Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Marvin Gaye, William Mickey Stevenson, The Vandellas
2. Hitch Hike - Marvin Gaye, The Vandellas, William Mickey Stevenson
3. Pride And Joy - Marvin Gaye, William Mickey Stevenson
4. Can I Get A Witness - Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Marvin Gaye
5. You're A Wonderful One - Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Marvin Gaye
6. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - Brian Holland, Marvin Gaye, Lamont Dozier
7. I'll Be Doggone - Marvin Gaye, William Robinson, Jr.
8. Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson
9. It Takes Two - Henry Cosby, Marvin Gaye, William Mickey Stevenson, Kim Weston
10. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Johnny Bristol, Marvin Gaye, Harvey Fuqua, Tammi Terrell
11. Your Precious Love - Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
12. If I Could Build My Whole World Around You - Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
13. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing - Marvin Gaye, Nickolas Ashford, Tammi Terrell, Valerie Simpson
14. You're All I Need To Get By - Marvin Gaye, Nickolas Ashford, Tammi Terrell, Valerie Simpson
15. You - Ivy Joe Hunter, Marvin Gaye
16. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye, Norman Whitfield
17. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby - Marvin Gaye, Norman Whitfield
18. That's The Way Love Is - Marvin Gaye, Norman Whitfield, Paul Riser, Wade Marcus
19. His Eye Is On The Sparrow - Harvey Furqua, Marvin Gaye

Disc 2:

1. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye, David Van dePitte, Lawrence Miles, Joe Atkinson, James Green, Art Stewart
2. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye, Lawrence Miles, Joe Atkinson, James Green, Art Stewart, David Van Depitte
3. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) - Art Stewart, James Green, Joe Atkinson, Lawrence Miles, Marvin Gaye
4. You're The Man - Pts. I & II - Marvin Gaye
5. Where Are We Going? - Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren, Marvin Gaye
6. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye
7. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye, Ed Townsend, William McMeekin, Art Stewart, Cal Harris, Rene Hall
8. Come Get To This - Art Stewart, Cal Harris, Marvin Gaye, Steve Smith
9. Distant Lover - Gene Page, Marvin Gaye, Bill Schnee, Cal Harris, David T. Walker, Joe Sample
10. I Want You - Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware, T-Boy Ross, Art Stewart, Fred Ross, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Berry Gordy Jr.
11. Got To Give It Up - Art Stewart, Marvin Gaye
12. Anger - Art Stewart, Marvin Gaye
13. Ego Tripping Out - Marvin Gaye
14. Praise - Marvin Gaye
15. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2592 in Music
• Released on: 2001-08-20
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Double CD, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .29 pounds
• Running time: 130 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Very Best of Marvin Gaye pulls together the usual hits from "I'll Be Doggone" to "Grapevine", "What's Going On" to "Let's Get It On" to "Sexual Healing"--all musts for any R&B or pop fan--but this two-CD set also offers treats for the Marvin connoisseur. Foremost are the previously unreleased "Where Are We Going?" which marries Nixon-era (and beyond) social concerns to a lilting groove that brings to mind Spinners records of the period, and an alternate mix of Gaye's rare version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow". Very Best also pays proper tribute to Gaye's final years at Motown with the full 11-plus minutes of the intense, casually funky "Got to Give It Up", Here, My Dear's smoldering "Anger" and several tracks from the under-heard Love Man / In Our Lifetime sessions. More than just a profit-generating package from the parent company, it's a loving, rounded selection that's sure to widen newcomers' perceptions of a great artist's creativity and spirit. --Rickey Wright

CD Description
This generous two-disc compilation does an excellent job oftracing soul legend Marvin Gaye's career. It moves from hisearliest, most pop-oriented recordings ("How Sweet It Is", "I'll Be Doggone") to his famed duets with Tammi Terrell ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing") and his later, more socially conscious work from the WHAT'S GOING ON era. Things kickoff marvellously with the vibrant "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", where Marvin works his magic around sassy vocal assists from the Vandellas and a slightly Latin-tinged arrangement sporting flute and cowbell.
Other stops along the way include songs from the ultimate make-out album LET'S GET IT ON, the latter-day glory of the subtly sensual "Sexual Healing", and of course the immortal "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", the scorned-love anthem whose ominous intro alone is enough to secure Mr. Gaye a place in pop heaven. If you're interested in this R&B giant's music but just want one bases-covering collection, this is the definitive release for you.

Customer Reviews

A great place to start
This is a brilliant album covering Gaye's Motown and more soul periods. It has some live tracks and an amazing version of 'His eye is on the sparrow'. It has two discs of such great music that you are engaged right to the end and you're left feeling every song nearly as much as Gaye did when he sung them! Highly recommended as a starting place to Gaye's music.

The Definitive Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gayes' untimely death in 1984 left a big void in music. Marvin Gaye had become one of the most influential singer and songwriters in soul music history. His diligent work had tremendous depth, making profound political statements and social commentary as well as having a poignant and spiritual edge.

