Does Marvin Gaye's Music Hold Up?

[PeaceNHarmony]

I've been listening to Uptown Nay Rob's delirious YouTube book club series focusing on Jan Gaye's [[rather ... well ... sickening) book about her life with Marvin Gaye. It's led me to streaming some of his lps which I have not listened to in a long, long time. There's almost no discussion of Marvin's music here. So, I'm wondering - do we think Gaye's most mature music holds up?

[jboy88]

Not sure what you mean by “mature”, but Marvin Gaye’s music still resonates and will hopefully hold up for generations to come.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Not sure what you mean by “mature”, but Marvin Gaye’s music still resonates and will hopefully hold up for generations to come.By 'mature' I mean after he was mostly a top-40 single artist and took more control of this recordings. Personally/anecdotally, I don't hear much of Gaye's music other than Grapevine, WGO [[the single) and LTIO [[the single). Sometimes publications such as Rolling Stone will include Marvin LPs in 'best' listings which I think are deserved. But certainly here, where one would think Gaye's music would be celebrated, there's close to nothing. In fact, a quick check here shows the last thread started with Gaye's name was close to 7 years ago.

[SatansBlues]

I guess in part it depends on how you listen to music or where its coming from. I use a music service to listen to most of my music and I love it, but I also still use my ipod to listen to music and its full of Marvin and Motown. I rarely listen to traditional radio for music. Long and short of it, I still hear Marvin and his influence. Not sure if you've heard of Raheem DeVaughn but he's a great soul sing and released this song called "Marvin Use to Say" just last year.


https://youtu.be/kK8AM12GLuE

[nativeNY63]

I guess in part it depends on how you listen to music or where its coming from. I use a music service to listen to most of my music and I love it, but I also still use my ipod to listen to music and its full of Marvin and Motown. I rarely listen to traditional radio for music. Long and short of it, I still hear Marvin and his influence. Not sure if you've heard of Raheem DeVaughn but he's a great soul sing and released this song called "Marvin Use to Say" just last year.


https://youtu.be/kK8AM12GLuE

Glad to know everyone hasn't slept on Raheem! Check out one of his earlier singles, Bulletproof.

[Motown Eddie]

I say YES-Marvin Gaye's best post '70s Music Still holds up! IMHO the only albums by Marvin that haven't help up as well are Here, My Dear & In Our Lifetime?. As another poster has pointed out, there's a song by Raheem DeVaughan, "Marvin Used To Say", that celebrates Marvin Gaye's work that came out recently. That's proof enough for me!

[Guy]

Marvin Gaye's music is classic and definitely endures. Two of my favorite CDs of 2020, Joy Denalane's "Let Yourself Be Loved" and Jarrod Lawson's "Be The Change," have distinct musical and thematic echoes of Marvin Gaye's music. I think continuing influence on music and artistry is the one metric where Marvin surpasses all of his Motown peers [[Stevie MIGHT be his equal in this regard).

I have noticed that discussions about Motown's most prolific, talented and accomplished artists -- Marvin, Stevie, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie, Rick James, Smokey Robinson -- never seem to ignite like the endless discussions about reconfiguring a listenable LP from the entirety of Diana Ross' RCA catalog. I don't know why.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Marvin Gaye's music is classic and definitely endures. Two of my favorite CDs of 2020, Joy Denalane's "Let Yourself Be Loved" and Jarrod Lawson's "Be The Change," have distinct musical and thematic echoes of Marvin Gaye's music. I think continuing influence on music and artistry is the one metric where Marvin surpasses all of his Motown peers [[Stevie MIGHT be his equal in this regard).

I have noticed that discussions about Motown's most prolific, talented and accomplished artists -- Marvin, Stevie, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie, Rick James, Smokey Robinson -- never seem to ignite like the endless discussions about reconfiguring a listenable LP from the entirety of Diana Ross' RCA catalog. I don't know why.Say THAT, Guy! I don't know why either. There are multiplicities of repetitions about Supremes topics and endless replies to threads about Diana lp's people don't like, but Marvin's catalog? Nada. Just look at today's activity - more replies about Phil Spector's demise than to this very thread about Gaye! Be well - and, ps, a HEALYA YES about the 6 major talents you name-called.

