Product Details

• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hip-O Records
• DVD Release Date: April 4, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000EPFDAI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,054 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The scarcity of any Marvin Gaye on DVD is reason enough to welcome The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981, but the fact that this 16-track compilation is superb in nearly every respect is cause for genuine celebration. What we get is not just a collection of songs but a career trajectory, tracing Gaye's evolution from a cog in the wheel that was Berry Gordy's Motown into a mature artist with his own matchless vision. The early (i.e., from the 1960s) stuff includes songs like "Hitch Hike," "Can I Get a Witness," and "Ain't That Peculiar"; watching Gaye mime these hits on American Bandstand and elsewhere in front of all-white studio audiences and perky go-go girls is sometimes a little silly, but the sound is terrific, thanks to the DVD producers' decision to replace the TV tracks with audio remastered from the original stereo recordings. It isn't until the eighth track, a version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" from 1969, that we get any actual live performances, but the wait proves well worth it. With "What's Going On," Gaye proved that he could defy Gordy's formulaic approach and prosper both financially and creatively while heeding the dual voices of his conscience and his muse, and the 1972 performance of that song is quite simply transcendent, with the great James Jamerson on bass and a middle section, featuring just Gaye's voice and piano with conga backing, that liner notes writer Rob Bowman rightly calls "perhaps the high point of this whole DVD." A steamy "Let's Get it On," recorded in Belgium in '81, is nearly as good. Those two clips alone justify buying this collection, but overall, despite a couple of minor missteps (the promo film for "A Funky Space Reincarnation" is pretty hokey), The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981, which also includes several interview segments between tunes and a section that features only the vocal tracks from the first seven numbers, is an invaluable confirmation of a truly great musician. --Sam Graham

Product Description

This is it — the songs and the footage fans have been waiting for. For the first time ever — the definitive DVD collection of one of America’s greatest stars! Issued with the full cooperation of the Marvin Gaye estate, this is the first official DVD anthology of classic archival television performances by a Motown artist. Features Marvin Gaye performing his biggest Motown hits, from "Hitch Hike" to "Let’s Get It On" and more, in original classic clips from television and film.

Among The Many Highlights:
• TV clips from Hollywood A Go-Go, The Dinah Shore Show, Hollywood Palace and American Bandstand, rarely seen since first aired
• The stunning, long-lost live concert footage from the documentary film, Save The Children, now on home video for the first time anywhere, featuring Marvin with several Funk Brothers including James Jamerson — now with restored stereo audio from the Motown vault
• Recently unearthed footage from Marvin’s hardly-seen Belgium concert, aired only on local Belgian TV in 1981
• Clips are interspersed with fascinating soundbites and interview clips
• Marvin’s "music video" (lip-sync) performances have been audio remastered from the original Motown stereo tapes (no tinny TV sound)
• MORE THAN 70 MINUTES!
• Includes a 24-page booklet with an extensive essay by Grammy® Award-winning writer, Rob Bowman, including rare photographs and memorabilia.
• Produced by the acclaimed Grammy®-nominated team from Reelin’ In The Years productions

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I can give it more STARS!!, July 21, 2006

By 

S. Castellano "DJ Lady Maverick" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing - In Performance 1964-1981 (DVD)

What caught my eye first was the packaging! Pictures of various promotional posters and such line the inner cover and the liner booklet is most informative and extensive! A Forward written by Otis Williams of the Temptations is Otis' fond memories of Marvin. He mentions sitting at the piano with Marvin while Marvin plays with some jazz chords, asking Otis what the root note of each one is. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to catch that memory!

Watching Marvin's performances from the 60s to the early 80s gave me a new light on the hits! Most was lip-synched, but still just to see him on stage is a treat! There is a video of Marvin singing GRAPEVINE, playing piano at one point, and towards the end he was given a false ending, but he WORKED IT! Marvin and Tammi's duet AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH I have never seen in its entirety and just watching that chemistry was awesome!

Now as for the 70s Marvin, two videos were included: WHAT'S GOING ON/WHAT'S HAPPENING BROTHER, which were taken from the SAVE THE CHILDREN movie. You can see Earl Van Dyke, James Jamerson, and Eddie Bongo jammin'! There is also a promotional video from Motown for A FUNKY SPACE REINCARNATION...very space age! Imagine Marvin in a glitter outfit with his band, smoke and female dancers flocking all around him! There is also COME GET TO THIS/LET'S GET IT ON where he does his famous "turn of the lights" monologue. His guitarist was shown and I believe he played on the 1980 LIVE IN MONTREUX DVD as well! Then there's the EGO TRIPPIN' OUT video he did on Dinah Shore's show with yet another female dancer. The single was included on 81's IN OUR LIFETIME LP, but apparently it was being promoted in 1979 for the LOVE MAN album, which never saw the light.

