What's Going On Entry

What's Going On is fantastic album and one of the first of it's kind. Rn'B music before this album had never been thought out or so politically conscious. Marvin Gaye's prior albums had never been so well put together and mostly consisted of radio friendly unit shifters common to Motown music of the time. Before this album Gaye tried to whatever he could to get himself out a funk caused by the death of a close friend and peer, Tammi Terrel. Collaboration with Al Celveland and Obie Bensen re-sparked the drive necessary to start and complete What's Going On.
The album is a political album based on soldiers returning from Vietnam and finding what they returned to was not as they remembered. Much of what inspired this record was Gaye's friends sending him letters from Vietnam. Drug abuse was another common theme among the album as well as poverty and issues of the time making this the first truly social concept album of the time. Other songs had been released in this style but not full albums such as this.
With the death of his friend and a refusal to record or perform Gaye had a difficult time with the process of this whole album. He also ran into issues releasing it when Ben Gordy, the CEO of Motown, thought it the album would fail. Gordy disagreed that people would like such a political heavy sound and ultimately green lighted the album in hopes it would fail. When it was finally released, Gordy saw the error in his judgement when What's Going On became Motown's fastest selling single.
This album stands apart from together albums in many ways. Musically it was once of the first soul records where the songs connected though out the album. Large amounts of multiple instrumentation was used to make the large sound for the record and is noted for including a blend of genres in the arrangement.
So far this album has been the only album we've listened to in either music history class that has been enjoyable. As an album the piece works wonderfully together. All the songs feel as one larger piece that gives the whole album a sense of brevity that can't be accomplished in just one song. As an industry listener I like seeing where the concept album ideas started. The sound of this record is also impressive and the clean mixes are wonderfully different than other Motown songs of the time.