What's Going On

"But who really cares? Who's willing to try... to save our sweet world?" Shadows and light. Chiaroscuro, in painting. The bitter and the sweet, in chocolate. It's the stuff of melancholy, of regret, worry, dark times ahead. Marvin Gaye's human pleas, genuine and earnest... to save the babies, up against a symphony that's filmic, romantic, in an almost 1001 Strings kind of way. An orchestral setting that Berry Gordy thought was too old, outdated, the kids will never dig, etc. etc. But it's the perfect backdrop– nostalgia– that gives us context for Marvin's anguish about the future. It's also personal. It's an album about his brother's letters to him from Vietnam... the anti-war protests that Obie Benson saw firsthand which lead him to write "What's Going On?"... his own dark struggles with his family, addiction. A changing planet. And somehow Marvin is perfectly positioned to help us understand. He doesn't preach, he doesn't condescend. He brings you into his inner world, and doesn't count you out. And it's a Motown album? Impossible. I can't imagine the whiplash from the American public when this came out. Motown? Song cycles? Dark subject matter? *That* Marvin Gaye? An album for a coming storm... and one to put together the pieces from a few very real personal storms in the 1960s. An amazing album. The soundtrack to so many people's lives, their own anxieties and dark places and chances for redemption. Music for a sweet world. 5/5

10/10 thanks, Marvin Gaye 👍 Inventor of Sex

Love the sound, but there’s a bit too much about Jesus.

So magnificent and bittersweet. You cannot listen to this album and not feel that sense of sweet sweet nostalgia. It's an album about living in the future, suddenly waking up one day and it's 1971, and there's this moment of clarity, like "wait, what's really going on here?" Somehow it perfectly captures that for me. So beautiful.

I think this is so beloved more for being \"important\" than for sounding great. I bought this many years ago but I haven't listened to it in probably 10 years. There are 2 almost-bangers at the end of the album, tracks 7 and 9. The title track is also pretty great. But the album is not very musically diverse. The second track sounds like a copy of the first, and most of the rest has a similar, slow soul feel. I think if this album mixed things up more I would like it better. That said, the lyrics are good, and I've always like Marvin's singing a lot.

What's Going On? Not much honestly.

Nice voice but album bored me. I hate 'Save the Children'. I don't hate children and if a child needs saving then yeah, let's save them but this song half makes me think we should just leave the children if it's going to produce more songs like this

Wow. This album puts you into such a specific mood. The rain on Marvin's face reflects today's weather accompanying my listen to this record. We start off this album with a political statement on "What's Going On" that is a very serious statement about police brutality hidden behind what sounds like jubilation and a very calming groovy bongo beat. Apparently when Marvin brought this to Motown they were appalled. Said it was way too political. I'm glad that Marvin stood his ground and argued that it was a very political time to be alive, pushing for the very real nature of this album. It feels visceral, like music that isn't made simply to make music. Lyrics like "Who Really Cares // Who's willing to try // To save a world that's destined to die?" are not the type of lyrics the label was expecting to hear, I'm sure. A lyric I deeply identified with. Save the damn babies. I absolutely love the way it flows, at least from the start through "God Is Love". Like I'm watching a movie. I will say that while the songs after "God Is Love" are still beautifully written and arranged, I wish that the entire album flowed together rather than dropping that concept midway through. Loved the drums on "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)". Loved all of the brass and woodwinds on "Right On". Loved the entirety of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". So many simple lines in this song that are just so great. "Panic is spreadin', God knows where we're headin'" As Marvin states on the final track, "this ain't livin'". We've made a lot of progress since 1971 but honestly this record could have been made yesterday and the themes Marvin's lyrics touch on would still be just as pertinent now as they were back then. The album cover makes sense to me now. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. 5/5.

