Marvin Gaye LEGEND, LIVE AND FOR

Personnel: Marvin Gaye; Jaki Graham, Pete Escovedo, Shelia E.
Recording information: 09/1979-??/1983.
Editor: John Uhrig.
Subtitled "Newly Discovered Historical Recordings by the Great Master," LEGEND, LIVE & FOREVER is a collection of live Marvin Gaye recordings made in the late 1960s and the early '70s in Europe and Japan. Recorded on non-standard (sometimes amateur) equipment, the quality on many of the recordings--despite careful mastering--is of mediocre quality, and audiophiles will probably want to pass on the collection.
Nevertheless, LEGEND gives an adequate picture of Gaye at the end of the '70s, and includes many of his timeless classics ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine;" "Let's Get It On"), then-new tunes ("Sexual Healing"), and several versions of "The Lord's Prayer." Gaye is in typically fine voice, his band is sharp, and the performances, despite the compromised recording quality, are solid and passionate. While not an essential addition to the Gaye canon, LEGEND will certainly be of interest to collectors and devoted fans.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop