He began incorporating his new outlook into his music, as initially expressed through the socially conscious album What's Going On, along with promotional photos of him wearing a kufi in honor of African traditional religions and his faith. Gaye learned to cope with his personal issues with a newly found spirituality. According to Gaye's biographer David Ritz, "his view of sex was unsettled, tormented, riddled with pain". As an adult, he suffered with sexual impotence and became plagued by sadomasochistic fantasies, which haunted him in his dreams and provoked some guilt in his conscience. As a result, the meaning and practice of sex had later become a disturbing question for Gaye. ĭuring his childhood, Gaye had been physically abused by his preacher father Marvin Gay, Sr., who disciplined his son under extremely moralistic and fundamentalist Christian teachings. During this time, he had also been attempting to cope with past issues that had stemmed from his childhood. Gaye's separation from Gordy pressured him emotionally. Amid relocation and his lack of material, Gaye was struggling with his conscience, as well as dealing with expectations from his wife, Gordy's sister Anna. (Motown Studio A) recording studio with the Hitsville West studio in Los Angeles. He was also struggling with deciding whether or not to relocate to Los Angeles, following Motown-CEO Berry Gordy's move of the record label and replacement of the Detroit-based Hitsville U.S.A. The deal was worth $1 million, making him the highest-earning soul artist, as well as the highest-earning black artist, at the time. The contract provided him with more creative control over his recordings.
Following the release of his most commercially successful album up to that point, What's Going On (1971), and the soundtrack album to the blaxploitation film Trouble Man (1972), Gaye had struggled to come up with new material after Motown Records had renegotiated a new contract with him. In the spring of 1972, Marvin Gaye was suffering from writer's block.
In 2001, it was reissued by Motown Records as a two-disc deluxe edition release. Let's Get It On has been ranked on many critics and publications' lists of the best albums of all time. It furthered funk music's popularity during the 1970s, and its smooth soul sound marked a change for his record label's previous success with the " Motown Sound" formula. The album has been regarded by many music writers and critics as a landmark recording in soul music. Its sexual balladry, multi-tracking of Gaye's vocals, and seductive, funk sound influenced later R&B artists and production. Let's Get It On became the most commercially successful album of Gaye's recording career, and it further expanded his creative control during his tenure with Motown. It produced three singles- the title track, " Come Get to This", and " You Sure Love to Ball"-that attained Billboard chart success. It has been noted by critics for its sexually suggestive lyrics, and was cited by one writer as "one of the most sexually charged albums ever recorded".įollowing the breakthrough success of his socially conscious album What's Going On (1971), Let's Get It On helped establish Gaye as a sex icon and furthered his mainstream appeal.
Serving as Gaye's first venture into the funk genre and romance-themed music, Let's Get It On incorporates smooth soul, doo-wop, and quiet storm. and Golden World Studio in Detroit, and at Hitsville West in Los Angeles. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 1970 to July 1973 at Hitsville U.S.A. Let's Get It On is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Marvin Gaye, released August 28, 1973, on Tamla Records. For the song, see Let's Get It On (song).
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This album also features the "Wedding Song" which was written for Hazel and Jermaine Jackson's wedding and the "Happy" theme from the movie Lady Sings the Blues.This article is about the album. Before long, it caught on around the country and evolved into a new market. Briefly, radio mogul Cathy Hughes, owner of Radio One, was the general manager at Howard University radio WHUR during the early '70s when she created the format "the quiet storm." She used Smokey Robinson's composition as the theme song. The lyric of the ballad "The Agony and the Ecstasy" hit the Top Ten at number seven, and it was followed by the masterpiece "A Quiet Storm." Although it only managed to seal the Top 25, it has since made a greater impact on the music charts and music industry. It was Robinson's first number one single since leaving the Miracles. Arranged in an intermittent rhythm, "Baby That's Backatcha" ran up the Billboard R&B charts to number one inside 16 weeks. The album itself had three singles hit the charts. The title track became the namesake for a music format.
As many of his prior songs had shaped R&B and pop music, this album would have a similar effect. The genius of William "Smokey" Robinson is immeasurable.