This album deserves it's own thread! I haven't heard this album in 20 years and I just picked up the re-mastered CD at Amoeba. I think it was ahead of its time, under-appreciated, one of Marvin's best, and his most personal album. I think it is a musical work of genius for the outstanding lyrics, lush melodies, and superb instrumental work IMO. Here is a review of the re-mastered version:

"speeddemon531's Full Review: Here, My Dear [Expanded Edition] [Digipak] [Remast...]

"There are very few albums I can think of with a backstory like Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear. The legendary soul singer was ordered to give half of the royalties from this album to his ex-wife as part of their divorce settlement (just as an aside, this ex-wife, Anna, happened to be the sister of Berry Gordy, the president of Motown, Gaye's label). What I'm sure neither Anna, the judge or Berry counted on was the resulting album being an audio document of the relationship as it blossomed and then went sour. Here, My Dear is about as apt a title as you could think of for this album.

While the album is at times bitter, spiteful and angry (as one would expect an album thematically based on divorce to be), there are also moments of dry humor, as well as a loving vibe that pokes through. Of course, the fact that a couple is splitting up doesn't take away from the fact that they once joined together under the premise that they would love and care for one another eternally. That is one of the things that saves Here, My Dear (which has now been reissued in a 2-disc deluxe version) from being a rant.

That said, even a rant would sound good if it was sung by Marvin. Easily one of the five best male singers of his generation, this album is flawless from a vocal standpoint. He can coo, doo-wop style, in an almost-falsetto (like on the album's heartbreaking title track). He can shout plaintively (check out the way he screams his ex-wife's name on Anna's Song...it will give you chills), and the album features the familiar stacked harmonies that have been a constant with every Marvin album since What's Going On. From a musical standpoint, this album is largely midtempo funk, with elements of traditional soul, gospel and doo-wop, mixed together with a slight hint of disco (after all, this was the late Seventies). I must admit, I've yet to hear even average musicianship on a Seventies soul record, and these musicians are tighter than those skinny jeans the kids are wearing nowadays.

There's not a lot of traditional verse/chorus/verse structure on this album-then again, most of Marvin's albums in the Seventies were similar in that regard. Nothing here is particularly radio friendly-but don't let that be your barometer on how good your listening experience will be. From the call-and-response (gospel-style) of the swaying I Met A Little Girl (on which Marvin somewhat randomly shouts out "1964!" and "1976!"-the years the couple met and split, respectively, sounding like a funky carnival barker) to the shuffling dance groove of the foreboding You Can Leave But It's Going To Cost You to the sarcastic title track (where Marvin wishes Anna well while also accusing her of not allowing him to see their son), it's all top-shelf stuff.

Is That Enough is my favorite track on the album. Over a slow-cooked funk groove, Marvin whines that Anna was "too possessive and jealous", mocks her expensive tastes ("What was I supposed to do?/The judge says that she's got to live the way she's accustomed to!" and finally goes into a rant about paying attorney fees, right before proclaiming that "This is a joke/I need a smoke" and letting the band swing into action on their own. Actually, given Marvin's mental state at the time, it's pretty safe to say that he was taking a LOT of smoke breaks during this album's recording process. When I initially heard this album fifteen or so years ago, I laughed in spots because there are points where it sounds like Marvin is going stone crazy. But I guess divorce will do that to a brother. Anyway, this song encompasses every emotion that Marvin feels over the course of the album-it's resigned, disappointed, angry, humorous and dismissive at the same time.

Not to say that Marvin was only taking his frustrations out on his ex. Songs like Anger and Time To Get It Together find the singer looking inward, facing the knowledge that he has to do some work on himself before he can move forward with his life. The latter song is the more intriguing of the two, with a chugging, danceable groove and lyrics that are recited almost mantra-like "Blowin' coke all up my nose/Gettin' in and out my clothes/Foolin' round with midnight hoes/But that chapter of my life's closed". You can hear how hard he's struggling to get his sh*t together, and songs like this are even more plaintive in light of Marvin's tragic death.

The 2008 reissue (from the folks at Hip-O Select, who have not let me down yet) was obviously put together with a great deal of love. The first disc, which is the original album, includes one bonus track recorded around the same time. Ain't It Funny (How Things Turn Around) is a bouncy tune that takes on a more optimistic point of view than the rest of the album, which is probably why it was left off. It resurfaced a few years later on one of Marvin's posthumous recordings.

Meanwhile, the second disc (subtitled "Hear, My Dear") finds some of today's most adventurous hip-hop and R&B producers (Easy Mo Bee, Prince Paul, jazz bassist Marcus Miller, The Roots' ?uestlove) reworking the album's songs-with a twist. The producers were not allowed to overdub or sample and were only allowed to work from the album's original source tapes. So thankfully, you won't find any guest emcees or space-age beats infiltrating this classic album. These remixes serve as slight reworkings or expansions on the original grooves. Some (Is That Enough and Anna's Song) are turned into vibey, head-nodding instrumentals. Some (Time To Get It Together and You Can Leave...) are punched-up slightly in the funk department, while others (I Met A Little Girl, Everybody Needs Love) are tuned down, with minimal musical backing and Gaye's plaintive vocals way in front of the mix. Less of a "remix" album per se, this second disc just allows the listeners to hear the songs in a somewhat different context.

As albums become less and less concept oriented over time, albums like Here, My Dear stick out even more. You can tell that this album wasn't made with a hit single in mind, it was a true reflection of the artist's feelings at that given time. Audiences didn't necessarily get it at first (this album's lukewarm reception marked the beginning of the end for Marvin and Motown-he only recorded one more album for the label), but over the years, this album has been rightfully heralded as the masterpiece it is.

