Archival Tape Edition No. 11 § Marvin Gaye / What's Going On

Marvin Gaye's first album to present him as a producer and to credit Motown's in-house studio band, the iconic session musicians known as the Funk Brothers. "What's Going On" is a concept album with its narrative, established by the songs, being told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to his home country to witness hatred, suffering, and injustice. The album was an immediate commercial and critical success making Gaye the first male solo artist to place three top ten singles on the Hot 100 from one album. In 2020, it was ranked number one on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. MUSICIANS Composer, Drums/Percussion, Piano, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals: Marvin Gaye Vocals (Background): The Andantes, Mel Farr, Bobby Rogers, Elgie Stover, Lem Barney Bass: James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt Tambourine, Percussion: Jack Ashford Vibraphone, Percussion: Jack Brokensha Celeste: Johnny Griffith Drums: Chet Forest Bongos, Congas: Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Earl DeRouen Guitar: Joe Messina, Robert White Solo Work: Eli Fountain (Alto Saxophone), William "Wild Bill" Moore (Tenor Saxophone) Saxophones: Larry Nozero, George Benson, Angelo Carlisi, Tate Houston Trumpets: John Trudell, Maurice Davis Trombone: Carl Raetz Violins: Gordon Staples, Zinovi Bistritzky, Beatriz Budinszky, Richard Margitza, Virgnia Halfmann, Felix Resnick, Alvin Score, Lillian Downs, James Waring Violas: Edouard Kesner, Meyer Shapiro, David Ireland, Nathan Gordon Cellos: Italo Babini, Thaddeus Markiewicz, Edward Korkigan Harp: Carole Crosby String Bass: Max Janowsky SIDE A What's Going On What's Happening Brother Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky) Save The Children God Is Love Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) SIDE B Right On Wholy Holy Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) RECORDED TO TAPE Date of Recording: June 1, 1970 - May 5, 1971 Original Release Date: May 21, 1971 Location: Hitsville Studios and Studio B, Detroit, MI, and Sound Factory, Los Angeles, CA Original tape numbers: P6786, P6787 Catalog Number: Tamla TS310 Balance Engineer: Günter Hermanns Recording Producer: Produced by Marvin Gaye Arranged and Conducted by David Van dePitte Recorded by Steve Smith, Ken Sands, Cal Harris, Bob Olhsson, Joe Atkinson, James Green and Sam Ross (Detroit), and Lawrence Miles & Art Stewart (Los Angeles) Mixed by: Lawrence Miles at Motown Studios (Hitsville West), Los Angeles, CA, May 6, 1971 BOOKLET CONTENT LIST A MINOLTA EP415Z copy of the recording information A Cyanotype of Marvin Gaye and Robert White after an original photograph courtesy of Motown Records Archives, taken during rehearsals for the live rendition of the album, May 1, 1972 Polaroid of microscopic view of the real groove A Risograph after an original photo of the Supersense Living Room studio. Photographer: Ákos Burg, 2021 "How to caress" by Florian "Doc" Kaps. An info sheet about the Supersense master records and how to care for them "Project Mastercut" by Florian "Doc" Kaps. An introduction to the Mastercut Editions Cutting engineer notes, Supersense, Vienna 2023 *The total circulation of this Mastercut release is strictly limited to a maximum total of 999 records. As of today, the following different productions have been released: Premier Cut: 01-99 Production Run #2: 100-124 Learn more about the Mastercut → Due to the fact that our MASTERCUTS are no stock items but cut piece by piece in real time by a small team here in Vienna, we kindly ask for your understanding that based on the overwhelming global demand for our editions production, assembly and delivery of your very personal MASTERCUT treasures can currently take up to 4 weeks. All orders will be processed in the order received without any exceptions. Thank you so much for your patience.