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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How does nine stars strike you?, November 26, 2001
5 stars for the amazing original album, and another 4 stars for the bonus material. This disc is absolutely LOADED!
Anyone who has heard the original work (tracks 1-8 on the first disc) knows that this is a MUST OWN album. The album is older than I am, but it still moves me every time I listen to it. It is the most amazing piece of work that I have ever heard from an artist - soul or otherwise. While most critics recognize "What's Going On" as Marvin's masterpiece - I disagree. The only track that he ever laid down that you could feel his emotion on more is I Heard it Through the Grapevine. Imagine that kind of emotion on an entire album.
Since I do have such strong feelings for the original, I jumped at the opportunity to hear the alternative takes, and other bonus tracks from this period from The Man.
Fans will not be disappointed. Listening to the alternative takes, it is easy to see why he chose the versions he did - not that I had questioned any on the original. They are still very interesting, and worth a listen. The rest of the bonus material is fantastic. The instrumentals have a very jazzy feel to them, and are a joy to listen to. For me, the highlight of the bonus material was the demo version of Symphony. On it, you can hear the beginnings of "What's Going On".... AMAZING!
The only portion of the two disc set I could have done without are the tracks from other artists, where Marvin was producing. I buy Marvin's disc to hear him - not hear his production. That being said, they are interesting tracks - and do offer a nice comparison of how wonderfully Marvin was able to express his emotion through a speaker as opposed to other artists of his time - or any time for that matter.
If you are only interested in the original work, and are not a huge fan, I still believe that this album has enough to offer for the extra price.
This should be in EVERYONE'S CD collection!
A masterpiece!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Soul Supreme, April 24, 2006
Let's Get It On is only a notch below What's Going on making it among the essential Soul recordings of all-time. Often heralded as the quintessential bedroom record Let's Get It On is much more than that. The suite is inspired by his dying love for his wife Anna and his starting passion for Janis, his new flame. If I Should Die Tonight alledgedly only got his convincing take after Marvin laid eyes on Janis for the very first time. Marvin was in his thirties at the time, Janis not yet of legal age.
Marvin Gaye was a terrible perfectionist and a troubled soul. That shows on this album in a good sense. The songwriting is inspired, the music almost divine. Yet in spite of the lush and sexy arrangements the record is never easy on the ear once you decide to dive deeper into it. The title song suddenly appears to be a strange combination of courting and celebration of God and love, the latter often interchangeable in Marvin's world. This combination of themes suddenly gives the album unsuspected depth. While at first glance it does seem to be simply a bedroom suite the album turns out to be about the destructive and redeeming quality of relationships. Let's is a frank album of longing, ache and guilt. Distant lover is as much about fresh love just out of reach as it is about distant love suddenly emotionally out of reach. The closing track Just To Keep You Satisfied, deals with alienation even more explicitly. Ironically the tune is written in collaboration with his wife and sounds as a goodbye note. Satisfied is at the same time filled tender memories and poisoned love. Marvin and Anna would divorce not long after the release of the album.
The deluxe edition does more justice to the album than the deluxe What's Going On did. Where the latter was essentially the same album three times, a rough mix, the final master and a live version. The deluxe Let's shows us the process Marvin went through to get to this album. After What's Going On Marvin was plagued by a writers block. Marvin tried different approaches to a new album, quickly disbanding them all. There are Jazzy outings with Herbie Hancock on piano, first sketches of a second political record and even some material where Marvin chose to put himself under the guidance of a producer again. Almost all of this material is really worth while, yet it never reaches the brilliance of the final album. Marvin found his muse in Janis. Sadly it was the last time he would truly shine. The follow-up I Want You is a fine effort but never reaches the heights Let's Get It On did.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent album., February 7, 2003
Marvin's "Let's Get it On" album is, by all definitions, a classic. Who hasn't heard the title track? Personally, my one complaint with this particular album is that a few of the songs don't seem to go anywhere, but the pleasure of hearing Marvin's voice is more than enough to make up for that.After you've listened to any of his albums enough, you start to feel like you've got a personal relationship with him, because his voice is so honest and expressive, and this album is certainly no exception. But what makes this deluxe edition so great, in my opinion, is the inclusion of all the bonus tracks, and included among those are a number of absolutely killer instrumentals. His earlier "Trouble Man" album (which is one of those "hidden treasures," if you ask me) proved that Marvin was no fool when it came to cooking up a fine instrumental, but the ones on the deluxe edition of "Let's Get it On" blow that album out of the water, if you ask me. They're full, they're funky, and they're exuberant. We all know Marvin for his voice, but if he'd ever released an album of instrumentals of the quality we see on here, I think it'd be ranked among his best. For me, at least, they're worth the price of admission alone, and that's discounting all the other bonus tracks. These "deluxe editions" of albums that've been coming out over the past few months for the most part tend to be absolutely excellent in terms of sound quality, liner notes, and the sheer volume of music you get. This version of "Let's Get it On" is no exception. If you don't mind the somewhat steep price, and you're a fan of Marvin, by all means buy this album. If you're new to Marvin, it might be better to buy just the album itself (as well as his other classics such as the inimitable "What's Going On" and his heartfelt "Here, My Dear"). If you like them, then shell out for the more completist "deluxe editions."
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