Marvin Gaye

This deluxe edition is a two-disc celebration of the hedonistic R&B masterpiece Let's Get It On. The album is Marvin Gaye's follow-up to the groundbreaking social statement he made on What's Going On, which can also be thoroughly examined on the likewise expanded What's Goin' On [2001 Deluxe Edition]. The two-and-a-half-hour package is divided into four sections, beginning with a complete sonic resurrection of the original eight-song album, which now boasts a 24-bit digital transfer exclusive to this collection. A nine-track sessions segment follows consisting of entirely unissued materials. These exist in the form of instrumentals and undubbed and alternate versions of previously issued songs. This is continued throughout the third section, which contains demos, alternate mixes, and more, ending with a further ten alternate mixes and unissued pieces in various states of completion. These are in effect the recordings that connect such diametric and otherwise polar opposite musical sentiments as What's Going On with Let's Get It On. The sound is uniformly breathtaking. The often-jarring and always harsh and brittle sonics that previously plagued the high frequencies throughout the original disc -- most specifically the tambourine and other percussion during "Distant Lover," for instance -- is now organic and unprocessed. The copious bonus material sounds opulent considering it spans over five years. Any slight audio anomaly should be regarded as proof of authenticity. The laid-back strings on "Cakes," "Symphony," and "Song #3" observe a new side of Gaye's talents that rivals the likes of Barry White in terms of swinging soul arrangements. The inclusion of various works-in-progress and other related productions -- such as the Miracles' ("I Love You Secretly") as well as the Originals (1968) and the Monitors' (1970) respective renditions of "Just to Keep You Satisfied" -- examine the close-knit influence that Motown had among its own ranks. Accompanying the two discs -- which are housed in a cardboard digi-pack -- is a 24-page booklet replete with previously unpublished photos as well as essays from Gaye biographers David Ritz, Ben Edmunds, and Harry Weinger, producer and annotator of Let's Get It On [Deluxe Edition]. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide