An altogether remarkable vocalist blessed with extraordinary depth and range, Marvin Gaye emerged in the early 1960s to become a consistent hitmaker for Motown through the remainder of the decade. Enjoying a run of big-selling singles either as a solo artist or in duets, primarily with Tammi Terrell, these infectious songs showcased his distinctive voice that would influence, among others, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and Mick Jagger.
Born on April 2nd 1939 in Washington D.C. he was the son of a voracious but volatile lay preacher not adverse to acting violently toward any of his four children. From this troubled childhood, Marvin Pentz Gay, (the ‘e’ was added when his career was at the fledgling stage), developed an infinity with the joyous inflections of gospel music, alongside a strong propensity to rebel.
His crowning musical contribution to 60s revealed just how sophisticated and sublime the Motown sound had become, ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine‘ (1968) a tour de force of vocal accomplishment, songwriting prowess, (although Gaye had co-written a number of songs, this momentous cut was the work of Motown house writers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong) and superbly crafted arrangements.
On the back of enormous worldwide sales of this captivating 45, Gaye began to assert creative independence away from the hit-making machinations of the record company whose agenda was always set to selling black dance music to white teenagers. He remained with the label – at this point still married to Anna Gordy, sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy – yet with the onset of a new decade took sole responsibility for his recorded output both as a writer and producer.
It proved a well-founded decision. With ‘What’s Going On‘ (1971) Gaye delivered an authentic masterpiece, this ambitious, emotive song-cycle dispensed with the bittersweet romanticism of his ’60s singles to examine the travails of contemporary America from an urban perspective – and in addressing the Vietnam war, racism, drugs, ecology and religion created the standout text in black expressionism.
His immediate follow-up was writing the soundtrack of ‘Trouble Man‘ where some excellent material deserved a better outlet than a run of the mill Blaxploitation thriller (once named among the fifty worst movies of all time), but on his next record Gaye moved from the profound social comment of ‘What’s Going On‘ to highly charged eroticism – his thirteenth studio album, ‘LET’S GET IT ON‘ (August 1973), containing the most overtly sexual music recorded to date.
Others had made sex the subject matter of songs, in many instances hard rock bands who happily indulged in the more licentious aspects, but nobody had previously addressed the topic in such a sensual or celebratory way.
If ‘What’s Going On‘ left no shred of doubt Gaye had a political conscience, then ‘Let’s Get It On‘ revealed his fascination with fornication, politics momentarily put aside for pleasures of the flesh.
Indeed, the only similarity between the two albums is found in the fact that Gaye once again creates distance between the recognised soul/pop Motown formula of yore and the originality of his recent and latest work. But whereas the melodies of ‘What’s Going On‘ came in the form of a soul/jazz fusion, the music he is now purveying merges funk with sultry R&B as befitting the sensuous mood of the record.
Recording with a core ensemble of players labelled ‘The Funk Brothers’ they consisted of guitarists Robert White and Eddie Willis, drummer percussionist Eddie ‘Bongo’ Brown, virtuoso bass player James Jamerson and saxophonist Ernie Watts, while Gaye turned his hand to much of the keyboard work. The first notes to be heard come from Don Peake who introduces the title track with a deliciously suggestive three-note electric guitar break.
No sooner has Peake played his piece than the grooves begin to sway and flow for all they are worth, Gaye giving rise to his libidinous instincts, elevating the physical act of love to the level of spiritual affirmation:
‘You don’t have to worry that it’s wrong/If the spirit moves you/Let me groove you good/Let your love come down/Oh, get it on, come on, baby.‘
The four songs constituting side one he co-wrote with Ed Townsend, the collaboration extending to joint producer credit for the tracks written together. Singer/arranger Townsend had introduced him to studio assistant Janis Hunter, the sixteen year-old becoming a figure of desire for 33 year-old Gaye as the sessions continued – the age difference mirrored that of Gaye to wife Anna who was seventeen years his senior – he and Hunter marrying later in the decade after maintaining a tempestuous affair.
She would appear the focus of ‘Please Stay‘ (Once You Go Away), a tender ballad of the sort groups such as The Stylistics would score big with in the near future only in a more diluted manner and of ‘If I Should Die Tonight‘ which finds Gaye pondering mortality over a haunting sax refrain and cinematic string arrangement, the singer comforted by finding a high plateau of sexual positivity:
‘If I should die tonight, love/Darlin’, far before my time/I won’t die blue/’Cause I’ve known you, ooh.’
The first side closes with a reprise of the title track, ‘Keep Gettin’ It On‘ taken at a looser lick as if to emphasise Gaye is taking the opportunity to espouse political as well as sexual freedoms – although more atmospheric sax work from Watts and the doo-wop background vocals maintain the amorous ambience:
‘Would you rather make love, children/As opposed to war, like you know you should?/Don’t you love to love somebody? (Love somebody)/Think about it, people/Makes you feel so good, yeah, come on.’
