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Personnel include: Marvin Gaye (vocals, piano); David T. Walker, Don Peake, Melvin Ragin, Louis Shelton (guitar); Ernie Watts, Plas Johnson (saxophone); Joe Sample, Marvin Jenkins (piano); Victor Feldman, Emil Richards (vibraphone); Wilton Felder (bass instrument); Paul Humphrey (drums); Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Bobbye Porter Hall (congas, bongos).
Recording information: Hitsville, Detroit, Michigan; Motown Studios-Hitsville West, Los Angeles, CA.
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.
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