How Marv Gaye's 'What's Gog On' Changed the Sound of R&B Forever - Variety

Contents:

• MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ GETS 50TH ANNIVERSARY DIGAL REISSUE
• WHAT’S GOG ON AT 50: MARV GAYE’S MASTERPIECE IS STILL SO TE TO LIFE
• 50 YEARS AFTER MARV GAYE ASKED, ‘WHAT’S GOG ON?’ AMERI STILL SEARCHG FOR AN ANSWER
• 50 YEARS LATER, WHY MARV GAYE'S SEMAL ALBUM 'WHAT'S GOG ON' ENDUR
• MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ IS AS RELEVANT TODAY AS IT WAS 1971
• HOW MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ CHANGED THE SOUND OF R&B FOREVER
• REMEMBERG MARV GAYE'S INIC 'WHAT'S GOG ON'
• DEVON GILFILLIAN RE-RERDS MARV GAYE'S 1971 ALBUM 'WHAT'S GOG ON'
• THE STORY OF MARV GAYE'S 'WHAT'S GOG ON'
• WHAT'S GOG ON

MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ GETS 50TH ANNIVERSARY DIGAL REISSUE

Motown/UMe has marked the 50th anniversary of Marv Gaye’s sgle release for “What’s Gog On” — the tle track om Rollg Stone’s Greatt Album of All Time — wh an all-enpassg digal reissue of the 1971 LP out now on streamg servic. To honor the sgle’s 50th birthday, Motown/UMe grouped together all that bon mic for the digal release dubbed What’s Gog On: Deluxe Edn/50th Anniversary, which ntas the origal album pl 12 bon tracks cludg sgle versns, mos and more, the “Detro Mix” of the album and the llectn of “Funky Natn” stmentals om Gaye’s post-What’s Gog On rerdg ssns. “The Detro Mix” of What’s Gog On, Gaye’s origal versn of the album before ncelg and reworkg Los Angel, prevly featured on the 30th anniversary reissue of the album 2001.

“Funky Natn: The Detro Instmentals, ” a seri of jams Gaye laid down the rerdg ssns after releasg What’s Gog On, was clud the 40th anniversary reissue.

WHAT’S GOG ON AT 50: MARV GAYE’S MASTERPIECE IS STILL SO TE TO LIFE

“Through the regnn of What’s Gog On Day, we hope to brg awarens to Marv Gaye’s profound words as his timels mic remas our hearts and mds and ntu spirg generatns to e. Both Gaye and Wonr have been relatively pennt at Motown, their reers followg their own fluctuatns outsi the mastream stud trends, but the latt albums are partur even for them.

50 YEARS AFTER MARV GAYE ASKED, ‘WHAT’S GOG ON?’ AMERI STILL SEARCHG FOR AN ANSWER

Both are self-produced and largely self-posed (Wonr workg wh his wife Syreeta, Gaye wh six others cludg his wife Anna) personal “statements.

50 YEARS LATER, WHY MARV GAYE'S SEMAL ALBUM 'WHAT'S GOG ON' ENDUR

Motown has begun to give cred to s stud micians, listg 39 of them on Gaye’s album and acknowledgg for the first time that such people really exist. Although both albums suffer om this over-exposure of lyric stiffns, Gaye’s work is much more supple and nversatnal ultimately smoothg self out on what is a very fe rerd while Wonr’s is too self-nsc and edg to pretentns (“Suffote the new high Ri the thorny mule that cri ‘Dig your grave and step right '”) the recently-veloped Curtis Mayfield Syndrome beg nearly prehensible when sung. Where Stevié was ntent to liver his msag — however blurred — three or four songs, Gaye has signed his album as one many-faceted statement on ndns the world today, ma nearly seamls by reful transns between the cuts.

MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ IS AS RELEVANT TODAY AS IT WAS 1971

The style is set the first cut, “What’s Gog On, ” wh s sweet horn openg le; Gaye’s soft, simmerg voice reflectg on self betifully om two or three tracks; the ntrast of ngas and strgs; the breaks an excg jumble of street-rner jive and sttg.

HOW MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ CHANGED THE SOUND OF R&B FOREVER

” “Mercy, Mercy Me” is one of the most bearable elogy songs, a genre that don’t seem to spire pecially subtle or telligent lyrics; Gaye’s are offensive and the song self is lovely. Marv Gaye’s classic 1971 rerd What’s Gog On turns 50 this month, which means more people than ever will have ocsn to note how timely is.

REMEMBERG MARV GAYE'S INIC 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

“He uld have wrten What’s Gog On yterday, ” poet Nikki Gvanni noted an terview last tumn, explag that the ver portra of her 2020 llectn, Make Me Ra, pays homage to Gaye’s album ver, picturg Gvanni a raat, her llar upturned.

The rerd’s endurance – most movgly displayed by Nelson Manla, who, shortly after his release om prison 1990, reced l om the album at Tiger Stadium Detro – has practilly bee a one is wrong, of urse, to say that Gaye’s album cuts as eply today as did 1971.

DEVON GILFILLIAN RE-RERDS MARV GAYE'S 1971 ALBUM 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

A dively spired work driven by social rage – one that braid doo-wop harmoni, jazz and the hymns Gaye had loved as a child – What’s Gog On was also Gaye’s claratn of creative pennce om Berry Gordy’s Motown mache. After a of polished pop hs, Gaye, now his early 30s, revealed there was a lot on his md: the outrage of the war Vietnam (What’s Happeng Brother? ”What’s Gog On remas val, above all, for how turns away om that “Ameri” and stead addrs the tle qutn to a closer-kn group – those people gathered at the hoe party Gaye stag the album’s openg moments; the “mother, mother” and “father father” he lls out to (and that the party settg might emboln him to ndidly addrs).

THE STORY OF MARV GAYE'S 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

” the speaker asks What’s Happeng Brother?, checkg the claims of those power agast the thory of everyday Black is one thg to celebrate Gaye’s endurg and prcient mo of creatn; another to appld the ntued ronance of his album’s ncerns.

WHAT'S GOG ON

We should not be sangue, for stance, that Gaye’s unrstated blu crique of “trigger-happy policg” has stayed so relevant; or that anti-Black vlence has so persisted over the last 50 years that remas necsary for Black artists and everyday people to approach the task of survivg and thrivg Ameri wh the energy, elegance and grace that Gaye molled this landmark work.