MARVIN GAYE
Every Great Motown Hit (Motown/UMG)
Reviewed by Bill Holmes

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Fourteen of these seventeen cuts were either #1 or #2, which should tell you something about the late, great Marvin Gaye. Recently there have been two separate "best of" collections of his work, plus the anthology with Tammi Terrell (four tracks of which are included here) and a live record from his final tour. It's hard not to recommend any of these releases, as by their very nature they are crammed with great songs and great performances, but this collection focuses on his hit singles and is therefore an excellent choice for beginner or collector.

Gaye's emotive voice is a national treasure--alternately sexy, pained, confident, or begging, as the material required. Berry Gordy proclaimed him as "the truest artist Motown ever had," which became more evident after Gaye moved away from being the voice for the hitmaking Motown machine and focused on his own soulful material like "Inner City Blues," "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Let's Get It On." But that's no knock on those early hits, which were written by the likes of Smokey Robinson, Whitfield/Strong, Holland/Dozier/Holland and Ashford & Simpson. Filled with smashes like "How Sweet It Is," "You're All I Need To Get By" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," this newly-remastered collection of seventeen singles sounds sweeter than ever.

© 2000 - Bill Holmes