A soulful paragon of our enduring times, Marvin Gaye’s first self-produced album, What’s Going On, turns 40 years old on May 21.
Gaye successfully turned pop music inside out with his succession of melodic, underscored songs of protest and anguish for Mother Earth. This album reflected Gaye’s internal conflict during the country’s transitional period from surviving the perils of war and pollution to coexisting with them.
Still one of Rolling Stone magazine’s top 10 Greatest Albums of All Time, What’s Going On also has two songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame. On May 17, Motown/UMe will release What’s Going On – Super Deluxe Edition: two CDs and one vinyl LP, 14 unreleased tracks, some rare outtakes, all accompanied by an oversized booklet with two essays and rare photos from the cover shoot with Gaye. Essay contributors are Gaye biographer David Ritz who describes “Why” Marvin Gaye created his first-ever self-produced album. The second essay details the “How” — written by Ben Edmonds, author of What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye and The Last Days Of The Motown Sound.
Originally rejected by Motown’s infamous Quality Control, Disc 1 contains the initial versions of the rejected song samples: “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).” The newly remastered version of the original album delivers a deeper, warmer sound than previous reissues. Grappling with the rejection, Gaye closed himself off from the world and later delivered his opus.
Two concerts are planned in commemoration, of the album’s re-release. Rickey Minor, Stevie Wonder and Friends (including special guest Janelle Monae) will perform at a July 24 Hollywood Bowl concert concluding with a tribute to What’s Going On. May of 2012 will have John Legend, The Roots, and the National Symphony Orchestra in concert to mark the 40th anniversary of Gaye’s legendary performance at the Kennedy Center.
