Marvin Gaye
'Here My Dear'
Universal/Motown/Hip '0' Select
UK Release Date February 2008

Marvin Gaye's illustrious career is perhaps three fold from his initial introduction to Berry Gordy's future mighty Motown label back in the very early 60's through his glory years of pop hits including those gorgeous unforgettable duets with Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell, Kim Weston and Diana Ross. At the end of the 1960's the whole Motown sound had changed to a more slower pace with songs having more lush productions and Marvin was perhaps at the cutting edge of those changes. When you listen to his version of 'Abraham, Martin & John' you'll know exactly what I mean but it was two years later in 1972 when Marvin took the political world by storm with the release of his 'What's Going On' project - the rest is history as they say.

Following the massive sales of this spectacular album everything else thereon was going to be hard to follow. Sure, he cut some great singles in 1973/74 and even though at this point in his career the Motown company had re-located to LA (leaving the Funk Brothers house band) jobless, he cut some fine duets with label-mate Diana Ross. Sadly thereafter, his career it could be argued either took a nose-dive or was put on the back burner until later on in the decade where in 1977 he cut the disco flavoured 'Got To Give It Up' which whilst being a reasonable track was clearly overshadowed by the sheer amount of quality 'disco' fodder on the circuit and even an appearance on Don Cornelius' legendary Soul Train TV show did little to ease the situation.

At this point Gaye was allegedly having marital differences with his wife Anna and it is said that he would record an album in 1978 the proceeds of which go to paying her off - the result was this 1978 album 'Here My Dear' . There are, and I guess always will be, differing opinions on its musical quality and I for one having received a white label vinyl copy from EMI at the time found it totally uninteresting and along with many critics wrote it off as possibly being Gaye's worst recording ever. Whilst the music culture was evolving in the USA the reality was despite Motown's push on this project the fact of the matter was that it didn't produce any hit singles and whether Anna Gaye was financially satisfied as a result remains questionable

So! After two more years of divorce proceedings, in which Marvin paid zero in court-ordered payments and never showed up for court dates, he was finally cornered into a divorce settlement. By then, however, he really didn't have any money, and what he received in album advances and royalties went to the IRS for those income taxes he hadn't bothered with.

The album then 'Here My Dear' is best described as a tidy but elegant, sophisticated mix of tight, sexy funk; smooth '70s R&B; and jazz-fusion. That's the music. Lyrically, it's something else altogether, an in-depth, no-holds-barred, almost excruciating look at a shambles of a marriage. One song, "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You?" is reprised three times, but in spite of that sentiment he takes the marriage seriously: they're eternal, and he'll take care of her forever. He talks about the good things, about trying to make amends etc.

But this is a nasty, vengeful, sour grapes album, no question. Songs like "You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You" don't leave much to interpretation (except you do need to know that this is what Anna said to Marvin, not vice versa), nor does the simply titled "Anger." But worst of all is the most bald-faced airing of dirty laundry, scandal to the world.

In any case, it didn't work. The album was a flop; it charted, but it didn't even make back the $300,000 that Marvin gave to Anna from his advance. He had to start making monthly payments...but even that didn't happen, because his payments to the IRS left him only living expenses.

The 2008 issue of this album has naturally been expanded to include never before heard extended and alternative mixes which sadly still does nothing to stimulate this listeners audio enjoyment. Whilst the packaging and liner notes are a real joy to look through (as always with Hip O releases) the music sadly lets it down and whilst I guess there will be Marvin Gaye fans who will want to own a copy, but for me, this is not the Marvin Gaye I grew up with and I have no interest whatsoever in his motivation and reasons for recording this project.

It's not often I find a Motown album that leaves me cold, but unfortunately this did, and its reissue 30 years on changes nothing from the day I received my original white label copy from EMI all those years ago.

A sad but realistic personal rating of 5/10