What's Going On? Marvin Gaye and the Last Days of the Motown Sound

by Ben Edmonds

Arguably the greatest soul album ever made, What's Going On established Motown star Marvin Gaye as a unique and maverick musical talent. His determination and vision resulted in inspirational and pioneering works that, in the era of Vietnam and the civil rights protests, challenged America to take a long hard look at itself. Ben Edmonds examines in detail the making of this legendary work -- initially rejected by Motown's quality-control department -- interviewing many of the artists and record company employees closest to the singer, to arrive at a deeper understanding of what the album means. It is, without question, one of the greatest stories ever told.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2001

Reviews

[Trissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book and it was helpful in getting a good insight into Motown. Unfortunately, the book was often repetitive in content and it was half revealing, half exhausting for a factual book as it ran into a lot of rumors and side information. Still, it was a fun and insightful read, and the author also had an analyzing and critically examining attitude, so I would recommend the book.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure this does a ton to elevate this above a Wikipedia skim of the album’s creation, but it did make me listen to this album a lot more than I had which was well worth it. Was more interesting hearing the origins of the Motown music machine/production pipelines and how Marvin subverted them, but also just a lot of guys talking about smoking grass and recording music. I’m always down for that but it’s also not gonna thrill me. Best detail was Marvin jerking off before every session so none of his sexual energy made it into the music.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first case I've had where the RECORD is better than the book.
I personally just wanted it to be more about the context of the album in relation to the era. Still, a solid document of the making of one of my top 10 albums of all time.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would've liked it more if it concentrated on the making of What's Going On more and what was going on with Berry Gordy less.

But if you're obsessed with Marvin it's worth the short time it takes to read.

[Laura Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes to the depth of the album What's Going On. I had never truly listened much to Motown or Marvin Gaye but after reading this book I gained an appreciation.

[Dan Shonka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Edmonds gives the readers an interesting and detailed look into the business of Berry Gordy's Motown. It's also something of a biography of Marvin Gaye. However, the book's main focus is a deep dive into the making of Marvin Gaye's groundbreaking album, What's Goin' On. Marvin Gaye was a complex and talented man, deeply talented, deeply caring, and deeply flawed. Ben Edmonds brings all of that to light in this book. What's Goin' On is an outstanding album from start to finish, and this book deepens the listeners' understanding of the effort that went into the creation of the album, and the depth of sounds in the songs. I highly recommend this book to music lovers in particular.

[Megan Loveless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not expect this to be such a page turner. I knew about Marvin Gaye and Motown, but the details in this book give so much backstory and context to chaos around both. As someone who works for a label, the assembly line process of Motown and all their characters was so interesting.