55 Years Ago: How 'Moods of Marv Gaye' Changed Everythg

Contents:

• MOODS OF MARV GAYE
• 55 YEARS AGO: HOW ‘MOODS OF MARV GAYE’ CHANGED EVERYTHGNICK DERISONICK DERISOPUBLISHED: MAY 29, 2021MOTOWNSHARETWEETMARV GAYE ACTUALLY REVEALED HIMSELF AS MORE THAN THE TYPIL MOTOWN FACTORY DRONE WELL BEFORE 1971'S WHAT'S GOG ON. HE JT HADN'T QUE HARNSED THOSE AMBNS YET.A SIRE TO BREAK THE MOLD, TO NFOUND POPULAR MIC'S BUILT- EXPECTATNS, EVENTUALLY LED GAYE TO ANK MIL DISCSNS ABOUT WAR, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL JTICE. WHEN MOODS OF MARV GAYE ARRIVED ON MAY 23, 1966, HOWEVER, HE WAS STILL ENGAGED THE AD-END PURSU OF BEG A CELEBRATED TERPRETER OF THE GREAT AMERIN SONGBOOK.IN SOME WAYS, MA SENSE. HE CERTALY HAD THE STYLE AND GRACE, AND SUCCS WH SOPHISTITED VERS OF AGELS FAVOR POPULARIZED BY THE LIK OF FRANK SATRA, BILLIE HOLIDAY AND NAT "KG" COLE WOULD HAVE PLACED HIM WELL OUTSI ANY R&B NVENTN."MARV ULD SG ANYTHG," MOODS OF MARV GAYE PRODUCER SMOKEY ROBSON TOLD ROLLG STONE 2010, "OM GOSPEL TO GUTBUCKET BLU TO JAZZ TO POP."THE PROBLEM IS HE WANTED TO, BUT DIENC WEREN'T ALL THAT TERTED. NEHER, OF URSE, WERE GAYE'S LABEL BOSS. SO, HE FOLLOWED UP 1965'S A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT NAT "KG" COLE WH MOODS OF MARV GAYE, AN ALBUM THAT SPL THE DIFFERENCE. HE SANG SONGS BY ROBSON AND STEVIE WONR, WHILE ALSO VERG HAROLD ARLEN AND JOHNNY MERCER.IT QUICKLY BEME BTALLY OBV WHICH ON THE BUYG PUBLIC PREFERRED. GAYE HAD NO PROBLEMS WH THE OLD CHTNUT "ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)" AND EVEN MORE FTLY HANDLED WILLIE NELSON'S TWILIGHT CLASSIC "NIGHT LIFE." BUT ONLY THE R&B STUFF H, AS ROBSON'S "A'T THAT PECULIAR" AND "I'LL BE DOGGONE" BEME GAYE'S FIRST LN SELLERS.LISTEN TO MARV GAYE'S 'A'T THAT PECULIAR'FOR ROBSON, THAT FELT ALMOST PREORDAED. SEEMS HE ALWAYS HAD GAYE MD FOR "A'T THAT PECULIAR": "WE WERE ON TOUR, AND [MIRACL BANDMATE MARV TARPL] ME TO ME BEE HE HAD THAT GUAR RIFF, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS AWOME," ROBSON LATER REMEMBERED. "AND WE WROTE THE SONG RIGHT THERE. IT WAS SPECIFILLY FOR HIM."THE SGLE BEME THE FIRST OF FOUR TOP 20 R&B-THEMED SMASH TO EMERGE OM MOODS OF MARV GAYE. ROBSON, WHO ALSO WROTE "ONE MORE HEARTACHE" (NO. 4) AND "TAKE THIS HEART OF ME" (NO. 16) FOR THE LP, ALREADY REGNIZED SOMETHG EPER MOVG BENEATH THE SURFACE WH GAYE."I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WAG FOR MARV," ROBSON TOLD ROLLG STONE. "SEE, MARV WAS BASILLY LATE G TO THE STUD ALL THE TIME. BUT I NEVER MD, BEE I KNEW THAT WHENEVER MARV DID GET THERE, HE WAS GOG TO SG MY SONG A WAY THAT I HAD NEVER IMAGED . HE WOULD 'MARVIZE' MY SONGS, AND I LOVED ."UNFORTUNATELY, "ONE FOR MY BABY" WAS JT AS QUICKLY FOTTEN – AND THGS WERE EVEN ROUGHER OUT ON THE ROAD. GAYE HAD BEGUN TO FOC MORE ON SUPPER CLUBS RATHER THAN TYPIL NCERT VENU GEARED TO YOUTH. HE WORE A TUXEDO, THE SARTORIAL MANNER OF MID-CENTURY CROONERS, FURTHER SEPARATG HIMSELF OM HIS SOUL-SGG ROOTS.FRANKIE GAYE'S MEMOIR MARV GAYE, MY BROTHER SET THE SCENE FOR A NTEMPORARY APPEARANCE AT BIMBO'S 365 CLUB SAN FRANCIS, AS MARV "STROLLED OUT LOOKG SO SUAVE A TOP HAT AND TAILS, OF ALL THGS, ACTG LIKE ROMEO BUT G ACROSS AS THE DAPPER DANS '30S MOVIE MILS."THAT ENGAGEMENT PRAGED WHAT GAYE MT HAVE IMAGED WOULD BEE A SIGNATURE MOMENT DURG HIS EXTEND STAND THAT AUGT AT THE COPABANA. LOTED ADJACENT TO CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK CY, THE POSH VENUE WELED GAYE'S SURPRISG PENCHANT FOR BARET MATERIAL, BUT THE MOTOWN STUFF WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE MET WH CUR STAR.A TERMED GAYE TOLD BILLBOARD 1966 THAT HE STILL FELT "VERY STRONGLY ABOUT R&B," BUT "I'D LIKE TO BEE KNOWN AS A MORE VERSATILE SGER." THE HEADLE, HOWEVER, SUMMED UP HIS MIL NUNDM: "GAYE, POPPG WH POP, KEEPS EYE ON 'FIRST LOVE.'"LISTEN TO MARV GAYE'S 'I'LL BE DOGGONE'IN TTH, HIS REER DIRECTN WAS ALREADY OBV: MOODS OF MARV GAYE, LIKE 1965'S HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU, BEME A TOP 10 R&B H ALBUM WHILE SONGBOOK-FOCED PROJECTS CLUDG 1964'S HELLO BROADWAY FAILED TO CHART ANYWHERE. MOTOWN RERD GAYE'S 1966 DAT NEW YORK CY WH AN EYE TOWARD RELEASG A LIVE ALBUM BUT END UP SHELVG THE PROJECT FELY.CLEARLY STUNG, GAYE WOULD RERD A FEW OTHER NON-R&B TRACKS BUT NEVER RETURNED TO THE COPABANA. INSTEAD, HE RETREATED EPER TO THE STUD, FOCG ON DUETS WH TAMMI TERRELL THE N UP TO AN IAL CREATIVE BREAKTHROUGH WH 1968'S HEARTBROKEN AND MYSTER "I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVE.""I'M NOT PECIALLY AN ENTERTAER," GAYE LATER ADMTED TO THE WASHGTON POST. "I'M AN ARTIST AND AN ENTERTAER, BUT THE TWO ARE PLETELY DIFFERENT. WH ONE I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY AND JOYFUL AND AT PEACE, AND WH THE OTHER I'M ANKLY OUT OF MY ELEMENT. ALTHOUGH I DO OKAY, I DO NICELY AND EVERYTHG, 'S NOT WHERE I GET MY BIGGT KICK."THIS IS WHERE HIS TE LEGACY WOULD SOON BE FED. GAYE WASN'T GOG TO SHAKE OFF MOTOWN'S SHACKL BY LOOKG BACKWARD TO SOME OF THE UNTRY'S MOST TREASURED STANDARDS, NO MATTER HOW TASTEFULLY DONE. (AND NO MATTER HOW UNNIABLY GREAT HE LOOKED A TUXEDO.) MARV GAYE WOULD HAVE TO DIG EPER, TO GET MORE REAL.JT AS CCIALLY, HOWEVER, HE'D ACHIEVE EEDOM ONLY THROUGH FAME. A PLATFORM OF SUCCS WAS NEED ORR TO LNCH ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATNS ALL OF MIC. GAYE NEED TO BEE UNNIABLE. IN MANY WAYS, THAT STARTED WH MOODS OF MARV GAYE – JT NOT THE TIME OR MANNER HE ONCE HOPED WOULD. PATIENCE FALLY PAID OFF WH WHAT'S GOG ON."MARV WAS MUCH MORE THAN JT A GREAT SGER. HE WAS A GREAT RERD MAKER, A GIFTED SONGWRER, A EP THKER — A REAL ARTIST THE TE SENSE," ROBSON TOLD ROLLG STONE. "MARV WAS ALWAYS WORTH THE WA." TOP 25 SOUL ALBUMS OF THE '70S
• THE SOULFUL MOODS OF MARV GAYE

