200 MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS: #26. Continues later this week.

THE CAFFE` LATTE`

200

MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS

Some are the best selling, while others may be obscure, but the albums listed here are all worthy of a listen. No compilation/ best of sets. Only exceptional live albums included. This is a personal listing of the albums I enjoy the most to this day.

#26

WHAT'S GOING ON: MARVIN GAYE 

 

 [1971] 

To understand the significance of 'What's Going On', the album needs to be appreciated in context. Marvin Gaye had to convince label chief Berry Gordy for the creative freedom to embark on the project. Motown's premier male idol was renowned for his romantic songs. On this new LP, Gaye tackled dark and serious issues such as the environment, civil rights and the impact of drug abuse. For Motown, this was a high stakes gamble. With the disc, Gaye reflected the turmoil of the time. The Vietnam War was still raging as the toll kept rising. Back home, things were no better for African Americans. Gaye changed the R&B landscape with 'What's Going On'. Its title track has lived on as a timeless anthem. "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is -unfortunately- still as pertinent today (if not more so) as it was in 1971. Sceptics of climate change still deny the need for greater care for our planet. Pollution remains an environmental challenge. Gaye was at the helm as producer of the album and he ensured the tracks flowed seamlessly. The LP is widely revered as one of the most fundamental R&B recordings. It preceded other key soul discs such as Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" and Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City" and has influenced countless others.

Highlight tracks: What's Going On; Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology); Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) & Right On.