At a glance, Gayes life as a troubled recluse isnt exactly something to aspire to.
His approach to that record defined much of his future and music as a whole.
Failure Can Spur Innovation
Whats Going Onshouldnt have been released in the first place.
We called his love of overdubbing Marvin on top of Marvin on top of Marvin.
We also had a name for Marvin at Motown, but I cant remember it.
Its a classic because Gaye came back from a hiatus with a new approach to songwriting.
He broke away from the Motown assembly line production methods and produced the record himself.
He forcibly took creative control, which laid the groundwork for other Motown artists to do the same.
The end result was an album that didnt sound like anything before it.
I spent the three years writing, producing and reflecting.
Then he would wake up and do a whole track like he wasnt even asleep.
He would lay back down and wake up to do another track.
It wasnt something he did for a living; it was truly a part of him.
In turn, Farr and Barney would pop in on Gayes recording sessions.
The new friendship helped lift his spirits and move him back towards writing and recording songs.
As proof of that dream, Gaye committed himself to a workout and training regiment.
The request didnt seem real initially, especially for Farr, who never hid his musical shortcomings.
But Gayes ultimatum was serious.
Mother, mother … We backgrounded him on the whole song, man!
The two Lions helped revive Gayes spirit, battered through current events and all but dormant since Terrells passing.
Where Malcolm and Martin inspired change through words, Gaye believed his could, too.
Gaye consistently looked outside himself for inspiration, whether that was another musician or a couple of football players.
Its easy to get caught up in a small scene and find inspiration only in things inside that scene.
Looking beyond that bubble is often necessary to move forward.
