A pivotal chapter in the oral history of Motown Records has it that when Berry Gordy, the label's founder, first heard Marvin Gaye's conceptual masterwork he simply wanted to shelve it as the ramblings of a self-indulgent "artiste" who had lost his commercial bearings - since nothing about the record conformed to Gordy's hugely successful "Motown Sound" formula that routinely cranked out hits in apolitical, three minute increments.

As the story continues, Smokey Robinson supposedly intervened informing Gordy that "while he did not quite know how to classify Gaye's new offering he was quite certain that it was divinely inspired" (or words to that effect.) At this point the Motown chieftain relented and agreed to a "limited" pressing. Yet another reason to love Smokey.

Even after hundreds of plays, What's Going On still leaves me speechless and groping for new superlatives. This is a mesmerizing and timeless record that is the human testament of an extremely troubled soul - who rather than retreating into self-pity attempts to reconcile with salvation through music.

Coming off a multi-year hiatus from recording in 1971 with his own life in shambles and the social and racial fabric of the nation unraveling, Gaye was able to channel his own fragility into a staggering and moving testimony to life on the streets that so poignently tapestried the crosscurrents of every emotion from exaltation to despair - all within the framework of a near perfect 39-minute song cycle.

Of course you'll recognize the three major hits - What's Going On, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) however it the quieter, more plaintive pieces such as Save the Children and Wholy Holy that allow Marvin to open his veins and infuse the entire record with supernatural grace.

What's Going On is Gaye's urban gospel of alienation told against a musical score that remains to this day a reference standard for rock-funk-R&B fusion and forms the foundation for what is IMHO the single greatest achievement in popular recording since Chuck Berry laid down his first three chords. WGO should be a cornerstone title for any collection not only for what the record once meant but for the meaning that it continues to offer new audiences.
A pivotal chapter in the oral history of Motown Records has it that when Berry Gordy, the label's founder, first heard Marvin Gaye's conceptual masterwork he simply wanted to shelve it as the ramblings of a self-indulgent "artiste" who had lost his commercial bearings - since nothing about the record conformed to Gordy's hugely successful "Motown Sound" formula that routinely cranked out hits in apolitical, three minute increments. As the story continues, Smokey Robinson supposedly intervened informing Gordy that "while he did not quite know how to classify Gaye's new offering he was quite certain that it was divinely inspired" (or words to that effect. ) At this point the Motown chieftain relented and agreed to a "limited" pressing. Yet another reason to love Smokey. Even after hundreds of plays, What's Going On still leaves me speechless and groping for new superlatives. This is a mesmerizing and timeless record that is the human testament of an extremely troubled soul - who rather than retreating into self-pity attempts to reconcile with salvation through music. Coming off a multi-year hiatus from recording in 1971 with his own life in shambles and the social and racial fabric of the nation unraveling, Gaye was able to channel his own fragility into a staggering and moving testimony to life on the streets that so poignently tapestried the crosscurrents of every emotion from exaltation to despair - all within the framework of a near perfect 39-minute song cycle. Of course you'll recognize the three major hits - What's Going On, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) however it the quieter, more plaintive pieces such as Save the Children and Wholy Holy that allow Marvin to open his veins and infuse the entire record with supernatural grace. What's Going On is Gaye's urban gospel of alienation told against a musical score that remains to this day a reference standard for rock-funk-R&B fusion and forms the foundation for what is IMHO the single greatest achievement in popular recording since Chuck Berry laid down his first three chords. WGO should be a cornerstone title for any collection not only for what the record once meant but for the meaning that it continues to offer new audiences.