Marvin Gaye - What's Going On/Greatest Hits: Live In 76' (DVD, 2008, 2-Disc Set)

Marvin Gaye was an icon for those of us who desire and love the deeper meaning of music. His short time here on earth and his untimely death was both equally tragic. This particular documentary, which was produced by PBS, offers an in-depth insight into the life, music and death of one of Motown’s greatest members. During the hour and a half documentary, Marvin candidly reveals his inner feelings and thoughts, as he reflects upon his unsuccessful first marriage, his battle for creativity with Motown, his volatile relationship with his father, and his unsuccessful bouts with drug addiction. There's also several one-on-one interviews with those close to Gaye, like Smokey Robinson, Barry Gordy, and Marvin's second wife. (just to name a few)

As an added bonus, the DVD contains a riveting 1976 live concert, which was filmed in Amsterdam Holland. The concert picture and sound quality are excellent. Marvin sings some of his most loved hits non-stop! (About 2 hours) During the beginning of the concert DVD, there’s a scene where Marvin is backstage getting dressed for the concert, and his second wife Janice, along with several other groupies are using drugs, all while the camera is rolling! It’s so sad, yet hardcore and unbelievable.

I highly recommend this dual-set documentary/concert DVD to those who love music, and most of all the memory of Marvin Gaye. "To share is precious, pure, and fair." (Marvin Gaye’s single I Want You)

What's Going On is the eighth studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971 on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records.[1] Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1970 and March–May 1971 at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World and United Sound Studios in Detroit, Michigan and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California. The first Marvin Gaye album credited as produced solely by the artist himself, What's Going On is a unified album consisting of nine songs, most of which lead into the next. It has also been categorized as a song cycle, since the album ends on a reprise to the album's opening theme. The album is told from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred.

What's Going On was the first album on which Motown Records' main studio band, the group of session musicians known as the Funk Brothers, received an official credit. Featuring introspective lyrics about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War, the album was also the first to reflect the beginning of a new trend in soul music. What's Going On was both an immediate commercial and critical success and has endured as a classic of early-1970s soul. In worldwide critics/artists and public surveys, it has been voted as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history and is considered to be one of the greatest albums ever made.[2] In 2003, the album was ranked number 6 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[3]