MOODS OF MARV GAYE

Marv Gaye. After Marv Gaye rerd tribut to Broadway and Nat Kg Cole the prev two years, Motown fans may have had their spicns raised by an LP tled Moods of Marv Gaye. Y, there are a few supper-club standards to be found here, but Gaye mov smoothly between good-time soul and adult pop.

As for the pyrights not owned by Jobete, the chtnut "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" certaly didn't need another readg, but Gaye's take on Willie Nelson's after-hours classic "Night Life" was spired. Marv Gaye was improvg wh every rerd, gag character and strength of performance, and Moods of Marv Gaye is a radilly better rerd than s precsors. Marv Gaye actually revealed himself as more than the typil Motown factory drone well before 1971's What's Gog On.

A sire to break the mold, to nfound popular mic's built- expectatns, eventually led Gaye to ank mil discsns about war, the environment and social jtice. When Moods of Marv Gaye arrived on May 23, 1966, however, he was still engaged the ad-end pursu of beg a celebrated terpreter of the Great Amerin some ways, ma sense. "Marv uld sg anythg, " Moods of Marv Gaye producer Smokey Robson told Rollg Stone 2010, "om gospel to gutbucket blu to jazz to pop.

55 YEARS AGO: HOW ‘MOODS OF MARV GAYE’ CHANGED EVERYTHGNICK DERISONICK DERISOPUBLISHED: MAY 29, 2021MOTOWNSHARETWEETMARV GAYE ACTUALLY REVEALED HIMSELF AS MORE THAN THE TYPIL MOTOWN FACTORY DRONE WELL BEFORE 1971'S WHAT'S GOG ON. HE JT HADN'T QUE HARNSED THOSE AMBNS YET.A SIRE TO BREAK THE MOLD, TO NFOUND POPULAR MIC'S BUILT- EXPECTATNS, EVENTUALLY LED GAYE TO ANK MIL DISCSNS ABOUT WAR, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL JTICE. WHEN MOODS OF MARV GAYE ARRIVED ON MAY 23, 1966, HOWEVER, HE WAS STILL ENGAGED THE AD-END PURSU OF BEG A CELEBRATED TERPRETER OF THE GREAT AMERIN SONGBOOK.IN SOME WAYS, MA SENSE. HE CERTALY HAD THE STYLE AND GRACE, AND SUCCS WH SOPHISTITED VERS OF AGELS FAVOR POPULARIZED BY THE LIK OF FRANK SATRA, BILLIE HOLIDAY AND NAT "KG" COLE WOULD HAVE PLACED HIM WELL OUTSI ANY R&B NVENTN."MARV ULD SG ANYTHG," MOODS OF MARV GAYE PRODUCER SMOKEY ROBSON TOLD ROLLG STONE 2010, "OM GOSPEL TO GUTBUCKET BLU TO JAZZ TO POP."THE PROBLEM IS HE WANTED TO, BUT DIENC WEREN'T ALL THAT TERTED. NEHER, OF URSE, WERE GAYE'S LABEL BOSS. SO, HE FOLLOWED UP 1965'S A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT NAT "KG" COLE WH MOODS OF MARV GAYE, AN ALBUM THAT SPL THE DIFFERENCE. HE SANG