Here, My Dear

This album is fucking boring. I don't care what it's about. He can whine about his divorce all he wants, it's not a good album. Pretty telling that no one cared about it until he died. More proof that posthumous acclaim is pretty much always unwarranted. And it goes FOREVER, fucking hell. 2/5.

This is my first time listening to this album.The late 70's is such an interesting time for music. The big legacy acts were putting out their most unusual and experimental albums. Either due to their ability to flex creativity control, their bordom with their old style or in this case, Marvin needed to finalize his divorce and he was gonna make just the album he felt like. Fuck you bitch is a simple concept but effective at bringing something out of Marvin. Marvin's funk is a light funk and I dig it. It feels slow and gentile comparied to the heavy funk or Parliament or James Brown. Like every good concept album, this album is meant to be enjoyed as a whole. It would be perfect to own on vinyl and enjoy on a lazy afternoon. The first two tracks start things off slowly. Lacking much of a hook or a resolution to the melody, its sounds like they are asking you to chill. But from there it builds, getting funking and faster but still remaining gentile with Marvin's sweet voice leading the way. I'd let Marvin slow funk me again anytime. Especially if its leads to "Time to get together" and "A Funky Space Reincarnation".

Bro was IN HIS FEELINGS about that divorce, huh?

So... I've never been into the smooth smooth stylin's of Mr. Gaye. But this album is really interesting. It's got the smooth sound you'd expect but, if you take a moment to listen to the lyrics, they're REALLY raw. Apparently, half of the earnings of this album were forfeited to his ex-wife even before he wrote it... so he wrote it about her. And damn. He put it all out there. Lyrics like, "You don't have the right to use the son of mine/To keep me in line/One thing I can't do without/Is the boy whom God gave to both of us" are balanced in the same song with "May love ever protect you/May peace come into your life." It's a really fascinating record, honestly. Not something I foresee myself listening to again but an album that I ended up enjoying while I listened to it.

If you are a millennial like me, you either 1.) know that Marvin Gaye's music is synonymous with sexy times, or 2.) know someone who was conceived to said music. This album, 'Here, My Dear', does little to break the stereotype. From start to finish, the album features gentle soul/funk to make love to. Not fuck. Not chains-and-whips and edible undies type sex. No. We're talking sweet, sweet slow missionary style boom chikka wow wows. The instrumentations, from the gentle snare-and-high-hat drums to the gentle percussive guitars, lays the groundwork for Mr Gaye's reproduction-encouraging vocal stylings. Punctuated by the occasional sax lines, the music tends to be a bit one-note (says the guy who would listen to a Ramones album end to end). Overall, this album was not one I enjoyed. Not to say that it is bad. Maybe one day, I will meet a nice lady at my retirement home on Mars, and we will make out to the timeless sexy sounds of Marvin Gaye. But for now, I will just leave the record here, my dear.

"Let's turn the saxophone up to 10 and put an echo effect on all the vocals!" I know Marvin Gaye is a legend but this was not a good album.

It’s like eating chocolate in a Cialis commercial.

A guy complaining about his divorce over boring funk beats. Should be called “I got a divorce (sax outro)” Seriously you just got a divorce bro. She doesn’t need a song named after her. Maybe focus on paying that alimony broke boy

I have no objection to personal songs or emotional connections, but this is self-indulgent, overblown and interminable. ‘When did I stop loving you?’ Round about song three. Two many low points, and not much to praise except the Motown production. And Marvin Gaye does have a good voice. Really not one of his best.

Dude needs to move on.

Another incredible album by Marvin Gaye. This album takes us through his divorce and the wide ranging emotions that come with that. He oscillates from expressing anger, reconciliation, sadness, defensiveness and finally acceptance. His vocals are tortured and magnificent. I loved the use of thematic grounding around the phrase ‘When did you stop loving me, when did I stop loving you.’ It’s gives the album a sense of unity to persist through the roller coaster of sheer emotion

