Additional information
This 2-CD deluxe edition of LET'S GET IT ON features various session recordings leading up to or associated with the landmark 1973 release, which is also included in its original form. Personnel includes: Marvin Gaye (vocals, piano); Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin, Don Peake, Arthur Wright, Louis Shelton, David T. Walker, Robert White, Eddie Willis (guitar); Plas Johnson, Bill Green, Ernie Fields, Buddy Collete, Ernie Watts (saxophone, flutes); Chuck Findley (trumpet); George Bohannon (trombone); Joe Sample, Marvin Jenkins, Herbie Hancock (piano); Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith (keyboards); Emil Richards, Victor Feldman (vibraphone); Wilton Felder, James Jamerson (bass); Paul Humphrey, Uriel Jones (drums); Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Bobbye Hall Porter (congas, bongos); The Miracles; The Originals; The Monitors. Producers include: Marvin Gaye, Ed Townsend, David Van DePitte, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch. Principally recorded between 1970 and 1973. LET'S GET IT ON originally released on Tamla (329). Includes liner notes by Ed Townsend, David Ritz, Ben Edmonds and Harry Weinger. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Relishing the artistic freedom afforded by the success of WHAT'S GOING ON, Marvin Gaye recorded this sultry paean to sex. Where its predecessor relied on complex arrangements, the straightforward sound of LET'S GET IT ON focused attention on its tight rhythms, strong melodies, and Gaye's expressive, nuanced singing. For sheer sensual come-on, it's hard to beat the title track, one of the finest celebrations of the joys of human chemistry ever recorded. But the self-explanatory "Come Get to This" and "You Sure Love to Ball" aren't far behind in terms of passionate execution and visceral impact. Though LET'S GET IT ON has its reflective moments, notably the beautiful ballad "Distant Lover," Gaye's focus is on the here and now, and the intensity of his vocal performances and the silky, fluid feel of the arrangements inform the sensual "carpe diem" philosophy. Just as WHAT'S GOING ON opened the floodgates for political soul music, LET'S GET IT ON defined the "lover man" genre populated by luminaries like Al Green, Barry White, and Isaac Hayes.
