Marvin Gaye
Let’s Get It On: Deluxe Edition
(UMe)
5 out of 5 stars
Videos by American Songwriter
It’s 50th anniversary time for Gaye’s sexually/spiritually charged 1973 masterpiece Let’s Get It On. That means yet another configuration for an album that has already been reissued as a deluxe edition (in 2006) with a further disc of music derived from those sessions, “Vulnerable.”
This one presents 33 extra tracks (18 previously unreleased), adding to the original set’s eight, for 2 ½ hours of Gaye in his prime.
To create the follow-up to the jazzy, orchestrated soundtrack for the film Trouble Man, Gaye spent most of early 1973 writing songs in collaboration with Ed Townsend. Those ended up as side one of the early vinyl. The title track, with its instantly recognizable wah-wah guitar intro (courtesy of Melvin “Wah Wah” Ragin), loping bass, and bubbling congas, quickly shot to a No. 1 hit. But the recordings leading to the final version were a confusing patchwork, some initiated back in 1970 yet hammered into what turned out to be a remarkably cohesive statement.
The evergreen quality of the music hasn’t diminished in 50 years, still sounding as vibrant, sultry, and sexy as when it was recorded. Selections like “You Sure Love to Ball” (complete with orgasmic female moans), the yearning, bluesy “Distant Lover,” the vulnerable “Just to Keep You Satisfied,” and even the thinly rewritten “Let’s Get It On” filler called “Keep Getting’ It On” tell all you need to know about what was on Gaye’s mind at the time. It’s likely Prince had this on repeat as he was formulating his sound.
As you might imagine, the extras are a mixed bag. For every interesting, even enlightening, demo, there are a number of mixes of each entry, many of which aren’t that exciting, let alone revelatory. The closing seven songs find Gaye fronting a rather bloated orchestra singing ballad classics. He’s in an amazing, malleable, and sumptuous voice but this is a far cry from what ended up in the original presentation. A batch of instrumentals, seven featuring pianist Herbie Hancock, is pleasant enough, but without Gaye’s vocals, only the most diehard fans will be interested.
That’s the way these expanded sets go though. The substantial vault digging that dominates the playing time (the original eight-track release clocked in at just over 30 minutes) is important for historical preservation but not necessarily all that enjoyable.
It’s worth noting that this is not planned to be available in any physical mediums; just streaming. That makes sense since the audience for the majority of the additional content is likely pretty narrow, despite Gaye’s enormous popularity.
This also streams in a new Dolby Atmos mix. It brings these five-decade-old sounds up to present-day technology, making the initial recordings sound fresher, crisper, and, well sexier, than before.
Dim the lights and let fly.
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
