After
Marvin Gaye recorded tributes to Broadway and
Nat King Cole in the previous two years, Motown fans may have had their suspicions raised by an LP titled
Moods of Marvin Gaye. Yes, there are a few supper-club standards to be found here, but
Gaye moves smoothly between good-time soul and adult pop. Most important are his first two R&B number ones, "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Particular," both from 1965 and both produced by
Smokey Robinson. Berry Gordy's right-hand man also helmed "Take This Heart of Mine" and "One More Heartache," another pair of big R&B scores, and just as good as the better-known hits. As for the copyrights not owned by Jobete, the chestnut "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" certainly didn't need another reading, but
Gaye's take on
Willie Nelson's after-hours classic "Night Life" was inspired.
Marvin Gaye was improving with every record, gaining in character and strength of performance, and
Moods of Marvin Gaye is a radically better record than its predecessors. ~ John Bush