Here is a MUCH better example of how Robin Thicke ABSOLUTELY STOLE from Marvin Gaye:

[marv2]

This is so disgusting that I can barely consider Robin Thicke an "Artist" now:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lulD8Ulshsw

[supremester]

Poor Robin will just have to pick up the pieces and get on with his life. Stevie Wonder said this is all BS - I defer to him.

[marv2]

He ain't gonna be able to just pick up the pieces and get on with his life! He's been caught! His reputation is now damaged as an artist with anyone with an above 3rd grade education. His wife has left him and he is going to be viewed as "inauthentic" as the most polite term I can think of at the moment.

[skooldem1]

If I'm not mistaken, the Marvin Gaye sample was credited on this record.

[marv2]

It don't matter, he does not seem to be able to come up with much quality ORIGINAL material of his own! I am told that he even added an "E" to his last name as Marvin did. I don' t if that is true, but that is what is being said about him.

[supremester]

I meant he'll just have to pick up the pieces because YOU can barely think of him as an artist.
He'll be fine. His CD is still selling, people are still jamming to his tune, going to his shows and the lawsuit seems to be dropped as there is no way to prove damages because of the obvious influence of MY Marvin Gaye' work. I think the world has moved on, M2.

[smark21]

Not true...his father is Alan Thicke the actor [[Growing Pains) and TV theme show songwriter [[Diff'rent Strokes, among others).

[marv2]

Not true...his father is Alan Thicke the actor [[Growing Pains) and TV theme show songwriter [[Diff'rent Strokes, among others).

Like I said, i don't know if that was true. I like Alan Thicke, I like much of his work. His son is now tainted........

[supremester]

I didn't know he wrote music. I never saw Different Strokes but evidently there was a theme. Was it good?

[skooldem1]

Well he was just nominated for a BET award.

[jobeterob]

Well he was just nominated for a BET award.

Oh to be tainted so!

[marv2]

Well he was just nominated for a BET award.

Yeah, well Donald Sterling was scheduled to receive an award from the Los Angeles NAACP, sooooooooo................

[kenneth]

Yeah, well Donald Sterling was scheduled to receive an award from the Los Angeles NAACP, sooooooooo................

And the head of the LA NAACP resigned last week because of their prior lauding of Sterling. In the same year Sterling lost the biggest lawsuit involving racial discrimination in housing, the LA NAACP with the same guy in charge gave him some big award like the one they were going to give him this year.

[soulster]

If I'm not mistaken, the Marvin Gaye sample was credited on this record. There ya go! And, if Thicke were Black, he could play Marvin in a biography.

At least someone out there is paying tribute to "The Master".

[roger]

That video that Marv2 posted at the beginning of this thread could be a bit misleading as it is a mix of "Trouble Man" and "Million Dollar Baby" .. This is "Million Dollar Baby" in its original form ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FdQLUUx5I8

Personally I quite enjoy listening to it and as Mr Gaye was credited as one of the composers I don't see any problem with it .. and as the track is now almost four years old I don't see why it is suddenly being brought up as an example of Mr Thicke's duplicity!!

This idea of creating new songs over almost entire '70s backing tracks has been around for about twenty years .. for example ..

MARY J BLIGE "My Life" from 1994 .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN3yMjnyXyU
uses ROY AYERS "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" from 1976 .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M36OGCfYp3A

ANGIE STONE "No More Rain" from 1999 .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Zgp1WzwLk
uses GLADYS KNIGHT's "Neither One Of Us" from 1972 .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWcsyai2KM0

AKON's "Tired of Running" from 2006 .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b43eyKc-b7E
uses MILLIE JACKSON's "If Loving You Is Wrong" from 1973 .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c8cKm4qC9M

And there must be hundreds [[if not thousands) of other examples so it seems a bit unfair to me to pick out Mr Thicke as a particularly "bad" example.

The idea of trying to sound like MARVIN GAYE goes back even further ..

