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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic, but avoid temptation, January 24, 2003
An utterly classic, highly-recommended album, but if you have the previously-released remastered version you don't need this. The two bonus tracks are the abbreviated single edits of two album tracks - hardly worth an upgrade. If you have the two-CD special edition, you've got it all.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seductive Classic!, March 4, 2005
In 1971, Marvin Gaye put out his classic album _What's Going On?_, which largely focused on ever-present world issues (drugs, war, racism, etc), then the next year, he put out a soundtrack to a fim called _Trouble Man_. And, in 1973, he put out _Let's Get It On_. Yes, that last title means *exactly* what you think it means!
On these eight wonderful tracks, Marvin takes us on a romantic odyssey which is every bit as seductive as the title suggests - so seductive, you can almost taste it. Smooth-as-silk vocals give way to fiery, impassioned, ecstatic releases, which are punctuated by the caramel harmony vocals, hushed congas and bongas, strings and a multitude of other instruments. The result? Something as close to the actual...real thing, it's overwhelming. To borrow a quote from the man himself, "you know what I'm talkin' 'bout..." it's so good, it almost makes me cry.
Some singers had the ability to do things with their voices, that, when hearing them, they almost seemed like a totally different being than human, and they almost seemed as if they went somewhere else, while they were doing what they did with their voices, and as listeners, we were able to go somewhere else -- someplace higher -- while we were listening, too. Some singers had this, some didn't. Marvin had it, and he had it in droves.
The things listed in the last two paragraphs apply *largely* to tracks like the title cut, and it's companion "Keep Gettin' It On." In fact, the latter seems more like an extended coda to the title hit, and it could have easily been added as the coda to the original. Either way, both are a sheer joy to have.
On "Come Get To This," things fasten up a bit. Marvin's seductive sensuality is still in tact, but this time, he doesn't take as much time as he did in much of the other songs. On "Distant Lover," Marvin returns to the slow-burning ecstasy found in songs like the title track, and the yearning throughout the song, especially the pleading--more like crying--near the end of the song, is so painful for me to listen to, even after hearing the song for the longest time, while the last song, the dramatic "Just To Keep You Satisfied," was said to be written about Marvin's ex-wife at the time. This song ends on quite a melancholic, reflective, and almost sad note.
This is classic stuff, and a must for those who love Marvin Gaye, but come to think of it, most fans who love Marvin already own this album. If you love classic R&B, loaded with sensuality, or if you just want something that sounds good (which is an understatement, to say the least), grab this.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the top 5 albums of all time, January 19, 2006
Music critics always cite "What's Going On?" as Marvin's best album. It's a great album, for sure, but this one is better. It was Marvin's biggest selling Motown album, it went triple platinum within a year back when the US had about a hundred million fewer inhabitants than it does now.
Let's refer to this as an album as opposed to a CD. When it was released in 1973, it was a concept album, and if you listen to it start to finish, it takes you through the phases of a relationship that starts out with a bang, and ends with the banging of a gavel.
It begins raw and pleading with "Let's Get It On", moves to declarations of true love with "If I Should Die Tonight" and ends on a sad note with "Just To Keep You Satisfied". The additional tracks don't add to the total enjoyment of the album as it was intended. It's like a going back for a salad after dessert at the end of your 7 course meal.
As a single (with a remake of the Temptations' classic "I Wish It Would Rain" as its B-side), "Let's Get It On" sold over 2 million copies during its first 6 weeks of release, eventually topping 4 million copies sold. The lyrics were originally penned by Ed Townsend, but Marvin changed them to impress his very young girlfriend, who was present at the recording of the song. You can hear an example of what the original lyrics were on "Keep Gettin' It On", which is track 4 here.
Marvin wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album. He also arranged and sang background vocals. He got his start in Washington, DC with a doo-wop group called the Moonglows, and that doo-wop influence is evident throughout this album, especially on "Please Stay" and "Distant Lover".
Listening to this album demands that it be dark outside, the lights inside dim, and you have someone with you that you don't mind being real close to.
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by Marvin Gaye 
