Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing In Performance, 1964-1981

February 2nd, 2007

Title: Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing In Performance, 1964-1981
Artist: Marvin Gaye
Label: Hip-O Records/Universal
Catalog No.: B00006453-09 (DVD)
Date: 2006

With a career spanning nearly three decades, Marvin Gaye is by far one of the most notable names in rhythm and blues, as well as soul music. Beginning his career in 1958 with the Marquees, Gaye also worked with artists such as Bo Diddley, the Miracles, the Contours, Martha & the Vandellas and Stevie Wonder. In 1960 he was a session drummer for Motown and went on to be a part time song-writer before his solo career got underway. Like Stevie Wonder, Gaye is also known for challenging the constricting formula employed by Motown in its record productions. The results were Gaye’s chart topping soul hits “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” both released in 1972. Gaye could be considered one of the predecessors of artists such as Musiq, Soul Child and D’Angelo.

Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing In Performance, 1964-1981 charts Gaye’s twenty-year career with Motown. Featuring his live performances and interviews, this anthology exhibits the development of Gaye’s artistry. Always a gentleman in public, the performances found on this DVD are an exposition of that demeanor, while also offering an historical account of the fashion and social issues spanning nearly two decades. Featuring both his R&B hits as well as his chart topping soul tracks, The Real Thing is a testimony to how and why Marvin Gaye became a legend.

The performance footage as well as the interviews have been digitally remastered to showcase a clear, crisp picture. Only the performance of “Pride and Joy” (1965) is a bit grainy. On all other clips the picture and sound quality are remarkable and take the viewer back in time. None of the eloquence of Gaye’s delivery is lost. Each of the songs is an affirmation that Gaye was original in his delivery, phrasing, and innovation. Years after the original performance, and despite the denial of any real life love affair, the chemistry between Gaye and Tammi Terrell is perfectly preserved here in their duet “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1967). The only shortfall of the compilation is that a few of the performances are out of chronological order, which is hardly enough to invalidate the experience.

Extensive liner notes accompany the DVD, providing an overview of Gaye’s early career as one of the Marquees through his 1982 departure from Motown. Although there are not many photographs of Gaye throughout the years as one would like, there are enough to let his classic style and sophistication shine through. The Real Thing would be suitable for anyone newly familiar with the work of Marvin Gaye as well as those who have long been enthusiasts and collectors of his music.

Posted by Brandon Houston

Review Genre(s): Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Funk