''Marvin Gaye Live!'' is the second

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

issued by

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

musician

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

, released on June 19, 1974, by

Tamla Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''motor'' ...

Overview

Returning to live performances

In 1973, Gaye released his greatest-selling album, ''

Let's Get It On ''Let's Get It On'' is the twelfth studio album by the American soul singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye. It was released on August 28, 1973, by the Motown subsidiary label Tamla Records on LP. Recording sessions for the album took place dur ...

'', which made him the biggest-selling Motown artist during his lifetime. Motown Records, Gaye's label for over a decade, had long wanted Gaye to promote his recordings with a national tour but the rebellious singer, who had begun suffering from

stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

after the collapse of his beloved singing duet partner Tammi Terrell in October 1967 and who later died of a

brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

two and a half years later in March 1970, had refused to return to live performing only agreeing to do it at sporadic times including when he was honored in his hometown in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in May 1972. performing at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, and briefly in the 1973 film ''Save the Children''. But with the success of ''Let's Get It On'' and Gaye's now-increasing spending habit, he reluctantly agreed to start touring again in the beginning of 1974. After rescheduling the concert for January 4, 1974, at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, Gaye took the stage in front of 14,000-plus screaming fans. He performed a new song which he dedicated to his girlfriend Janis Hunter titled "Jan", as well as songs from his 1970s repertoire, only including his 1960s classics in a sped-up "Fossil Medley". Throughout his tours, Gaye began developing performance anxiety and had feared the public reception. To test the public, he reportedly forced his younger brother Frankie to come out before being confident enough to come out afterwards. The biggest fan response on the album came when Gaye retooled his song, "

Distant Lover "Distant Lover" is the sixth song issued on singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, '' Let's Get It On'' and the B-side of the second single from that album, " Come Get to This". A live recording was issued as a single in 1974. The live version of ...

", into a slower-paced version. The performance soon became a Gaye trademark onstage and the singer continued to perform the song in that similar style until his final performances in the early 1980s.

Reception

Commercially, the album was a big success and proved that, despite his fears, Gaye was still as convincing as a live performer as he was as a recording artist during the early-1970s. On August 31, 1974, the album peaked at #1 on the R&B album chart for two weeks while resting at #8 on the pop album chart. The live version of "Distant Lover" created such a frenetic response that Motown issued the live song as a single where it reached #28 on the pop chart and #15 on the R&B charts in the late summer of 1974. The album would go on to sell over a million copies. The live album earned Gaye his fifth Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the

17th Annual Grammy Awards The 17th Annual Grammy Awards were presented March 1, 1975, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1974. Performers * The Spinners (American group), The Spinners - "Mighty Love ...

, losing to " Boogie on Reggae Woman" by fellow Motown artist and close friend

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Track listing

Original LP

;Side A #"Introduction" – 0:34 #"Overture" (

) – 2:24 #" Trouble Man" (Gaye) – 6:36 #" Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" (Gaye, James Nyx) – 3:55 #"

" (

Gwen Gordy Fuqua Gwen Fuqua (born Gwendolyn Gordy; November 26, 1927 – November 8, 1999) was an American businesswoman, songwriter and composer, most notably writing hit songs such as " Lonely Teardrops", " All I Could Do Was Cry" and " Distant Lover". She ac ...

, Gaye, Sandra Greene) – 6:14 #"Jan" (Gaye) – 2:56 ;Side B #Fossil Medley: " I'll Be Doggone"/" Try It Baby"/"

Can I Get a Witness "Can I Get a Witness" is a song composed by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier as a non-album single for American recording vocalist Marvin Gaye, who issued the record on Motown's T ...

"/" You're a Wonderful One"/" Stubborn Kind of Fellow"/" How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" – 11:36 #"

" (Gaye, Ed Townsend) – 4:43 #" What's Going On" ( Renaldo Benson, Al Cleveland, Gaye) – 4:49

1998 CD remaster

#"Introduction" – 0:34 #"Overture" (Gaye) – 2:24 #"Trouble Man" (Gaye) – 6:36 #"

Flyin' High (In the Friendly Sky) Flying High or Flyin' High may refer to: Film, television and theatre * Flying High (musical), ''Flying High'' (musical), a 1930 Broadway musical * Flying High (1926 film), ''Flying High'' (1926 film), an American silent film directed by Charle ...

"/"

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is the second single from American singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye's 1971 album, '' What's Going On''. Following the breakthrough of the title track's success, the song, written solely by Gaye, became regarded as one ...

" – 4:28 #"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" (Gaye, Nyx) – 3:55 #"Distant Lover" (Gordy Fuqua, Gaye, Greene) – 6:14 #"Jan" (Gaye) – 2:56 #"

Keep Gettin' It On A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

" (Gaye, Townsend) – 3:07 #Fossil Medley: "I'll Be Doggone"/"Try It Baby"/"Can I Get a Witness"/"You're a Wonderful One"/"Stubborn Kind of Fellow"/"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" – 11:36 #"Thanks to the Orchestra" – 0:55 #"Let's Get It On" (Gaye, Townsend) – 4:43 #"What's Going On" (Benson, Cleveland, Gaye) – 4:49

References

{{Marvin Gaye Albums produced by Marvin Gaye 1974 live albums Marvin Gaye live albums Tamla Records live albums