[SatansBlues]

Glad to know everyone hasn't slept on Raheem! Check out one of his earlier singles, Bulletproof.
I've been a fan for years! Check out his track Mr. Midnight. It sounds like it could have been the follow up to Sexual Healing.


https://youtu.be/G6eirP15swo

[Sotosound]

I say YES-Marvin Gaye's best post '70s Music Still holds up! IMHO the only albums by Marvin that haven't help up as well are Here, My Dear & In Our Lifetime?. As another poster has pointed out, there's a song by Raheem DeVaughan, "Marvin Used To Say", that celebrates Marvin Gaye's work that came out recently. That's proof enough for me!
Strangely, I’ve found myself listening to “In Our Lifetime” [[no question mark :) ) more often these days. It never received the exposure and accolades of albums such as WGO, LGO or IWY, and it didn’t contain any smash hit singles. Instead, it contained a number of tracks that just groove along without reference to other musical trends. This aspect - a bunch of musicians playing some groovy music as an ensemble - has rendered it somewhat timeless and appealing IMHO.

A couple of Marvin’s lyrical meanderings over the grooves aren’t quite as engrossing but, in general, it’s a great and refreshing album that was released just before synths and programmed rhythm sections arrived and took the soul out of a lot of black music for me.

I never really took to “Here My Dear” because it was clearly done on the cheap, because, with a few exceptions, it strikes me as a string of lyrical meanderings over some less-than-engrossing grooves, and because it also goes into areas of personal life that ought, perhaps, never be aired to a wider audience. [[When a couple argues in front of friends, it’s often intended to garner support for specific positions related to disputes that they’re having that ought to be settled in private).

In the U.K. we also get to hear “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” and “Sexual Healing” as solo oldies, and “You Are Everything” plus “It Takes Two”as duets. Also, “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” is getting regular plays in a TV commercial right now.

To answer the original question, by the way, an emphatic YES!

[tjl]

Always loved "Wherever I Lay My Hat"...and nothin' better than Marvin's early hits for dancing..."Baby Don't Do It," "Take This Heart Of Mine," "Ain't That Peculiar," "I'll Be Doggone," "Stubborn Kinda Fella," "You're A Wonderful One," ""Let's Get It On"...and on and on...

[splanky]

I love Jazz and don't care if it's not the taste of 90% of SDF membership. In the genre
Stevie Wonder is the most covered popular artist with the possible exception of The Beatles.Several artists have done whole albums dedicated to his musical compositions and
every year for more than 25-30 years someone has done a Stevie tune. While not as much
covered as Stevie, Marvin Gaye's music is also revered with several works now jazz standards. Inner City Blues, Trouble Man and of course Don't Mess With Mr T among them. I'd say Marvin holds up pretty good...

[nativeNY63]

I love Jazz and don't care if it's not the taste of 90% of SDF membership. In the genre
Stevie Wonder is the most covered popular artist with the possible exception of The Beatles.Several artists have done whole albums dedicated to his musical compositions and
every year for more than 25-30 years someone has done a Stevie tune. While not as much
covered as Stevie, Marvin Gaye's music is also revered with several works now jazz standards. Inner City Blues, Trouble Man and of course Don't Mess With Mr T among them. I'd say Marvin holds up pretty good...

Don't forget...what was it [[companion cut) T Is For Trouble? Boss! There's that Commodore jam, Night Shift. And Frankie Beverly & Maze's, Silky Soul.

[arr&bee]

Heck yeah marvin's music holds up,marvin had very few weak songs in his discography.

[Roberta75]

YES YES YES YES Marvins music will live foreveer. The Prince of soul and the King of Motown.

[Optimal Saint]

100% yes

Next question

[TheMotownManiac]

Does it hold up? It holds ME up!