Can't believe I've never listened to this album the whole way through. It's got a great feel to it and the whole thing is so cohesive. Reading the Wikipedia page about this album, here's one of the most random facts I've heard about a musician. "Around the spring of 1970, Gaye also began seriously pursuing a career in football with the professional football team the Detroit Lions of the NFL, even working out with the Eastern Michigan Eagles football team." That's insane - he would have been 31 and he just decided, ya know, I think I'm going to start playing professional football. Too bad it didn't work out, I'm sure my Lions could have used him. Anyway, back to the music. Going with 4 stars for this one.

Absolute classic from start to finish - such a beautiful unique sound

An immaculate and storied album. I listened to it a lot in college. I’ve always loved Gaye’s lyrics, thematic focus, and vocals on this album, but what struck me most today was the production and musicianship exhibited behind the man. And how well these songs flow from one into another. They practically compose a suite from “What’s Happening” through “Mercy” and from “Right On” to “Holy.” Simply one of the great, grooviest albums ever.

I want to like Marvin Gaye records more than I usually do after listening to them. I understand it…the cultural relevance, his fantastic voice…this is a great record, but I just don’t see myself listening to it very often.

it was ok, bit overhyped

9/10. Fellas, it is Gaye

This is one of the most powerful and heartfelt musical statements ever made, and would be a strong contender for greatest album of all time in my book. I have always admired the atmosphere he was able to capture and maintain throughout the record. Although it has its emotional ups and downs, it really is one big musical statement - like a symphony with different movements and recurring themes. The arrangements are bold and intricately layered, but never overdone. The tracks seem to effortlessly flow into one another in a way that just hypnotizes you. The music is obviously meticulously composed and constructed, yet it feels so natural and organic that it almost seems like it could have been miraculously collectively improvised somehow. As you know, right before our last jam, I listened to this on the way up and damn near had a religious experience in my car. I mean I had heard this album dozens of times before but for some reason this album, and everything he was saying on it, just seemed so relevant to what we're still experiencing today and it hit me so hard. I kept turning the volume up, and up, and up, and heard it in whole new way all these years later. This album is a cry for help in an increasingly complicated and difficult world, but it retains a distinct and heartbreakingly beautiful sense of optimism. An optimism that we so desperately need to hold on to.

good album that kind of just played through without any repeats. If I see this on a top 5 of all time list, I’ll assume two things 1. I had to be alive at the time to fully get this album 2. This person will ask me to open a pdf.

"What's Goin' On" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" are great. The entire tone of the album is relaxed and enjoyable. However, I found the lack of transitions between songs and the consistent blurring of each song into the next as distracting and a weird choice. 3.4 stars rounded down.

I land somewhere between you two on this one. What’s Going On, Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues are top tier soul classics, but they’re the tent poles that hold this up when in starts to drag. The arrangements are great, and the recurring motifs do make this feel like a concept album rather than a collection of tracks, but it starts to wear thin at times, like he’s just scatting new lyrics over the same backing music. Lyrically it’s of its time (Viet Nam, ecological worries, racism) but it tips into self-parody in places. A three-star, mainly on the strength of those three classic tracks.

've never been able to get on with this album. Some definite classic Marvin in there, but Save the Children is so massively lame it drags the whole thing down

great reset to remind the people why we stay the people

Reminded me of Ozzy Ozbourne

There aren't many albums better than this.

No need to write anything here, it's What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. People who don't like this are empirically wrong.

A beautifully arranged and produced album with a powerful message that unfortunately never seizes to be relevant despite being over 50 years old. The way Marvin harmonizes with his own voice on the layered vocals is sublime and I've yet to hear another artist being able to do it in the way he does here. I give it 5 broken unsynchronized clocks, because it is timeless! 🕣🕜🕛🕖🕐

It's smooth, it's epic and it's important. What more could you really ask for. Marvin's estate really needs to take it easy on trying to sue everyone under the sun though. It makes them look bad. It would be an extremely sad thing to ruin this dudes legacy with such crap. Amazing album though. Score: 80 Art: 70

Social and cultural significance: 5 stars. Musically, I’m just not that into it: 2 stars. I would seek this album out to listen to again like I would with Sgt. Peppers or Sticky Fingers.

this album really only has two good songs on it i mean they are realllly good songs i really like those songs

It’s decent. A couple classic bangers, but there is a good amount of filler in there as well. Not a lot to say about it. Could be a 2.5, maybe? But I’m good with 3.

