Marvin Gaye HERE, MY DEAR (2LP)

Personnel: Marvin Gaye (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Gordon Banks, Wali Ali (guitar); Ernie Fields (alto saxophone); Charles Owens, Fernando Harkness (tenor saxophone); Nolan Smith (trumpet); Frank Blair (bass); Bugsy Wilcox (drums); Gary Jones, Elmira Colins (percussion).
Reissue producer: Cary E. Mansfield.
Recorded at Marvin Gaye Studio, Hollywood, California. HERE MY DEAR was originally released on Tamla (364) as a 2 LP set. Includes liner notes by David Ritz and Curtis M. Shaw.
Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot & Dan Hersch (DigiPrep Studios).
A concept album of some magnitude, although the subject matter could hardly have been comfortable listening for Anna, Marvin Gaye's ex-wife. She was the subject of Gaye's public 'divorce album', a clever idea if there were no real people involved. The illustration on the sleeve depicts love, marriage, pain and divorce, in addition to the scales of justice (equal). This lengthy album (originally a double vinyl) was poorly received by the critics, although now it has grown in stature, and it really does have considerable depth and melody. Let's face it, if Gaye sang a gardening seed catalogue from cover to cover it would be brilliant.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop