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InQuire Monday 15 November 2021
Entertainment
What's Going On after fifty years?
After Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed Marvin Gaye's legendary soul album as the best of all time. Our writer Harry Brown assesses its legacy 50 years on. By Harry Brown, Entertainment Writer
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great point of bonding between me and my dad has always been music, and a conversation that regularly comes up between us is our favourite albums. I have always upheld The Beatles’ Abbey Road whilst my Dad always insists on Marvin Gaye’s What's Going On, a choice which Rolling Stone agreed with when last year they placed What’s going on? at number 1 of their top 500 best albums of all-time list. The album is now 50 years old, so I listened to it for the first time to find out why it still persists as a masterpiece in critical evaluation and in listeners ears. What's Going On was recorded in June–September 1970 and in March–May 1971 and released 21st May that year. The album was produced by Gaye, who had to fight with Motown boss Berry Gordy about doing the album his way. Gordy only agreed after Gaye secretly released the title single and hit no. 1 on the hot soul singles charts and no. 2 on billboard hot 100. The contention from the Motown Mogul was the more politically explicit nature to Gaye’s new songs. The singer had gained more political awareness by listening to his brothers’ experiences in the Vietnam war. Gaye had changed himself as he fell more into drugs and depression after the death of his singing partner, Tammi Terril and failure of his current marriage. He was stepping away from performing and a clean-cut face and suit to not performing, letting himself grow a beard and wearing pant suits. Marvin Gaye was at a very different stage in his life then when he was writing What’s
Going On then when he first signed with Motown in 1961. Speaking to Rolling Stone he said ‘In 1969 or 1970, I began to re-evaluate my whole concept of what I wanted my music to say...I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world’
with his personal lyrics straight from the opening title track. He shows the listener his observations on how the world is working and what’s happening with violence and hate as he sings ‘Brother, brother, brother, there’s too many of you dying’. He stresses throughout the importance of love as in the opening track he sings ‘you know we’ve got to find a way to bring some lovin’ here today’. The idea of being in on a relaxed recording session is added upon when there is a feel of elegant improvisation to the riffs of the different instruments. The album has an illusion of a calming simplicity whereas when you listening to the album there are all multiple instruments doing their own thing that blend to create an experience. From the groove of the percusAlbum covers courtesy of Motown Record Corporation sion work in What’s Happening Brother tening experience as you can’t help but ture in the same way today as it did to to the ascending bass riff in Flying tap your feet. listeners in 1971. Sadly Marvin Gaye high that makes us feel like Gaye is In What’s Going On Gaye sings of his was shot in 1981, but it’s a very powerful bringing us up to the clouds to view the view on the world of 1971, however fifty force that his music is not only be able to world below. The album is able to have years later he could sing the same lyrstill be listened to by people but that it’s this continuous flow to it that makes a ics and it would be instantly relatable to message and meaning still resonates; an ongoing relaxing feel. The songs blend modern listeners. aim he outlined when he talked to Rollinto each other where it feels like one As previously mentioned, he sings ing Stone. composition, yet each song is able to of environmentalism and saving the The album ranks number 1 accordhave it’s identity in the album. Gaye is planet in Mercy Mercy Me (the ecoloing to the best albums of all-time list in able to go from a more upgy), making a better tomorrow in Save Rolling Stone, it celebrated it’s fiftieth beat track like Right On that the Children and violence in protest in anniversary earlier this year with a spehas heavy use of percussion the title track. The album continues to cial edition vinyl release coming soon to Wholy Holy where he resonate in the zeitand the Nu Civilisation Orchestra are soulfully sings of God, and geist of pop touring with a special What’s Going On it works. Brilliantly. culconcert (due to be at the Gulbenkian on A true highlight of the al26th November). bum is obviously the title This shows the album is still prevatrack but there are other lent and alive. Gaye was able to craft a standouts. Flying High beautiful album with great vocals, perwith it’s cymbals and suscussion and instrumentation where it tained singing notes at the feels personal and subtle whilst also start of the track. The ashaving a lot to digest. Fifty years after cending bass under Gaye’s What’s Going On release it is worthy harmonies work together of being called one of the best and I brilliantly for the song as he have no doubt it will still be in andescribes a drug experience. other fifty years. The high repeated guitar riff in Mercy Mercy Me (The What's Going On is availaEcology) are beautiful when ble on streaming services, combined with the dual voCD and Vinyl now cals which hauntingly feel like his most modern lyrics as he speaks of problems in the environment. Felt in all the songs in the album is the groove which is completely contagious and enhances t h e Photo by Motown Records Photo Archive lis-
"Crime is increasing, Trigger happy policing, Panic is spreading, God knows where we're heading." and this attitude comes across clearly in the album. The album is undeniably a masterpiece but in a very subtle way. The opening chatter between people at
"Mother, mother, Everybody thinks we're wrong. Who are they to judge us, Simply because we wear our hair long." the start of the album feel like we’re listening in on a very private but relaxed recording session. Then the enticing seductive saxophone plays over the talking bringing you into the album and the soft vocals of Gaye start. He invites us to show his point of view on the world