What's going on is iconic. I really disliked some of the songs though. Save the Children seems like a parody.

When I see this album on someone's Desert Island list, I know that this is a person I can trust with my life. Whenever this album is played, there are three subtle sublimities that must be discussed in order for one to be said to have fulfilled their responsibility to Marvin: 1. James Jamerson's improvised bass line on What's Going On>What's Happening Brother is the answer to the question posed in each title. 2. In What's Happening Brother, the chords descending behind Marvin when he soars into "and tell me friend, how in the world have you been?" will cause you to explode in tears of relief as the weight of the world is finally, blessedly, if briefly, lifted from your shoulders. As soon as I recognize this song has come on I will look for a safe place to pull the car over because I don't want anyone to get hurt. 3. My PhD dissertation was on the perfect pop of the snare drum and conga hitting two and four together on Mercy Mercy Me. Mercy me, indeed! Some fool said you can see the world in a grain of sand. I don't know about that but you can definitely hear the world in the snap of that backbeat. Sounds like God's tennis racquet sending a perfectly pristine yellow Wilson US Open Extra Duty screaming into orbit. That's probably how they got that sound, now that I think about it. I don't know but it contains motherfucking multitudes.

(5/5) Legendary, impactful, and so soulful. The three big ones "What's Going On", "Mercy, Mercy..", & "Inner City Blues.." warrant a '5' for the album just by themselves for their beauty and (scary enough) RELEVANCE. Here we are 55 years after it's release and the lyrics are still meaningful and relevant. That's so powerful and prescient (or it says other things about who we are that I don't want to think about right now...). Even the deep tracks have some staying power, notably "Right On" & "What's Happening Brother". Absolutely a 'must hear' and a deeply important and beloved album. I don't need to say much more, nor will I waste my time. Just listen.

I had heard this album a number of times through, but will admit that I'd never really LISTENED to it. As such, it took some discussion with peers to approach this as a "concept album," as I'd never put this together as a narrative driven "soul opera" of sorts, framed within the return of a veteran from Vietnam, alienated from family and culture, putting a critical lense on his society and environment. I guess if I see someone building a tiny house I just assume it's a shed until someone tells me otherwise. The perspective added a bit more depth to an album that had already scored a 5/5 from me, and breathed some life back into this listen.

Sad, that the more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same. Marvin Gaye's finest moment, in my opinion, is a protest album full of so much love, compassion and respect for the common man that if it was released today he'd either get shot by ICE agents or thrown in prison for inciting common decency! I heard this album for the first time a few years ago but loved revisiting it again today. The songs segue into each other beautifully giving the album a wonderful flow. The title track, the prescient Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues are classic soul singles but the album could still be said to be greater than the sum of its parts. Outside of Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life, this is a 5☆ contender for the greatest ever soul album, and is still hugely relevant today.

I often find myself looking for reasons to mark-down records in this project. It's probably a character flaw on my part but I'm very seldom dishing out the fives, even for music and artists I objectively love. This record isn't quite my favourite; although it's stunning, it only gets an occasional listen. However, can I find any flaws in it? I don't think so. A song suite full of understated, compassionate consciousness. As a reflection of the state-of-mind of a masterful artist at the top of his game, it's simply wonderful.

