taken the throne.



Long live the prince of soul music.

Released Properly At Last!

Honestly-I WAS interested in hearing how Marvin's last album came together and this gives you the answer!Most notable on
the "Sexual Healing Sessions" is an acapella version of the song,a hazy tape-recorded rehersal and intriging alternate lyrics to "Midnight Love" (here titaled "Rick James")and "Rocking After Midnight" (titaled "I've Got My Music",plus an instrumental version of the song!Then there's "Midnight Love" itself.Marvin finaly arrives into the 80's with ace electro-funk like "Midnight Lady","Rocking After Midnight","Turn On Some Music" before you get to the foot-stompin' party of "Joy"-this albums strongest and most uptempo number while "Third World Girl" explores reggae textures.The epidome of Gaye's soul-savvy tunesmithing and as it turned out a fitting creshendo to a fabulous career and life in music.