Several weeks ago,there was a thread about Marvin Gaye's 2-CD 'Let's Get It On' Deluxe Edition set.Since then,I went out and bought a bunch of the deluxe editions of his albums.I had most of these albums already,but not the expanded versions with all the outtakes,demos and other goodies.It was time to upgrade.So far,these are the ones I just bought:

"What's Going On" 2-CD Deluxe Edition
"Let's Get It On" 2-CD Deluxe Edition
"I Want You" 2-CD Deluxe Edition
"Here,My Dear" 2-CD Expanded Edition
"In Our Lifetime" 2-CD Expanded 'Love Man' Edition

in addition,I also ordered the remastered 'Live at the London Palladium' CD.

Does anyone have the 2-CD 'Midnight Love' Legacy Edition? I'm thinking of ordering that one too,but I wanna know if it would be a wise buy? I also came across this CD....I don't know if it's the same set with different packaging,or something different altogether? I assume it includes a second disc of "Sexual Healing" demo versions.


I think I'm most excited about hearing the 'In Our Lifetime' set because it includes the entire unreleased 1979 album 'Love Man' which I've been curious about.

Does anyone recommend 'Dream Of A Lifetime'? Is there an expanded version of that too? Any other rare albums or compilations that I should look for?

It's a trip how Marvin cancelled the 'Love Man' album,even though the album cover artwork was completed and a first single was released ("Ego Trippin Out").In the fall of '79,fans must have been confused when they heard that song on the radio but didn't see the album's release.I guess it's sorta like what we went through with Prince's 'Black Album' in 1987 (even though no single was released from that).

Can't speak for the other albums you mentioned but I've got the "Midnight Love" remaster and that's pretty cool. Not one of my favourite Marvin Gaye albums, but anyway, there are alternate versions of "Sexual Healing." One of which concludes with him saying something along the lines of, "It ain't right to masturbate."

Also, there's a message to CBS records that he recorded.....I haven't heard this one in a while.....hold up...let me get it off the shelf....

yeah, everything I've said here's about right.

It's mostly alternate takes of "Sexual Healing" on disc 2.

Disc one's just the album with remastered tracks....and nothin else.

I bought it cheap actually...paid about 20 bucks if I recall correctly.
[Edited 3/31/09 5:20am]

anc282 said:

Are there alternate versions of the other tracks too...or just "Sexual Healing"? As much as I love that song,I think it would be boring to hear numerous demos of it in a row.

The "masturbation" line appears on the original version of "Sexual Healing".Right as the song fades,Marvin sings...

please don't procrastinate....it's not good to masturbate


that line always cracks me up

Yeah but in one of the other versions, you hear him saying it a lot clearer.

Anyways, I'll give you the tracklisting for Disc 2, since I've got the disc right in front of me:

1. Clique Games/Rick James (Original version of "Midnight Lady")
2. Sexual Healing (Alternate 12inch Instrumental)
3. Sexual Healing (Original Vocal Version)
4. Sexual Healing (Alternate Vocal/Mix)
5. I Bet You Wonder (Original version of "Rockin' After Midnight")
6. Rockin' After Midnight (Instrumental)
7. Baby, Baby, Baby (Original version of "Til Tomorrow)
8. I've Got My Music (Original version of "Turn on some music")
9. Turn on some music (Alternate version/mix)
10. Third World Girl (Original Reggae Version)
11. Third World Girl (Alternate Vocal/Mix)
12. My Love Is Waiting (Alternate Vocal/Mix)
13. Marvin's Message To the CBS Records Staff
14. Sexual Healing (Rehearsal tape courtesy of David Ritz)

anc282 said:

what is "Clique Games/Rick James"?

It looks interesting.I'm gonna order it now.

It says right beside it that it's the original version of "Midnight Lady."
[Edited 3/31/09 5:52am]

anc282 said:

but why is Rick's name mentioned? Did he collaborate on it?

"Midnight Lady" I think was meant to be a nod to Rick, which is why he called the original version "Rick James."

I'm not really sure though.

