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What's Going On
 
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What's Going On [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]

~ Marvin Gaye
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
Price: £3.48 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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What's Going On + LET'S GET IT ON (REMASTERED) + Innervisions
Price For All Three: £16.74

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Product details

  • Audio CD (27 Jan 2003)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
  • Label: Commercial Marketing
  • ASIN: B00007FOMP
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,237 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in these categories:

    #12 in  Music > Bargain CDs > 50 Years of Motown
    #19 in  Music > R&B and Soul > Motown
    #19 in  Music > Adult Contemporary > Pop R&B

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. What's Going On 3:53£0.79
Listen  2. What's Happening Brother 2:43£0.79
Listen  3. Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky) 3:49£0.69
Listen  4. Save The Children 4:03£0.69
Listen  5. God Is Love 1:41£0.69
Listen  6. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) 3:15£0.69
Listen  7. Right On 7:32£0.69
Listen  8. Wholy Holy 3:07£0.69
Listen  9. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) 5:33£0.69
Listen10. God Is Love 2:50£0.69
Listen11. Sad Tomorrows 2:22£0.79

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicised soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalised it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going On, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavouring it with layer upon layer of his own multi-tracked vocals, oceans of hand percussion, strings, flutes and jazzy horn solos. Spacy and loose as a spliff-fuelled Sunday afternoon jam in the park, the nine songs all played like hit singles. The title track-- inspired by his brother's return from the Vietnam War--and the obvious social commentary of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" actually were hit singles. Two other tracks ("Wholly Holy" and "Save the Children") would inspire hit covers by Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, respectively. Nevertheless, What's Going On sounds as fresh today as it did the week that it came out. --Don Waller


CD Description

Originally released in 1971, WHAT'S GOING ON remains a landmark album, one that redefined music with powerful, anthemicsongs that remain pertinent to this day. Before WHAT'S GOING ON, R&B albums were collections of singles, with secondary"filler" material rounding out the LPs. Marvin Gaye changedall this by releasing a concept album that went beyond the usual boy-meets-girl scenario, weaving together an aural collage of societal ills. "Crime is increasing/Trigger-happy policing", from "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", is as potent a line today as it was over 20 years ago, and withthe country still divided over the Vietnam War, the title track became a rallying cry for peace.
Dark, mercurial, and jazzy, WHAT'S GOING ON was as radical musically as it was conceptually. Layered with lush orchestrations, heavenly background vocals, and loose, fiercely grooving arrangements, WHAT'S GOING ON so surpassed anything previously known as soul music that it virtually reinvented the genre. The criticaland commercial success of Gaye's opus also enabled other artists to break free from the creative shackles imposed by Motown and other companies, and to experience more autonomy inmusical and thematic expression, thereby changing the industry. In short, the musical and historical significance of WHAT'S GOING ON cannot be overestimated; it was Gaye's masterpiece, and still stands as one of the greatest soul albums ofall time.

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Customer Reviews

33 Reviews
5 star:
 (31)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential, 8 May 2002
This review is from: What's Going On (Audio CD)
This is one of the first albums I bought when 'going CD', after falling in love with my mother's vinyl copy. 'What's Going On' is a stunning album ,and though 30 years old, as contemporary as if it were recorded yesterday. This is undoubtedly the high point of Gaye's career, between the Motown mush foisted on him (such a waste of his angelic voice) and the rising of his personal problems. I cannot recommend this album highly enough, even to those unacquainted with Marvin or not connoisseurs of this type of music. Beautifully orchestrated songs on themes ranging from peace, religion, ecology and the plight of black americans, all delivered in that peerless voice, make the album is a fantastic listen. From the laidback lament of the title track through to the ominously plaintive 'Inner City Blues' (the segue between 'God Is Love' and 'Mercy Mercy Me' still makes me shiver even after a thousand listens), Marvin holds forth on those things dearest to him, underlining how pointless and vacuous some of today's efforts are by comparison. Every collection should have this album, which stands alongside 'Innervisions' as one of the first occasions a black artist verbally confronted some of the ills that ailed black America. And given what happened some 13 years later, it is almost painful to hear him sing lines like 'love your father' and father father, we don't need to escalate.' Great album, great loss.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, 20 Feb 2007
By Phil Herbert (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I am 21, and have only discovered Marvin Gaye in the last few years. Admittedly, I originally delved into his catalogue due to feeling that I should (from what everyone else said). Since then, my love for his music has only grown, and this album is the pinnacle.

Each track is beautiful. It's kicked off by the title track, which deserve every bit of its reputation, and then the first half of the album slowly progresses, with each track moulding perfectly into the other. There is honestly no weak track on this album. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) are the two other best known tracks on this album, along with God Is Love being my personal favourite.

This is a true masterpiece of an album, and is how every release should be. If you have a love for Soul, of just beautiful music, please buy this.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Finest Soul Album Ever Made!, 26 Jan 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: What's Going On (Audio CD)
This is the soul album that conquers all due to the fantastic combinations of highly orchestrated and almost otherworldly beauty of the instrumentation and melodies, the relevance of its subjects and the marvel that is Marvin Gaye's vocal stylings and impeccable range. The title track is the obvious highlight, but close competition for best track comes from "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)" and "Wholy Holy" although the whole album is a lush, sedated and simply groundbreaking achievement for a black artist, who helped create more independence for the artists at Motown, paving the way for Stevie Wonder's fabulous 70s work and his own erotic masterpieces. Marvin Gaye's masterpiece should be listened to eternally
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars OK but not as great as people claim...
I've read & heard many people claiming that this to be one of the greatest albums ever made however I would disagree...music is subjective! Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Thatcher

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven's Album
Christ, this is just monumental! I've honestly never heard anything as moving or inspring in my whole life, it brings a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes every time... Read more
Published 8 months ago by P. J. Aspel

5.0 out of 5 stars There's a reason it's a classic
What can i say that has not already been said about this all time classic album. There is a reason why it is a classic, sit down and listen to it and you will know why.
Published 8 months ago by KBL

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Political Soul Masterpiece
When I picked this record out of my mother's old collection of vinyls, I listened to it and was amazed; now I am just a 14 year old kid, but this album really spoke to me. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Eli Carvajal

5.0 out of 5 stars ~The Immortal Album by the king of Motown~
Motown released stunning singles by acclaimed stars,but Marvin Gaye(simply the greatest artist of all time) released this jem of an album in 1971 that stepped aside from all other... Read more
Published 10 months ago by S. J. Pinder

5.0 out of 5 stars A work is genius is what's going on.
This album blew my mind when I first heard it 15 years or so ago. From the first to the last this album reaches the pinnacles that other artists just cannot. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Al Greene

5.0 out of 5 stars This is What's Going On
This is probably the best LP ever released and certainly the best on Motown. Marvin fought hard to get this album released against the wishes of the Motown hit machine. Read more
Published 20 months ago by L. B. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars A Desert Island Disk
Sadly, when this album was released, Motown was "uncool", and I was listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Chick Corea's Return to Forever. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Bill Peter

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Marvin
The sign of a truly great album is if it stands the test of time and "Whats going on" certainley does.It"s still as meaningful now as it was in 1971 if not more today. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2007 by DONJAUN

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvin Gaye's Best Album
Marvin had been on the Motown production line for nearly a decade. Now I have nothing against the traditional Motown sound, on the contrary, I live breathe and sleep it, but... Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2007 by David R. Bishop

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