Nor was I until while being deployed to Operation Desert Storm I heard"Distant Lover" I was so moved, It spoke to me and I've been hooked every since.

Not every album but "Let's Get It On" "I Want You" and "Here My Dear" are the ones I feel the most connected to.

For any man that's ever been through the trials ups and downs of a divorce and baby mama drama " Here My Dear" will speak to you.

Your reason for liking an artist is probably the most accurate reason, because you connected with his music. This is one of the reason's why I started digging early Babyface. The songs that he wrote for himself and other people seemed to touched me. Babyface is not the greatest singer in the world, but Face had the ability to sing exactly whatever it was that I was feeling at the time. With Marvin, it was the same thing. I cannot listen to "What's Going On" or "Hear My Dear", without tearing up, because the words hit me like a freight train.

In Prince's more mysterious days I would completely agree that he was less than forthcoming with regards to influence.

But after he built a name for himself he has mentioned many influences, especially if they were black of either sex or white women (Joni Mitchell he can't say enough good things about).

Perhaps he doesn't do it as graciously as he should ("I would be nothing without this person and that person"), but he has given many interviews where he shows tremendous passion for the music of the past (he once indicated that George Clinton should be made president due to his enormous musical contributions.)

But Prince does still seem to go out of his way to feign a complete lack of knowledge of almost anyone who is both male and white; especially those as popular as The Beatles. You certainly don't have to like The Beatles, but it's quite impossible to completely avoid them.

But I can possibly understand a bit of where he's coming from when everyone and their brother seems to be praising some of these people already and you see your own race constantly misrepresented and undervalued.

#!$@$
[Edited 5/20/09 19:45pm]

Yeah ... I feel ya on Face "Whip Appeal" was my testimony at the time.

Mine was "Water Runs Dry", the tune he wrote for Boys II Men". I was going through a really messy breakup at the time. Every time that song played, I would bawl like a baby, especially, at the line that goes, "Don't even say, I love you no more...cause sayin' how we feel, is no longer allowed". I felt this line the most, cause this is how I was feeling. I wanted to tell her that I still loved her, but felt that this was no longer allowed, due to the circumstances....I was like, how did he know how I was feeling.

Guess what? The DeBarges weren't the only conflicted Christians:



Taken from Belgium in '81.

Marvin died in 84. Nona and Prince didn't hook up till the 90s. I also see no resemblance between Prince and Marvin, who I feel is overrated anyway. Marvin was probably just bitter towards Prince for I don't know what.I feel Donny Hathaway is a much better musician that Marvin, as is Curtis Mayfield.
[Edited 5/19/09 23:20pm]

The sexiest song he ever wrote (from my view) "I Want You" is a perfect example of this. It's a total study in the dichotomy of a conflicted soul, who on one hand is confessing how he is completely consumed by earthly sexual desire for his partner, then you have all these subliminal religious elements in the music: for example the backround vocals; it's all him, layered, and when you lift them from the rest of the song, you end up astonished because what you hear is practically a Gregorian chant. Marvin was an intensely conflicted fellow, indeed.

Hi everyone. I was just thinking about some random things earlier today while listening to music. I was thinking about how similar El's and Prince's falsetto voices are similar to Marvin Gaye. If you listen closely to their ballads, you can hear Gaye's influence. The unique thing is that they both manage to channel the influence while creating their own style. I've heard music critics compare Debarge to Marvin but not Prince. Miles Davis is the only one that has in his autobiography. I know some will argue De Angelo and Maxwell. I disagree. De Angelo onlys in the sense that he channels Prince who channels Marvin. Maxwell is unique in that he combines a little of Prince and El who both again channel Marvin.

Sidenote:

In Marvin's autobioagraphy he accuses Prince of copying his style. It really seemed like Marvin didn't like Prince. I have never heard Prince credit Marvin publically. Was Prince mad about what Marvin said about him in his auto bioagraphy? Then there is the Prince and Nona relationship.

Well orgers agree or disagree? I'm open to all kinds of opinion. I just want a good discussion.

Marvin didn't write "I Want You". Leon Ware and Arthur "T-Boy" Ross (Diana's brother) wrote it. Marvin heard them working on it and wanted it. They then wrote the album (with Marvin) about his relationship with Jan, Nona's mom.