THE BEST SOUL BANDS / ARTISTS OF THE ALL-TIME # 3…MARVIN GAYE Part 3

This Series of Post’s concerns in my Opinion The Best Bands/Artists of all time.

I will write a Short Bio including  the Band Members/Artist, some Facts and figures, their Histories,  Links, Videos, The Tracks they made Famous, Links to Download etc etc

I will continue the series with the Best Soul Vocalist from Tamla Motown Records…………….MARVIN GAYE. Part 3

In 1972 Marvin Gaye came out of Stage Retirement to Perform at Selected Venues, it was around this period that He Released the Soundtrack Album to go with Movie “Trouble Man”


1972 also saw MG sign a New Contract with Motown Records, it was rumoured to be worth $9 Million Dollars! it gave him more Control over his Music and was the most lucrative Deal for a Black Performer at that Time.


By late ’72 MG had Moved from Detroit to Los Angeles and began working towards his next Album Release!

Marvin Gaye Released the Single “Let’s Get It On” in June of ’73, it went to Number 1 and was MG’s second Million Selling Single on the Billboard Top 100, with the Success of this single,  He decided to drop the Social Topic’s he Sung about on his previous Album (What’s Going On) and Revert back to his “Sensual Style of Music” and the Album “Let’s Get It On” was Written and Released by August of 1973. 


The Album contained 2 more Singles, including “Come Get To This” and “You Sure Love To Ball” this Single was not Promoted by “Motown” as it had a lot of Sexual Content!

October of ’73 saw the Release of the “Diana & Marvin” Album, it was well over a Year in the making, it was said, Diana Ross, who was Pregnant at that time, Refused to Work with Marvin Gaye, on a lot of the Sessions, because of his Smoking and Drug use, the result was most of the  Album was Recorded Seperately and dubbed together at a later date!    


SEE THE END OF THIS POST FOR TRACKS FROM THE ALBUM!  


January 1974 saw Marvin Gaye Return to Touring. one of the Date’s on the Tour in “Oakland, California”  was recorded and Released as a Live “Album” in June that Year! 

The Song “Distant lover” was so Well Received on the Tour,  it was Decided by Motown to Release it as a Single in Late 1974, and after this the “Marvin Gaye Live Album” Sold over 1 Million Copies!


1975 saw MG Producing for other Motown Act’s including The Miracles and Yvonne Fair.

Marvin Gaye’s Album Release in 1976 was his First for 3 Year’s, it was called “I Want You” the Title Track was a Chart topping Single in the R&B Charts and a Top 20 Pop Hit!


The other Single Release was “After The Dance” which was also a Chart Hit.


Also in 1976 Marvin Gaye faced a few lawsuits against him, including some from former Musicians, (about pay) he also faced Bankruptcy and Prison, because of his Failed Alimony Payments to his Former wife, how he Avoided this, was to Agree with the Court, to Tour Europe again (his First overseas Tour for 10 Years) and to pay his Former wife, from some of his Royalties! 

MG Performed all over europe, including Switzerland, Holland, Italy, France and the UK, the Concert at The London Palladium was Recorded and Released in Early 1977 as a Double Album.


After the European dates had Finished he returned to the US to continue to Tour.  


To read a couple of Great in-depth Article’s on Marvin Gaye, Press 1 and 2


DOWNLOAD SOME MARVIN GAYE MUSIC!


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ALL TRACKS FROM THE DIANA & MARVIN ALBUM INCLUDING THE 4 BONUS TRACKS!
http://www.4shared.com/minifolder/uTQx8ZU9/diana__marvin.html

FIRST CAR, FIRST CAR CASSETTE PLAYER!

1976, I passed my Driving Test at the 2nd attempt,(I had plenty of lessons over about a 8 month period!) on 23 July that year, soon after that I borrowed some money and put that with what I had managed to save and brought my first Car “A Morris 1800” it was a great first Car, I brought it from a Half Cousin for I think £125!

The first thing I brought for the Car was a Cassette Player, the Make of the Player was “PYE” quite a big Brand Name back then! I was still working as a Trainee Chef in the same Hotel, by this time I had a Big Pay Rise, My Weekly wage for about 48 Hours was £7, we had our Annual Pay Rise, and I went right up to £19 per week, which was quite a Decent wage then for a Trainee Chef, I actually worked in what was Classed as “The Best Hotel in our Town” as It is still probably to this day!

I recall wedging my Stereo Speakers into the back side windows, facing into the Car!
WOW that Stereophonic Sound! and I can Quite easily remember the first track I played, it was “Love Machine” by The Miracles featuring Billy Griffin, I can remember getting one of my fellow chefs out of the Kitchen to Check out my New Tape Player “in the car” he was impressed, or said he was!

MOTOWN BEGINS!

Around 1972/73, me and my Best friend at that time started working for a local Fast Food Outlet in the Summertime in our Town, This was my first Full Time job so being young, all my money I earned, I spent! And what I spent it on was Music Cassettes, as I had just got a Portable Cassette Recorder, (what at that time was a hip item!) I needed Tapes to play on it.

By this time I was tired of the Pop Music I had been listening to, so as I said before I had heard a bit of Motown around a friends house and other places, so I started buying Motown Tapes and I brought plenty, I can recall firstly buying Diana ross and the Supremes, Junior Walker and the All Stars, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and so on! I still have a couple of Diana Ross Tapes in my loft!

During that Summer of work, every opportunity I had I went to our Town Centre and purchased Music Tapes, by the end of the Summer Season, I think I had about 50 different Tapes, aswell as Motown, I brought tapes by other Artists including The Three Degrees, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stylistics etc.

At that time (early to mid 70’s) there was’nt that much stuff available in our small Town, I suppose if I was older there might have been! ie going further afield to find it or Mail Order, (I always remember in the summer of 1974, during the Summer months, “Rock your baby” by George Mcrae, was number 1 in the Pop Charts for weeks!) so around that period until the time I left School (1975) Motown was the only type of Music I brought!