Here, My Dear

Really liked the funky stuff, loved the lovey dovey slow stuff less.

Marvin Gaye really hates his ex-wife. That's pretty much the whole album. He introduces a little nuance on songs like Anger, but for the most part he characterizes Anna Gordy as money hungry, deceitful, and vindictive. He might be right. He also ended up marrying a girl he met at 17 years of age after his divorce. So he's not exactly a saint. Regardless, the music is really good. Surprisingly frequent use of synths mix well with soul music to be overall very funky. Album has pretty good flow, and Gaye ofc has amazing performances throughout. I enjoyed it!

nada que decir fabuloso

A 74-minute album about Marvin Gaye’s divorce from Anna Gordy is a bit much. I can appreciate turning something that personal and ugly into music, but by the end I felt like I’d accidentally been copied on 14 months of correspondence between their divorce attorneys. There are moments where the bitterness makes for interesting songwriting but there’s only so much resentment, money fighting, and relationship autopsy I need in one sitting. Musically, a lot of it settles into the same laid-back groove too, which makes 74 minutes feel even longer. What’s Going On was incredible, so I know how good Marvin Gaye can be when everything comes together. Coincidentally, Anna Gordy has a songwriting credit on that album. This one is certainly more personal, but personal doesn’t automatically mean interesting for an hour and fourteen minutes.

Marvin Gaye sounds as good as ever, the band is excellent, and musically there is very little to complain about. What holds the album back for me is the subject matter: turning an entire divorce into a cycle of songs addressed to an ex-wife is certainly personal, but also occasionally uncomfortable. There is plenty of quality here, yet compared with the other Marvin Gaye albums in the list, 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘔𝘺 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 feels the least essential. A good record, but not the one I would point to first.

I get that this is an interesting take on the genre and particularly Gaye's previous work. But I don't really enjoy slow jams and making them miserable slow jams doesn't change that. Loses extra points for the rampant misogyny of a song from a notorious philanderer attacking his wife for not 'obeying' him

I found this quite dull actually. I’ve been familiar with What’s Goin’ On for years but never heard any other Marvin Gaye albums. This never seemed to really get going. Everything is played excellently, but none of the songs stood out. I’m sure it would benefit from more listens, but then so could a lot of albums on this list. I was erring on 3, but I’m going 2. A high 2, but still a 2.

Here, my listener, is a legendy

meh

I do enjoy this record but I'm not sure it's a 4. It's kinda long!

Out of all the Marvin Gaye, you picked his 15th album for this list?! The one where he ISN'T singing about grapevines, what's going on, or doing 'it'? Why? Stop pulling mediocre out of your ass.

Marvin Gaye is always good. But this one didn’t hit me where it hurts.

His divorce album left me feeling nothing but disappointment

Marvin evidently has a lot of feelings about his divorce, and from my perspective, it's just straight up groveling for over an hour. Since the theme doesn't change at all from song to song, it begins to feel quite a bit one-note. Like, we get it, you're upset your wife left you and you can't (or won't) understand why, where did the love go, et cetera et cetera. Usually I like Marvin Gaye too, so this was a bit of a letdown. 2.5/5 Favorite tracks: Time To Get It Together, You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You

A very weird, album which was personal and emotional for Marvin Gaye. I mean this is his divorce album. It is "What's Going On" but just directed at Marvin. I don't need two full versions of "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You". It is a fun song but both versions don't need to be 6 minutes. This is my current take! Though "A Funky Space Reincarnation" is awesome. 3.5/5- can go higher on more listens

This album a real album… It’s really well put together. A little long, but really well put together.

MARVIN!!!! dit was echt leuk en groovy

funky maar beetje toch wel achtergrond muziek

Aw man, its days like this that remind me of why I stick with this project. Obviously I know Marvin Gaye - unsurprisingly for What's Going On - but by the virtue (or maybe sin) of how I go about finding music I hadn't bothered with listening to his other works. What a mistake! Previous exposure had me expecting slow, if well-produced and high-quality, soul. Instead Gaye Delivers a groovy funk-laden tracks that keep on surprising. Interspersed are some more classic soulful tracks, but they bang as well. Just gorgeous instrumentation all the way through. It's well worth checking the story behind this album out. It's one of divorce - and Gaye practically wrote it to settle the affair in court. Adds a new level to the lyrics - but does not in a way that seriously detracts from the music.

what a crazy album dude.. god damn.... ok like first off the music is amazing. i feel like u can really hear his development as a musician since what's going on (helps that we got both so close together) and basically as far as the music itself goes? this album is back to back bangers on that front. but holy shit the vibes are rancid! every single track is about being divorced and/or how much his ex-wife sucks. he was really exploring new frontiers in the field of being a fucking hater on this one. what the fuck!! i like can't even describe this one u just gotta listen to it. absolutely incredible and totally fucking unhinged album. wow.

Ich werde mit Soul nicht warm. Schon gar nicht, wenn das so ein furchtbares Rumgesülze ist. Die instrumentalen und funkigen Parts sind okay.

Die Geschichte zu dem Album ist ja übel. Viele Sachen sind mir irgendwie zu "wet".

I See Your Dad Is Taking The Divorce Well: The Album.

When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You

buen ritmo

Sometimes, the story of how an album came to be is more interesting than the actual album itself. I think that's the case here. The background on this album is that Gaye was in the process of getting divorced from Anna Gordy Gaye (older sister of Berry Gordy). The divorce was messy and as part of the settlement, Anna was awarded half the proceeds from the sales of Gaye's next album. Initially, Gaye thought he'd just throw an album together quickly without much thought since his ex was going to get half. But once he got into the process, he decided he still owed the public the best album he could put out there. The result was this album, which basically documents his marriage from the start through the divorce. It even includes a song for his then girlfriend and later wife, Janis - "Falling In Love Again". That marriage was short-lived as well. As far as the music, I thought the album started off slow, but got better and smoother as it went. It's definitely an album in the true sense in that the songs all go together sequentially to tell a story. No hits on this one and nothing I recognized. I think this is an album that is best listened to as an album rather than individual singles. Having said that, it's really long - a bit too long for me.

This one was a challenge to get through. Torn between 1 and 2 stars but doing 1 because apparently Marvin Gaye is also like the worst person ever.

Pretty good easy listening/funk album.

Definitely an adventure. This actually doesn’t feel as long as it is?

I must admit I didn’t pay attention to the lyrics. Stylistically similar to his other albums of the same era. Groovy and smooth soul music. Later I realised this was a bitter album documenting and expressing his feelings about his divorce. Pretty cool.

Soft soul som är behaglig att lyssna på en söndag morgon på Frösön.

An amazingly cool album, soulful, emotional, harmonic, joyful. For dancing, crying, loving, and everything in between.

Fast nerviger Wiederholungsbeat der 70er. Es wäre Zeit für einen Stilwechsel gewesen. Die hat der selbstverliebte Interpret verpasst.

This album was okay. I wanted to like it but it didn't do a ton for me. It was way too long. I might come back and give it another listen, because I'm generally a big fan of Marvin Gaye, but I don't know.

(6 estrellas)

Marvin Gaye is great - this seemed like just an ok album. No big smash. It's cool and chill and he sounds great, as do the players.

Nothing special to me except for a couple of songs; sorry.

1018 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

I'm basing my rating on the quality of the music, if it would be purely my personal rating it would be a 1. It's well crafted and mr. Gaye's voice unmistakably pulls you through and gets you in the right mood. However, personally, I absolutely hate this kind of music.

great album. marvin nails the low key groove. impeccable instrumentation. flawless vocals. it's restrained, soft, and still funky. the curtis mayfield influence is there, for sure. and you can hear his influence on bobby mcferrin i was undecided about 4 or 5. after listening to a few tracks again, i think it's prob a 4.

This was very long, checked how far I was through after a few tracks and it was not very far at all. After I checked the tracks seemed to get longer and longer, until I was checking multiple times to confirm it was indeed the same song. Bad sign I was so aware of this. Felt like that level of experimentation some very famous popular artists do at the point they think everything they do is amazing. Meandering, not very interesting. Not a Marvin fan by any means but I can appreciate why people like him, and none of what that is seemed to be on show here. So yeah, not for me and not very good. 1.5.

Probably best listened to in the car with a conversation going on. Really pleasant chill music, quite dark lyrics, but long.

Not for me Marvin, although I did learn that he was killed by his father, who was also called Marvin Gaye, so there is that. It's not bad butt any means, just not for me. Very long too 1.5

Favorite track: Anna's song other picks: Anger, when did you stop loving me, funky

Musically this starts off bland but improves significantly as the album goes on. Lyrically this is a mess from start to finish. Repeating “Why do I have to pay attorney’s fees?” is not good songcraft. Thank God Marvin pre-dated those weird anti-alimony advocacy groups. He would have been the spokesperson. I wish he had just covered “Cheaper to Keep Her” and left it at that. The worst Marvin Gaye album is still better than the best album by 90% of other artists but you kind of hate to hear one of the all-time greats in this deep of a slump both artistically and emotionally.

This may be the most maliciously compliant records ever made, and I’m here for it. It’s over an hour of Marvin Gaye lamenting the loss of his marriage (often in excruciating detail) while taking absolutely no responsibility for it. Luckily, he knows how to put a song together and the record doesn’t feel lower effort at all. It does get a little monotonous since every song is about the same thing. That’s the point, though, and I don’t think Gaye really cared.

A couple of songs of this was enough. Absolutely horrific, skin-crawling shite by just about every conceivable metric.

Divorce music, but +1 for being Marvin Gaye

okeish

i have little patience for straight man divorce music but this is such a spectacularly melodramatic work of divorcedness i can't help but be fascinated by it. also the music itself is very good, no surprise there. the album art has me cracking up in disbelief every time i look at it. a real piece of work. of course it's all fun and games and until you read more about how gaye treated the women and girls in his life and it all gets a little too real. can't in good conscience give this more than a 3 but it certainly is something to behold.

I mean, he has a great, soothing voice, plus I liked hearing saxophone as a part of the instrumentals. However, the songs were so, so, so average and even less than.

Music for smashing, that's about it. Otherwise, it's pretty boring stuff.

Not prime Marvin by any means. A bit self indulgent and lacking in truly memorable songs.

Very disappointed by this album, from what I've heard from Marvin Gaye in the past I've liked. I found this album a bit boring.

maldito marvin gaye TE AMO, si no existieras te inventaria. Que ganas de poder escuchar este disco en vinilo:(

Not every album by amazing artists should be included.

An hour and 13 minutes of this? You have to be kidding me.

Very nice

Mediocre meandering outpouring, even if it was just a reflection of his state of mind at time.

Ok!

Why is it that a breakup album feels romantic and a divorce album doesn't? I guess because of song titles like "You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You". He's got a beautiful voice and the backing is always pretty good but nothing really catchy here. I would like if he was hearing something through a grapevine or asking me what is going on.

More fun and soul from Marvin Gaye. Par the course for one of his albums, though I question whether this *needed* to be a double LP. Still a good listen if a little long. Top tracks: When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You; Is That Enough; You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You

so smooth

Anger Everybody Needs Love Time to Get it Together Rest of album a slog

When did you stop loving me is a man rambling on looking to blame and not really taking his responsibility in a relationship that fell apart. The entire album feels like him questioning what happened while at the same time singings songs glamourising all the reasons why the divorce broke down. I found the entire thing a bit self indulged and boring. "You can leave, but it's going to cost you". Really mature there Marvin. I will not remember this tomorrow. 2.5 stars

I appreciate this is good music, but it's just not for me at this point in my life

The first half was fantastic and then it gets repetitive and loses some of the power it had in the first half.

Improved by the story Tim told me about it's origin

This was a very interesting discovery through Marvin's divorce, breakdown and resurrection. Reading about the story of this album, shared by a kind reviewer on this wonderful platform made me appreciate it much more. It prepared me for the long slog that this album could feel like. But what I heard was frustration, anger and hope, there is also a bit of hope. At 1 hr and 13 minutes (which is the actual run time, not adding any bonus songs or outtakes) this is a long album, and in a way, it is also a concept album, albeit the concept is his divorce and his anger because of it. Certain songs were excellent, some were not so much. So I have to give it a 3 stars - I don't think I'd buy it if I see it up for sale somewhere.

One of the greatest voices ever for this kind of music. All the talking fits with the genre but its definitely something that turns me off from the album. I just can't get in to songs that have those parts.

My impression of this record (based on the lore) was that it was kind of a low effort. It's definitely not, but it is just as loaded with spite as I imagined. I think it's really solid and it has the entire Motown hit machine at its disposal. But I don't see myself going back to it when there are a million other great Marvin Gaye tunes out there.

ganz schön und ja

Tive expectativas fortes mas foi repetitivo

Greatest voice, but this one meandered.

Moj drugi Marvin Gaye & totalno nepoznan album! (Ful 70s naslovnica.) "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You" mi je hud, kljub tematiki (med prvim & drugim komadom je bil res awkward prehod, the fuck was that?!). "Anger" isto. Od tretjega dalje so mi kr banger after banger. Pač, dejansko mi je razlika od včerajšnjega Curtisa. (To napišem, ker sm med reviewi vidla primerjave med njima.) Fak, kr naenkrat zaslišim besedilo komada, k mi je bil prej všeč, "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You", in sm že mislila, da sm prej ponesreč ga ponovno naštimala - ne, dejansko se ponovi, kao inštrumentalno. (In, lol, glihkar sm vidla, da bo še v tretje. Why?) Uu, nasledn je hud ("A Funky Space Reincarnation").

quiet and cute the wedding one is cool

3/4

I'd give it a "this was fine" 3 if it didn't drag on so damn long. The "Funky Space" song was kinda fun, but the composition on the rest of the album mostly bored me after a while. I get that he apparently had more than a standard LP's worth of lyrics to get out at the time, but there's not enough original music to justify the double album. 2.4

Not my favorite album from one of my favorite artists. Hadn’t heard it before. About of pain in the lyrics, he was going through a divorce.

Yeah, dad's taking the divorce well.

Wow Marvin was going through it when writing this album. The first two songs didn't grab me at all and I thought… oh no, this is going to be a slog to get through. But the album did pick up with some interesting grooves and amazing vocal delivery, making for a decent listen but far far away from my favourite Marvin Gaye material.

pa ono, meni ovo uopće nije bilo tak loše. jest da je dugačko i da je malo previše "žena me ostavila", mislim da nije nipošto loše, bilo mi je na razini prethodnih njegovih albuma koje sam slušao, znači na razini trojke

Already a huge fan of Marvin Gaye due to his 1971 "What's Going On" album, so let's see how these weighs up against that. From smooth, deep basslines and Gaye's iconic voice, it's hard not to hate on anything on this album. That being said, there were some things here that fell flat for me personally; it just didn't ignite my soul as much as What's Going On did. "Here, My Dear" follows a more monologuing set of lyrics and vocal delivery that was nice enough, but ultimately did nothing for me. This has become a deeper and deeper frustration for me as I work through these albums; artists who talk us through a track rather than singing. I understand that it has it's place to give a different kind of emotional impact/tone, but I've increasingly started to dislike it. With that said, this didn't start for me until "I Met A Little Girl" started, which was beautiful. "when Did You Stop Loving Me..." made me realise something I suspected from the opening track, being that I am not overly fond of the backing singers on this album either. It's that they're weak, more they just feel intrusive, which I think has something to do with their syncopated nature too. He speaks some of this track, too. "Anger" had great vocals and lyrics, but I found the repetitive guitar lick just grating, which is a huge shame. Only 4 tracks in and I'm confident that my already-stated gripes about the album covers everything I'll dislike about the rest of it, leaving only my favourite songs left to list. These would be because they avoid these pitfalls: "Is That Enough", "Time to Get it Together" (this one was incredibly interesting, making great use of synths and post-production beats that was just pure novelty) and "Sparrow".

i like marvin gaye but this album is a bit lame

The most egregious thing I can say about this album is it just isn't very interesting. It's overlong, the songs kind of just meander around, and they flow into each other which makes for a really loose ability to tell tracks apart. I dig the two other Marvin Gaye albums I've heard, but this one felt more self-indulgent than anything else and I found myself disinterested very quickly, which didn't lift throughout. "You Can Leave But It's Going to Cost You" is especially a wild idea of a song, extolling how much better his lawyers were in the divorce. Overall I'm just fine not listening to this again.

Una obra maestra del soul autobiográfico que ha envejecido bien gracias a su radical honestidad conceptual. Desde la perspectiva del diseño de ensamble, la producción presenta un entretejido sobrecargado de sintetizadores pausados, líneas de bajo densas y múltiples capas de su propia voz superpuestas, configurando una atmósfera claustrofóbica que traduce fielmente el peso del litigio y la ruptura. La interpretación vocal de Gaye abandona el esteticismo tradicional de Motown para proyectar una fuerza y calidez que transmiten autenticidad desarmante, otorgándole al álbum una autoridad superior nacida de la exposición absoluta. Piezas fundamentales como "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You" y "Anna's Song" edifican un documento profundamente crudo, real y conmovedor que opera como un potente llamado a la conciencia sobre el final del amor y las batallas legales. Un trabajo denso e intelectual cuya hipnótica sensación de paz y fluidez instrumental, a pesar de la pesadez de su temática, lo vuelve apto para múltiples usos nocturnos o de concentración, destacando para acompañar el trabajo creativo o sumergirse en una reflexión solitaria.

i liked it but i can't listen to it without remembering what marvin gaye was doing, that man was disgusting

nose que esperaba cuando vi el título,, yo creo que 1ro una mujer y 2do algún género más crudo, como el de la que me tocó antes llamada Aretha Frankiln. No tengo muchos comentarios acerca del álbum además de que lo sentí muy largo JAJAJAJ, duró solo 1 hora con 20 mins aprox pero igl. Siento que es algo que pondría en una tienda vintage aunque aún así no me imagino a ningún familiar mío escuchándolo xd

4/10

Some good tunes

I got through four tracks but then couldn't stand any more, had to rip my earbuds out in rage. Horrible.

I’m not sure a concept album about divorce should be this . . . smooth? It’s hard to complain, though: smooth *is* smooth.

3.5 relaxing

Väldigt flygplansreklam. Fick lyssna flera gånger för det uttråkade mig tyvärr… Är så förvirrad över grejen med samma låt 3 gånger på albumet? Enligt texten på Spotify ska det ej vara samma, det är typ monologer? Men när jag spelar låtarna så är det samma låt och ej texten som står? Diskuterade Gaye igår och tycker han har mycket bra, men ej det här!

Great artist, probably need to spend more time with this one to evaluate more fairly.

Not bad but not his best

Can appreciate it but it’s not really for me

His voice is gorgeous and some of the tracks have some fun, funky instrumentation, but honestly for a lot of the tracks I thought the music was boring. And that’s before looking at the lyrics. I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to an album about his divorce, and I wouldn’t mind if one of those songs was spiteful or petty, but a full album of it makes me uncomfortable. Fav song: Everybody Needs Love – is this a song justifying cheating? Sounds like it might be. But he’s showing his voice off here and I love the brass on it. Least fav: I Met a Little Girl

Feel a bit like I've got cornered by a man complaining about his divorce without a single thought of what he also did wrong, uncomfortable. Favourite song: Anger Least: I Met A Little Girl

Pretty much what you expect going in blind to a Marvin Gaye album. Solid, but with no highs like we've from his more acclaimed work.

uff, really good! I've never heard a full album of Marvin but has always liked his music, this didn't disappoint. 4.5

It's Marvin Gaye and Tamla Motown, so there's floor of general competence here, even though Gaye is very clearly going through it with an entire double album about his acrimonious divorce. Like every double album I've ever listened to, trimming this to a single album would improve things immensely. Though think in that case, you'd lose the best track "A Funky Space Reincarnation" because it's not on theme. Probably the worst of Gaye's "big albums, but still good sonically.

Marvin Gaye is not my thing

Sometimes genius sometimes hilarious, at least I learned a little more about Marvin's chaotic life

Really hard to find the album, better luck next time?

Deeply soulful and melancholic

Never heard a single of these before and it was a good listen!

Good but not great Gaye

Nah

This album is pure love from start to finish. While listening I felt completely immersed in a wave of raw emotions and deep passion. It’s one of those records that feels like Marvin is laying his soul completely bare. The songs merge together beautifully, creating this smooth, continuous flow. The instrumentals are rich and tasteful, and Marvin’s vocals are godlike — tender, powerful, and heartbreakingly honest. The whole record is a concept piece about his painful divorce, but it becomes something much bigger and more universal. And I can’t talk about this album without mentioning “Anna’s Song” — it’s one of the absolute best moments in Marvin’s entire career. So beautiful, so vulnerable, and so emotionally heavy that it hits you right in the chest. Here, My Dear is a masterpiece. Emotional, passionate, and deeply moving. One of his very best.

not my favorite MG album

This is a perfectly calibrated machine. Each moving part is seamlessly choreographed as cylinders, pistons, and valves all move in unison, completing their part. It hums. It purrs. So smoothly, it looks easy.

"Somebody tell me please/why do I have to pay attorney fees" It's poetry - of sorts - that's for sure. It certainly expresses one man's worldview at a specific place and time. Overall this is a weird one. The man just cuts loose with is ample talents and does whatever he wants. Freed from traditional pop structures - the man is in a zone. Maybe not the zone - but a zone. Good? Bad? Who's to say. Fascinating.

One of the great break up albums. Brutal and tender. It's not really built for this project. I can understand reviewers on one listen thinking it's a bit impenetrable. It has quite a unified feel throughout and it is long. I love how musically it maintains a mood. But underneath that there is a lot going on. It is an album I can put on any number of times and hear something new.

Lots to absorb here in this double lp. Marvin isn't my favorite soul artist by a long shot, but there are some cool grooves here. This record feels very personal to him, it may require more listens.

Mild R&B/Funk.

The best soul/jazz album to be mellow for an hour. Maybe a great makeout album. If you don't listen to the breakup parts carefully. 4.5/5

Marvin Gaye manages to make a breakup album sound sexy. Its really strange and bitter in places. It takes "the best revenge is your own success" too seriously. Marvin, if you didnt care and were doing so great, then dont devote an entire album. Great pipes as always though.

This album is the equivalent of someone going “I don’t even care actually. It doesn’t bother me. This is what YOU wanted. It doesn’t bother me at all and that’s why I made a whole album about it”. I don’t know the details of their divorce but Marvin is going out of his way to paint himself as a good dude and a victim in the divorce and a real sweetheart but it mostly comes off as him overcompensating. A very cringey listening experience that makes me wonder if Marvin Gaye was a bad dude It’s funky as heck though so I got to give him that. Dude had soul.

I'm absolutely not in the mood to hear Mr. Gaye relitigate his divorce in song.

Fuck man, where do you even start with a record like this? 72 minutes of grief, misplaced anger, realization, wonderful saxophones, and occasional non-sequitur tunes about Pluto (by 1978, you wouldn't have told Marvin Gaye no either...) It is daunting and ugly and maybe unethical, but it is never anything less than gripping and powerful. It would be one thing if this were a heavy album with heavy instrumental, or a light album with heavy instrumental, but to keep the standard Motown sound on an album this vulnerable and ugly makes it feel unlike anything I've heard. It sounds like the curdling of pop-music romance... the songs are slower, the bass is louder, and Marvin more honest than ever. I'm not sure if I can get away with calling an album that dips so shamelessly into personal baggage (especially regarding another human being who seemingly wasn't keen on hearing about her husband's issues with her through song) a masterpiece, but goddamn is it close. Marvin Gaye was a genius, tainted by things that were often his fault but also often the result of the horrible cards he was dealt. How much of those two factors intertwining resulted in his divorce is up to anyone's guess, but I hope he's got some peace now.

Sheer class like most of his work

Nice

It might be MFing Marvin Gaye, but it's still a subpar album where he bitches about his ex wife and whines about paying attorney fees. Not exactly top tier.

Nice voice. Liked how chilled everything was..but overall it seemed a little long and got boring at times

3.5/5

Not my favourite Marvin album (What's Going On is the one) but definitely a great album

This started off like an over sexed Bob Dylan. Glad that experiment is over. When you see or hear a song that has the words “little girl”, do you feel creeped out? I can’t help but be weirded out due to how overreactive the softies have made this world. Like, I get what he’s saying but those words together have lost the true meaning I think. Anyway This settled in nicely to what one would expect of a Marvin Gaye album. I’m not overly excited about it though. It didn’t get me loving like I felt it would. Maybe it’s a repetitive listening album. I won’t try it but you can.

Incredibly personal to a point that one would expect an emotional breakdown, but Gaye manages to wrap it up as intense catharsis instead. Even without reading the sad backstory to this album, every song title even shows the hurt, save for A Funky Space Reincarnation, but it certainly doesn’t feel out of place. This one’s gotta be one of the best picks for this list because it feels like it caters best to its intended audience, divorced men.

Just couldn't take to this one I'm afraid. An exercise in boredom

I’m sure this is alright just not really my thing so just felt really long

Wowowow. Crushing album that is absolutely amazing.

Some of this was funky enough to be enjoyable and an overall 3 for me, he had some really hard times there for sure.

Musically, this is 4 stars. The lyrics and the vocals are rough, they're probably 1 star. Averaged to 2.5, I'll round up. 3 stars

Marvin, you okay?

he sounds very jilted with this album. whomever he was with at the time had to hurt him. a very bitter album. songs were OK, nothing seemed to jump out to me except for "funky space reincarnation". compared to the other songs, it just seemed it was jammed in there. didnt fit with everything else.

This was weird but I LOVED it. The music was incredible and the lyrics were just a guy complaining about his divorce for an hour and a half. This was either the most non-commercial mainstream R&B album, or the most commercial non-mainstream R&B album ever created. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Good to some Gaye songs I haven't heard before. But I expected better.

I was expecting more but it was mellow and enjoyable but not one I’d listen to twice.

Yay! Everybody needs love.

One of his underrated albums.

I've given this album a couple tries over the years and I just don't get it. It's just okay.

Nice album by Marvin, also funny listening to the lyrics regarding the creation of the albm. Could enjoy some songs here. 1. Here, My Dear 2. Everybody Needs Love 3. I Met A Little Girl

El álbum del divorcio de Marvin Gaye y se podría decir que ese es el concepto, porque dura poco más de una hora y cuarto y todos los temas tienen que ver sobre su separación, el dolor, el enojo y sobre todo los recuerdos de cuando su amor seguía encendido (y las cosas que hacían cuando dos personas se aman y están a solas), nos lo cuenta con su tremenda voz acompañada de unos instrumentos increíblemente tocados como la guitarra y el saxo y todos los que aparecen. Lo único que no me gustó es lo largo que se hace, y obviamente que pasa porque es largo pero también porque todos los temas suenan parecido y hablan de lo mismo, le da muchas vueltas al asunto y encima repite 3 veces la misma canción, pero fuera de eso es un sólido disco doble.

I love, Marvin Gaye, and I’m glad he made it onto the list. He deserves it more than some of these other weirdos on here. 5

I love this album. I thought it was a really really really long album, until I realized I had just listened to it three times in a row.

You got it on and now you gotta go. Sometimes it's better to put the post break-up laments in the drawer and never share them. Other times it's good to let the person know your thoughts. This album is both of those options on record for the listening public. Flawed and deeply personal is an understatement — even the cover can't escape Gaye's feelings about his marriage. How does one feel about the funk and soul idioms as the palette for divorce songs? Answer that for yourself and you'll largely solve the problem of how you feel about this record.

T'inquiètes Guillaume, moi aussi j'ai beaucoup plus aimé que What's going on? On a un Gaye beaucoup moins confus et contemplatif, et beaucoup plus vindicateur et affirmé, c'est ma lecture. Ça crée des drôles de moments amers. La franchise était dans l'air du temps, pas bien bien longtemps avant Lennon et McCartney se chicanaient sur leurs tracks solo, concernant leurs royalties et leur amitié déchue. Et Gaye chante sur son ex: 'Somebody tell me please, tell me please Why do I have to pay attorney fees (my baby's)' Ça sonne petty, mais en même temps... peut-on le blâmer, qui aime ça payer un avocat?` Belle musique pour finaliser les horaires d'été et valider des relevés de présence woohoo!

De la soul sexy! Je sais pas ça m’a plus accroché que What’s going on. Surement une hérésie d’affirmer ça.

6/10

i expected more

Very good

He is pleasant enough in small doses, but this is just too much concentrated Marvin Gaye. Monotonous and boring

Gah, this is just too much and it's soooo looooong. Not sure if I can make it through this whole album. He just goes on and on. Currently yawning at 11a.m.... I know his voice it amazing, but the lyrics are just so doofy.

Didn't enjoy this as much, a bit too samey for too long

Marvin, My Dear - that musta been one painfully long and expensive divorce. But thank you for pouring out your soul to the people. Without the back story, ittjust a weird album

Sounds like Marvin went through a pretty rough divorce from Anna Gordy. Being forced to pay 50% of the royalties to her for this album made him get a little spiteful. Here, My Dear is our personal problems for all to listen to. "You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You" sums it up. He even rubs it in that he's "Falling in Love Again" with his 2nd wife, Jan. She subsequently sued after the release to no avail. Gets on the list for airing out dirty laundry I think. It's better than the other 2 Gaye entries thus far but songs tend to drag on a little too long. "Is That Enough" and "Time To Get It Together" top tracks. "A Funky Space Reincarnation" is pretty cheeseball but I kinda got down with it. I give this one 2.47 stars.

I imagine Here, My Dear makes this list based on the overarching story of its production. The public friction, divorce and ensuing legal battle regarding child support and album royalties seem like they all contribute to both the subject matter and lore of this album. While Marvin is in standard form with his silky vocals and funk/soul backing I didn't find any of the specific songs stood out. The album is clearly a response to the whole relationship in the best and worst ways. There was very obviously a lot of emotion involved which is evident throughout. It's a touching tribute which gives it some luster, but can't say I would have gone out of my way for anything musically on this album without this list (maybe A Funky Space Reincarnation). While I enjoyed most of the ride, the album is a little too long and sounds too similar at 71 minutes. I'm sure it was cathartic for Marvin to get all of this out, but it might have been wise to trim some of the fat off this one. I haven't seen it physically but I looked it up and I do think Monopoly/Judgement album-fold artwork is a pretty cool touch. A lot of the imagery elsewhere on the album is clearly meant to play into the concept and any time you have stuff like that add to the lore of an album it deserves a bit of a bump. Here, My Dear musically is more of Marvin being Marvin, which ain't bad in its own right I guess. If you are a fan of Marvin or soul music its one of the better entries. I'm not sure I'd consider this a "must hear" before I die but I do understand "why" this album is on the list. Reading about the backstory and concept was just as interesting as the album itself. 2.26 stars

This is good. A bit meandering and long, but good.

Solid record. Not my fav from him but certainly worth a listen if you’re into this sort of thing.

Un buen 4. Musica tranqui para escuchar mientras haces cosas

This quickly became my favorite Marvin Gaye album. A divorce diary as honest as it gets. I assume “a funky space reincarnation is when he just says “fuck it” and gets high?

Anger A Funky Space Reincarnation Time To Get It Together When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You Is That Enough Falling In Love Again I Met A Little Girl Everybody Needs Love Here, My Dear Sparrow Anna's Song

This was painful. Marvin has a great voice which just about carries this mess. Sounds thrown together with no thought.

Nice enough for a divorce album, smooth and funky, but largely amounts to background music.

What’s worse than an angry self-pitying jerk giving you advice on how to behave? An album by the same jerk putting his advice to boring music.

fuuuck - amazing amazing amazing. RIP Marvin.

Blind album, know the artist by name from another album. I liked this album way more than What's Going On. Gives me Stevie vibes a little bit but some synth flair and good sprinkles throughout. 3 though as some tracks lacked.

divórcio é foda né galera, isso é fato mas achei esse consideravelmente mais chato do que os outros que eu escutei dele

a ideia de ceder os royalties do seu album pra enfim terminar um longo processo de divórcio já é absurda. agora, pegar esse album e fazer uma ODE ao casamento fracassado, com direito à mágoa exposta e ao belíssimo verso "o que eu nao entendo é, se vc me ama, pq vc me entregou pra polícia", com um instrumental soulzaço dançante, É DE UMA DOIDEIRA SEM FIM ce tá doido em resumo, achei FORTÍSSIMO. é extremamente sincero, muita mesquinharia, muita raiva, mas também muito amor e apego pela relação. achei bonito demais. nao eh dos melhores dele, mas ainda é MUITO acima da média. mas foda-se, vou dar cincão memo. dificilmente vou ouvir de novo, mas eu realmente fiquei de cara. bacana DEMAIS!!!!!

3/5

Not as iconic nor cohesive as What's Going On, it certainly improves towards the second half of the album, although Funky Space Reincarnation threw me for a (good) loop.

Such a voice and musician

Marvin Gaye always brings it.

I didn’t know any songs on this. This was definitely written after a divorce. His voice is good, but I didn’t particularly enjoy any of the songs. This album was really long (over an hour).

Another 3/5 for me. It’s groovy and pleasant but I would never choose to listen to it.

Jazz

Really cool, smooth album but found it too long to love

Bit disappointed - thought I was going to really enjoy - didn’t really get it - did little for me

I wish I knew less about the background of this record, and could listen with uninformed ears. Knowing that Gaye’s divorce, and financial obligations from it, played a major role in the songs colors my listening. Those details led me to actively read into the lyrics and Gaye’s delivery for signs about the marriage. Then again it does not take a literary scholar to decipher Gaye’s message on the bulk of the album. “Anna” (his ex-wife’s name), “You Can Leave, But It’s Gonna Cost You” and three versions of “When Did You Stop Loving Me, And When Did I Stop Loving You” make Gaye’s predicament abundantly clear. Longing, blame and regret abound, with a touch of vindicativeness. It plays out like an inverse of Van Morrison’s Moondance as well as echoes Bob Dylan’s examination of divorce that appeared in several songs on Blood on the Tracks and Desire. The raw circumstances brought forth Gaye’s most intense musical involvement as he sculpted the songs from a bevy of new fangled synth-like keyboards. Gaye continued the musical evolution that had begun with What’s Going On. The richness of the Motown productions gives away to quieter, bare bones music. At times, I wished Gaye had a backing band as talented as Al Green’s Hi Records musicians to compliment his tortured soul. Green and his cohorts could conjure a dark night of the soul, while still finding the sleek and sticky, The album improved as Gaye started to abandon the spoken word approach of several of the opening songs. “Anger”, “Time to Get Together”, “Anna’s Song”, the 2nd run at “When Did You Stop Loving Me, And When Did I Stop Loving You” and “A Funky Space Incarnation” saw the music and Gaye became livelier. While earlier Gaye bordered on lounge music, those tracks saw him finding the stripped groove of Sly Stone circa “There’s a Riot Goin’ On.” To make a great record, and not fully utilize his vocal skills, indicated the depth of Gaye’s talents. Only a few times did he let loose with his spine tingling “ooohs” and falsetto runs. To withhold his greatest gift and still make a great record is remarkable.

I feel a failing on my part that my biggest complaint for albums has been their length, but I do once again feel that the length holds this album back from a further appreciation. Maybe the overall issue doesn't lie in the overall runtime, but the song's length as well, which only have 3 songs that come in under 4 minutes, one of them being yet another reprise. This makes it so not only does the album overall feel bloated, but the songs as well. This isn't a fault of every song. Some songs succeed in their length. I find "A Funky Space Reincarnation" utilizes its runtime for expanding the album away from love and heartbreak to something more because even though it's about love, it travels into a further concept of futuristic travel and space, without coming off cheesy. "It ain't classified as dope, smoke I got from Venus" is a top-tier line. To me, the album opens great, become tedious around "Anger," revitalizes itself around "Sparrow" ("Anna's Song" shows how Marvin Gaye's voice is smooth as butter, saving a cheesy concept of "So & So's song" to a bearable sway), drags with another reprisal (something that can only be pulled off in rarest of instances and fails here, I fear), "You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You" is the best song on the album, combining what makes all the previous tracks good into synthesized soul, and while I don't mind "Falling In Love" I think the album should end there, or maybe MAYBE, with another reprise. Cut a few tracks, trim the length down, could be 5 stars, or maybe I just get a better attention span. p.s. I can't decide whether the album cover is one of the worst I've ever seen or one of the best. I'm very confused with my feelings on it.

Good background music. Not my favorite Gaye album.

A weird album. The words are off-putting: embarrassingly unfiltered break-up rants mixed with horny pickup lines. The music is sometimes appealing (funky rhythm section), but often over-filled, even bloated - guitars and synths noodle without judgement, some ‘strings’ parts are sadly weak and dated. Where was his head at? "Why do I have to pay attorney fees - this is a joke - I need a smoke". A cautionary tale, and a disappointment. For me, it's Pretty Poor, 3/10.

