in Entertainment, Music

Turns Out Marvin Gaye Had An Unreleased Album And We’re All Dying Hear It

Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

It is 2019, which means Marvin Gaye has been dead for 35 years.

Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his own father, Marvin Gaye Sr., after he intervened in an altercation between Gaye Sr., and his mother Alberta, causing Gaye Sr. to become enraged and shoot his son twice.

Gaye’s death ended an entire era of music.

Here’s his song “Let’s Get It On.”

It also inspired an entire tribute movement, which basically became its own genre of music.

Among these tributes includes Diana Ross’s Missing You, which subsequently was Ross’s last Top 10 hit on the United States Pop Singles chart and also her last number 1 on the R&B singles chart.

But information has come to light that a recording of an as-of-yet unheard Marvin Gaye album might be getting a release.

People is reporting that “In honor of what would have been Gaye’s 80th birthday on April 2, You’re the Man,” Gaye’s unheard album from 1972,  “is finally getting its long-awaited release on CD, streaming services and double-LP.”

“While some of the tracks have been included on CD compilations over the years, this marks the first time that 15 of the songs have been made available on vinyl.”

It is unclear whether Gaye would have wanted this album released, as he recorded the whole thing only to shelve it later on due to lack of enthusiasm.

Time is saying the album is a glimpse into Gaye’s life “as a Crossroads.”

In 1972, “Gaye’s marriage had crumbled, he was feuding with Motown, and he spent much of his time alone in Detroit, depressed and high.”

“When his single ‘You’re the Man’ [from which the title for the album was taken] tanked on the pop charts, Gaye’s confidence–and Motown’s confidence in him–went with it. The songs he recorded for a 1972 album were scrapped and never released as a whole.”

“This album complicates the narrative that Gaye forged a clean linear break between the political and the personal.”

“You’re the Man is a snapshot of an artist in flux, commingling both with powerful results.”

The You’re The Man album in its entirety on vinyl will be released on Friday, March 29th. It can be pre-ordered here.

We’ll see you all at the record store on Bleecker Street.

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Written by Mike Walsh

Mike is a writer, dancer, actor, and singer who recently graduated with his MFA from Columbia University. Mike's daily ambitions are to meet new dogs and make new puns on a daily basis. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @mikerowavables.