Track Listing

1. What's Going On
2. What's Happening Brother
3. Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)
4. Save The Children
5. God Is Love
6. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
7. Right On
8. Wholy Holy
9. Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)
10. God Is Love (Bonus Track)
11. Sad Tomorrows aka Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1095 in Music
• Released on: 2003-01-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicised soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalised it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going On, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavouring it with layer upon layer of his own multi-tracked vocals, oceans of hand percussion, strings, flutes and jazzy horn solos. Spacy and loose as a spliff-fuelled Sunday afternoon jam in the park, the nine songs all played like hit singles. The title track-- inspired by his brother's return from the Vietnam War--and the obvious social commentary of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" actually were hit singles. Two other tracks ("Wholly Holy" and "Save the Children") would inspire hit covers by Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, respectively. Nevertheless, What's Going On sounds as fresh today as it did the week that it came out. --Don Waller

CD Description
Originally released in 1971, WHAT'S GOING ON remains a landmark album, one that redefined music with powerful, anthemicsongs that remain pertinent to this day. Before WHAT'S GOING ON, R&B albums were collections of singles, with secondary"filler" material rounding out the LPs. Marvin Gaye changedall this by releasing a concept album that went beyond the usual boy-meets-girl scenario, weaving together an aural collage of societal ills. "Crime is increasing/Trigger-happy policing", from "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", is as potent a line today as it was over 20 years ago, and withthe country still divided over the Vietnam War, the title track became a rallying cry for peace.
Dark, mercurial, and jazzy, WHAT'S GOING ON was as radical musically as it was conceptually. Layered with lush orchestrations, heavenly background vocals, and loose, fiercely grooving arrangements, WHAT'S GOING ON so surpassed anything previously known as soul music that it virtually reinvented the genre. The criticaland commercial success of Gaye's opus also enabled other artists to break free from the creative shackles imposed by Motown and other companies, and to experience more autonomy inmusical and thematic expression, thereby changing the industry. In short, the musical and historical significance of WHAT'S GOING ON cannot be overestimated; it was Gaye's masterpiece, and still stands as one of the greatest soul albums ofall time.

Customer Reviews

An essential
This is one of the first albums I bought when 'going CD', after falling in love with my mother's vinyl copy. 'What's Going On' is a stunning album ,and though 30 years old, as contemporary as if it were recorded yesterday. This is undoubtedly the high point of Gaye's career, between the Motown mush foisted on him (such a waste of his angelic voice) and the rising of his personal problems. I cannot recommend this album highly enough, even to those unacquainted with Marvin or not connoisseurs of this type of music. Beautifully orchestrated songs on themes ranging from peace, religion, ecology and the plight of black americans, all delivered in that peerless voice, make the album is a fantastic listen. From the laidback lament of the title track through to the ominously plaintive 'Inner City Blues' (the segue between 'God Is Love' and 'Mercy Mercy Me' still makes me shiver even after a thousand listens), Marvin holds forth on those things dearest to him, underlining how pointless and vacuous some of today's efforts are by comparison. Every collection should have this album, which stands alongside 'Innervisions' as one of the first occasions a black artist verbally confronted some of the ills that ailed black America. And given what happened some 13 years later, it is almost painful to hear him sing lines like 'love your father' and father father, we don't need to escalate.' Great album, great loss.

Classic
I am 21, and have only discovered Marvin Gaye in the last few years. Admittedly, I originally delved into his catalogue due to feeling that I should (from what everyone else said). Since then, my love for his music has only grown, and this album is the pinnacle.

Each track is beautiful. It's kicked off by the title track, which deserve every bit of its reputation, and then the first half of the album slowly progresses, with each track moulding perfectly into the other. There is honestly no weak track on this album. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) are the two other best known tracks on this album, along with God Is Love being my personal favourite.

This is a true masterpiece of an album, and is how every release should be. If you have a love for Soul, of just beautiful music, please buy this.

The Finest Soul Album Ever Made!
This is the soul album that conquers all due to the fantastic combinations of highly orchestrated and almost otherworldly beauty of the instrumentation and melodies, the relevance of its subjects and the marvel that is Marvin Gaye's vocal stylings and impeccable range. The title track is the obvious highlight, but close competition for best track comes from "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)" and "Wholy Holy" although the whole album is a lush, sedated and simply groundbreaking achievement for a black artist, who helped create more independence for the artists at Motown, paving the way for Stevie Wonder's fabulous 70s work and his own erotic masterpieces. Marvin Gaye's masterpiece should be listened to eternally