Motown

In 2001, Marvin Gaye fans were treated to a previously unreleased live performance from their idol (recorded on May 1, 1972 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.) in the bonus section of the Deluxe Edition of the masterpiece What’s Going On (released a year earlier, in May 1971). This October 2019 sees the astounding concert benefit from autonomous publication as well as remastering and 24-Bit processing. At the time, the singer was at a turning point in his career. Shaken by the death of his colleague Tammi Terrell, who died of cancer in 1970 at the age of 24, Marvin Gaye withdrew from the business and fell into depression. However, he soon returned to music. As America was fighting its own demons, both internal (segregation) and external (Vietnam), he released a masterpiece of thought-provoking soul. Packed with politically engaged prose, What’s Going On appeared on the label Motown and questioned what the American dream really meant. As a poet and entertainer, Marvin Gaye made his message resonate like no other. The album is a skilfully measured symphony, with strings that seem to hypnotize the rhythms and choirs. It was the cornerstone of black American music, which made it somewhat difficult to release as Berry Gordy, Motown’s boss, feared that this highly politicized work would ruin the positive image of both his label and protégé. With What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye forced Gordy to face up to the Vietnamese conflict, interracial tensions and the degradation of major American cities. And the album was an immediate success. For the first time, a Motown record was created differently, without Gordy’s total control. This live recording from Gaye’s hometown showcases his artistic transition by starting with a sumptuous medley of his hits from the sixties, including the brilliant song I Heard It Through The Grapevine. Marvin Gaye then performs on stage the wonders from What’s Going On, a record that went through a lot of changes in the studio. Throughout the concert (which lasts just over an hour) he stretches out certain songs, improvises and above all communicates with his audience like never before. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Putting the words “previously unreleased” next to the name Marvin Gaye has always had quite the effect. When the Deluxe Editions of What’s Going On, Let’s Get It On, Hear, My Dear and other albums were released, fans of the master of soul who died in 1984 got their money’s worth of alternative takes and previously unreleased recordings. This time, You’re the Man released in 2019 is a kind of Holy Grail of his music that has finally been unearthed. When he published What’s Going On in May 1971, Marvin Gaye completely transformed soul music and Motown as well as the history of popular music in general. This very mindful and deliberate masterpiece forced Berry Gordy, the label’s boss, to face the war in Vietnam, interracial tensions and the poverty in American cities. This was the first time that a Motown album was produced without Gordy’s total control and dealt with social issues rather than pleasant love songs. It was also the first time that Marvin Gaye, the entertainer, now had a social and political voice. In the wake of What’s Going On, the star began working on a new album called You’re the Man and released a single with the same title as an attack against the incumbent president, Richard Nixon. However, this attack was not to Gordy’s taste and after agreeing to release the single he refused to proceed with the album and even persuaded the singer to change his mind too. Some of the songs planned for You’re the Man were added here and there on some of his future recordings, but the 2019 version finally presents the album that Marvin Gaye dreamed of releasing in its entirety. This album’s resurrection is all the more enjoyable in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency and lyrics like We don’t want to hear more lies / About how you plan to economise emphasise the timelessness of his music. The same struggles faced by black people under President Nixon are now faced by those under Trump. He even touches on feminism in the song We Can Make It Baby. For the production of You’re the Man, Marvin Gaye alternated between what he did on What’s Going On as well as the soundtrack of the film Trouble Man released in 1973. His voice fits perfectly with an instrumentation that is somewhere between groovy soul and light funk. To bring all of this together, it is also worth pointing out that Motown relied on producer Salaam Remi, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, the Fugees and Miguel. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

With his hustler look, his stash of coke and his huge ego, Rick James was the free electron from planet funk. Pushing everything to the limits, both in his life and his music, he embodied the crazy side of America in the ‘80s. With more than 100 tracks, this box set brings together all his recordings for Motown, including B-sides and maxis. There are essentially nine albums: Come Get It! (1978), Bustin' Out of L Seven and Fire It Up (1979), Garden of Love (1980), Street Songs (1981), Throwin' Down (1982), Cold Blooded (1983), Glow (1985) and The Flag (1986).Of course, Street Songs is the masterpiece that stands out from the crowd. It’s like the missing link between the P-Funk universe and Prince's Purple Rain. Perfectly encapsulating the African-American music from the early eighties, Street Songs is a brilliant fusion of disco and funk. But Rick James injects only the most essential bone marrow of disco into his raw, wild funk. And while the aim is to fill the dancefloor, the lyrics are far from meaningless… Leave Prince alone for two minutes, and rediscover this 5-star funkster, the only musician to ever bring us such a sizzling style of funk and a brand-new sound to Motown in the ‘80s. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz