Why do most people sleep on the HERE MY DEAR album? Most people who claim they are fans of Marvin knows NOTHING about this album..I think its one of the classic album of ALL TIMES yet you never even hear of it mentioned on those so called "top albums of all times" lists.....why is this CD ignored? It is AWESOME!

"you have won the battle..but daddy's gonna win the war!"

I think all die-hard Marvin fans know about this album. However, most casual fans don't.

Most people sleep on it because it's a challenging listen.

And, yes, it is a masterpiece.

Totally brilliant!


Please some hardcore Marvin fan tell us the
story behind that album. You know the divorce
money thing...

Hyungbu said:

One of the stipulations of his divorce was that Anna would get all the royalties from his next LP. So he made a decidedly caustic, uncommercial record and titled it Here, My Dear to ensure that she'd get the minimum amount of money possible.

VoicesCarry said:

Aha! Yes, there's the title!

And how did it fare?

Hyungbu said:

It's somewhat of an urban myth... the full story is here:
http://www.snopes.com/mus...redear.asp

OK, I see... it's not completely false either...

Marvin didn't have a whole lot of motivation
at first because the money would go to his
ex-wife.

He just couldn't help being a genius.

MrSquiggle said:

Thanks, I stand corrected about the second part.

This is 1 of my favourite albums of all time!
It's absolutly briliant & so soulful.
The songs,all stories about his bitterness with his ex,
but also remembering the good times just flows into each other
like a long suite.
I saw an interview with Anna Gordy saying that she hated the album
at first but has grown 2 loving it over the years.
I just love listening 2 this 1 in headphones with my eyes closed,
really getting into it.
/peace Manki

I bought this album specifically for 'A Funky Space Reincarnation'. The rest of the album is a little meandering.

DigitalGardin said:

One of my all-time favourite albums by anyone.

Beautiful work.

I think it's his best. Totally subjective opionion.

Cloudbuster said:

Agreed I love all of Marvin's work.

This is one of the best Marvin Gaye albums that never charted. Most classic albums are often slept on when it's first released.

"When Did you Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You" is one of my favorite cuts from this album.

Alot of Marvin Gaye albums were classics that never charted, "In Our Lifetime" is another classic album, and hard to find nowadays

Thriller81 said:

It did chart - it reached #26 pop, #4 R&B.

In Our Lifetime made #32 pop, #6 R&B.

When I think of Here My Dear, I think of it as What's Going On II with etrxa tabacco sauce, Just like when I think of I Want You (My all-time favorite Marvin album, I have it on deluxe edition), I think of it as Let's Get It On II with extra explicit sex obsessions. I love the Here My Dear album, though. I really think this is the most personal R&B albums I've ever heard and if you ain't got this one in your collection, you don't know the real Marvin Gaye.
[Edited 11/26/04 17:33pm]

It´s a great album. For those who are interested, Dave Ritz was one of the few critics who had given this album a good, well written review and then became his biographer. His book Divided Soul is an excellent biograpy. He later co-wrote Sexual Healing.

KoolEaze said:

I must admit I just strted apprecaiting this cd. When I bought it in college back in 1995-- I didn't feel it. Now I'm wondering why. But we grow and our taste change.

i think that album has recieved a lot interest in the past few years and deservedly so.

KoolEaze said:

great book.

Milty said:

I loved reading that one.

the first two songs are horrible though.

the rest is fire!

purpleone said:

You can't be serious. I mean... "horrible"? The first is just an intro and the second one, well, that's just Marv being bitter, isn't it?

Novabreaker said:

i understand he's telling a story, you know? but in this clean motown fashion.
it's somewhat vital for the album, but i still think the album only really takes
of with "when did you stop loving me"--a beautiful song, both musically and
lyrically. and from there on you got nothing but fire.

Well, I also got to stress that "When Did You Stop Loving Me..." is an absolute beauty of a song. It has the same type of bitterness even in the vocal delivery alone as "Why Did I Choose You?" - or not. I guess I just love it when Marvin gets all cynical about love.

Novabreaker said:

I must agree that the Title track is VITAL to the album!!!!
It's just so funny how Marvin made his ex-wife to be the villain when he was the one that got into drugs and then was having an affair with an underaged girl....I thought the fact the he made Anaa the villain was "interesting"

what did yall think of Hall and Oates remake of WHEN DID U STOP LOVING ME?