Very relaxing, works great as lounge music. Favorite track(s) When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You

I mean… it’s forgettable. And a bit of a chore towards the end

This is definitely a fuck you album. The problem is that it doesn't make for a fun listen. There's just too much woe is me, look what she's doing to me in the lyrics. There's also a bit too much sameness in the music, which isn't really bad, just not interesting. When I zoned out (inevitable on a double album), the music worked ok as background music. The one interesting track on the album is the one that doesn't fit - the funky space sex song. Which was great in a this is hilarious way. Overall, it's depressing and too long - but it's Marvin Gaye, so not bad.

01) Here, My Dear - 6,5 02) I Met a Little Girl - 6,5 03) When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You - 6,5 04) Anger - 7,0 05) Is That Enough - 7,0 06) Everybody Needs Love - 7,0 07) Time to Get It Together - 6,5 08) Sparrow - 6,0 09) Anna's Song - 6,5 10) When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Instrumental) - 6,0 11) A Funky Space Reincarnation - 7,0 12) You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You - 7,0 13) Falling in Love Again - 7,0 14) When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Reprise) - / TOTAL: 6,65 (67/100) Current ranking: 596/908

In spite of his undeniable voice and soulfulness, this album did not move me.

2.62

Another good album that is really goddamn weird! Or, maybe, just the outer space sex song is weird. Regardless, weird! Funky, beautiful, maybe a little brilliant, but really, really weird!

No es malo, pero no tanto mi estilo, si podría escucharlo

Quand même quelle voix

C'est quand même vachement répétitif. Et puis ça manque d'aspérité, c'est parfait pour un fond musical quand on veut discuter par dessus mais en écoute pure on s'ennuie vite.

The voice and musicianship are excellent but the songs meandered by without having much impact. I found this a little disappointing given what I hoped for.

There are some good moments here and Gaye’s voice is as good as ever but there are also some elements that border on Musak (some of the silky saxophone in particular) which made me wince a little. Seemed to be at its best when focussing more on the funky elements. Not vintage.

It's a lovely sounding album, and it is quite interesting listening to Marvin Gaye move from grief-stricken to vengeful and back again throughout the album as he processes his divorce. It is certainly a rare topic to find in music, so the album gets some credit for that, as well. And there's a random sci-fi track towards the end, which amuses me greatly. Favorite track: "Anger"

Easy listening, soulful, and intimate R&B dissecting the different aspects of love and marriage.

Mindbogglingly boring album of falsetto whining.

I will need to revisit this one. So many details, very much thinking music.

We've gone from "Let's Get It On" to "Let's get this over with."

Siento que es un disco que re tendría para poner de fondo, pero no escucho este tipo de música. Igual esta piola. 6.5/10

Est-ce que la mort d'un artiste a ce pouvoir mystique, presque agaçant, de transformer un disque moyen en une relique sacrée ? C’est la question qui me brûle les lèvres alors que je me farcis, une fois de plus, les 73 minutes de *Here, My Dear* de Marvin Gaye. Parce qu’on va se dire les choses franchement : si Marvin n’avait pas fini avec une balle dans le buffet tirée par son propre géniteur, est-ce qu’on s’infligerait encore ce double album de divorce aujourd'hui ? Est-ce qu’il trônerait fièrement dans cette liste des 1001 albums qu’il faut « absolument » entendre avant de passer l’arme à gauche ? J’en doute fort. On est en 1978 et Marvin est au fond du trou pas encore 6 pieds sous terre cela viendra dans quelques années. Il doit des fortunes à son ex-femme Anna Gordy, et un juge (dans un élan de créativité juridique assez pervers) décide que les royalties de son prochain disque iront directement dans la poche de madame. Marvin, vexé comme un pou, se dit d’abord qu’il va sortir une bouse infâme, un truc bâclé pour ne pas lui faire de cadeau. Et puis, parce que c’est Marvin, il change d’avis et décide de lui balancer toute sa rancœur, sa tristesse et son ego boursouflé à la figure, sur deux vinyles. Résultat ? Un album « ouin ouin » de compétition. C’est le sommet de l’auto-apitoiement mis en musique. « Ouin ouin, elle me manque », « ouin ouin, pourquoi on s’est fait ça », « ouin ouin, rends-moi mes clés ». Putain, Marvin, on s’en tape royalement que tu aies foiré ton mariage ! On a tous nos emmerdes, mais on n’en fait pas une fresque de plus d’une heure pour autant. Sur ce point, il faut avouer qu'il y a quelque chose de profondément épuisant à écouter un homme, aussi talentueux soit-il, se regarder le nombril pendant soixante-treize minutes en se demandant où tout a capoté. Au final, Here, My Dear est le journal intime d’un type en pleine crise de nerfs, mais avec une section de cuivres. L’album n’est pas mauvais, entendons-nous bien. Techniquement, c’est de la soul funk de haute volée, avec ce velouté caractéristique que Marvin maîtrise sur le bout des doigts. C’est soyeux, c’est bien produit, ça groove par moments. Mais c’est d’un ennui poli. Il n’y a rien ici qui vienne bousculer les codes, rien qui n’arrive à la cheville de la portée sociale de *What’s Going On* ou de l’érotisme moite et révolutionnaire de *Let’s Get It On*. Ici, on stagne dans une sorte de confort mélancolique qui finit par tourner en rond dès la fin de la première face. Le problème majeur, c’est cette durée. Putain Marvin, une heure et quinze minutes pour nous raconter qu’un divorce, c’est dur. OK, mais sache qu'on avait compris le concept au bout de trois morceaux. Les chansons s’étirent, s’évaporent dans des improvisations vocales qui n'en finissent plus, et je me retrouve à regarder ma montre en me demandant quand est-ce qu'on va enfin passer à autre chose. C’est au final juste trop long pour le thème abordé, c’est un marathon de la complainte. Et c'est là que la question philosophique intervient. À sa sortie, le disque s'est ramassé. Le public n'en voulait pas et les critiques étaient perplexes. C'était considéré comme une œuvre mineure, un caprice de star blessée. Et puis, la légende a fait son travail. Marvin est mort, il est devenu une icône intouchable, et soudain, *Here, My Dear* a été réévalué comme un chef-d'œuvre « introspectif » et « vulnérable ». Mon cul, oui, c’est surtout un disque qui aurait gagné à être un simple album de 40 minutes plutôt qu’un pavé indigeste. On nous vend ça comme le Graal de la « confessional soul ». Moi, je vois surtout un mec qui ne savait plus s’arrêter de chanter ses malheurs. C’est de la thérapie de luxe payée par l’auditeur. Et même si la voix est toujours là, magnifique, fragile, aérienne, elle finit par me lasser à force de gémir sur les mêmes accords de Rhodes et les mêmes lignes de basse un peu paresseuses. Le côté révolutionnaire ? Je le cherche encore. C’est du Marvin Gaye en mode pilote automatique, qui essaie de transformer sa haine envers son ex en art sublime, mais qui finit juste par nous livrer un disque de fond sonore pour une soirée déprime un peu trop longue. Ça manque d'accroches, ça manque de tubes, ça manque de cette étincelle qui te fait dire « Wow, j'écoute quelque chose qui va changer ma vie ». À chaque fois que je le réécoute pour essayer de comprendre l'engouement des exégètes de la soul, je retombe sur le même constat : c'est pas mal, mais c'est pas indispensable. C’est le genre de disque qu’on garde dans sa collection pour faire genre, pour dire « oui, je comprends la douleur de Marvin », mais qu’on ne sort jamais quand on a vraiment envie d’écouter de la bonne musique. C'est l'album qu'on cite pour avoir l'air intelligent dans les dîners en ville. Alors voilà, je lui colle un 3 sur 5 et c’est la même note que j’ai donnée à ses autres classiques, ce qui peut paraître sévère, mais c’est ma vérité. *What's Going On* était un 3 parce que le côté « message universel » a fini par me gonfler, *Let's Get It On* était un 3 parce que le côté « je veux te sauter » est un peu trop envahissant, et celui-ci est un 3 parce que c'est du ouin ouin de compétition qui dure trop longtemps. Marvin était un géant, c’est indéniable. Mais même les géants ont le droit de nous emmerder. *Here, My Dear* est le témoignage fascinant d’une chute libre, mais en tant qu'objet musical, c'est une épreuve d'endurance que je ne suis pas certain de vouloir retenter de sitôt. C’est bien fait, c’est pro, c’est Marvin, mais putain, que c’est loooooong. Bref, c’est l’album parfait si vous venez de vous faire larguer et que vous avez trois litres de bourbon devant vous. Pour le reste du monde, c’est juste un disque de plus qui prouve que le divorce coûte cher, surtout quand on décide d’en faire un double album. En résumé, on est face à une pièce historique plus qu'à un chef-d'œuvre musical pur. On l'écoute pour l'histoire, pour le contexte, pour le voyeurisme d'entendre une star se décomposer en direct. Mais si on enlève le nom de Marvin Gaye sur la pochette, est-ce qu’on en parlerait encore aujourd’hui ? La réponse est dans la question. C’est la magie posthume : on transforme les bouses ou les essais transformés en reliques sacrées juste parce que le type n'est plus là pour nous en pondre d'autres. C’est un 3/5 poli car c’est de la soul de qualité, mais c’est du remplissage émotionnel. On circule, il n'y a rien de plus à voir, à part un homme qui pleure sur son piano en pensant à son compte en banque et à son lit vide.