**Marvin Gaye – *What’s Going On* (1971)** In-depth review: lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, pros & cons --- ### 1. LYRICS – Conversations with America - **Voice of a Vietnam vet**: Every song is spoken by a returning Black soldier who finds his country still ravaged by racism, poverty, police brutality and ecological decay. - **Conversational tone**: “Mother, mother / There’s too many of you crying… Father, father / We don’t need to escalate” – Gaye addresses his family, his community and authority figures in the same breath, collapsing the political into the personal. - **Poetic devices**: Heavy use of anaphora, rhetorical questions, internal rhyme and repetition (“What’s going on… what’s going on…”) that make the words feel spoken-sung, almost sermon-like. - **No question mark**: The album title omits the “?”, signalling that Gaye is not asking for an explanation—he is *telling* us what is happening. - **Scope**: Anti-war, anti-brutality, anti-drug, pro-ecology, pro-love; yet never slogan-heavy. The absence of explicit party politics lets the songs age gracefully. --- ### 2. MUSIC – Jazz-soul suite - **Key signatures**: Mostly mellow F-major / D-minor grooves that feel like one long continuous suite. - **Groove science**: James Jamerson (bass) recorded most of his parts flat on his back with a bottle of gin—yet laid down sliding, syncopated lines that became textbook funk. - **Rhythm-section colors**: – Double-layered congas, shaker and triangle mixed *wide* in stereo field. – “Micro-percussion” (finger snaps, soft knocks on wood) creates a living-room ambience. - **Orchestral glaze**: Detroit Symphony strings arranged in long, non-vibrato pads—more Gil Evans than Motown. - **Saxophone as narrator**: Eli Fontaine’s smoky alto opens the title track; its phrases are *quoted* later by Gaye’s multi-tracked background vocals, blurring instrumental and human voices. - **Seamless segues**: Tape loops of city traffic, party chatter and rainfall knit tracks together; the final groove (“Inner City Blues”) mechanically *locks* back into the intro of “What’s Going On”, making the LP an infinite loop. --- ### 3. PRODUCTION – The first self-produced Motown record - **55 musicians, 10 days**: Cut live at Hitsville U.S.A. with only a 4-track recorder; Gaye bounced sub-mixes to free tracks, creating subliminal “ghost” layers. - **DIY overdubs**: Gaye plays piano, Mellotron, box drum and all multi-layered background vocals himself—unheard-of autonomy for a Motown artist at the time. - **Spatial mixing**: Drums dead-center, bass slightly left, strings hard-left/right; Gaye’s lead vocal *floats* 10 % off-center, giving the impression he is standing in the doorway between channels. - **Innovations**: – First R&B LP to use EMT plate reverb on *congas*—gives bongos a singing sustain. – Early use of tape-speed manipulation: final chorus of “Mercy Mercy Me” is +3 % faster than the take, adding subconscious urgency. --- ### 4. THEMES – A spiritual State-of-the-Union | Issue | Lyrical Moment | Musical Mirror | |---|---|---| | Vietnam | “Brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying” | Military snare flams tucked low in mix | | Police brutality | “Don’t punish me with brutality—talk to me” | Bass line *descends* (feels like hands thrown up) | | Urban decay | “Rockets, moon shots / spend it on the have-nots” | Pocketed 7/4 bar slips the groove, mirroring social disorientation | | Ecology | “Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas” | Single sustained Hammond chord = toxic haze | | Spiritual plea | “Wholy holy—don’t you know we can make it happen” | Wordless 10-voice gospel cluster drifts in | --- ### 5. INFLUENCE – The template for conscious pop - **Immediate**: Stevie Wonder demanded (and won) full creative control a year later; Earth, Wind & Fire, Curtis Mayfield, and later Donny Hathaway all adopted the “social-suite” format. - **70-80s rock**: Paul Simon cites the LP as the spark for *Graceland*; Pink Floyd studied its tape-loop transitions while making *Dark Side of the Moon*. - **Hip-hop & neo-soul**: Sample source for 2Pac (“Thugz Mansion”), Kanye (“Otis”), Alicia Keys, Common; Janet Jackson loops “Inner City Blues” on her *Velvet Rope* interludes. - **Canonisation**: Rolling Stone #1 on 2020 “500 Greatest Albums”; U.S. Library of Congress National Recording Registry. - **Activist soundtrack**: BLM marches 2020 blasted “What’s Going On” in 30+ U.S. cities—lyrics still tweet-length relevant. --- ### 6. PROS & CONS (even masterpieces cast shadows) | PROS | CONS | |---|---| | 1. Seamless song-cycle flow—rarely duplicated. | 1. Uniform tempo / key can feel monotonous on Side One. | | 2. Lyrics still headline-news relevant 50+ yrs later. | 2. Jam-session sections (“Right On”, “Wholy Holy”) meander—some listeners find them formless. | | 3. Jamerson’s bass lines alone are a university course. | 3. Sparse melodic variation—hooks recycle the same pentatonic cells. | | 4. Production innovations (quad-ready stereo, tape loops) ahead of 1971 curve. | 4. Sparse melodic variation—hooks recycle the same pentatonic cells. | | 5. Opened Motown’s creative floodgates; without it no *Innervisions*, no *Songs in the Key of Life*. | 5. Over-romanticised “vets’ POV” concept—only 2-3 songs explicitly reference Vietnam. | --- ### 7. BOTTOM LINE *What’s Going On* is less a collection of songs than a 35-minute meditation—an album that dissolved the border between personal heartbreak and civic heartbreak. Its mellow surface invites you in; its layered poetry keeps you returning every time the nightly news matches a 1971 headline. Flawed? Slightly—side-two jams can dawdle, and sonic sameness risks hypnosis. Yet those “flaws” are also the reason it feels like one continuous breath rather than a playlist. Marvin Gaye proved that social protest could wear a velvet glove, and popular music has been trying to duplicate that balancing act ever since. > “Love, baby—love. That’s the only way.” > – Marvin Gaye, 1971

Oh I’ll TELL you what’s going on - Marvin Gaye’s putting out the #1 soul brother album of the 20th century and making it stick. So sweet and buttery smooth, so timely it’s timeless. Jesus he was only 45 when he died. Goddammit Marvin’s dad.

Yurp its a banger

I've never understood why people around here act like the mercury in the fish is news when Marvin Gaye knew about it in 1971. Come to think of it, all this shit was supposed to get fixed in the 70s. Five-star album, though.

Marvin Gaye: the world is a mess Also Marvin Gaye: just love one another This album is seamless, a work of art.

What an album...!

A groovy yet emotionally charged album, Marvin Gaye looks around and watches society crumble apart, with songs about kids starving on the street, families being torn apart by the Vietnamese war, the aftermath trauma on those veterans, drug addiction, and the environment literally threatening human existence. The lyrics are simple enough that you can follow along and understand the messages he sends, never dragging too long or going on unnecessary tangents. Everything is relevant and to the point. It's hard to find a more consistent album. You really can't tell when one song ends and another begins. The mood flows perfectly and gradually shifts with the songs. Themes persist and are revisited but twisted. This creates a pretty fun experience, with the audience watching how the same melodies can be altered to create different effects and tell different stories. Marvin Gaye's vocals are top notch, smooth and sincere, easy to listen, clear, and yet has a lot to say. But not too much. The instrument is sparse and light enough to relax you and immerse you in the music, especially due to its atmospheric and diverse sounds, with all sorts of instruments (including woodwinds, brass, different percussions), synth effects, and back vocals. It's at times funky to sing or dance to, and at times like a beautifully happy or sad movie soundtrack. I'm also incredibly impressed by the production. Very few soul albums from the early 70s are up to par in terms of the clarity and mixing, as good as Stevie Wonder. This album flies by in 36 minutes. You couldn't argue that any track on here is unnecessary or could be cut. In fact, any less and you'd be complaining it was too short. Melodically, every song transitions well from one to the next. Of course, you got your hits ("What's Going On", "Mercy Mercy Me"). You got your interlude ("God Is Love"). You got your epic ("Right On"). And you got your satisfying closer ("Inner City Blues"). I don't have the faintest clue how you could improve this record.

I hadn’t heard this uninterrupted for over 20 years, and am thankful for being given a weekend for this. Perhaps the only song cycle/concept album that I consider flawless. A student flatmate once complained that the record was samey, which I worried over, but now doesn’t bother me. Its consistency is a marvel.

I've thought highly of this for a good while although don't really listen to it that much. Reading its back story, and that of Marvin Gaye in general, surprised me how radical this album actually was. Of course, it also contains some great tunes. A bit preachy but can't really ding it for that. And, what a piece of shit David Ruffin was! Full marks here

What's going on? You are listening to one of the top ten albums of all time. That's what's going on. A collection of marvelous songs. of a legend in his peak and with an astonishing production. All songs go on in one flow talking about love for people and more important the world we live in. An album stating concerns about our behavior towards nature in 1971. What a visionary and too bad how we failed him!

This is a MOOD

Protest, political unrest, and social justice have never sounded so groovy. "What's Going On" is not saying anything new, but the way it says it is captivating. There is an overall vibe that understates these issues and ideals that resonates throughout the album. This is the albums greatest strength and its weakness. The take is fresh (and excellent in terms of the music), but ultimately it relaxes and calms in a way that understates the importance of the issues. Ultimately, it is another great voice in an ongoing cry for justice, equality, and peace.

Rating: 7/10 I can't give this legendary classic the highest of ratings because I don't actually have a substantial love for it. There are so many great elements, like Gaye's incredible voice and hard hitting political lyrics, the free flowing smooth soul throughout the run time. It's a sad fact that these lyrics are just as effective today as they were during the time of protest counterculture, since we are still making the same political pleas and in some ways has only gotten much worse. This is one of those that I am going to round up instead of down

I wish I could hear what makes people think this is one of the greatest albums of all time. I’m told this is a remarkable album. Rolling Stone currently has this atop their 500 greatest albums of All Time, Number One. And I just can’t connect with it to that degree. This is my first listen of this album, and I listened 3-4 times. It never landed until the track “Right On” rolled around. That was easily the best track for me and the axis of the entire album. Initially the six tracks before it all ran together and seemed like preamble, I kept waiting for a song to start Ultimately, the album is fine, with soulful vocals, but for me it simply defies review. Like actively. Each time I tried to listen my mind would wander away to other things. I wish I could hear what makes this album so special but it never kept my attention long enough. The themes contained within of injustice, poverty, drug-use, and inner city suffering are a laudable effort. Along with the solutions of love and peace make for a wonderful message that carries the album for me more than the music. I’ll land at a 3.5 that I will round up to a 4 because of this album’s place in history and the wonderful message of peace and love being the answers

From the first track that warm classic motown sound we've all grown to love wraps around you like a comforting weighted blanket, you can't help but be enveloped and sucked into the world of this album. Transitions like Save the Children into God is Love are seamless, I can imagine that this was groundbreaking stuff back in the day - it's as if the listening experience continues and it just keeps on going, really nice jamming to this. Every track has a richness of sound to it, each listen reveals something new - be it bongos panned quietly to the left, horn patterns at the right, a quiet piano, strings playing their own melody. Then into mercy mercy me, wow - this transition really makes you smile, from the brightness of god is love, including the bright bass tone and "harsher" quality of god is love - into mercy mercy me where the entire tonality drops down akin to a warm hug, dropping the bass into the background with a much warmer tone, letting the percussion with reverb take centre stage. Throughout, Marvin's vocal performances are next to none, it doesn't even seem like he did double tracking - his voice carries itself with little help required, the same can be said of Jamerson's bass riffs, the famous story of him even playing one of the songs drunk after being dragged from a bar to perform. Right on is a hypnotic jam, reminds me of a latin track with the percussion going on in the background, near the end of the track when it drops out for a few mins and the drums kick in crispier than fried chicken, how can you not smile?? A definite solid addition to my library I'll listen to again and again.

Firstly, this album looks super short, only 9 songs and 35 minutes long. I really like it - it's super vibey but not too low energy where i'm falling asleep.

Marvin’s soulful plea of “why can’t we just get along?” Political, funky, and oh so smooth.

Mercy mercy me ( The ecology) was my favorite. Groovy and fun. Smooth

Heard it before. Listening to this album is always a pleasure 4/5

Timeless, lush record. Every track is a winner on this one. Only track that I'm not super hot on is Save the Children. A little too on the nose for me, but still good music wise. Don't got a ton to say about it, other than I appreciate that this album has two inductees on the "Marvin Gaye's Clueless Ass" playlist with What's Going On and What's Happening Brother.

This album has paces very well and plays like a seamless medley, in a good way. Not in the way that it all sounds the same, it just connects and flows very well between songs. On top of that, it has the two timeless hits that have been smooth R & B hits for decades.

Nothing bad about it it’s just not really my thing.

I've always felt something was wrong with me because I never got into this album.

first two songs FIRE, third i felt like i was listening to frank ocean, the rest is really mid

Ok je commence à mieux cerner ce qui me plaît et ce qui me rebute un peu dans la soul. Les alliances choeurs - percus sont parfois tout à fait savoureuses, le groove est bon avec de super solos de saxo et même de flûte traversière, une belle basse qui soutient le groove ; mais je suis pas fan du côté un peu féérique porté par le son xylophone / triangle, les jetés au clavier, avec des accords parfois un peu entendus, les vocalises trop langoureuses... Cette dimension qui sonne un peu comédie musicale et joie facile Au total je passe pas un mauvais moment, c'est doux et c'est quali, parfois positivement enveloppant et dansant, mais y a un truc un peu mielleux qui se retrouve aussi dans les paroles et qui me laisse un peu indiff voire me saoule. Voilà j'y vois plus clair sur la soul ça fait plaisir ; je vois bien que l'album est très bon et je suis contente d'avoir enfin découvert Marvin Gaye ; je laisse un 3 pour le compromis, qui reflète bien le sentiment très ambivalent que j'ai avec des moments où je me laisse vraiment emporter et d'autres où je décroche, et au global une couleur qui est pas celle qui me parle le plus je crois Typiquement dans Right On il y a vraiment les deux : les percus sont originales et au poil, genre ça gratte l'oreille en rythmant le tout c'est excellent, le passage solo de flûte en duo avec le clavier c'est génial ; mais les moments plus langoureux avec les cordes traînantes et les notes de xylo genre comédie romantique en accompagnement du chant du même registre ça me termine

Very chill and enjoyable

Whats going on 4 Whats happening brother 3 Flyin high 3 Save the children 3 God is love 3 Mercy mercy me 4 Right on 4 Wholy holy 2 Inter City blues 3 3.22

Fav: save the children 2.5 Bit boring and too god-centric for my liking

What's going on is I had a spicy goddamn burrito last night and was up all night with ring sting. I had the album on in the background in the living room but the songs were punctuated by my flaming asshole

¿CÓMO ES QUE DESCUBRO A ESTE TIPO APENAS?

Genius

Almost universally praised as the greatest album of all times. I have maybe half a dozen Id say are better but without question a 5 star album one of the all time greatest.

Let's Get It On was Marvin's body, What's Going On is Marvin's soul.

The smoothest way to hear an important message and I'm not mad at it. I think we could do with more of this now tbh! For all those people who don't want to hear political messages from musicians because they think it's not their job... idk man.. I feel like it is? Are musicians not people? do they not bleed / think / feel etc. Honestly, what ///is/// going on? If you're used to your pop stars singing smooth sexy tracks and then all of a sudden they're like THE WORLD IS COMPLETELY FUCKED WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING! there's even more potency. idk. low key goosebumps with this album.

Another of the classic-for-a-reason ones, and another of the ones that I got very into as a teenager (wonder why that lil point-dexter struggled to make friends). I think this is probably unparalleled in terms of soul music, even if that's one of the least hot takes of all time. (My hotter soul take is that Curtis Mayfield's live record is almost as good). Sue me I like to go with the canon sometimes!! Well done Marvin sorry u got shot by ur dad

