The Enduring Gifts of MARVIN GAYE Podcast

Hi friends, in this episode we explore the song "Right On" from Marvin Gaye's 1971 work-of-art album "What's Going On." I believe, if Marvin Gaye could only play you one song off of this album, he'd play you THIS song. I feel that this one song conveys the full message of the album more than any other, making it Marvin's thesis.  It is one of only 2 songs on the album that is not segued into from a previous track, the song "What's Going On" being the only other.  I go so far as to declare the song "Right On" to be the most unique in Marvin Gaye's catalog.  I make this declaration pensively, with a challenge to prove myself wrong, but I think it will be hard to do. In this episode, when it comes to this song, I ask more questions than provide opinions.  What IS this song? What is the sound of this song? How long is this song and why? What instruments are played in this song? And most importantly, WHAT IS THE FORM of this song? 

I provide my insights into the experience we receive by listening to this song from the 1972 live-recorded concert of the entire "What's Going On" album. Marvin gave this performance at the Kennedy Center Auditorium as the conclusion to his Washington D.C.-declared "Marvin Gaye Day" festivities.  It was a huge honor, to be recognized for the day, and this was a landmark concert performance delivered in the very early months of the Kennedy Center being in existence.  And more than that, it is his first concert performance since he'd removed himself from live performing, following Tammi Terrell's death.  The concert's opening performance "Sixties Medley" fully gives us the magnitude of that significance.  

We discuss the fact that Marvin Gaye was a "physical" musician, meaning he had a masterful ability to physically play objects/instruments; His piano playing ability is on full display in this track.  I share how it is this year alone, that my mind is being blown by this fact.  Because the only instrument I've focused on studying for these past 26 years has been Marvin's unparalleled VOICE! The song "Right On" is the longest song Marvin Gaye had recorded and released by this point in his 10+ year career.  And with it, he fully takes us into the orbit of his musical world in 7 minutes and 31 seconds.  It is a masterful, unique presentation from his very first, FULL UNLEASHING of his enduring musical gift upon us, and he delivered it at an expert-level, being nothing less than an expert at his craft by this point in his career.  

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin Gaye.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got 1000+ pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin Gaye made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/   

Hi friends, in this episode I get myself ready to dive into the upcoming episodes with you! I cover my thoughts on so many elements in Marvin Gaye's life and career that take place right on the threshold of our turning-point with him, in our continued journey with him and his music.  

The album "What's Going On" is nothing less than Marvin Gaye's groundbreaking, opening-up of the floodgates for his artistic vision.  And finally unleashing his full musical gift upon us. For us, it is the experience of, for the first time in his 10+ years' career (at that point), hearing music that is ALL Marvin Gaye.  Literally, hearing Marvin Gaye's speaking voice in music, hearing the SOUND of what must have been a constant, all-day-long symphony going on inside of his head.  Hearing what it is, that if Marvin Gaye had the FULL grip on the reigns of his music, this is: WHAT'S GOING ON inside of this musical genius!! That for the first time; THE TIME HAD COME, for him to pour out of himself his pure and angelic message! 

Join me as we get strapped in to go deep into the sound of this masterpiece! And just a little disclaimer, I get so amped up, there are several f-bombs dropped in this one, so just a head's up.

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin Gaye.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got 1000+ pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin Gaye made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/   

In this episode I share how its contents are out of sequence in the song-by-song order that I encountered Marvin's music.  Yet, due to info I've come across recently thru my research; making an episode on the music Marvin made with Tammi Terrell has become necessary to produce now, before I can move forward into discussing upcoming songs that Marvin recorded after his albums with her.  I take us through Marvin's early career and share how there was a sensible reason that he recorded his first duet album with Mary Wells, and later his duet album with Kim Weston.  I address the fact that, in my opinion, there has inadvertently been a folklore and sensationalism that surrounds Marvin and Tammi.  Yet, I sift thru all of that to offer my take on the true nature and essence of Marvin and Tammi's "musical soul-mates" experience they shared with each other.  The impact this experience had on Marvin is described by others, as having made him: one person when Tammi was in his life, and another person once she was no longer in his life. That is such a paramount statement, that I have been able to agree with, and therefore made it necessary that I release this episode NOW, so that songs I will later discuss will be able to be understood from the correct vantage point.  

Keywords from this episode include: Duets, Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Jr. Walker, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Jazz, Motown Sound, Broadway, Greatest Hits, Kim Weston, Jan Gaye, Documentary, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Hollywood, Musicals, Singin' In the Rain, Ashford & Simpson, Soulmates 

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got nearly 1000 pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/  

In this episode we explore Marvin Gaye's recording of the "The Shadow of Your Smile" (the version) captured on Disc 4 of the Marvin Gaye Collection - The Balladeer.  I discuss how from the beginning to the end of Marvin's career, "ballading (I think I"m making this word up), being a balladeer was his artistic vision for himself that never went away.  Marvin provided us various sounds throughout his career, but his very first album was in the total vein of the balladeer with "The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye." Marvin was a little too new and too young to achieve commercial success with his early efforts at creating this sound of music (he recorded multiple albums in this vein). In the late 60s he was given some new arrangements of songs in this genre which he spent the rest of his career recording and re-recording, though never releasing for our consumption.  His wife Janis helped him achieve a final depth and delivery of the songs that is the magic captured on Disc 4 of the Marvin Gaye collection.  This song came into my life at a spot-on, relevant time, allowing it to help with healing from a tragic and unexpected loss that still touches me to this day.  I also share the ultimate "mission" of this series which will ONLY ever be to show honor, respect, appreciation and CELEBRATION of the ENDURING GIFTS OF MARVIN GAYE.  You can have full assurance that we will never deviate from this mission!!  

Keywords from this episode include Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, The Moonglows, Doo-Wop, Jazz music, Pop Music, Motown sound, Bobby Scott, Liner Notes.

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got nearly 1000 pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/ 

This episode recounts my first encounter with the live-song "Jan," first heard on the Marvin Gaye Collection; and later heard from the full concert captured on the "Marvin Gaye Live!" album recorded in 1974.  As a young girl of 14, this song sparked so much curiosity in me as to who was this lucky girl Jan, to have Marvin Gaye singing this beautiful song that he'd written just for her? At that young age full of self-consciousness and self-doubt I immediately had this conceptualization that a girl who looked like myself would never have been the "intended" recipient of a song like this from Marvin.  As a part of my black experience as a "light-skin" black woman, there's sometimes that thought in the back of my mind, "am I black enough?" Based on pictures in the Marvin Gaye Collection of Marvin with his first wife Anna, I thought I probably would not have ever have been the girl Marvin would seek out to sing directly to in concert (which he often did).  I share how I was very personally affected when a couple of years later, I finally got my first glimpse of Jan from pictures in the biography on Marvin titled "Divided Soul." Not only did Jan not look like the mental picture I'd formed of her, but if anything, she looked more like me than anything else! It blew my mind, and as mentioned, was obviously just a very personal experience, that only deepened the connection I felt to Marvin's music and messages.  This song, in my opinion, is the 2nd most delicately delivered song Marvin recorded, 2nd to "My Last Chance" explored in our Episode 4.  This one is a definite must for pure, gentle, romantic musical needs. 

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got nearly 1000 pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/  

In this episode i recount how my musical journey into the music of Marvin Gaye went to doctorate-level from jump! Within the first month of beginning to explore Marvin's music I was exposed to "The Marvin Gaye Collection" 4-disc, boxed set, when I was in a small town in North Dakota, of all places! This collection was so priceless because it contained a "discography" of all of Marvin Gaye's albums. It contains album cover pictures, along with all track listings; giving me the opportunity to see the chronological order that Marvin Gaye recorded his music throughout his career.  I immediately began to identify coveted albums that it would be my ultimate goal to one day get my hands on.  Because, back in this day, albums were not readily available, and certainly not electronically; there was no streaming, no Spotify, Rhapsody or Pandora.  I was at the mercy of which album of Marvin's was going to be decided upon by Motown to be released next on compact disc.  Each time I got an opportunity to visit a music store, I knew the next album I HAD IN MIND to add to my collection, but there was no telling if it existed yet on compact disc.  Over the years as certain albums never made it to discs, I'd visit vintage record stores, and sometimes come across these rare releases on vinyl, usually on display behind glass, and IF they were for sale, for nothing less than several hundred dollars. Putting together my comprehensive Marvin Gaye disc collection used to be quite a stressful situation, but in an exciting and good way!!  Because anytime, usually when I least expected it, that the next gem was available for purchase, it was an urgent, "I've got to have it, now!!" situation.  The song "My Last Chance" was recorded in 1972, previously unreleased, and is the most delicate song that Marvin recorded, in my opinion.  And definitely one that gave me a fairy-tale view of, what to expect in, love relationships to come in my future personal life, when I was this young, inexperienced girl of 14.  This song is a definite must-listen for a pure, vulnerable, love-song experience.  