No one man personified 1970s turbulence more than Marvin Gaye. Such soul seeking, inward reflections of the self that he inhabited gave us some of the greatest albums of not just Marvin's career but of all time and it capped off with Here, My Dear, perhaps the most fascinating album of his. What Marvin once envisioned as chicken shit would soon give way to chicken salad as he did not shy away from the painful and hellacious breakup with his (much older) wife Anna. Rather, he wallows and revels in the grandiose nature of the music within as the disco flavoring mingles uneasily with the supposedly private topics dished out on wax. No wonder fans of his were put off. He was supposed to uplift them, give a voice to issues at hand and supply them with feel good jams when necessary. No one was ready to hear songs about paying attorney fees and the cost of leaving a relationship behind in 1978 but that was what Marvin was doing. We'd be wrong and he'd be right in due time. Exhausting, explorative, emotive, expressive and epic, Here, My Dear is Marvin at his most honest.

Still fire. Sparrow is *chefs kiss*

For an album to be created for the purpose it was to be as good as this one, is amazing.

Nice vibes, rlly chill. Not my style, but I could vibe to this anyday for sure.

Je ne comprends pas. Il faut entendre cet album parce qu'il s'agit de la plus mauvaise décision de faire un album double sur son divorce et ça en fait ainsi le plus grand échec commercial? Ça a été une écoute très difficile et pénible. En terme de face d'album, le 2e disque et plus particulièrement la face B est la meilleure. J'aime bien ce que Marvin Gaye fait, mais cet album n'était pas nécessaire.

I admit I went into this album with a bad attitude. There are so many great artists and albums not represented on this list of 1001 albums, why waste a slot on this, which was created out to essentially spite his ex-wife? And after the first two songs I was still pretty bitter about it. And don't get me wrong, I love Marvin Gaye. He might be my favorite singer. But I was not feeling it on those first two songs. Even his singing felt off. But I don't know, by the time the third song came on, the music got interesting and I opened my mind up. Some of these tracks are just plain weird and maybe even bad. But some of them are actually kind of cool. And the musicianship is excellent throughout, as you'd expect from Motown. I don't know how quickly I'll be putting this back on, but it was better than I initially gave it credit for. And maybe if I listen to it more I'll give it a better ranking, but this morning I'm feeling a 2

Hey Marvin! Marvin! Why don't you just leave me alone? I'm just trying to make my life better by earning an honest day's wage, but here you are again, trying to talk me in to doing drugs and partake in sordid sex rituals. Just let me be. I hope you die, you creep. Leave my sister alone too. She's already had 4 abortions this year, she doesn't need another.

I'm a huge fan of minding your own business. So I don't really meddle in my neighbors' personal lives, nor do I take interest in celebrities' shenanigans, nor take pleasure in afternoon TV shows involving real life love affairs or late night TV shows involving fictional love affairs. So, the vouyeristic nature of Gaye's "Here My Dear" didn't hit me. In other words, I don't care about his divorce. I guess I appreciate the fragility and the sincerity of it. But that doesn't mean that I enjoyed thus one hour messy soul jams. There's a reason why it was panned when it's released, and it's simply because it sucks.

Pretty underwhelming and not some of his best work. I'll stick with the classic albums and songs of his.

Lovely

Wow. Just wow.

Absolutely wonderful. Jazzy, melodic, soulful. Funny enough I heard a song that sounded like a Justin Timberlake song in there so it must have been influential. I’m giving it a 5/5 because it was so pleasant to listen to and I had barely any anxiety listening to it.

Very long and a tough listen because of its subject matter, but I love the sound and the emotion. 9

De éste disco no conocía ninguna canción.

Loved it

sexy

Good

My favorite smooth talker

SMOOOTTTTHHHH

Smooth as gravy, awesome

Classic

good tunes

du er en kæmpe champ marvin

Classic smooth sound

Wow, this was raw. Powerful stuff. Best track: A Funky Space Reincarnation

Brilliant.

Amazing album from an icon of R&B

Classic Marvin Gaye album - it is the Marvin Gaye album I probably listen to the most - it is perfect - not much more to say.

loved it, his voice is superb!

Really enjoyed it.

Nice Marvin!

