| The scarcity of any Marvin Gaye on DVD is reason enough to welcome The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981; but the fact that this 16-track compilation is superb in nearly every respect is cause for genuine celebration. What we get is not just a collection of songs but a career trajectory; tracing Gaye's evolution from a cog in the wheel that was Berry Gordy's Motown into a mature artist with his own matchless vision. The early (i.e.; from the 1960s) stuff includes songs like "Hitch Hike;" "Can I Get a Witness;" and "Ain't That Peculiar"; watching Gaye mime these hits on American Bandstand and elsewhere in front of all-white studio audiences and perky go-go girls is sometimes a little silly; but the sound is terrific; thanks to the DVD producers' decision to replace the TV tracks with audio remastered from the original stereo recordings. It isn't until the eighth track; a version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" from 1969; that we get any actual live performances; but the wait proves well worth it. With "What's Going On;" Gaye proved that he could defy Gordy's formulaic approach and prosper both financially and creatively while heeding the dual voices of his conscience and his muse; and the 1972 performance of that song is quite simply transcendent; with the great James Jamerson on bass and a middle section; featuring just Gaye's voice and piano with conga backing; that liner notes writer Rob Bowman rightly calls "perhaps the high point of this whole DVD." A steamy "Let's Get it On;" recorded in Belgium in '81; is nearly as good. Those two clips alone justify buying this collection; but overall; despite a couple of minor missteps (the promo film for "A Funky Space Reincarnation" is pretty hokey); The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981; which also includes several interview segments between tunes and a section that features only the vocal tracks from the first seven numbers; is an invaluable confirmation of a truly great musician. --Sam Graham |
[ NTSC ] (???)