Marvin Gaye What's Going On Deluxe

Following on from the previously released Volume One and Two, Marvin Gaye Volume Three: 1971-1981 is a collection of his last seven Motown studio albums on 180g vinyl in one fantastic box. Commonly referred to as the ‘Prince of Soul’, Marvin Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown Records and was one of the greatest voices to emerge from the label.

In addition, UMe has released Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals, a group of 14 tracks that Gaye recorded in late summer and fall of 1971, after the initial release of What's Going On. Instead of touring in the wake of the album's success, Gaye cut funk and rock jams with a one-time-only band led by Motown's then-touring drummer Hamilton Bohannan: 17-year-old Ray Parker, Jr., Melvin Ragin, a.k.a. "Wah Wah Watson" (himself just 20) and Leroy Emmanuel of the Fabulous Counts (a relatively experienced 25-year-old) on guitars, and Michael Henderson, age 20, on bass. Gaye played keyboards and percussion. While a few tracks on Funky Nation had been issued across previous special releases, most of the tracks were newly issued on the What's Going On 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition in 2011, and now for the first time they will be getting their own individual digital release.

Marvin Gaye left behind one of the greatest legacies in American pop music, a fascinating and irresistible string of chart hits and stunning album-long suites that explored the sacred/secular divide in his own soul, and by extension, the philosophical divide in the American psyche, and he did it all with grace, ease, assurance, and style…

Smooth Jazz versions of Marvin Gaye favorites: Let’s Get It On, Sęxual Healing, Mercy Mercy Me, Inner City Blues and more!