It's definitely not an easy listen-you will have to pay attention if you want to enjoy it, but Here, My Dear might just be the second-best Marvin Gaye of all time (and from What's Going On until his death, he didn't record a bad one). Hell, it's one of the few albums I've shelled out cash for twice (and this reissue wasn't cheap). If you're a fan of soul music, a fan of Marvin Gaye, or even if you're going through a divorce yourself and need something to relate to, you absolutely can't go wrong with Here, My Dear-an album that seems to get better with time."


"Here My Dear (Expanded Edition)" by Marvin Gaye
Released 2008 on Hip-O Select Records
Rating: 5 stars out of 5




[Edited 3/20/10 17:20pm]

I love the original, I love the reissue... hell, I just love it! I think it's a little too long compared to the sustained brilliance of I Want You, What's Going On, and Let's Get It On, but a half-step behind sheer brilliance is still brilliance in its own right.

I always loved this album and even though I can see how most songs on this album was about his marriage, I actually think he was attacking Motown too. You can sense he was more bitter at the Motown situation than he was with Anna. That song "Anna's Song" showed he still cared a great deal for her. That song wasn't a "fuck you", more like "I still love you".

Timmy84 said:

I think the entire album was about everything going on in his life--it is very personal--it isn't a "fuck you" album at all; rather, it contains disparate elements of his life that are in conflict with each other, as in most people's lives over time. It poignantly and succinctly reflects all of the push/pulls, revelations/contradictions, loves/hates that go on in all of us--but was personalized in this very personal musical "letter" of Marvin Gaye. It is a huge album conceptually IMO and it can speak to everyone of us universally in our personal and spiritual struggles... Very deep and moving...and the music is just the bomb!

poetcorner61 said:

True, this album seems more about his problems. He was talking about his own demons in a few of the songs. There was two happier songs though ("Funky Space Reincarnation", "Falling in Love Again" though that one has some sad sentiment to it).

Timmy84 said:

I'm glad you mentioned the happier among the sad. I was just talking to a friend of mine lately that there are very few musical artists that expressed the classic spirit vs. the flesh (salvation vs. sin; spiritual inspiration/elation vs. sexual temptation/elation, etc.). Not in the classic, universal way that many poets and musicians have over time. Marvin Gaye is one of those artists; Prince and MJ are two others (in their best songs). Earlier blues and R&B artists--yes--but not so much in recent times. Not many artists can express the Yin/Yang of everyday and existential existence as well as Marvin could. I miss this; I don't find it so much any more...that is the mark of a true musical...what? Poet, philosopher, genius? I don't know what to call it--but very few have it.

poetcorner61 said:

People realize that when the scene seems too material. Marvin was one of the few who made the battle between the sacred and profane seem majestic. Nowadays, you either gotta go totally graphic or totally sanctified, you can't mix the two because the music now coexists and it takes out the soul.

Timmy84 said:

Thank you for using those terms "sacred v. profane." I used that in a prior post about what was wrong with a lot of music today. Now, it seems to be a blatant tool to gain shock value rather than a real exploration of the push and pull many people feel--for real--in their lives between those two elements. The music is formulated as shock value rather than a real exploration, lyrically and musically, of universal yet personal questions we all hold. That stops music from being what it was meant to be--as an undefinable conduit for our lives that is as essential as the air that we breathe and the water that we drink! Melo-dramatic, I know, but true nonetheless...

poetcorner61 said:

Exactly. Can't really add nothing more than that. You definitely get it.

Timmy84 said:

Well, I did forget one thing with that phrase "Sacred vs. Profane"--very few musical artists have been able to mix the two with any authenticity--Marvin and Prince come to mind...can you think of any others who could mix Spiritual Faith and Worldly Sexuality so convincingly?! There might be others...any thoughts?
[Edited 3/20/10 18:29pm]

poetcorner61 said:

I would say Little Richard and Al Green but both of them constantly struggled with it.

Timmy84 said:

It can create a personal hell but the irony is--that struggle can create some heavenly music! Nature of life, revelation of talent...

poetcorner61 said:

Donny Hathaway is a good example of that.

Timmy84 said:

You are right! There have actually been many... Now, that I think about it, especially during the disco era, there was this whole theme of trying to find a "salvation" through finding love, sex, identity, and spirituality through music and on the dance floor (listening to Donna Summer 12 inch LOL). I am all for artists who put their Yin/Yang struggle into their art and come out on the other side. Maybe balance and happiness in life doesn't equate the best music?! For many?! But I certainly will not deny health and happiness to any musical artist I love. I'd rather have a happy mediocre artist than a dead one! But I believe you can create good music in happier circumstances also; but it may not have the sharpness, contrast, and irony of those inspired by contradictions and imbalances of life... Just my random musings...

poetcorner61 said:

I feel ya lol

Timmy84 said:

I guess my final word on this subject--which I feel strongly--is that the best musical artists of any age and genre have to have a self awareness and a fine tension between the "sacred and profane" in both their lyrics and music in order to craft memorable lasting songs that will outlive charts, genres, and decades. Otherwise, it is forgettable "fluff." I really hope to hear some younger artists that will step up to the plate in the future... I am wide open to hearing them! "I am here, where are you?"

poetcorner61 said:

Timmy84 said:

Nice chatting with you Timmy84! Big:hug2: U! Have a great weekend!

poetcorner61 said:

Same here and u too on the weekend.

HuMpThAnG said: