Classic Stud Rerdgs: Watch Producer Eric Valente Dissect Marv Gaye’s “What’s Gog On” Origal Multi-Track Ssn - Amerin Songwrer

Contents:

• ‘FUNKY NATN’ REVISS MARV GAYE’S FOTTEN 1971 INSTMENTAL JAM SSNS [STREAM]
• MARV GAYE AT THE RERDG SSN FOR "LET'S GET IT ON"
• 50 THGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARV GAYE'S WHAT'S GOG ON
• CLASSIC STUD RERDGS: WATCH PRODUCER ERIC VALENTE DISSECT MARV GAYE’S “WHAT’S GOG ON” ORIGAL MULTI-TRACK SSN
• “WHAT’S GOG ON,” MARV GAYE LIVE, 1971 (REPUBLISH)
• MARV GAYE
• MARV GAYE CONCERT SETLISTS & TOUR DAT

‘FUNKY NATN’ REVISS MARV GAYE’S FOTTEN 1971 INSTMENTAL JAM SSNS [STREAM]

A new album of funk-spired stmental rerdgs tracked durg the summer of 1971 shows a nearly-fotten seri of superb stud ssn jams led by late soul sger Marv Gaye. Entled, Funky Natn: The Detro Instmentals, the 14-track album released this past Friday (1/22) via UMG/Motown Rerds acpani the 50th-anniversary luxe reissue of Gaye’s semal What’s Gog On–also released last week. As OkayPlayer pots out, the band for Gaye’s post-What’s Gog On ssns prised of dmmer Haton Bohannon, guarists Ray Parker Jr, Wah Wah Watson, and Leroy Emmanuel, and bassist Michael Henrson.

MARV GAYE AT THE RERDG SSN FOR "LET'S GET IT ON"

From the first not of the openg track where Gaye mak a brief appearance to rm listeners “The ts, sure are funky, ” the 41-mute album drips wh utter funk-spired olns all the way through. Other than his quick meo durg “Checkg Out (Double Clutch)”, Gaye’s prence is absent on the rerdgs until he reappears to add some subtle sttg l on the send-to-last track “Sttt’ The Blu”. The reclive and humble McCla downplays his role the rurrectn of the stud and the rtoratn of Gaye’s name, sayg he is simply the “curator” and wanted to treat the Gaye fay right and have a place to hang out wh his boys.

50 THGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARV GAYE'S WHAT'S GOG ON

But then Nona [Gaye] got flowers on her birthday om this John McCla guy, celebratg her album, and we thought, ‘Who is this guy beg so kd when no one else is?

As a bon, the spir and vibe of Gaye permeat the place, to the pot that nearly every artist who has worked there has e out of the stud sayg, “I felt Marv wh me on that track. Wh progrs, 100 years we'll look back on the rerd as an album that broke down barriers and beme the blueprt on how to live harmonly wh each other and our, though, let's take a closer look at the makg of Gaye's masterpiece as the album reach s mid-life surround by a world still crisis. The boss at Motown thought Gaye was jeopardizg his reer wh this albumIn the fall of 1970, Gaye was so exced about the prott album he had md — and the song "What's Gog On" that he'd jt fished — that he tracked down the head of Motown Rerds, Berry Gordy, who was on vatn the Bahamas, to tell him the ia.

Bettg on 30 days of What's Gog OnAfter Gordy had been proven wrong about the succs of the sgle "What's Gog On, " he drove to Gaye's hoe to ask for the full album. This irked Gaye, bee Gordy had actively tried to stop the song om beg Gordy knew that one sure-fire way to get mic out of Gaye was to make a bet wh the sger. 'What's Gog On' almost beme a song for vol group the OrigalsIn mid-1970, after workg on the song wh lyricist Al Cleveland, Benson fally had a chance to play for Gaye after trackg him down on a golf urse.

CLASSIC STUD RERDGS: WATCH PRODUCER ERIC VALENTE DISSECT MARV GAYE’S “WHAT’S GOG ON” ORIGAL MULTI-TRACK SSN

The album hered a new look for GayeTo separate himself om the fishg-school look of other Motown artists, Gaye changed his image while rerdg this album. Many of his fans pied his fashn sense, but Gaye later admted to bgrapher David Rz that he wore them to ver up a growg bald spot on the top of his head, and was tickled to see people wear them to look Gaye, wearg his signature toque. Unlike most producers, Gaye sat down the Snakep wh the micians, leadg the rhythm sectn and playg piano stead of producg om behd the glass the Snakep, where What's Gog On was rerd.

The end of 'The Sound of Young Ameri'Both the ont and rear ver shots for the album were taken the backyard of the hoe where Gaye and his wife were livg wh their son, Marv III. In the image on the rear of the album, Gaye is surround by a swg set and toys piled up agast a wall, echog one of the album's central songs, "Save the Children.

Gaye went heavy on percsn players, g Eddie Brown (Gaye's former valet) and Earl Derouen on ngas and bongos, Jack Brokensha on vib and Jack Ashford on tamboure. Jam Jamerson rerd his bass l while layg flat on his backThe story go that Gaye knew he wanted Motown ssn man and key Funk Brother Jam Jamerson to play bass on the rhythm tracks, so he followed Jamerson down to a lol Detro blu club where the bassist was playg the band. Gaye axed him offstage and back to the stud, but Jamerson was so toxited he kept fallg off his stool durg the rerdg, so he lay flat on his back to lay down the bass riffs that were wrten out for him by arranger David Van DePte.

“WHAT’S GOG ON,” MARV GAYE LIVE, 1971 (REPUBLISH)

Ward was gettg a one-dience-member Marv Gaye ncert but says that she was so by gettg the lyrics down rrectly that she didn't have time to enjoy Gaye sgg jt for her. Gaye was a nervo performer at the bt of tim, but on his namake day, four years sce his last performance, sred, stoned and wh a hired band of unr-rehearsed micians, Gaye panicked and accintally started wh "Right On, " the album's first song on the send si, playg the album back to ont. SmokeThis album was the product of many wrers, among them Anna Gordy, Obie Benson, Al Cleveland, Elgie Stover, Jam Nyx and Earl Derouen, but Gaye always claimed there was one wrer on the album who didn't receive an album cred: Smokey Robson.

MARV GAYE

Those vol loops were a happy accintAnother signature sound on the album was the layerg of Gaye's vols, his abily to back his own voice and harmonize wh himself over and over.

Gaye had asked engeer Ken Sands to rerd his lead vol tak on separate tracks for the song "What's Gog On" so they uld be listened back to and pared. The three had bee close iends, and 1970 Farr and Barney both helped nvce Gaye that "What's Gog On" was the perfect song for him to sg, bolsterg the early argument om Benson.

Their voic n be heard the vol chatter at the begng of the song and, even wh ltle vol talent between them, Gaye asked the pair to sg backg vols on the whole song. Buried the mix of "What's Gog On" you n hear Gaye beatg on a rdboard box to accentuate the percsn of the ngas and the dmmg of big-band tubthumper Chet Fort.

MARV GAYE CONCERT SETLISTS & TOUR DAT

'Father, father, we don't need to late'The lyric "Father, father, we don't need to late" "What's Gog On" speaks both to God and Gaye's own father, Marv Gay Sr. Once 'What's gog on' entered Gaye's lexin, was hard to eraseGaye began to e the lyric "What's gog on" as a placeholr when he was stuck for words.

'What's Happeng Brother'The song "What's Happeng Brother" me directly out of a nversatn between Gaye and his younger brother, Frankie, who had been to Vietnam and pleted a three-year tour of duty. Marv Gaye, the sportsmanIn sprg 1970, jt before the song "What's Gog On" dropped his lap, Gaye wanted nothg more than to be a profsnal football player. 'The Curse Out Man'The songs "Fly' High ( the Friendly Sky)" and "God is Love" were wrten by Gaye, his wife, Anna, and his nfidante Elgie Stover, who was nicknamed "the curse out man" at Motown.