Like labelmate Stevie Wonder, Gaye's Sixties hits were smart pop songs with catchy hooks and fairly safe subjects--love and romance being the principal. Like Wonder, Gaye too would eventually wrest creative control from the powers that be at Motown and by the early Seventies was creating socially conscious songs like "What's Going On," "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)."

This is a terrific, if concise, overview of the genius of Marvin Gaye. Originally released in 1983, these tracks have been remastered and sound simply amazing. If your record library doesn't already include these songs, this is a great place to start. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


Mercy mercy me...what's going on?   August 17, 2004
L. Power (San Francisco)
20 out of 23 found this review helpful

This is an amazing Cd from one of Motown's most beloved and successful artists.

Marvin Gaye has an outstanding voice. Perhaps his most distinctive quality is his ability to infuse each song with deep emotion, and great wailing vocals, and the production values are excellent.

Have you ever listened to a song and been emotionally moved by it? What's going on does is that kind of song. There is a certain quality of personal pain that he conveys in this song lamenting the untimely death of young black men through the violence in society.

I have been reading about Marvin, and his untimely death by his father's hand, only hints at the undercurrents of tragedy, insecurity and self destructiveness that ran through his life.

This album has quite an emotional range, including Grapevine, Let's Gets it on, and How sweet it is. If you like Marvin you'll love this album. As you would expect from a greatest hits album, the song quality is very good.

Two of his best hits You're all I need to get by and Ain't nothing like the real thing were recorded with singing partner Tammi Terell, who died young from a brain hemorrhage. Sexual Healing which was recorded on the Columbia label is not on this album.

A little known fact about Marvin is that before he achieved fame he was a drummer with Smokey Robinson.

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Great place to start if you haven't own a Marvin Gaye album.   February 24, 2006
Jenny J.J.I. (That Lives in Northern Nevada)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

This album spans his career, so you get to hear him change over the years. And it includes the hits with Tami Terrell. At first I didn't trust the title but it's true.

His tranquil voice and his songs of love, fun, poverty, and war make his music an inspiration to all ages. There is just so much passion in his voice with all of his songs it makes you just wants to sing. And being a recent fan I am finding that many artists sample his music. His version of "Heard It through the Grapevine" is the best version out of the several other musicians who have "attempted" to do it. "What's Goin' On" is a beautiful anthem that describes all of the pain war causes and is one of the world's greatest songs.

People, you have to own at least one Marvin Gaye album to call yourself a person who likes music. Let's get down to it:

1) SONG SELECTION. Some of these tracks I had not heard of before, but that does not matter. I bought this one on name recognition alone and I was not sorry. Every track is a classic and you do not have to be a fan of this type of music to enjoy this one. Tracks like "Mercy Mercy Me" and "What's Goin' On" are classics. On top of that, it is nice to explore tracks you might not have listened to otherwise.
2) SOUND. Classic, rich, and full of passion are just three of the words that I would use to describe his sound. There are many more of course, but that would take more space then I am allowed.
3) EMOTIONAL. Each track is so full of emotion that I could not help but swing with it. When the song was up-beat and happy I found that I had a smile on my face, when the track was a downer, then I frowned. Whatever the emotion instilled within the track I found myself feeling the same way.


THE BOTTOM LINE: Just like Black Sabbath is the founding fathers of modern rock, Marvin Gaye is one of the founding fathers of Rap/Hip-Hop/Pop. Sure, performers before him where writing and singing of the same things that he was, that was what the jazz/blues movement is all about. Marvin Gaye gave mainstream acceptance to a sound that might have never come to light without him.

I miss you Marvin! This album, although a classic and priceless. This CD perfectly captures his amazing legacy and I believe there is only one word to describe it, GREATNESS.



My Favorite Recording Ever!   July 14, 2000
The Entertainer (California)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

This CD is one of my most played albums in my collection, because it has "Every Great Motown Hit" of Marvin Gaye. Don't be confused by its price compared to every other Greatest Hits album, because this beats anyone I have ever heard. Every song will have you in stitches and will make you want to experience more music by similar artists. This was my first album from the sixties/seventies, and not it is my favorite genre of music. Don't even bother to listen to this album before you buy it, because you will automatically be put in a trance by it. Enjoy!


All you need to get by...   June 27, 2001
jumpy1 (New York, NY)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This album spans his career, so you get to hear him change over the years. And it includes the hits with Tami Terrell. I didn't trust the title but it's true -- this really does contain all the great ones. And everyone else loves it when I put it on!