Marvin Gaye – What's Going On

Is there a way to distinguish between the KG version and the sh**ty European version without seeing the deadwax?

I recently bought a 1971 OG copy, sold to me as EX, of course it was overgraded and a little noisier than I felt was fair. Of course everyone is grading visually, but there are visible hair lines (non feelers as they say) that do affect playback, regardless of what they say it was overgraded. I paid 75.00 for it.
Then i turned around and found this, which is a gem. Do yourself a favor and stick with this KG analog version. One LP was slightly warped, but I'm just going to keep it, maybe try one of those record pi flattening devices as I have been also getting a few nice records that have warpage. I'm starting to why CD's became so popular, but I regress, the mono in this package is the bomb !!

Would anybody have an idea about the difference on this release over this one?
https://www.discogs.sie.com/release/22739588-Marvin-Gaye-Whats-Going-On

This 50th Anniversary reissue mastered by Gray is phenomenal, it is my absolute favourite 'feel good', version of this release, it sounds amazing and it feels right on every level.

For anyone who likes this record, or wants to discover why it was such a massive success worldwide half a century ago, this is clearly a golden moment. This release has amazing clarity and depth, perfect tonal balance, vocals shine, but most importantly the rhythm and the flow of the album are intact.

In fact the title track is not sonically the best of the album, as it sounds congested (as it should, that was the concept, it is meant to sound like the confusion, the burdening and overwhelming pressure of this world — but this was done by merging too many tracks on the master tapes — this is evident in the high resolution transfers of the track made on DVD-Audio 20 years ago on the Marvin Gaye Collection, which contains a multichannel version of this track designed to amplify this impression).

So the opening track is congested and dark, just like it should, and that reflects the original sound and spirit of the record. It's also because it's a different mix that was done separately from the rest of the album (see below).

Everything after that first track is pure magic, and anyone with decent speakers or even decent headphones will quickly realize how good this album can sound. The sound is clearly one of the best I have heard with this record, and so much so that you completely forget about the sound after a few seconds, just to enjoy the music and the whole experience of this album. Marvin Gaye's voice is litteraly unearthed and the backing vocals, the instrumental background, the bass and rhythmic section feel — it's hard to explain, but for someone who knows every note of this record and has played it countless times, everything feels just right.

Re-listening this album yesterday after having listened to it hundreds of time over 5 decades on countless formats, editions and reissues (I have about 10 analog copies and maybe 10 digital copies), I can safely say that this is a stunning reissue. I'm sure there are 'better' versions, more refined on one particular aspect, but for the price and availability, there is simply no competition (to my ears anyway).

In fact I now feel stupid that I purchased some so-called audiophile high-end releases over the past 20 years (all of which I re-sold in exchange for hifi gear, so it was not all lost), and I feel good that I purchased this particular release. It's not everyday that you can buy for a reasonable price a version that is actually better than marked-up audiophile versions that cost 5 to 10 times more.

Reflecting on this - there is some justice in this kind of release. Making a high quality reissue available to everyone is the right thing to do. This record was never meant to be an audiophile or a snobbish collector's item for people who have more money than common sense. It was meant to be a record for the everyday folks, be played at parties and enjoyed over the radio, played in every house and every bedroom. It was made to make people feel good, and THINK about the world and their lives.

One particular movie (Save the Children) captures the essence of that song quite well, with a lot of real life footage from Detroit and Chicago street life in the early 1970s, and it's one of the best illustrations of that album that I know. What's Going On resonates in a very deep way in that movie.

https://youtu.be/Y9KC7uhMY9s?si=3scWTUCnULb_k1Lb

40-odd years ago, I buying a copy in the United States, What's Going On was a mass market Motown record and you could find it in the record bins for $5, sometimes less. So having a release that sounds this good and does not cost more than few hours of minimum wage, which is accessible to everyone and their kids to listen to and play in their normal life, well it sounds very right — and it feels good.

While on this topic: no matter what and regardless of price, I can't possibly understand the idea of re-issues to this record spread over 4 sides — unless of course you have two copies and someone (a butler, maybe) is DJing the set, otherwise it is impossible to get the FLOW of this record if you have to flip three sides to play it. Just like Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Tommy or the first side of Abraxas, each track is designed to flow into the next and each side of the record is like a whole, not just a series of tracks one after the other. For Marvin Gaye, the decision to author the album with each track flowing into the next was a very important one, and one that was a break from his years as a crooner at Motown. He wanted to issue a record with a flow, a vision and a message, not just a collection of pretty songs to dance to.

— In this respect, this release is perfect, and as soon as you start playing, you can't think of lifting the cart before the side is finished, and everything in the record is not only musically engaging and soothing, but it makes SENSE.

BTW, a word for the younger generations. This record is not just pretty music and lovely singing that you can listen to when you are stoned or making love — although ittedly, a lot of that happened at the time. It's about war, social inequality and the destruction of our planet, and the loneliness, the pressure and depression that one can feel in this environment — war, inequality, depression, ecology (it was a new word then), all the themes of 1970s' America, which probably have never been as relevant than today.

Well, you can feel all that on this record when it sounds so right that you actually forget about the sound and focus on the music and whole message.

By the end of Side B, you feel a bit dizzy and knocked out like you received a punch in the face, not just because it sounds like a dreamy music trip, but because the whole record is supposed to wake people up to their environment — just like it was conceived by the artist 50+ years ago.

In fact, this record should not sound like pretty music and lovely words, it should move you and make you feel deeply sad, depressed, happy and hopeful, all at the same time —. It says STOP THE WAR, stop the madness, wake up to reality, take care of the world and of each other.

This release connects me to the music and to the message and makes me feel all of this — in my guts, not in my brain — all over again. It doesn't matter that I am now over 60 and listen to the record on a more sophisticated stereo (at the time, we listened on very basic turntables, not even in stereo, and on cassettes that we used to death), the message is just as strong and powerful.

Anyway, this record's a trip, and an important one, and not just musically. — and this reissue does it justice.

So enjoy this record like there's no tomorrow (there may not be one, by the pace of things) and, as we used to say, PEACE.

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EDIT - The story behind the title track (What's Going On).

When listening to the title track on this Kevin Gray release, it will be obvious that there is more sibilance on the first track, and this changes as we move into the rest of the LP.

The sibilance on the 1st track (title track) is pretty much on all versions, because it was recorded separately, in fact 9 months before the rest of the album. It was first rejected by Motown and then released as a single (in January 1971), and when it became such a massive hit, Motown asked Marvin Gaye to do a full album in the same vein (which he did, in a continuous recording session of 10 days, recording the tracks in chronological order, from start to finish).

The title track was edited from the single version (with the football players cut from the middle of the track and placed in the intro), and this is why the track has a slightly different balance from the rest of the album.

There's a lot of info on the recording and mix of this track on Youtube, after they discovered the multitrack tape in the vaults (you discover that there's acoustic guitars in the mix).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXY1h5NDu7w&t=53s

You know, when after the first listen, the first thing you do is re-sleeve with Mofi's you have a winner!!!! I was apprehensive when I ordered this because I had another pressing of this that was more expensive that doesn't have the dynamics that this has. As long as you have the GZ pressing you should be good. I didn't care too much for the mono cut even with the Hana mono cartridge.

LOVE THE WAY THIS SOUNDS KEVIN GRAY AAA PRESSING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SQ is great, though a little bright. I expected a warmer pressing. No noise issues. Artwork looks washed-out, though the tri-fold cover looks amazing. Horrendous online service from Universal when trying to order online.

Great remaster by Mr Kevin Grey. Absolutely terrible pressing by GZ. Such a shame.

mine has a locked groove or a fault in the vinyl at the end of track 1 side a so that it stays locked on the dead wax between tracks ? anyone else had this ? tried brushing but no change - i will try a wet clean later in the week but i dont think its dirt ... music sounds great but the flaw in the press is annoying , the shop are going to order me a new disc i think

I received 2 LP's of the original album, did not get the mono singles LP. Make sure 2 check yours before the return window closes. Almost missed it.