Ok, it's Saturday so I figure I'll put some more effort into a post. Hopefully I can do something like this once a week or so, spending a bit more time writing about what I'm posting. I thought it good to start with soul music because there's not a cot damn thing else like good soul music! Plenty of talents, misfires, hits and rareties to draw from. For my tastes the best era, or at least the most prolific, was during the 70's. Hitmakers began to mature as artists, white people were making some blue eyed soul and legends like Al Green, Donny Hathaway, George Clinton and Prince bust onto the scene and the genre evolved into more than 3 minute ballads and dance songs. Plenty of innovators helped usher in this new sound - Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Sly & the Family Stone and Issac Hayes did their fair share of recording landmark songs and albums.

However just a cut above all of them has to be Marvin Gaye. Marvin was the master, one of the most interesting figures in music history. He was the son of a tempramental preacher man in the controversial and conservative House of God sect, sang gospel, joined the Air Force, drummed on Smokey Robinson's records, married his bosses daughter, recorded 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine,' smoked alot of pot, slept around, divorced, remarried, made alot of good music, snorted alot of coke, stopped paying taxes, moved to europe, went a little crazy, had one last charttopper and won some grammies, moved back home, then murdered by his drunk minister father while high. All his big Motown hits were from the 60's and there's plenty of great material from that end of his career but Marvin had four great recordings from 1971-1978 that really stand the test of time and I wholeheartedly recommend checking 'em out. They each have a specific concept and set of musical themes to build from, not to mention impeccable musicianship and vocal virtuosity. I picked out a track from each of them for downloading, hope y'all enjoy.

Inner City Blues

A timeless anthem, the last song on one of the best albums ever made. Poetic simple truths accent a truly cold groove. That's the late great James Jamerson on the bass guitar! What's Going On was one of a kind, it hit the trifecta of being an artistic breakthrough, a commercial hit and poignant social commentary so it's probably Marvin's best album when all is said and done. It was a snapshot of a very specific time and place in America and listening to it now puts into perspective how far we've really come since then.

You Sure Love To Ball

Marvin Gaye's catalogue is filled with sensuality and sexuality in both the lyrics and the music, and Let's Get It On was something of an apex for Marvin's lustful songwriting. The big hit from here is the title track and 'Distant Lover' is a classic love ballad, and all the other songs deal with sex and love as well. Of course sometimes the man would need to get frank and up front with his pillow talk, much like followers like Prince and R Kelly would be wont to do in the future, and tracks like 'Ball' were the result. Pretty dirty for the time, it's a delicately orchestrated smooth soul trip, floating away from schmaltz thanks to a funky drummer, Marvin's angelic voice and tasteful arranging that keeps things tight and lean, even as the music seems to stretch and wrap itself around you.

All The Way 'Round

Marvin would improvise all his backing harmonies and usually sing each track in one take. This song, aside from being a great slice of over the top 70's soul, has some of the best backing vocals I've heard him sing. They sound effortless and warm, as they always do, but here it seems to stand out in particular as being especially perfect and essential to building up the song, which pays off big in a soaring chorus at the end. The mood on I Want You is sweaty and porn star funky, making something as straightforward as this a breath of fresh air in the set; it's easily one of the more memorable and instantly enjoyable tunes to be found within.

You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You

All of these albums can be considered loose concept albums but Here, My Dear fits the description the best, a narrative response to Marvin's ex-wife after a lengthly and vicious divorce resulted in the judge awarding all profits from his next record to Anna (Gordy, daughter of Berry, founder of Mowtown Records). He made an intensely personal album about their time together with little commercial material but full of passion and new sonic territories. Three of the best songs in the set are the last three: the epic 8 minute groove of 'A Funky Space Reincarnation,' the lone single 'Falling In Love Again' to finish things up, and in between the two lies 'You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You'. Moog synths drip all over this one with a purpose, giving a fuzzy shine to an otherwise bitter funk with explicit lyrics summing up his feelings over the whole ordeal for the listener and Anna herself. It's a gem on a record chock full of them.