Here is a song from 1985 which was a minor hit in Britain that to my ears definitely "owed" a lot to MARVIN GAYE, and I don't recall people getting up in arms over this .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTyyCOR3Ulo

Now Ain't That The Truth!! :)

Roger

[marv2]

Roger, I just listen to the "original" Million Dollar Baby [[which I could hardly call original!). One of the problems I have is say for instance I am listening to the radio and all of sudden I hear the intro to this "song" and I get all set to hear one of my favorite classics by Marvin Gaye, but instead what I get is "Million Dollar Baby"......big disappointment here. The main problem I have is that these "artists" do not put in much effort these days to come up with great truly original material. I am beginning to believe that songwriting and great music production ended by the early 90's and even that is stretching it!

[marv2]

And the head of the LA NAACP resigned last week because of their prior lauding of Sterling. In the same year Sterling lost the biggest lawsuit involving racial discrimination in housing, the LA NAACP with the same guy in charge gave him some big award like the one they were going to give him this year.

Kenneth, you are right! This is part of the problem. It leads me to believe that Sterling [[and others) receive these types of recognitions not for what they contribute of themselves in the betterment of the lives of others, but how much they contribute $.
How else could something like that happen? We are honoring and recognizing individuals and entities that actually hurt society. We reward mediocrity.

Since we are discussing music. Where are all the great songwriters of today? Where are current the Holland-Dozier-Hollands, Curtis Mayfields, Carole Kings, Bachrach-Davids, Thom Bell-Linda Creeds, etc,etc,etc?

Instead what we are getting is someone taking someone else's original compositions and slapping their "take" on it and calling it a new work of art. I feel the quality of music has declined due to this practice becoming so accepted.

[marv2]

Frankie Kelly, I have never heard of him or his record. Had I known of him before now, I would not have the same issues as I have with Robin Thicke currently because listening to Kelly's recorded you posted here; he does not sound like Marvin Gaye although he may be trying his darndest.......Also the song is original and not a copy of one of Marvin's.

[marybrewster]

It's because Thicke is white.

If he were black, it would be a "tribute" and a non-issue.

[marv2]

It's because Thicke is white.

If he were black, it would be a "tribute" and a non-issue.

and in my opinion that is a cop out! His race has nothing at all to do with the issue here for ME! I had major problems with many black rappers that sampled James Brown's work excessively.

[marv2]

White artists have covered songs created by Black artists since the beginning of recorded music [[Remember Elvis and "Hound Dog" originally recorded by Big Mama Thorton?). The point I am trying to make is that artist of today, regardless of their ethnicity [[I cannot even believe you went there.... geez!) should strive harder to create their own individual songs and styles.

[soulster]

It's because Thicke is white.

If he were black, it would be a "tribute" and a non-issue.

I think you have a point. I don't see anyone coming down on Pharrell Williams for sounding like Curtis Mayfield.

[marv2]

I think you have a point. I don't see anyone coming down on Pharrell Williams for sounding like Curtis Mayfield.

It's not just about sounding like someone vocally, it's more about taking someone else's original work and profiting from it by slightly re-working and calling yourself an "artist".

[honest man]

It's not just about sounding like someone vocally, it's more about taking someone else's original work and profiting from it by slightly re-working and calling yourself an "artist". You mean like Mary Wilson sings Diana Ross songs and DRATS Sang Al Jolson songs,it really is disgusting a'int it,heeeeeeee

[jobeterob]

I think you have a point. I don't see anyone coming down on Pharrell Williams for sounding like Curtis Mayfield.

Mary Brewster & Soulster are right. I missed that.

[Roberta75]

I think you have a point. I don't see anyone coming down on Pharrell Williams for sounding like Curtis Mayfield.

Once again you and I agree which isnt as rare as it used to be. LOL

Best to you.

Roberta

[Lulu]

Once again you and I agree which isnt as rare as it used to be. LOL

Best to you.

Roberta

I'm in agreement with this but as has been pointed out, Gaye was credited on "Million Dollar". Pharrell and Bruno Mars are the best out there today IMHO.