Side two opens with ‘Come Get to This‘ the shortest cut on the album and only one to come in under three minutes, this statement of loneliness and plea for reconciliation (‘Girl, you’ve been gone away a real long time/Oh, I nearly went out of my mind/Waitin’ on you, oh, I miss your loving/When you left me/Baby you did it,’), bears hallmarks of his origins, but is closer to funk of the new frontier than ’60s soul.
According to his biographer David Ritz, Gaye wrote this and next track ‘Distant Lover‘ for Motown vocal group The Originals with both songs dating back to 1970. The label were no doubt delighted he decided to leave the engaging melodicism intact, ensuring good business in the market place when issued as the follow-up single to the title song that had already been a US number one.
Through the aforementioned ‘Distant Lover‘ Gaye takes the role of heartbroken crooner, (‘Heaven knows that I long for you/Every night, every night and sometimes I yearn through the day,’). The soothing bass line and melancholy trumpet assist in conveying his anguish, ‘How can you treat my heart so mean and cruel? Didn’t you know, sugar/That every moment that I spent with you (Every moment)/I treasured it.’
In contrast ‘You Sure Love to Ball‘ is manifestation of all the sexual expression Gaye intended for the album, right down to the background moans of pleasure before onset of desirous, lustful vocal:
‘Ooh baby, please turn yourself around/Oh baby, so I can love you, girl/Oh baby, I’ll make you feel so good/Oh sugar, just like you want me to.’
The mood shifts again with closing track ‘Just to Keep You Satisfied‘, in moving from carnal to outright consternation on realising his marriage is in a parlous state.
This intensely affecting song, attributed to Gaye, wife Anna and Motown staff songwriter Elgie Stover, features a dramatic string accompaniment, as Marvin saves to the last his most impassioned vocal performance, delivering lines full of regret and poignancy in depicting, in the past tense, just how much the relationship has deteriorated:
‘You were my wife, my life, my hopes and dreams/For you to understand what this means/I shall explain/I stood all the jealousy, all the bitchin’ too/Yes, I’d forget it all once in bed with you/Oh darling, how could we end up like this?/Oh baby, let me reminisce.’
With each verse the sadness of the situation becomes more apparent, (‘But if you ever need me, I’ll be by your side/Though the many happy times we had/Can really never outweigh the bad,‘), Gaye gripped with yearning, to quote a phrase, for emotional rather than sexual healing.
The evocative trumpet and delicate background vocals (provided by The Originals) evoke a Frank Sinatra torch ballad of the 1950s, this deeply resonant piece wrapping up an album that for the most part is uplifting and buoyant on a somewhat sombre note – especially when Gaye reverts to his speaking voice to utter the final line of, ‘Ah well, all we can do is, we can both try to be happy.’
That lyric would quickly prove prophetic as husband and wife separated shortly after the album appeared, their subsequent divorce described in vivid, at times heart-wrenching detail on the 1978 double-album ‘Here My Dear.’ By this point his liaison with Hunter had also run into difficulty and while they had married the previous year, the union producing two children, the couple divorced in 1981.
Back in the late summer of 1973 such events were all in the future. ‘Let’s Get It On‘ was released to a largely rapturous reception from the critics, Jon Landau in Rolling Stone stating, “he continues to transmit that same degree of intensity, sending out near cosmic overtones while eloquently phrasing the sometimes simplistic lyrics”. The record buying public also took the album to their hearts (and more intimate parts of their bodies), sending it to number two on the Billboard charts where it was denied top spot by ‘Goat’s Head Soup‘ by the Rolling Stones, but even then still surpassed the success of ‘What’s Going On.’
The cultural impact of ‘Let’s Get It On‘ in taking sensually honed music to a mainstream audience was soon discernable as acts such as Barry White, Earth, Wind & Fire and The Commodores were quickly mining hits from the same seam, doing so by taking less risks and keeping pop sensibilities to the fore. The funk overtones, however, were certainly not lost on Prince or R. Kelly to name two, both of whom applied the sound and erotic elements to songs throughout their careers.
In 1973 there were thematic LP’s aplenty, some exceptional in their ambition and authenticity, others simply pompous and puerile.
But only a true innovator like Marvin Gaye could come up with a ground-breaking, body-shaking, heart-racing, sex-chasing concept album based on copulating.
MARVIN GAYE – LET’S GET IT ON (Released August 28 1973)
Let’s Get It On/Please Stay (Once You Go Away)/If I Should Die Tonight/Keep On Gettin’ It On/Come Get to This/Distant Lover/You Sure Love to Ball/Just to Keep You Satisfied;
NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.