About his divorce right?

How is it!? Weird?

Depressing?

i have it...it's good...not too weird...a little bitter, a little sad, but good stuff.

A Funky Space Reincarnation is my song. Anna wasn't the best looking woman and the gordy's have skeletons like the Jacksons, but whatever might have hapened it resulted in an excellent album.
[Edited 4/13/06 19:32pm]

I wouldn't consider this album weird, it's indeed a little too bitter and that's the great thing about this album. I still can't believe 20 something years after it's release that some people dislike it. Here My Dear was released as a testament about the trials and tribulations of Gaye's divorce from his first wife, Anna. It's such an incredible album because he releases all of his emotions and sorrow about lost love and if you really listen to this album really closely, you can here some strain in Marvin's voice. I mean, he was going through a lot. I will rank this album up there with his other masterpieces like What's Going On, I Want You, and even Let's Get It On because of the ambition and truth he put in it. It's one of my favorite records and one of the most confessional albums ever released in pop history.

silverchild said:

Me neither. The soul audience just didn't want anyone to produce anything remotely too challenging in the 70s, I guess they still don't to this day. Marvin was as big a star as the scene bac in the day had so they were bound to be disapproving whenever he delivered something that went into uncharted territories.

To me "Here, My Dear" his best album. Well, sans the cover art of course. Now, that's some bad cover art right there. But for instance "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You" or "Falling In Love Again" are about as deep confessionals of lovesongs that anybody has ever written. This is his genius album.

Novabreaker said:

I think it was the fact that most critics and some of his fans didn't like the sophistication and jazz-funk sensibilities of the album. I don't think they thought it was commercial like What's Going On, I Want You, Let's Get It On, and even a dance hit like Got To Give It Up.
[Edited 4/13/06 22:36pm]

It's a MATERPIECE.That's what it is.
The album failed to hit the charts cuz it came out
in the middle of the discoera
but this is one of the greatest soulalbums ever.
Just like Aretha Franklins masterpiece "Spirit in the dark"
Marvin opens up & crates one of his most sincere albums.
The music is almost hypnotizing in it's beauty &
the lyrics are right on spot.Marvin reflects over
his failed marriage.What went wrong but he also reflects
on the good times.
The albumcover is absolutly fantastic.The innersleeve
with their divorce painted up like a monopolygame.
/peace Manki

This is an absolute masterpiece..

From beginning to end.

'Is That Enough' is a stone funk laid-back jam!!!

Probably my favorite Marvin Gaye album.

When it came out, Dave Ritz was the only music journalist who wrote a positive review, and in the end he became Marvin´s biographer and co-writer of SExual Healing.

Divided Soul by Dave Ritz is a great read and gives a lot of insight into Marvin´s life, the stories behind most of his songs and albums and his tragic life.

There are also a few Prince mentions.

This LP is AMAZING. It's a classic that's right up there with "Sign Of The Times" and "Peace Beyond Passion". Marvin was pouring out his soul when he did this. "Anger", "Funky Space Reincarnation", and "You Can Leave" are some funky, funky jams. Maxwell and D'angelo stole their vibes from this LP. "Sparrow" is so jazzy, laid back and beautiful. This LP was recorded in 1976 but the label held onto it because they didn't like it. When it was released in 1978, it came out at the time when disco and "Saturday Night Fever" was king and it flopped.

It's kinda funny how MArvin was talking about "Star Wars" and intergalactic a year before the "Star Wars" film came out. Marvin's layered vocal work is a mazing. Cats don't put joints out like this anymore. This LP is a must have.

manki said:

For some reason I have never got to hear this album, mainly because for some reason or another I can't seem to find it in record shops. For it's description it sounds more "I want You" than "Whats going on".

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



Every Marvin Gaye fan should have this. Painfully honest lyrics, super cool background vocals, free form arrangement. Sounds almost like he was freestyling it off the top of the dome. It's Marvin being Marvin.

OdysseyMiles said:

yup..again

funkpill said:

funkpill said:

I've always felt that HMD was weak stuff - I always viewed it as Marvin's "Secret Life of Plants".

I do like "Funky Space Reincarnation" a whole lot! But SLOP had one really great song on it, too, and I still think that record was a disaster.

It should be said though about HMD and SLOP that both Marvin and Stevie were quickly able to recover momentum and deliver masterpiece works - Midnight Love and Hotter than July respectively, not too long after these publicly scorned works.

So, props in that respect.

To be fair, a mediocre Marvin record is certainly not a bad record. It's just not one to get too excited about, IMO.

OTOH, it's been years since I listened to HMD...so maybe a re-listen is in order.

My .02.

darkstranger521 said:

Personally, I think Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants is one of the greatest things Stevie has ever done.
Despite the lack of "hit songs", it was a complete concept album. One that was musically unified and lyrically cohesive in it's theme.
Same goes for "Here, My Dear", but hey, that's just me. I happen to dig concept albums.

SPYZFAN1 said:

I didn't know this album was recorded in 1976,SPZFAN1? I thought this was recorded while he was going through these divorce royalities in 1977 with Anna and he was writing a large range of songs. Rumor has it that he want to do a disco record instead of this album, but he eventually changed his mind at the last minute and started recording material in the course of 1977-1978. That's interesting SPZFAN1.

I also have a rare picture of that disco album he shelved before doing the HERE MY DEAR album:



I think this one is Love Man. It has Ego Tripping Out on this one and that song was eventually appeared on his 1981 LP, In Our Lifetime.
[Edited 4/14/06 8:48am]
[Edited 4/14/06 8:48am]

silverchild said:

So, what you are saying is that floating around somewhere is an unreleased Marvin disco LP from around 1977-78? And that only one of the tracks slated for that LP ever wound up being released???

darkstranger521 said:

Well, this was actually a rare promo LP and no there are no copies on floating around. I don't even have. The Ego Tripping Out single wound up being released after Here My Dear released and before In Our Lifetime was released. If Love Man came out instead of Here My Dear, do you think it would've been a big hit since it was a party disco record?

That's amazing, Silverchild. Looks like Marvin is getting his "Saturday Night Fever" on with the gold chains and white suit.

silverchild said:

Wow...btw by floating around I meant to say there's a master of this stuff in someone's warehouse...that it exists and could be released one day.

Wrong.

"Love Man," the shelved album, was meant to follow up HMD...and to be released in 1979. The only song that made it out was "Ego Tripping Out." The rest of the songs were either ditched or re-worked into what eventually became "In Our Lifetime." Marvin went through an almost-Black Album/Lovesexy thing in which he got rid of his sexy party album in favor of something more spiritual. In Marvin's case, however, it was mostly brimstone and fire religion! But "In Our Lifetime" is still a great album; check it out if you can find a copy! The mid/late-90s pressings are a special edition that includes the aborted "Love Man" single - 'Ego Tripping Out,' as well as the story of the aborted project.

Oh, and check the liner notes to HMD. According to David Ritz, who knows his shit, HMD was recorded in 1977. Not 1976. Marvin wasn't talking about Star Wars and shit before the movie came out. It was all recorded in 1977. In '76, he released I Want You and was doing big tours. Afterward, he was in an artistic slump until the divorce judge ordered him to hand his next album's proceeds to Angie. Hence, the fucking masterpiece that was and is HMD.

KingSausage said:

That's pretty generous how you made that connection to Marvin doing what Prince did 9 years later when he was at his peak!
[Edited 4/15/06 14:21pm]

silverchild said:

KingSausage said:

Just kidding, man!

silverchild said:

When did you stop loving me? When did I stop loving you?