The Best of Marvin Gaye: The Millennium Collection, Vol. 2: The 70's (20th Century Masters)

This second volume of Marvin's hits takes you into the '70s, when his songs took a deeply personal and political turn. Some of the most soulful hits ever recorded are here: What's Going On; Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology); Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler); Trouble Man; Let's Get It On; You're a Special Part of Me; Got to Give It Up (Pt. 1) , and more.

Marvin Gaye's 1970s recordings reflected his growing awareness of social issues--"What's Going On," "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"--coupled with a freewheeling sexuality ("Let's Get It On," "Come Get to This," "I Want You"). On both counts, Gaye was out in front of the times, and helped shape the discussion during that turbulent time. This set does a good job of briefly limning the highlights of Gaye's '70s work; coupled with the 20th Century Masters companion volume of his '60s hits, it gives a fair if less than definitive overview of one of pop's most prolific and important hitmakers. --Daniel Durchholz