Album Reviews7/10
M.P.G.: Marvin Gaye’s Quiet Hinge Between Hits and History
Marvin Gaye's 1969 album M.P.G. is a quiet hinge in his career. A review of its standout tracks, filler, and why it's worth revisiting.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Category: Album Reviews
Records we have scored.
Album Reviews7/10
Marvin Gaye Drops the Jazz Act and Works the Motown Line on ‘That Stubborn Kinda’ Fellow’ — 7/10
Marvin Gaye's 1963 pivot finds the singer embracing a hit-making formula with confidence, yielding radio-ready soul classics like 'Stubborn Kind of Fellow.'
Album Reviews6/10
Easy at 57: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s Bittersweet Farewell Coasts on Borrowed Chemistry
Review: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's final album together, Easy, is a bittersweet farewell, with Valerie Simpson filling in as Terrell's health declined.
Album Reviews7/10
In the Groove: Marvin Gaye at the Crossroads, With One Towering Peak
Marvin Gaye's 1968 album In the Groove is an uneven but thrilling set, anchored by the towering 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' and his remarkable vocal range.
Album Reviews9/10
Ordered to Pay His Ex With Royalties, He Turned the Settlement Itself Into Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye's 1978 divorce album Here, My Dear was a commercial flop, but now it's hailed as a raw, ambitious masterpiece. Our review explains why.
Album Reviews9/10
Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Want You’ at 50: Desire as a Place You Live
Marvin Gaye's 1976 album I Want You is a study in slow heat and intimacy, trading protest for personal longing in a tight 38-minute set.
Album Reviews6/10
Marvin Gaye Croons Standards on Posthumous ‘Romantically Yours,’ but the Originals Fall Short
Marvin Gaye's posthumous 1985 album finds the soul legend softly interpreting standards, but the originals fall flat. A curiosity for fans, not a starting point.
Album Reviews8/10
Gaye and Terrell’s Chemistry Carries ‘United,’ Their 1967 Duet Debut
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 album United captures pure vocal chemistry, from the classic opener to hidden gem 'Two Can Have a Party.'
Album Reviews8/10
Marvin Gaye’s Last Studio Album Trades Protest for Pleasure — 8/10
Marvin Gaye's Midnight Love trades protest for pleasure — a sleek, drum-machine funk record about joy, desire, and dancing, and his final studio album.
Album Reviews8/10
Marvin Gaye Sings His Way Through a Patchy 1970 Covers Set — 8/10
Marvin Gaye's 1970 album That's the Way Love Is showcases his vocal genius across 12 tracks, with standout ballads and a few filler cuts. A transitional gem.
Album Reviews7/10
Hello Broadway: Marvin Gaye Trades Soul Singles for Show Tunes
Marvin Gaye's 1964 detour into Broadway standards is a bold, uneven experiment. We review the album's highs and lows, from 'My Way' to 'Hello, Dolly!'
Album Reviews5/10
The Fake Living-Room Singalong That Outsold Its Own Ambitions: How a 1965 Contract-Filler Gave the World “Barbara Ann
The Beach Boys' 1965 throwaway album, Beach Boys' Party!, was meant as filler. But its loose charm and accidental hit 'Barbara Ann' made it a lasting footnote.