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got nearly 1000 pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/  

One May evening when I was 14 I had escalated to the life-changing point of listening to "Ain't That Peculiar" by Marvin Gaye, on repeat, over and over again.  Running from way out in the backyard back into the house, every 3 minutes (that's how long the song is), to re-set the needle on the record player to hear it again!  This signified the "beginning of the end" of no longer knowing about the music of Marvin Gaye.  This song started it all.  It was buried in the middle of side-one of a random greatest hits, vinyl record I'd stumbled across in our massive home collection of music.  It's like a firstborn child, you try not to make it a favorite, but it just holds that very special place in your heart.  To this day, I can easily catch myself listening to this song on repeat over and over again without being phased.  It was totally fitting that the massively popular TV show "Scandal" sought fit to have this song playing in the background at a pivotal moment in their series finale.  It simply brought home all the more for me the "YEZZZZZ-ness!!!" of this song, it is everything!  A very catchy, typical of the 1960s Motown-sound, tune with that one-of-a-kind Marvin Gaye flair! This song assured me that I was diving off the deep end into this journey with Marvin's music, and I was not going to be disappointed by a single thing to come!  

Keywords for this episode include: the TV series-Scandal,  Kerry Washington, Olivia Pope, Vinyl record, Record Player, Marvin's growl, Tammi Terrell, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Jazz,  Motown, Smoke Robinson 

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  I have a board for this episode of images of the keywords listed above, including a video of the scene from the Scandal Series finale with Ain't That Peculiar playing in the background!! It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got nearly 1000 pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/  

My musical life changed one winter night in 1990 when I was 11 years old; from a, one-time-only, viewing of a 30-second long TV commercial that played with the song Mercy, Mercy, Me as the background music. That 30 seconds was a pivotal moment for me, signifying that "Wow, life is going to change after this.  That was just Marvin Gaye! THAT was Mercy Mercy Me.  It was so, so, so, so beautiful. There will come a time that I will find, and listen to that entire song. I'll find the album that song is on, and I'll listen to the entire album, until I get to that song.  I will deeply get to know the music of this man."  And a few short years later, I dove off the deep-end into this 26-year musical journey of reverently studying, and adoring the music of Marvin Gaye!  And, as I've come to learn, for me, ONLY MARVIN WILL DO!! This song is about the joy, the relaxation, the safety, the experience he gives you.  It's an experience-giving song, and is an amazing example of the type of sounds that Marvin makes. 

The following are Keywords for this episode:  mercy mercy me music video, what's going on album, 1980's mtv, 1990's mtv,  cyndi lauper, elton john, grace jones, anita baker, rod stewart, motley crue, summer vacation, wheel of fortune, martin sitcom, miles davis, vinyl, record player,  record store, madonna,  

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got 1000s of pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the two MOVIES that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/  

From the time, as far back on the planet, as I have memories, Marvin has been coming thru the airwaves into my life. Tied to the release of the Sexual Healing single on September 30, 1982, I have a vivid early childhood memory! This episode chronicles the Sexual Healing album, and my life experiences involving Marvin at that time (1982-1984). I discuss how over all these years since that time, I’ve come to embrace the album. And just since April of 2019, the 3rd song on the album, Rockin After Midnight. 

The following are Keywords/Hashtags for this episode: #sexualhealingalbum #ihearditthroughthegrapevine #aintnomountainhighenough  #sexualhealingmusicvideo #1980sbackupdancer #jermainejackson #MTV #Grammy #danrather #entertainmenttonight #8track #jodeci #cdcarryingcase #portablecdplayer #kauai #rejuvenation #belguim 

Please visit our PInterest page which is full of some very hard and fun work I'm putting in to capture all of the beautiful and relevant imagery I can find, of our revered subject: Marvin.  It really is my goal for you to be able to see (and hear, via many videos I'm finding) for yourself, relevant references I make in these episodes. I've got nearly 1000 pictures & videos of rare television and concert performances, documentaries, and even the one and only MOVIE that Marvin made!! You can find us at:  https://www.pinterest.com/marvingaye_enduring_gifts/