Marvin Gaye is respectably recognized as an icon of R&B and soul music. Before his album What’s Going On, Gaye was known to collaborate frequently with his closest friend Tammi Terrell. The duo were successful and made plenty of hits like “Your Precious Love”, “If I could Build My Whole World Around You”, and “If this World Were Mine” which later became a major R&B success being covered by Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn. In his 2 years of collaboration with Terrell, Gaye created a close friendship that would last until she passed away. On March 16, 1970, Tammi Terrell died of a brain tumor. This devastated Gaye and through him off course because she performed every concert along side him. Gaye was so affected by her death that he claimed to no longer record duets with any female artist and neither will he perform on stage again.
Gaye’s most notable album What’s Going On, spoke about the injustice and war taking place in the U.S. Social and national concerns that influenced the lyrical content of What’s Going On are his younger brother, Frankie, experience in the Vietnam War. Another influence included the unfairness and cruelty happening around Marvin Gaye. Upon Frankie’s return from service, he described to Gaye how painful it was to see people abusing each other.
When What’s Going On was recorded, Motown CEO Berry Gordy refused to release the album. Gordy feared people would reject the songs due to his image already being portrayed as a sex symbol. Since Gaye wouldn’t allow himself record anything that was Motown’s sound he didn’t receive much promotion for the album. When the album was finally released, it sold over 2 million copies and shot up the charts crowning the R&B charts for five weeks.
What set the album apart from other Soul records at the time was the instruments and rhythmic ideas used.
Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On shows me the amount of change we have progressed through out the years. This album is considered an icon to R&B and soul music, which shaped and influenced future productions at Motown.
I agree with gustavo about kraftwerks innovative style. Until they came on the scene there wasnt really a scene for what we call pop culture. What we regard as the norm is there unique creation which is amazing in itself. Every musician inspires to be the 1st to do anything first.Even further then being the 1st to make this type of noise is to become legends in music by doing so.The synthesizers they built there careers with still keep alot of are careers fresh. Nowadays a programmer like myself would kill for a vintage mini moog.
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