1981's highlight for me was HEAVY LOVE AFFAIR on FOLLLIES, a show out of Belgium where Marvin was living at the time. I had to pull out my LP after listening to it as I had forgotten how funky this song is! HEAVY (once again talks about him and Jan) has always reminded me of Rick James, everything from the music down to the phrasing of the lyrics!

Even added treats: in between songs, Marvin spoke about his life and his music, even at one point describing seeing his daughter Nona being born! There is also an acapella section where you watch the videos while listening only to his vocal track of 7 of his 60s hits!

Still a great DVD to own, although the IMPORT version has the entire Belgium concert (why must we Americans SUFFER!?!?!?!?!?)!

Reelin' and Universal...can't wait for the Temptations DVD! And PLEASE release the Belgium concert for us!!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Americans deserve more than this incomplete release!, July 8, 2006

By 

MC_5 (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing - In Performance 1964-1981 (DVD)

I love Marvin and I was originally thrilled that a DVD of Marvin Gaye footage would be released. Most DVDs before of his feature later (late 70s/80s performances) or very very short clips of early performances. This one however has lots of earlier Marvin, which I was thankful for! The sound was also remastered, and it's excellent. Throughout the DVD, between the clips, there are little interview segments with Marvin (all except one seem to be from the 80s) from various talk shows which I had never seen before.

But I was quite disappointed though when I found out that the US version (the one you'd be buying from this page) does NOT include footage from 1981 concert in Belgium, which includes TEN complete songs, as well as an additional live version of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine". The international version also includes a bonus audio CD, "Live In Holland, 1976".

Amazon's UK site offers the complete DVD along with the CD for about [...] American, if you are interested. Beware: there's a good chance a DVD from the UK might not be playable on your DVD player due to region coding. Argh, if only they had released the entire thing in the US!

Performances on this DVD:

1 - Hitch Hike (1964) (Includes an interview Dick Clark did with Marvin; it's very cute, and Marvin seems so shy!)
2 - Pride And Joy (1965)
3 - Can I Get A Witness (1965)
4 - Pretty Little Baby (1965)
5 - Ain't That Peculiar (1965)
6 - You're A Wonderful One (1965)
7 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough, with Tammi Terrell (1967)
8 - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1969) (Live at the Holly Wood Palace, and Marvin plays the piano!)
9 - What's Going On (1972)
10 - What's Happening Brother (1972)
11 - Come Get To This (1981)
12 - Let's Get It On (1981)
13 - Distant Lover (1979)
14 - A Funky Space Reincarnation (1979)
15 - Ego Tripping Out (1979)
16 - Heavy Love Affair (1981)

Three stars because, hey, it's Marvin and the footage is great. Minus two stars because if I buy a Marvin Gaye DVD, I want it all!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hopefully one of many to come, May 8, 2006

By 

Soulboogiealex (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing - In Performance 1964-1981 (DVD)

Marvin Gaye is one of the most legendary Soul singers of all time. Yet up on till now he didn't have a proper DVD release. A mistake that "The Real Thing" Justly corrects. The DVD paints a picture of how Marvin's career looked like on stage. Motown chose for a clips approach, which is probably best in Marvin's case. Marvin Gaye never liked to be on stage, never liked to be out there shaking his ass. It is known that Marvin only toured when he really had to. Gaye hit rock bottom financially a couple of times during his career and usually around those times he would be persuaded to tour in order to pay of his debts. This unwillingness to perform often showed on his live albums. In concert Marvin only reached the stellar heights he did in the studio, periodically. By taking the clip approach this DVD avoids that problem and manages to give us an insight in how his music developed over the years.

"The Real Thing" is pretty much a greatest hits overview. It starts out with young Marvin performing his first hit, Hitch Hike, and then continues thru the stellar Tammi Terrell duets to his later work. The clips stop where Marvin left Motown at Heavy Love Affair. All the way you can't help but marvel over the flexibility of his voice and the diversity of the material he's tackled over the years.

For those curious how an entire show of Marvin looked like, the DVD features a lot of great bonus material. Included is the full performance used in the Belgium documentary "Save the Children". We can only hope that Motown will one day decide to release this film entirely. As I recall its one of the better documentaries on Marvin Gaye around. Other bonus material is a nice and sometimes insightful interview and some a cappella versions of his biggest hits. Nothing essential but proper bonus material.

The sum in total makes a fun and great DVD. Let's hope Motown will make this a first in a series.