Mpg / That's the Way Love Is [Import, Original recording remastered]

Marvin Gaye | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 5, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal UK
• ASIN: B000059RKZ
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,649 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby

2. This Magic Moment

3. The End of Our Road

4. Seek and You Shall Find

5. Memories

6. Only a Lonely Man Would Know

7. It's a Bitter Pill to Swallow

8. More Than a Heart Can Stand

9. Try Me True Love

10. I Got to Get to California

11. It Don't Take Much to Keep Me

12. Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got

13. Yesterday

14. Groovin'

15. I Wish It Would Rain

16. That's the Way Love Is

17. How Can I Forget

18. Abraham, Martin and John

19. Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love

20. No Time for Tears

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great sound - great packaging, June 4, 2001

By 

liliana donadio (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mpg / That's the Way Love Is (Audio CD)

These are the last two solo CD's Marvin released before truly breaking out on his own ("What's Going On"). While "MPG" has a a number of gems on it, namely "Too Busy Thinking...", "The End of Our Road", and "I Got To Get To California", the overall production is sometimes shady ("Try My True Love") and it makes the album feel more like the single track sessions that they were, instead of a cohesive suite of songs.

By contrast, "That's The Way Love Is" is pure genius. The entire album is produced and nine of the twelve songs are co-written by Norman Whitfield. I have combed this list of twelve tracks trying to single a few out for merit, but there really is no reason to, it's all top notch. By itself, this CD would rate 4.5 to 5 stars.

As an additional note, for the collector's/audiophiles out there, the entire "That's The Way Love Is" album was previously available in a 1994 remastered version titled "The Norman Whitfield Sessions". The sound on this release is considerably clearer, and makes it well worth the purchase.

There's really only one question left to ask...

Why can't we get these and other Motown out of print releases in the U.S?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MPG is Marvin's best '60's ablum, TTWLI is good too!, August 2, 2004

By 

Robert Johnson (Richmond, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mpg / That's the Way Love Is (Audio CD)

These import two-fers' are terrific. They feature terrific sound quality and great packaging. The albums included are:

M.P.G. (1969) **** (4 out of 5) Despite Marvin's long stream of hit singles, this was his first album to actually crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart and is his biggest seller of the sixties. M.P.G. reteams Marvin with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine-producer Norman Whitfield, and the two manage to overcome the typical Motown formula and create a surprisingly focused work.

A sense of consistency (which is what's missing from most sixties Motown efforts) is brought to the set by the blisteringly lean arrangements and some of Marvin's most impassioned vocals ever. The big smash hit is "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (#4 Pop, #1 R&B), which is easily one of his best singles. The song's bouncy timbre made it the perfect (and somewhat surprising) follow up to the bone-chilling smash "I Heard It Through The Grapevine."

Some irresistible light blues is brought to the set with the incredible cuts "Seek And You Shall Find," "More Than A Heart Can Stand," and the hit "End Of The Road" (#40 Pop, #7 R&B). The disc plays out in a surprising satisfying manner, with the clever refrain of "Only A Lonely Man Would Know" laying down nicely beside the funky "It's A Bitter Pill To Swallow." The only tracks that miss the boat is the forgettable cover of "This Magic Moment" (which is also placed too early in the album) and the banal "Memories," which has nothing to distinguish it aside from Marvin's powerful performance. Thankfully these two missteps are listenable and M.P.G. emerges as Marvin's best solo album of the sixties.

THAT'S THE WAY LOVE IS (1970) **** (4 out of 5) Produced by Norman Whitfield again, THAT'S THE WAY LOVE IS continues the excellence of M.P.G. and is possibly the most underrated album from the first decade of Marvin's career. The tense and mournful title track (#7 Pop, #2 R&B) was another hit single, cracking the Top Ten on both charts. The formulaic "How Can I Forget" (#41 Pop, #18 R&B) was almost a hit, but it (along "No More Tears") is actually one of the disc's weakest moments. The sweeping "Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got (which received some airplay as the flip side of the "How Can I Forget" single) is really splendid and should have been a A-side release. Four covers appear on this recording, and they may be the most surprising songs here.

Marvin's renditions of "Yesterday" and "Abraham, Martin, and John" are stunning and absolutely heartbreaking. Shockingly enough, both manage to top the original recordings (by The Beatles and Dion, respectively). The remaining two covers ("Groovin'" and "Cloud Nine") are much less effective, but they're perfectly solid. Throw in the vintage Motown sound of "Gonna Keep Tryin' Till I Win You're Love" and a few other catchy numbers and you have another excellent Gaye-Whitfield release. On this record, there are flashes of the brilliance that would come later in Marvin's career; although it's still pretty unbelievable that the peerless masterpiece WHAT'S GOING ON would be released in little less than a year.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB!!!! I LUV THE PRINCE OF SOUL!, January 16, 2011

By 

D. Stevens - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mpg / That's the Way Love Is (Audio CD)

Both of these albums are great!!! The remastered sound quality if phenomenal!!! I felt like Marvin was rite here singing in my ear. I have to say that my favorite track is his version of "Yesterday." As far as I'm concerned, that song is HIS! A real treasure and a must have for real music lovers.