Reviews
"The result is Gaye’s magnum opus; a record that maintains his desire to keep dancefloors alight while sparking greater discussions about inequality, the inhumanity of war and poverty.", Ranked #1 in NME's list of The Greatest Albums Of The '70s - "...politicized music has never been done better....it's also infused with a beautiful spirituality...", Ranked #1 in NME's list of 'The Greatest Albums Of The '70s' - "...politicized music has never been done better...it's also infused with a beautiful spirituality...", "An indelible quiet-storm jeremiad.", "It hums and glides on the effortless, multi-tracked Marvins that swoop through the stereo spectrum like ghosts.", 4 stars out of 5 - "...Revolutionary...", Ranked #4 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time.', "...A masterwork....Sumptuous packaging, insightful liner notes, and voluminous session information underscore the first-class presentation...", 5 stars out of 5 - "...The live album that forms the centerpiece of this re-packaged version of Gaye's greatest work is... astonishing...", "His melodic treatise on war, drugs, poverty, spirituality and ecology still rings disturbingly true 40 years later.", "...Stands as both a eulogy and testament to a spirit of co-operation, understanding and harmony. It's a vision of Utopia in words and music one could wander around in forever.", 5 stars out of 5 -- "Greatest protest album ever made? Most stirring soul-music symphony? Yes and yes. And then some.", "This was the first soul album to engage directly with the political and social upheaval of the times, from the Vietnam War to environmental pollution.", Included in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever", "The godhead of '70s soul albums plays like one seamless groove-song, with jazzy orchestrations...", Ranked #9 in Spin's 'The Top 10 Reissues Of 2011' -- "The sound is honeyed, feather-light....For protest music, it sure glides.", "...There are very few performers who could carry a project like this off. I've always admired Marvin Gaye, but I didn't expect that he would be one of them...", 5 stars out of 5 -- "WHAT'S GOING ON is a fully rounded auteur classic, a sort of soul version of PET SOUNDS...", 5 stars out of 5 - "...Global and personal anguish were never so exquisitely conveyed...", Included in Mojo's "Best Reissues of 2001"., "...there is no question that he has gotten progressively better...Gaye's multi-tracked lead vocals answer one another like a man talking to himself, finally enveloping the listener in a world view of incalculable intensity...", Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century, Included in Q Magazine's Best Motown Records Of All Time - "...one of the finest albums ever recorded.... gorgeous soulful settings, bewitching melodies and Gaye's magisterial singing."