Marvin Gayes' recording career spans back to the dawn of the swinging sixties when Motown Records was beginning to make its mark in the world by becoming commonly known as "the sound of young America". The fantastic Stubborn Kind Of Fellow was one of his very best early hits. The formulaic though enduring Motown sound is fully at work on this classic with Gayes' distinctive vocals seamlessly surfboarding along the somwhat complex musical arrangements.

Hitch Hike, Can I Get A Witness? and Too Busy Thinking About My Baby also encapsulates that familiar and distinct Motown sound of its golden era in the 1960's and all three are instantly contagious from the musical arrangements to gayes rocketing vocal performances that was in a class and style of its own.

During Motowns golden era of the 1960's, Gaye worked with many of the labels most talented female singers. His phenomenal duet with the underated Kim Weston on the sparse, It Takes Two, sounds just as fresh and as vibrant as it was back then. But it was the divine Tammi Terrell (who was married to David Ruffin, one-time lead singer of The Temptations) that he found his perfect duet partner.

Gaye and Terrell cut many albums and succesful hit singles together with their diverse blend of harmonies gelling neatly into the sexually sizzling productions. Some of their greatest duets include You're All I Need To Get By, Ain't No Mountain High Enough ( the latter being a total contrast to the more famous version Diana Ross took to the top of the charts in 1970), You Ain't Livin Till Your Lovin' and The Onion Song.

Gayes recording work in the late 60's vastly matured growing much more unique and phenomenal. He really hits his stride on the masterpiece, chart-topping mega-classic, I Hear It Through The Grapevine. The compelling opening interlude leads into a rocking and sparse production with Gayes stirring, soulful delivery complimenting the startling arrangements. Gaye really carries off I Heard It Through The Grapevine with style and finesse and this was but a mere taste of things to come.

Whilst his recording work progressed the sound of his music became more refined and stylized. He delivered what was possibly his greatest ever album in 1971 with What's Going On. That album neraly didn't happen as Motown boss Berry Gordy was unsure as to how his buying public might react to Gayes new, creative force. Well, if anything, this merely fuelled Gayes record sales and critics alike joined in to praise the genius. What's Going On completely shook off his more familiar sound of the 60's, exploring relevant environmental issues that also made some form of political comment as well as profound social commentary.

Gaye is put more in touch with his spiritual side on the timeless and poignant Mercy,Mercy Me which, with its rolling arrangements that has a really sharp, soulful edge, conveys Gayes vocal power which was simply going from strength to strength.

In 1973 he recorded a successful album of duets with the queen of Motown, Diana Ross. The highlight of this project was the breathtaking, You Are Everything. From that magical, exotic opening intro to the fittingly refined vocal delivery of Ross to Gayes more forceful, aggressive delivery, You Are Everything is THE ultimate love duet!

The evocative Lets Get It On taken from the excellent album of the same name, is one of my own personal favourite tracks. Gaye is in full romantic mood here with his exuberant delivery sounding highly sexually charged. This merley coats the smooth arrangements that features glorious saxophone interludes played at various points on the recording.

Gaye moved into funkier terriotry in the late 70's and reached its pinnacle on tracks such as the startlingly effective Got To Give It Up. With its multi-layered musical arrangements, dubbed crowd noises that sounds as though it was recorded live in a nightclub to Gayes impeccable delivery, it perfectly demenonstrated Gayes wonderful craft of versatlity.

One of Gayes last signature tunes had to be the timeless, sensual and utterly divine Sexual Healing. Gayes raw, earthy delivery rides along the state-of-the-art production and this was featured on his last studio album, Midnight Love which was his first (and last) for CBS Records following his departure from Motown records.

This two Cd collection collects together all of these classics that are all compelling musically and really give you an understanding as to why his work has remained unparralled and such an inspiration to todays new generation of wannabe soul/r&b singers. ESSENTIAL!

Ian Phillips

When Marvin sings it makes you wanna get it on
To say that Marvin Gaye was one of the greatest artists of all time is somewhat demeaning to the power and the emotion he puts into all of the songs on this CD, from the pop bubblegum of Hitch Hike and How sweet it is, to his Duets with his soul mate Tammi Terrell including the beautiful Ain't no mountain high enough and the Lesser known of his classics like Ego tripping out and Trouble man, this record has it all in abundance, you can tell when he sings his duets he really does feel for these women and the way Marvin sings his love songs he can melt the hearts of even the hardened heavy metal thrash head.
Billie holiday is the only person that belts out more emotion into her songs and it's not just a coincidence that both of them were troubled souls.
It seems the harder your life is the greater the artist (just look at westlife).
In retrospect all Marvin has to do for me is open his mouth and I can here love and emotion, he serenades me all the way and there is no-one else like him ever to walk on the stage.Thank-you Marvin Gaye for the hours of musical pleasure you have given me.