Personnel: Marvin Gaye (vocals, piano, percussion); Robert White, Joe Messina (guitar); Felix Resnick (violin); David Ireland (viola); Italo Babini (cello); Danya Hartwick (flute); Larry Nozero (soprano saxophone); Eli Fountain (alto saxophone); Wild Bill Moore, George Benson (tenor saxophone); John Trudell, Maurice Davis (trumpet); Carl Raetz (trombone); Johnny Griffith (celesta, keyboards); Earl Van Dyke (keyboards); Jack Brokensha (vibraphone, percussion); Bob Babbitt, James Jamerson (bass instrument); Max Janowski (12-string bass); Chet Forrest (drums); Eddie Brown, Earl DeRouen (congas, bongos); Jack Ashford (tambourine, percussion).

Liner Note Authors: Marvin Gaye; Ben Edmonds.

Recording information: Hitsville, Detroit, Michigan.

Originally released in 1971, WHAT'S GOING ON remains a landmark album, one that redefined music with powerful, anthemic songs that remain pertinent to this day. Before WHAT'S GOING ON, R&B albums were collections of singles, with secondary "filler" material rounding out the LPs. Marvin Gaye changed all this by releasing a concept album that went beyond the usual boy-meets-girl scenario, weaving together an aural collage of societal ills. "Crime is increasing/Trigger-happy policing," from "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," is as potent a line today as it was over 20 years ago, and with the country still divided over the Vietnam War, the title track became a rallying cry for peace.

Dark, mercurial, and jazzy, WHAT'S GOING ON was as radical musically as it was conceptually. Layered with lush orchestrations, heavenly background vocals, and loose, fiercely grooving arrangements, WHAT'S GOING ON so surpassed anything previously known as soul music that it virtually reinvented the genre. The critical and commercial success of Gaye's opus also enabled other artists to break free from the creative shackles imposed by Motown and other companies, and to experience more autonomy in musical and thematic expression, thereby changing the industry. In short, the musical and historical significance of WHAT'S GOING ON cannot be overestimated; it was Gaye's masterpiece, and still stands as one of the greatest soul albums of all time.

Rolling Stone (1/23/03, p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Revolutionary..."

Rolling Stone (8/5/71, p.44) - "...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..."

Rolling Stone (9/30/71, p.42) - "...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..."

Spin (p.122) - "The godhead of '70s soul albums plays like one seamless groove-song, with jazzy orchestrations..."

Q (p.120) - "[T]his was the first soul album to engage directly with the political and social upheaval of the times, from the Vietnam War to environmental pollution."

Q (1/03, p.69) - Included in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever"

Q (10/99, p.161) - 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."

Uncut (5/03, p.116) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Global and personal anguish were never so exquisitely conveyed..."

Vibe (12/99, p.164) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century

Living Blues (5-6/01, p.100) - "...A masterwork....Sumptuous packaging, insightful liner notes, and voluminous session information underscore the first-class presentation..."

Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.97) - "...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."

NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #4 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time.'

NME (Magazine) (9/11/93, p.18) - 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..."