180 gram vinyl 8 LP box set !
On the heels of Volume One and Volume Two, Marvin Gaye Volume Three: 1971-1981 is a collection of his last seven Motown studio albums on 180 gram vinyl in one fantastic box !
The sounds of Marvin Gaye's classic hits still travel through the fabric of R&B music.
His tone, sensual lyricism and address of societal woes, touches the soul and serve as poignant works that will set the mood or arouse your conscious. 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.
On June 1, 1970, Gaye recorded his new composition "What's Going On" in Hitsville, U.S.A., inspired by an idea from Renaldo "Obie" Benson of The Four Tops after he witnessed an act of police brutality at an anti-war rally in Berkeley. Released in 1971, it reached N° 1 on the R&B charts within a month, staying there for five weeks. The album became Marvin Gaye's first million-selling album launching two more Top 10 singles "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues". One of Motown's first autonomous works, its theme and segue flow brought the concept album format to rhythm and blues.
In 1971, Gaye signed a $1 million dollar deal with Motown, making it the most lucrative deal by a black recording artist at the time. Marvin Gaye first responded to the new contract with the soundtrack and subsequent score, Trouble Man, released in late 1972.
This box set also includes the iconic Let's Get It On, released on Aug. 28, 1973, which quickly became the biggest-selling recording of Marvin Gaye's tenure with Motown. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and remained at the top of the Soul Albums chart for 11 weeks, making it the best-selling R&B album of 1973.
Marvin's final duet project, Diana & Marvin, with Diana Ross, garnered international success despite contrasting artistic styles. The album I Want You followed in 1976 with the title track becoming a number-one R&B hit.
In 1978, Marvin Gaye issued Here, My Dear, inspired by the fallout of his first marriage to Anna Gordy.
Recorded as an intent for Gaye to remit a portion of its royalties to her to receive alimony payments, it initially flopped on the charts but turned into a cult album in later years. At the end of the '70s Gaye conceived his next release to be a party record titled Love Man. The single "Ego Tripping Out" failed to connect, and while relocated to Europe he reconceived the album as something more spiritual. The resulting In Our Lifetime was an LP that Gaye believed Motown had compromised with unauthorized edits and remixes, and retitled without the trailing question mark. It spelled the end of Gaye's recording association with Motown.