A heartfelt album about his messy divorce. Really nice and laid back, but still heartfelt and sharp sometimes

Lovely atmosphere but not very interesting otherwise

Correcto

He has a very smooth voice but this is so damn boring.

Children of the 80s, this is what helped get you here 😂😂

Absolutely loved it

The song where he asks why he has to pay his lawyer made me chuckle, but I was not in the mood for this overall. 2.5

Jeg synes der sker vildt mange spændende ting på den her plade. Det er ikke Marvin Gaye som jeg kender ham, men det hænger meget fint sammen med en personlig skilsmisse som baggrund/koncept. Det holdt mig til gengæld fast og interesseret.

Det er sgu bare rimeligt lækkert

*91 For helvede Marvin Møgsvin, hvor er du dog bare fantastisk dygtig. Let's Get it/What's Going On er marginalt bedre, men det her er stadig på den helt store klinge.

Det lyder meget rart, men bliver nok bare aldrig helt lun på Marvin. 3 stjerners baggrundsmusik

Ikke noget for mig. 2.2

Yes, han synger godt. Men det er vist også det eneste positive jeg kan finde på omden utrolige kedelige (og meget lange) omgang skilsmisse-sang.

Jævnt kedeligt

et album der kræver meget kontekst. Lidt for meget måske. Men det er stadig funky og lækkert. Ikke det bedste eller mest interessante han har lavet, men bonus point for den grad af mod og ærlighed.

Both new and old school stuff from Mr. Gaye, but very raw and emotional. There’s an interesting juxtaposition between the music and his storytelling, I loved it. The soul and funk are still lingering on.

real music!! he goes from i dooooo, i love youuuuu to when did you stop loving me? when did i stop loving you? when you say i do you're supposed to mean it. im so angry rn. i love when albums take you on a journey.

6/10

Ich glaub ich bin jetzt schwanger

While its a touch too long, it is incredible What a voice. Production is superb. So good I wish I could have more time with it, but happy enough to give a 4 of the highest regard Great

Good funk

booring

Tiene sus buenas rolas. Pero no mucho de mi estilo.

No es mi género

Interesting how Marvin makes the same sort of music for groovin' and lovin', but here it is an angry soundtrack to a breakup and divorce. Still cool, but a little unsettling.

a nice soul album too, but much more cheesy than What's going on. i liked the instrumental version of when did you stop loving me the most tbh

Ok, I like this album. Not filled with the usual Gaye hits we’ve all heard so often. Just a nice mellow album that keeps your toes moving and lungs a hummin.

Equally heartbreaking and funky.

Little long. I could see this increasing to a 4 in time though.

None of his recognisable (to me) songs on this. But he's so smooth, how can you not enjoy this?

Never go wrong with Marvin. Smooth and cool.

This is fine. Groovy and nice on the ears but kinda just gets boring after 45 minutes.

Kinda boring.

This album is such a beautiful representation of what the genre of soul and funk can be. It is so raw, and yet one of the smoothest albums of Gaye's career. The only issue I have with it is that the back half just does not feel as strong as the front half, but when your front half has Thats enough, When did you stop loving me when did I stop loving you, and Everybody needs love. Its is very hard to keep that consistency on a Hour plus LP. It is not my favorite by Gaye but I feel like it is one I will keep coming back to forever. Fav tracks: When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You, Is that enough, Everybody needs love, Sparrow, Annas song, and You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You

great album.

Just kind of a bummer album. This album got really old and no track really stood out. 1.5/5

# Album Name: Here, My Dear # Artist: Marvin Gaye # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Pretty average album. Expected much more. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

Good songs. Good Album

So much cheesefest

Add another to the Divorce Album pantheon. Terrific album, though some of the lyrics are (inevitably) mean

Just good music

As always I listen more to the melody than the lyrics. The genre is a quite smooth soul with some cool grooves. I like this type of soul that feels real and not too exaggerated. There are moments when there’s too much «saxophone-smoothness», but most of the songs are enjoyable. It’s not an album with big hits, though. I struggle to pinpoint any songs that makes the album stand out. And also it’s a little long to listen through in one sitting.

meh creo que el no me importa mucho

Nice sound, but nothing stood out as being particularly special.

Iove Marvin's voice but he seems a little bit not himself here. Not sure if that makes sense without hearing the album.

A sound so sexy it could be used to replace all the fluid at your cars next service. I’m not sure I would want to listen to it every day. But it has its very special niche.

Ça donne envie de copuler longuement.

Not my thing. Didn’t like the other one that showed up on this list much either. Not that it is awful, just find it boring.

Not terrible. Just terribly boring.

Bit a slog to be honest. Also, we’ve already had two Marvin Gaye records and this is another one?! Come on! Completely unnecessary.

I don't know, man. Three Marvin Gaye albums on this list? Seems a bit much when you're only working with a limited number of albums. It's a pretty good record, but it doesn't belong on this list.

Ok, mellow and smooth. For me, more background music, will have to try again in different circumstances.

Wish these immaculate songs were in service of better developed storytelling.

baseline well performed but at this point in this exercise i don't think that's enough. this is just a slog, even if it's a groovy one.

fun in a kind of way! but way too long

Pleasant enough, just a little boring if I'm being honest! Funky Space Reincarnation - lol

Just not my thing at all.

I didn't hate as much as I expected I would given the preliminary information. (Guy goes through bitter divorce and writes one hour long (!) album bitterly accusing the former wife of anything imaginable. No matter how great is the guy in question, this can't bring anything good...) Still, this is not an album I will listen again to.

I'm going to blatantly plagiarize another reviewer, but unlike their five paragraph review, I'll boil it down to this: "[This is] a loose, meandering collection of stream-of-consciousness R&B and funk. Musically, it's neither terrible nor great, and curiously removed of any emotional emphasis for an album that's so emotionally pointed. Angry Marvin, sad Marvin, happy Marvin, he sings everything pretty much the same. "This album has undergone a positive critical reappraisal that it doesn't deserve. It isn't an honest album, and Marvin did not bare his soul. He aired his grievances and attempted to embarrass his ex."

Need this on vinyl for Saturday night date nights!

I just listened to a man suffer for an hour and its was beautiful. I am sorry for Martin Gaye but it produced a very good album.

Jesus he was REALLY in his feelings, but it did end up being one of the best Marvin Gaye albums I've listened to so far. So I guess heartbreak is great for songwriting?

I was underwhelmed. It was nice to hear him speak of break up and rebuilding after heartache but it also drug on and on. It was pretty and full of emotion but also just kept going.

This is such a raw baring of his soul, and it's hard not to get caught up in his emotional turmoil and heartache. His voice is so gorgeous and these tracks so smooth. Despite its long windingness, I thought it was a pretty beautiful sonic soul journey.

The story behind a failed love

meh

Il reçoit en effet un accueil très réservé de la critique et du public. Album très sexuel, surtout quand on sait qu'il parle d'une jeune fille. Album concept qui traite du divorce avec sa première femme. Mais après la mort de Gaye, l'album est étudié à nouveau et salué par la critique. Album largement midtempo funk, avec des éléments de soul traditionnel.

Meh

I’ve seen it happen recently, an artist dies and some of their lackluster work gets praised as a hidden gem. Everyone’s gut reaction to this was correct when it came out. It’s not very good. There’s so much better Marvin Gaye in the world.

Here, My Dear 3.6 I Met a Little Girl 4 When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You 3.7 Anger 3.5 Is That Enough 4 Everybody Needs Love 3.6 Time to Get It Together 3.7 Sparrow 3.4 Anna's Song 3.5 When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (instrumental) 3.5 A Funky Space Reincarnation 3.7 You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You 3.4 Falling in Love Again 3.5 When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Reprise) n/a Score: 3.621428571

Wow. I love divorce

What a sexy album

No es su mejor disco, pero la grabación es impecable.

This list of records is proving one thing over and over again: the late 70s was a strange transitory period for pop music. The technology used to create and record music was advancing but it was still pretty rudimentary in a lot of ways. The big issue to me is that a lot of the sounds are very dated at this point in a way that points out the simplicity. Here, My Dear is a perfect example. Gaye's incredible voice is still there, but the synths in the background are so jarring to me. The technology was simple enough that you weren't able to really modulate the sound like you can today.

A great Marvin Gaye album, and while not his best, you can’t go wrong checking this one out obviously. Was just grooving this morning. 4.5 / 5

She took the kids 💔 literally get a grip. Build a bridge and get over it you know what I mean x Each and every one of these songs sounds the same as all of the others. Far too long. Give us some bops diva

Long, sprawling, amazing performances, a breakup album, maybe the greatest singer ever, all add up to one of the greatest soul records of all time.

Marvin is a real vibe and a good one at that. This album may be a little heavy on the spoken word songs though.

Good album.

I was surprised that this did very little for me. I found it quite boring.

Not his finest

I feel your pain. But I don’t want to feel that much

Here, My Dear was very interesting. Por ser tan largo tuve que darle a few re-listens a este album. Y cmon its Marvin its gonna be good. Pero no estaba encajando con el tema tan presente del divorcio en tantas de las canciones. Con los re-listens aprecie un poco mas como la vida de un artista directamente influye sobre su arte y ayuda que there are some bangers: Anger, Sparrow y Funky Space Reincarnation destacadas. 4/5

Favorite Track: When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You

Disco muy controvertido, fruto de su divorcio. No tuvo éxito, recibido con indiferencia (salvo por su exposa que lo recibió como lo que es: una obscenidad musicada) por público y crítica. Vendió poco, se retiró en seguida de circulación, no hubo promoción... ¿Venganza? ¿Autoterapia? en forma de disco. Desapercibido en su día, no es What´s going on ni Let´s get it on, es una mezcla de ambos. Un disco mezcla de rencor, culpa, frustración y dolor. la portada y el interior no dejan lugar a dudas. Como Blood on the tracks y otros discos de ruptura y demolición (Rumours, 21, Dogman star...), es un disco que tiene gran fuerza y encanto. Con Gaye no es distinto, su voz lo ilumina todo, la triada inicial es magestuosa (con When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You que se repite varias veces a lo largo del disco) pero otras por ejemplo Everybody needs love no es menor en absoluto. A Funky Space Reincarnation se la sabe de memoria Jay Kay. Un tipo que hace un temazo como Is that enough no puede querer hacer un mal disco. En absoluto. No se´si está entre los 1000 mejores, pero sí que es de una belleza enorme.

Very peculiar concept album. Horribly kitsch cover. Best title: "A Funky Space Reincarnation"

Muy bueno pero no tsnto

even considering that u dont necessarily go to 70s marvin gaye for "hooks", the way he pushes stream-of-conscience looseness on this record, and with such emotionally bitter content, creates something that on one hand is nothing like his earlier classics, but on the other hand is all their eccentricities at full brightness. the band is White Hot here too...sometimes groovy, and often luxurious, and marvin sings all his venomous barbs like its sweet honey coming out of his mouth. Everybody Needs Love almost feels like a parody of the idealistic sentiments of lets get it on. every attempt to posture that he's moved on and that he's finally happy without her feels undercut, esp by the album's closing reprise. not an inviting listen at all, but despite the record's total lack of commercial appeal, it all still feels incredibly high effort and thoughtful rather than just a series of first-draft vents...AND while still never feeling too contrived or gussied up, marvin makes himself look Incredibly Bad (or at least Not Sympathetic) both accidentally and on purpose, in p much exactly the ratios you would expect from such a raw lump of emotion. and if you give yourself over to it, the music and lyrics and performance all flow so naturally and powerfully that theyre as engrossing as any of his more accessible material. its famously a paradoxical record, and probably not his best, but probably the one i think about the most. even anna appreciated it eventually!!!!

It’s a nice listen. It definitely fits with a nice, relaxing dinner.

Sexy and old

It's honestly just okay. This is really just background music.

This has to be the ultimate break up album.

Started slow, turned into a fun 3... But then it saxed me up and by the time it got to The Funky Space Reincarnation, it was a definite 5. So much funking groove.

It’s tough to hear Marvin not be happy. It’s not typically the vibe you’re looking for when you put Marvin on, but the album is strong and no doubt about it being pointed. But the cover art is awful.

A double album of 70s mildly funk-flavored soul. Gaye's voice is great as usual, but the music doesn't really do it justice. His other two albums on this list are better and this one is not really very notable or necessary. Or maybe this one just suffers by comparison to Let's Get It On and What's Going On, I'm not sure. Time To Get It Together and Sparrow stand out as being a groove, but the preceding 6 tracks are kind of bland and don't really register. And I'm pretty sure two versions of When Did You Stop Loving Me... is at least one too many. Anna's Song has a terrible synth solo.

Ech, poprzednia jego płyta, którą tu miałam podobała mi się dużo bardziej. Tej brakowało połysku, zamiast być smooth była po prostu nudnawa. 6/10

Bit bland

My last Marvin Gaye album and my favorite one of them all. I really like how this album can sound really smooth yet the lyrics are really angry. It’s an interesting juxtaposition and makes for a good starting point for an album. The music is brilliant enough to back the concept up, a flowing double album that doesn’t really have any stand out tracks but just flows into one another. Really smooth and well produced.