It is tempting with Marvin Gaye to start with the last chapter. To skip ahead to the tragic end, dog ear the page, and work backwards.

But that robs us of a certain sense of who he was at his epiphany, a competitive and deeply original talent who shone in the spotlight, bucked the trends that made Motown buckets of cash, and crafted what Ryan termed 'a sexy protest record.'

And that's what it is.

Not every moment lands here; just as slivers of Marvin Gaye's days ring cinematic, others hollow, he was still, even in chaos, able to push past destruction and tap into wells of inspiration...that kept his work in focus, never beyond the wanting ears of the public consciousness.

Marvin Gaye's life wasn't always cinematic, it just seemed that way.

Listen to the album on Spotify

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