Pretty damn fantastic. Basically a concept album. Really interesting vibe

Wonderful flow to this album going through the elation of a new relationship, falling in love and heartbreak. Then getting back on the horse. Great stuff.

amazing

Wonderful Sunday morning record

MARVIN GAYE. One of the best to ever do it and my personal favorite artist of all time. This album, just like all his other work, is amazing. 5/5 there’s not a Marvin Gaye album that’s not a 5 star.

Je comprend que l'album n'est pas été un succès instantanné mais une revelation après plusieurs années. Ce n'est pas classique de Marvin Gaye comme je le connais, mais certaine de ces chansons sont empreint d'une grande emotivité et la production est A1. Marvin Gaye est un artiste que j'aime beaucoup et je crois que cet album est un must a écouté pour bien connaitre l'artiste. 5

No one else has ever made anger sound so beautiful.

Wonderful. Can't remember any of the songs/tunes, but it's just a beautiful noise, from start to finish. In that respect he's a bit like Van Morrison - it doesn't matter what he plays/sings, it's all just great.

Romandische jazzige RnB Oldies

cool

Marvin Gaye, Marvin Guy, move on up baby let it be.

Great album. About his divorce.

so nice, love it love absolutly

What a voice and what a set of songs. The ultimate quiet storm for a divorce record. Brutal and beautiful in equal measure. One's fully down with belated reckoning of this one as MG's masterpiece.

Crazy... I had just put this album on the turntable earlier this evening! Marvin's working through some real shit here and I respect him for being so candid. Yes, this is a sprawling mess of an album, but in the best and weirdest way. Something like "A Funky Space Reincarnation" doesn't even seem to fit the concept of the album, but it's so batshit bonkers that I'm tickled he sandwiched it in there. Just shows you how off the rails he must have been at that point in his life. I think recording in your own studio tends to lend itself to this type of wild self indulgence. I'm glad Marvin had the opportunity to make such an artful and thorough public catharsis.

Loved it

perfect.

Beautiful

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: I met a little girl, When did you stop loving me, Anger, Is that enough, Everybody needs love, Sparrow, Anna’s song, Falling in love again

Masterpiece. I'm only halfway through right now, and picking a favorite track is going to be extremely difficult. Favorite tracks: When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You; Is That Enough

I have always heard the name but didn't think I had ever heard him, but I definitely have. Such an amazing voice.

Really funky. A bit long, with the three versions of the same song, but I liked it. Good for having on in the background. + When Did You Stop Loving Me + Sparrow + Anna's Song

Love it. Such a smooth, silky album. Sounds like background music for when you’re laying on a fur rug in front of the fireplace drinking a glass of red wine with your lover. 5 stars

Great stuff from Marvin

lovely, nice, cute, amazing. listened to it on repeat the whole day

A Funky Space Reincarnation blew my tiny little mind.

Best Song: Sparrow. Something about the contrast between Marvin's slow, methodical vocals being contrasted with the spastic solos in the background just really worked. Worst Song: Here, My Dear. Wasn't digging the spoken parts. Felt like a too on-the-nose intro for the album. Overall: It's actually a shame that some of Marvin Gaye's name has become synonymous with some of his more outlandish songs (e.g., "Sexual Healing"), because damn if he doesn't have a consistently great catalogue. Each track was funky, or soulful, but always buttery smooth.

Angelic

Marvin Gaye may be the best singer I have ever heard. Along with some great jazz instrumentals this is such a great album. Is That Enough is such a good song I was about to give this album 5 stars just off of that. The intro and outro are just so good.

Okay, I'm going to say it: This album is not only one of Gaye's best works but maybe even better than the well known What's Going On. The music is more interesting (the drums) and Gaye works with many harmonies. Maybe it doesn't win out thematically but it is the better bedroom music.

Soft and smooth, knows where to hit

De este disco no conocía ninguna canción.

To me, this is hilarious. It’s genuinely very good. Music is beautifully composed, the singing is excellent. And the lyrics really are about the end of a relationship. What tickles me is how on-theme all the songs are. The man was seriously upset by this marriage. He put it all out there. It’s a very cathartic project. If you’re going through it, this is the album for you. Considering the other concept albums on this list, this has to be among the best. Setting a song about attorney fees to a sexy slow jam, is the chef’s kiss of pettiness.

Marvin Gaye was a gift from God. That voice is so smooth. Iconic. I could listen to Marvin every day-not the same album but all of his songs.

De éste disco no conocía ninguna canción.

Yesssss

10/10 listening to this album feels like a light has entered my life

Marvin Gaye could sing an infectious disease textbook and still make women swoon. Even with the pin and, at some points, bitterness on this album, he’s still incredibly soulful. It was admittedly a little difficult to listen to sometimes having gone through a divorce myself, but that’s a testimony to how honest this album is.

One of the best spite albums of all time. From heartbreaking to humorous at times, this is the work of a genius sending a giant 'fuck you' to his label and ex-partner in the most creative way possible.

Some of the most raw emotion you'll hear on an album. That paired with the funk and jazz elements throughout make this one pretty addicting for me. Favorite track: A Funky Space Reincarnation

Very cool!

If you’re going through it, this is the album for you. Considering the other concept albums on this list, this has to be among the best. Setting a song about attorney fees to a sexy slow jam, is the chef’s kiss of pettiness.

"Here, My Dear" is the fifteenth studio album by Marvin Gaye, originally released in 1978. **Warning:** This album will make you think about your ex. It's no mystery to find out why this record was met with criticism upon its release. His previous studio album, 1976's "I Want You" was filled with love and lust-filled tracks that Marvin Gaye had become known for by the mid-1970s. This album is a stark contrast. The lyrical content on here largely revolves around Gaye's divorce with his then-wife, Anna. When I say these lyrics are personal, I mean they're PERSONAL. He calls out Anna by name multiple times throughout these tracks, and even has a whole song dedicated to her! That would immediately be off-putting to even hardcore fans of Gaye's music at the time. It's kinda like when you're hanging out with your friend and he gets drunk then starts venting to you and it's kinda awkward cause you don't know how to react at first. Gaye's raw emotion on this record, and sometimes his bitterness, is out of character for him. But that's why I think this record is so great. It's a complete outlier in his discography. Even the production gets a bit interesting on here. They're starting to experiment a bit more with electronics and synths. I can tell that this record was definitely influential to modern artists, especially Tyler, The Creator (especially his 2019 album "Igor"). Definitely a fun and at times emotional record to listen to.

I loved the hell out of this. Screw buckcherry, this is the real divorce music. Super groovy stuff. Bro's mad over a divorce settlement, then pivots to a space opera where he's talking to me about having sex on the moon & the plutonian droids lmao, all while there's horns out the wazoo. I'm floating.

4/16 Smooth as can be. Standout Tracks: When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You, Is That Enough, Sparrow, Anna's Song, A Funky Space Reincarnation

Sexy time.

Currently my fav Marvin Gaye album

'Everybody Needs Love' is incredible. Great album overall, would listen again

false

Liked this one, soul music I always find so relaxing

Many songs feel generic. Favorite song "Sparrow"

The man can sing, that’s not news to anyone.

Nice. I’m into it!

This is an experience. Wow.

Très bon album du son classique de Marvin Gaye, glisse très bien d'un bout à l'autre, mais un tantinet monotone.

good background music

Dayum this was so good! I absolutely loved how long and repetitive some of these songs were. Had a few problems with some of his whining about women, and that's kind of all he's got. Some were more positive.. but overall. Enjoyed - put me in such a good mood

I've been patiently waiting for some Marvin Gaye, particularly What's Going On. I actually just heard about this album a couple days ago, but hadn't heard it. It's really, really great. Marvin has such a soulful voice, there's a lot of life and pain in there, but it's still groovy. Interesting that he gave up promoting this album after it was deemed "too commercial." So many tracks on here that I loved immediately. Ironically, though, the one song I've heard before ("When Did You Stop Loving Me") I don't like. That song is featured on the "blonded" radio station in GTA and it's one of the few that I will tune away from. It just doesn't do anything for me, and yet I had to hear it three different ways on one album. Despite that, I loved this. I recognize the classic status. Favorite tracks: I Met a Little Girl (amazing track), Everybody Needs Love, Anger, Here My Dear. Album art: Never even seen this before, but I really dig it. Marvin immortalizing himself as a statue looks pretty funny, but it's a very cool art style. 4.5/5