SONGS BY ROBSON AND STEVIE WONR, WHILE ALSO VERG HAROLD ARLEN AND JOHNNY MERCER.IT QUICKLY BEME BTALLY OBV WHICH ON THE BUYG PUBLIC PREFERRED. GAYE HAD NO PROBLEMS WH THE OLD CHTNUT "ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)" AND EVEN MORE FTLY HANDLED WILLIE NELSON'S TWILIGHT CLASSIC "NIGHT LIFE." BUT ONLY THE R&B STUFF H, AS ROBSON'S "A'T THAT PECULIAR" AND "I'LL BE DOGGONE" BEME GAYE'S FIRST LN SELLERS.LISTEN TO MARV GAYE'S 'A'T THAT PECULIAR'FOR ROBSON, THAT FELT ALMOST PREORDAED. SEEMS HE ALWAYS HAD GAYE MD FOR "A'T THAT PECULIAR": "WE WERE ON TOUR, AND [MIRACL BANDMATE MARV TARPL] ME TO ME BEE HE HAD THAT GUAR RIFF, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS AWOME," ROBSON LATER REMEMBERED. "AND WE WROTE THE SONG RIGHT THERE. IT WAS SPECIFILLY FOR HIM."THE SGLE BEME THE FIRST OF FOUR TOP 20 R&B-THEMED SMASH TO EMERGE OM MOODS OF MARV GAYE. ROBSON, WHO ALSO WROTE "ONE MORE HEARTACHE" (NO. 4) AND "TAKE THIS HEART OF ME" (NO. 16) FOR THE LP, ALREADY REGNIZED SOMETHG EPER MOVG BENEATH THE SURFACE WH GAYE."I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WAG FOR MARV," ROBSON TOLD ROLLG STONE. "SEE, MARV WAS BASILLY LATE G TO THE STUD ALL THE TIME. BUT I NEVER MD, BEE I KNEW THAT WHENEVER MARV DID GET THERE, HE WAS GOG TO SG MY SONG A WAY THAT I HAD NEVER IMAGED . HE WOULD 'MARVIZE' MY SONGS, AND I LOVED ."UNFORTUNATELY, "ONE FOR MY BABY" WAS JT AS QUICKLY FOTTEN – AND THGS WERE EVEN ROUGHER OUT ON THE ROAD. GAYE HAD BEGUN TO FOC MORE ON SUPPER CLUBS RATHER THAN TYPIL NCERT VENU GEARED TO YOUTH. HE WORE A TUXEDO, THE SARTORIAL MANNER OF MID-CENTURY CROONERS, FURTHER SEPARATG HIMSELF OM HIS SOUL-SGG ROOTS.FRANKIE GAYE'S MEMOIR MARV GAYE, MY BROTHER SET THE SCENE FOR A NTEMPORARY APPEARANCE AT BIMBO'S 365 CLUB SAN FRANCIS, AS MARV "STROLLED OUT LOOKG SO SUAVE A TOP HAT AND TAILS, OF ALL THGS, ACTG LIKE ROMEO BUT G ACROSS AS THE DAPPER DANS '30S MOVIE MILS."THAT ENGAGEMENT PRAGED WHAT GAYE MT HAVE IMAGED WOULD BEE A SIGNATURE MOMENT DURG HIS EXTEND STAND THAT AUGT AT THE COPABANA. LOTED ADJACENT TO CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK CY, THE POSH VENUE WELED GAYE'S SURPRISG PENCHANT FOR BARET MATERIAL, BUT THE MOTOWN STUFF WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE MET WH CUR STAR.A TERMED GAYE TOLD BILLBOARD 1966 THAT HE STILL FELT "VERY STRONGLY ABOUT R&B," BUT "I'D LIKE TO BEE KNOWN AS A MORE VERSATILE SGER." THE HEADLE, HOWEVER, SUMMED UP HIS MIL NUNDM: "GAYE, POPPG WH POP, KEEPS EYE ON 'FIRST LOVE.'"LISTEN TO MARV GAYE'S 'I'LL BE DOGGONE'IN TTH, HIS REER DIRECTN WAS ALREADY OBV: MOODS OF MARV GAYE, LIKE 1965'S HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU, BEME A TOP 10 R&B H ALBUM WHILE SONGBOOK-FOCED PROJECTS CLUDG 1964'S HELLO BROADWAY FAILED TO CHART ANYWHERE. MOTOWN RERD GAYE'S 1966 DAT NEW YORK CY WH AN EYE TOWARD RELEASG A LIVE ALBUM BUT END UP SHELVG THE PROJECT FELY.CLEARLY STUNG, GAYE WOULD RERD A FEW OTHER NON-R&B TRACKS BUT NEVER RETURNED TO THE COPABANA. INSTEAD, HE RETREATED EPER TO THE STUD, FOCG ON DUETS WH TAMMI TERRELL THE N UP TO AN IAL CREATIVE BREAKTHROUGH WH 1968'S HEARTBROKEN AND MYSTER "I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVE.""I'M NOT PECIALLY AN ENTERTAER," GAYE LATER ADMTED TO THE WASHGTON POST. "I'M AN ARTIST AND AN ENTERTAER, BUT THE TWO ARE PLETELY DIFFERENT. WH ONE I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY AND JOYFUL AND AT PEACE, AND WH THE OTHER I'M ANKLY OUT OF MY ELEMENT. ALTHOUGH I DO OKAY, I DO NICELY AND EVERYTHG, 'S NOT WHERE I GET MY BIGGT KICK."THIS IS WHERE HIS TE LEGACY WOULD SOON BE FED. GAYE WASN'T GOG TO SHAKE OFF MOTOWN'S SHACKL BY LOOKG BACKWARD TO SOME OF THE UNTRY'S MOST TREASURED STANDARDS, NO MATTER HOW TASTEFULLY DONE. (AND NO MATTER HOW UNNIABLY GREAT HE LOOKED A TUXEDO.) MARV GAYE WOULD HAVE TO DIG EPER, TO GET MORE REAL.JT AS CCIALLY, HOWEVER, HE'D ACHIEVE EEDOM ONLY THROUGH FAME. A PLATFORM OF SUCCS WAS NEED ORR TO LNCH ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATNS ALL OF MIC. GAYE NEED TO BEE UNNIABLE. IN MANY WAYS, THAT STARTED WH MOODS OF MARV GAYE – JT NOT THE TIME OR MANNER HE ONCE HOPED WOULD. PATIENCE FALLY PAID OFF WH WHAT'S GOG ON."MARV WAS MUCH MORE THAN JT A GREAT SGER. HE WAS A GREAT RERD MAKER, A GIFTED SONGWRER, A EP THKER — A REAL ARTIST THE TE SENSE," ROBSON TOLD ROLLG STONE. "MARV WAS ALWAYS WORTH THE WA." TOP 25 SOUL ALBUMS OF THE '70S

Neher, of urse, were Gaye's label boss. So, he followed up 1965's A Tribute to the Great Nat "Kg" Cole wh Moods of Marv Gaye, an album that spl the difference. Gaye had no problems wh the old chtnut "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" and even more ftly handled Willie Nelson's twilight classic "Night Life.

THE SOULFUL MOODS OF MARV GAYE

" But only the R&B stuff h, as Robson's "A't That Peculiar" and "I'll Be Doggone" beme Gaye's first ln to Marv Gaye's 'A't That Peculiar'For Robson, that felt almost preordaed.