"Come all let's get funky
Don't you like the funk?"

It was a long fucking time coming (okay, since June but still) but I finally got the expanded edition issue of Mr. Marvin Gaye's In Our Lifetime? album.

Honestly, I think this album has made me a BIGGER fan of the Chocolate City brother than I was before - if that's even REMOTELY possible! But to hear the album in Marvin's thought process and how grueling things could be in the studio showcased an artist whose talents and vocal mastery overshadowed even the diciest of songs.

The original album that came from this - retitled In Our Lifetime was a comedy of errors. While a fine album on its merit mixing funk party jamming with philosophical and spirtual lyrics and sexual sensibility that had always crept into his work, the album did include a song ("Far Cry") that was in its beginning stages. This and Motown erasing the question mark from the album title helped to damage Marvin's already shaky relationship with Motown Records to the ground. He left the label a year later and signed with Columbia in 1982.

However, more than 25 years after its release, In Our Lifetime? comes alive again. Not only is the original release included but we have a different version of the album that reflected what Marvin wanted released rather than the rush-released effort that eventually came out. Marvin recorded the album that came out in Air Studios located in London, England (if I'm not mistaken). In the first disc, there includes a funk instrumental ("Nuclear Juice") and the unedited version of "Far Cry", which includes more lyrics and further showcase the song not as a funk workout but as a bluesy jazzy affair. This version is way far more effective than the version Motown released. Also included are the original release from Marvin's intended 1979 album, Love Man: the top twenty R&B single, "Ego Tripping Out" (#17) and its instrumental and interestingly includes an Air Studios cut of the same song under different background lyrics and more rap. Either version is nice IMO.

Disc two includes the rare version famously recorded from another London studio, Odyssey Studios, where it was reported that longtime fan Pete Townsend of the Who (I guess he was, not too sure, lol) visited Marvin while he was recording this part of the album. This version had a more loose vibe than the Air Studios final mix of it. But the highlight has to be the songs left off the Love Man sessions from 1979-1980. The songs "Life's a Game of Give & Take", "Life is Now in Session", "I Offer You Nothing But Love", "Just Because You're So Pretty", "Dance 'N' Be Happy", "Funk Me, Funk Me, Funk Me" and "A Lover's Plea" all had instrumentals later edited to include different lyrics and a different vocal arrangement of course that did become In Our Lifetime?. This was the record Marvin tried to make a party record with.

But instead, these songs parlayed his tormential relationship with his second wife Janis Hunter more often trying to party. It had a funk vibe that was the element of what made IOL great in the first place.

All in all, it's a fabulous album and I'm happy to finally have it in my collection of Marvin after trying to figure out how I was going to get it. The Prince of Motown lives on in this record.

My rating: A+

For those who wanna know which of the "Love Man" tracks eventually became, I'll give you an example:

"Life's a Game of Give & Take" ("Heavy Love Affair")
"Life Is Now in Session" ("Life is for Learning" which wasn't so different, just the vocals, addition of backgrounds and the title)
"I Offer You Nothing But Love" ("In Our Lifetime")
"Just Because You're So Pretty" ("Love Me Now or Love Me Later")
"Dance 'N' Be Happy" ("Love Party")
"Funk Me, Funk Me, Funk Me" ("Funk Me", also nothing different though the first verse was completely different and Marvin can be heard dancing with a woman who laughs and hollers in this one)
"A Lover's Plea" ("Praise")

As always, love, peace and MARVIN GAYE!

Timmy84 said:

I'm thinking I'll buy the album later this year.

2Jay said:

You won't regret it. Make it one of your Christmas presents.

Proud owner

funkpill said:

That album is soothing to the ears and feet if you know what I mean. I can't help but dance to most of it!

Much likely this was the funkiest album Marvin ever done.

Timmy84 said:

From begin'n to end


It's a great album