Few albums in modern history carry the emotional weight, musical brilliance, and cultural relevance of Marvin Gaye’s 1971 landmark, What’s Going On. Moving away from Motown’s traditional, hit-factory single format, Gaye crafted a seamless, nine-track concept album that acts as a poignant reflection on a world in turmoil. ​From the opening chatter and iconic sax intro of the title track, the album pulls you into a fluid, immersive soundscape. Blending smooth soul, jazz arrangements, orchestral strings, and lush vocal layering, the production feels organic and effortless. Songs flow into one another like movements in a symphony—whether addressing war and civil unrest (What’s Going On), environmental devastation (Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)), or urban poverty and despair (Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)). ​What makes the album so extraordinary is Gaye’s vocal delivery. Instead of shouting his frustration, he sings with a vulnerable, conversational intimacy that makes his plea for empathy feel deeply personal. Over five decades later, its themes remain painfully relevant, and its musical craftsmanship remains untouched. ​What’s Going On isn’t just one of the greatest soul records ever made—it is a landmark achievement in popular music. An essential, flawless five-star listen.

a perfect album and a lifetime go-to

Альбом топ, не ожидал что зайдет, больше всего кайфанул от песни inner city blues

Loved this. Perfect album

5/5

An all time classic and one that may not had been released had Marvin not 'put his foot down' with Motown label boss Berry Gordy who reportedly hated the title track. Producing a protest album was perhaps not what Gordy had in mind for the man who had built a successful career singing love songs. But Marvin had been deeply affected by the social ills plaguing his country towards the tail end of the Vietnam war brought sharply into focus by his own brothers return from the war and so a protest album he made and one that chimes as strongly in our modern times as I'm sure it did on release. As well as those themes he covered a more general malaise with urban poverty and our impact on the planet. Dark themes but Marvin's 'spoonful of sugar' sweet voice brings that message in a palatable way that would have cut through to the masses where other approaches perhaps struggled. It also wouldn't have worked without the brilliant and timeless songs that underpin both the voice and the message.

The Howard Hawks “3 great scenes, no bad ones” adage for film works here and then some. I’ll always be a little resistant to the wandering length of early 70s soul, but here it comprises part of a song cycle/mosaic that is just so damn rich.

I knew Marvin Gaye from the meme of him being the correct music for a romantic evening. Instead of a romance filled album i got an album filled with great music, dulcet tones, excellent production value, and lyrics that were incredibly topical for Marvin's time and place. An excellent album all around.

clASS

Classic album by Marvin Gaye. It’s almost like his diary where he express his view of the world

Lots of feel good soul vibes. It is very relaxing and uses a lot of instruments which I like. Songs that stuck with me were What's Going On, Mercy Mercy (i had in my playlist before), and Right On. God is Love has a nice meaning.

i love marvin gaye

Sometimes you listen to albums that are so good you wish that you could give albums a 6. And this album is one of them. If Heaven made an album, it would be this. Rest in peace, King.

What's Goin' On Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

banger bass lines goddamn

Soul baby, this man had soul! Excellent!

That's an insanely disciplined band. An album of pure studio perfection.

A classic

Perfect album. A brilliant song cycle in 35 minutes where every song stands on its own while also strengthening each song before and after it.

WHAT IS THERE BOT TO LOVE THIS A TOP 10 ALBUM OAT

1. What’s Going On 2. Flying High 3. Mercy, Mercy Me

A true classic. Just aa relevant now as it was in the 70s. 100/5

Classic! One of the best of the 70's His voice and emotional deliver is great! From his motown stuff (which is also great) to this 👏 what a ballsy move! Man had soul power! Whats going on Flying high (in the friendly sky) Mercy mercy me And wholy holy ❤️ (song is beaut) Every song is great!

Its breezes by. Extraprdonarily tight, full of rhythm and feeling.

Genius stuff. Political pop. Always in the top 10 albums with good reason. This is soooo listenable and cool.

A landmark album. Bring back political music!!

#393/1001. Motown goes politic, about time! They should have encouraged it more, instead of habing their artists as puppies (as Gaye felt), perhaps the world would be a better place. Instead, we still need to not only wonder What's going on but WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON, USA?

Beautiful in every way possible

Genuinely beautiful, and the lyrics are as relevant today as they were 55 years ago. A classic that truly deserves the praise.

awesome

That’s an ALBUM. Excellent and an easy 5 stars (minus the Jesusy bits).