Gold: Greatest Hits (CD - 2004)

Producers include: Smokey Robinson, Ashford & Simpson, Ivy Jo Hunter, Norman Whitfield, Harvey Fuqua.

Compilation producer: Harry Weinger.

Includes liner notes by David Ritz.

Personnel: Marvin Gaye (vocals); Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell (vocals).

Liner Note Author: David Ritz.

Marvin Gaye left behind one of the greatest legacies in American pop music, a fascinating and irresistible string of chart hits and stunning album-long suites that explored the sacred/secular divide in his own soul, and by extension, the philosophical divide in the American psyche, and he did it all with grace, ease, assurance, and style. This double-disc anthology hits the obvious high points, but also is deep enough to include some rarities (like the wonderful What's Going On footnote song "Where Are We Going?"), live tracks (his famous live performance of "Distant Lover" from an Oakland concert is included), a generous selection of his classic duets with Tammi Terrell, and his late, last burst of brilliance, 1982's "Sexual Healing." There are countless Marvin Gaye compilations on the market, but Gold does as well a job as any of them at skating across the high points of his career. The thing to remember, though, is that the water is deep, and listeners owe it to themselves to eventually dive down past these kinds of "greatest hits" collections into the full sweep of this brilliant singer's body of work. ~ Steve Leggett

Marvin Gaye is well-served by Gold: Greatest Hits, a compilation issued by the Canadian wing of Universal. Spanning his entire career, it brings listeners from his 1962 Motown breakthrough "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" to his final hit, 1982's "Sexual Healing." The disc misses few of his major recordings, gives equal weight to his '60s and '70s material, and includes a good share of his duets (with Tammi Terrell, Kim Weston, and even Diana Ross). The album title is a misnomer, since these weren't always his biggest hits, but the selection is much the better for not being chained to the charts; the Gaye-Ross duet, "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," was picked over the three hits that appeared on 1973's Diana and Marvin LP, but it was the highlight of the record. ~ John Bush

Frankly, there are enough different Marvin Gaye best-of compilations that are on the market, or have been on the market, that fans should be forgiven if they couldn't quite muster a great deal of enthusiasm for yet another one at the time of this release. On its own terms, this double disc is a very good survey of Gaye's most popular songs, starting with his first hit single in the early 1960s ("Stubborn Kind of Fellow") and going all the way up to "Sexual Healing," also including his big duet hits with Tammi Terrell. It's a good starting point for those who want a little more than a standard single-disc Gaye best-of, or one that spans his entire career instead of just some of it. Nevertheless, the 1995 Anthology release is a better deal from every standpoint, including more songs (47 to The Very Best of's 34). It also has some good early hits that do not appear on The Very Best of, such as "One More Heartache," "Try It Baby," and "Baby Don't You Do It," not to mention his 1964 duet hit with Mary Wells, "What's the Matter With You Baby" (though it doesn't have "Sexual Healing"). Those that are willing to spend just a little more time or money on their purchase should consider alternatives, whether Anthology or the more comprehensive The Master box set. Of course, there's always a catch that might cause dedicated fans to hesitate passing this by entirely, namely two rare tracks. One's a previously unreleased stereo mix of the spiritual "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." The other, more interesting find is the previously unreleased 1972 track "Where Are We Going?," a fair but not great track in the same vein as material from the What's Going On album, but poppier; the song was also done by Donald Byrd on his Black Byrd record. ~ Richie Unterberger

A CD reissue of a 1986 Telstar album featuring various phases of Marvin Gaye's successful career from "Wherever I Lay My Hat" to "When Did You Stop Loving Me" from Hear My Dear. The album includes duets with Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross (but none with Mary Wells) and many of his significant solo hits; at 22 songs, this collection is hardly definitive of an artist who enjoyed a long, prolific career like Marvin, but it's a handy compilation for frontrunners who don't care to delve too deep into the singer's career. Only knock: none of his excellent Smokey Robinson productions made the cut. ~ Andrew Hamilton

This is a stripped down (there is no CD booklet) reissue of Motown's 1986 Marvin Gaye release of the same title, which in turn was a CD issue of the Telstar LP set. As a single-disc collection it's decent, but hardly the end all of Marvin Gaye compilations, although it does include Gaye's masterful 1982 Columbia Records hit "Sexual Healing" along with classic Motown hits from various stages of his career like "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "What's Going On," and several of his duets with Tammi Terrell. For a greatest-hits type anthology, though, there's a fair amount of lesser tracks and filler here, and better collections are easily available. ~ Steve Leggett

This generous two-disc compilation does an excellent job of tracing soul legend Marvin Gaye's career. It moves from his earliest, most pop-oriented recordings ("How Sweet It Is," "I'll Be Doggone") to his famed duets with Tammi Terrell ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing") and his later, more socially conscious work from the WHAT'S GOING ON era. Things kick off marvelously with the vibrant "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," where Marvin works his magic around sassy vocal assists from the Vandellas and a slightly Latin-tinged arrangement sporting flute and cowbell.

Other stops along the way include songs from the ultimate make-out album LET'S GET IT ON, the latter-day glory of the subtly sensual "Sexual Healing," and of course the immortal "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," the scorned-love anthem whose ominous intro alone is enough to secure Mr. Gaye a place in pop heaven. If you're interested in this R&B giant's music but just want one bases-covering collection, this is the definitive release for you.

Motown's ANTHOLOGY: THE BEST OF MARVIN GAYE is probably the finest overview of Gaye's tenure at the label. Unfortunately, the collection is available only on import. Also, it has one glaring omission, Gaye's 1983 single "Sexual Healing" (from MIDNIGHT LOVE, not recorded for Motown). Columbia's GOLD, a superb two-disc collection of Gaye's brightest moments, does include "Sexual Healing," as well as the lion's share of the hits that appear on ANTHOLOGY.

The fantastic batch of Gaye's early-'60s pop-soul singles, including "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and his duets with Tammi Terrell ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), is alone worth the price of the set. Transitional singles like "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" hint at the groove-oriented approach Gaye would perfect in the '70s with his socio-political masterpiece WHAT'S GOING ON, and his paean to desire LET'S GET IT ON. Smooth funk workouts like "Trouble Man" and "Got to Give It Up" flesh out disc 2. Though Motown's collection still wins out on wealth of material (it has 47 tracks to GOLD's 34), GOLD is still a top-notch sampler, covering all aspects of the soul icon's dynamic career. minimize