Timmy84 probably knows the right answer to that one.

anc282 said:

Yeah,you're probably right.

Interestingly,in 1979,Marvin was feeling a little threatened by Rick James and another newcomer named Prince That's why he created the album 'Love Man'.It was his way of staying relevent and proving that he was still "cool".But then he changed his mind and cancelled the album.

Oh yeah, I remember you talking about this so-called "rivalry" between Rick James, Prince & Marvin Gaye several times on this very site.

I was a serial lurker for a while there.

anc282 said:

lemme guess....you only started posting here when Housequake closed,right?

Pretty much!

I even said so when I first created a thread here, in the General Discussion forum of course.

SoulAlive said:

I have the Dream of a Lifetime album. I haven't listened to it in a LONG TIME, but as far as I can remember it is a "compilation" type album considering it came out after his death. It consists of the "new" tracks he was working on before his death and some other tracks that were "Nat King Cole" sounding. I believe that some of those ended up on the Vulnerable cd. If you are a Marvin fan, I suggest you add it to your collection. It's not great, but it's not horrible either.

As for an expanded edition, there is not one. Sony hasn't issued one for it (and I highly doubt they will).

anc282 said:

Yeah this song was dedicated to Rick. The song had a punk funk influence and Marvin mentions "super freaks" a lot in the song, lol.

daPrettyman said:

I remember when 'Dream Of A Lifetime' was released...a year or so after his death.A few of the songs were controversial.First single "Sanctified Lady" was decent.It contains a few words that had to be bleeped out by radio programmers,lol.

SoulAlive said:

Some questioned if Marvin was even looking forward to releasing them at all. They were part of the "Midnight Love" studio sessions.

SoulAlive said:

Yeah, in "Sanctified Lady" (which was originally called "Sanctified PUSSY" ) it sounds like he says "some girls fuck," but apparently he's saying something else. Mind you, he still says "pussy" right at the end of the song.

Also there's that song "Machoistic Beauty" where he sings in a British accent and says stuff like, "get yer arse in gear."

Apparently he did that one just to shock people and he had no intention of releasing it.
[Edited 4/3/09 18:11pm]

anc282 said:

Marvin was hilarious in "Masochistic Beauty"! Talking about "bitch shut up" and he was actually doing both parts, if you can hear closely, you hear a moan and British Marvin going "bitch shut up" in that droned voice. I have to say that song was FONKY! But lyrically I can see WHY Marvin did NOT wanna release it.

Yeah I know, that song cracks me up all the time.

anc282 said:

You know what made it funnier? Hearing Marvin rap in that accent while the talk box sings along in the background.

I never noticed that before, but I just got the LP out, so I'll check it out.

My record collection is right in front of me.

SoulAlive said:

I remember hearing an interview with Smokey Robinson saying that Marvin had played him an early version of "Sanctified Lady" which he was going to be called "Sanctified Pussy", but the record company wouldn't let him release it.

Harvey Fuqua had a lot to do with the way "Midnight Love" and many of Marvin's posthumous releases and some of his compilations came about. He put some cheesy production behind some 1970s archival stuff. I hated him for that because after I heard the original versions that Motown released later on for the "Anthology" series in '95, and then later, the deluxe editions of "What's Going On" and "Let's Get It On", it showed the magic of Marvin's lost stuff. Harvey, CBS AND Motown (at the time) should've left those unreleased cuts alone, lol.

Midnight Love is not one of my favourites for the very simple reason that it sounds horribly dated nowadays.

anc282 said:

Plus Marvin actually wanted to do a different type of album but Harvey convinced him to record a pop album, rather than the confessional type of records he did on the last two records. I don't think Marvin really knew how much fans appreciated his work after he died, so he was under a lot of pressure.

anc282 said:

I haven't played that album in years,but I remember that I wasn't crazy about it.I'll have to give it another listen.

SoulAlive said:

It has some good songs on there. My favorites are, besides the obvious single, "Rockin' After Midnight", "'Til Tomorrow", "Joy" and "My Love is Waiting".

I love your booty and it's my duty, to spank your booty

anc282 said: