Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981 [Hip-O DVD]

Marvin Gaye

Overview

"The smoothest voice in Motown soul returns in a classic collection of sixteen full-length performances captured live on American and European television and completely re-mastered for optimum image and sound quality. Beginning with a 1964 performance of ""Hitch Hike"" on American Bandstand and spanning the course of three decades, Gaye takes the stage to perform such hits as ""I Heard it Through the Grapevine"", ""What's Goin' On"", and ""Let's Get it On"" before winding to a close with a 1981 rendition of ""Heavy Love Affair"". Various interview segments scattered throughout the release and filmed throughout Gaye's career offer added insight into the mind of the Motown legend."

Product Details

Release Date:	04/04/2006
UPC:	0602498384060
Original Release:	2006
Source:	Hip-O Records
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Sales rank:	55,897

Special Features

Marvin in the Motown Studios: Hear only Marvin Gaye's original vocal track for seven of his classic hits; 24-page booklet with foreword by Otis Williams (The Temptations), extensive liner notes by Grammy-award winning author Rob Bowman, rare photographs and memorabilia

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Marvin Gaye	Performer
Marvin Gaye	Primary Artist
Tammi Terrell	Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Norman Whitfield	Composer
William "Mickey" Stevenson	Composer
Barrett Strong	Composer
Clarence Paul	Composer
Marvin Gaye	Composer

Editorial Reviews

Here's a DVD that gives the music to you straight, without a fuss, presenting 16 full-length performances by soul great Marvin Gaye, taken from film and television clips spanning 1964 to 1981. Many of the core classics from Gaye's hit repertoire are represented, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Ain't That Peculiar," "Let's Get It On," "What's Going On," "You're a Wonderful One," "Hitch Hike," "Pride and Joy," "Can I Get a Witness," and (as a duet with Tammi Terrell) "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Interspersed between some of the songs are interview excerpts from television music and talk shows, and while these aren't so lengthy as to make this a documentary that could tell the story of Gaye's career on its own, they're entertaining and do shed some light on his music and life. If there's any drawback, it's that many of the clips are lip-synced, including nearly all of the ones from the '60s (which comprise about half of the material on the disc). Still, Gaye always looks and moves fine, and the first six clips (all from the mid-'60s) are enhanced by syncing the images to the original stereo master recordings. There's some unpredictable entertainment to be had on both the mimed and live clips, too, including a filmed-outdoors duet with Terrell in which you can see their breath (presumably to indicate they are on an appropriate peak to sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"); "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," sung to a different track than the studio version, with Gaye on piano; and a fully live 1972 performance of "What's Going On," from the obscure film Save the Children. And while few Gaye fans would count "A Funky Space Reincarnation" among his greatest songs, its 1979 promo film is certainly amusing for its sheer gaucheness, complete with Gaye's spangled maroon wardrobe, clouds of dry ice, and writhing barely-clothed women. Adding to this high-quality package is a 24-page booklet with an essay by top soul historian Rob Bowman, and a bonus feature that allows you to hear Gaye's a cappella vocal tracks for seven hits in isolation, synced to the corresponding film clip to aid watchability. ~ Richie Unterberger