What's Going On - MARVIN GAYE****

What's Going On/What's Happening Brother/Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)/Save The Children/God Is Love/ Mercy Mercy Me/Right On/Wholy Holy/Inner City Blues

What’s Going On was the most ambitious and acclaimed album from Motown’s most prominent male solo artist Marvin Gaye, in which he explores many contemporary social ailments. Includes three top ten US hit singles Mercy Mercy Me, Inner City Blues and the title track. (US:6 UK:56)

“Musically the arrangements are beautifully smooth packed with emotion; you'll be hard to find an album which flows as well as this. Marvin Gaye's voice is equally smooth, he sings with a sense of conviction and the songs are fantastic mostly because they compliment each other to tell a complete story.”

“Utter excellence, the greatest soul album to be released. The production is nothing short of astonishing. The meticulous layering of all the instruments creates a soundscape that is alive and moving.”

“The 'love-conquers-all' message it presents is an admirable one, but a horribly naive one too. It didn't seem that way in the '70s, but now we live in a more cynical age and look upon that sort of message differently. It also suffers the problem of having singles that tower above the rest of the album.”

“What's Going On lives on the shelf marked untouchable. It is the album to make you feel and (more importantly) look mature, tolerant and sensitive. It is the album that broke down the conventions of popular music, set a benchmark for artistic control and spoke for a generation of disenfranchised Americans.”

“This is certainly a very consistent record both thematically and musically, but I would normally turn to his earlier string of hits if I wanted to hear him. His sweet and soulful voice definitely helps matters, but some tracks feel too short and others too long. There are only about three songs here, the rest being variations on a theme.”

“Inspired by the Vietnam war it's a socially conscious album, perhaps a bit too preachy for some people's tastes. The lyrics are a bit insipid, but it is difficult to write good political lyrics: the charm is that his heart is in the right place.”

“When listening to a concept album, one can usually see what is inside the artist's head. With this album, we see Marvin's mind, soul and emotions.”