世紀の名盤 『ホワッツ・ゴーイン・オン』の発表から1年後、1972年5月1日、ワシントンD.C.はJ.F.ケネディ・センターでのライヴ録音を、最新のリミックスを施して初めて単独リリース(初出は2001年発売の『ホワッツ・ゴーイン・オン +25＜デラックス・エディション＞』)。
アルバム『ホワッツ・ゴーイン・オン』からのほとんどの楽曲に加え、オープニングでは60年代のヒット曲メドレーも披露。2枚組LP。180g重量盤ブラック・ヴィニール

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2019/10/03）

Rolling Stone (p.90) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Greatest protest album ever made? Most stirring soul-music symphony? Yes and yes. And then some." Rolling Stone (1/23/03, p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Revolutionary..." Rolling Stone (8/5/71, p.44) - "...There are very few performers who could carry a project like this off. I've always admired Marvin Gaye, but I didn't expect that he would be one of them..." Rolling Stone (9/30/71, p.42) - "...there is no question that he has gotten progressively better...Gaye's multi-tracked lead vocals answer one another like a man talking to himself, finally enveloping the listener in a world view of incalculable intensity..." Rolling Stone (1/23/03, p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Revolutionary..." Rolling Stone (9/30/71, p.42) - "...there is no question that he has gotten progressively better...Gaye's multi-tracked lead vocals answer one another like a man talking to himself, finally enveloping the listener in a world view of incalculable intensity..." Rolling Stone (8/5/71, p.44) - "...There are very few performers who could carry a project like this off. I've always admired Marvin Gaye, but I didn't expect that he would be one of them..." Rolling Stone (1/23/03, p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Revolutionary..." Spin (p.80) - "[A]n indelible quiet-storm jeremiad." Spin (p.51) - Ranked #9 in Spin's 'The Top 10 Reissues Of 2011' -- "[T]he sound is honeyed, feather-light....For protest music, it sure glides." Spin (p.122) - "The godhead of '70s soul albums plays like one seamless groove-song, with jazzy orchestrations..." Q (p.120) - "[T]his was the first soul album to engage directly with the political and social upheaval of the times, from the Vietnam War to environmental pollution." Q (1/03, p.69) - Included in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever" Q (10/99, p.161) - Included in Q Magazine's Best Motown Records Of All Time - "...one of the finest albums ever recorded.... gorgeous soulful settings, bewitching melodies and Gaye's magisterial singing." Q (10/99, p.161) - Included in Q Magazine's Best Motown Records Of All Time - "...one of the finest albums ever recorded.... gorgeous soulful settings, bewitching melodies and Gaye's magisterial singing." Q (6/01, p.128) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...The live album that forms the centerpiece of this re-packaged version of Gaye's greatest work is... astonishing..." Uncut (p.95) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "WHAT'S GOING ON is a fully rounded auteur classic, a sort of soul version of PET SOUNDS..." Uncut (5/03, p.116) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Global and personal anguish were never so exquisitely conveyed..." Uncut (5/03, p.116) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Global and personal anguish were never so exquisitely conveyed..." Vibe (12/99, p.164) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Vibe (12/99, p.164) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Living Blues (5-6/01, p.100) - "...A masterwork....Sumptuous packaging, insightful liner notes, and voluminous session information underscore the first-class presentation..." Living Blues (5-6/01, p.100) - "...A masterwork....Sumptuous packaging, insightful liner notes, and voluminous session information underscore the first-class presentation..." Billboard (p.52) - "[H]is melodic treatise on war, drugs, poverty, spirituality and ecology still rings disturbingly true 40 years later." Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.97) - "...Stands as both a eulogy and testament to a spirit of co-operation, understanding and harmony. It's a vision of Utopia in words and music one could wander around in forever." Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.69) - Included in Mojo's "Best Reissues of 2001". Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.97) - "...Stands as both a eulogy and testament to a spirit of co-operation, understanding and harmony. It's a vision of Utopia in words and music one could wander around in forever." NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #4 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All

Rovi

Lost somewhat in the bounty of previously unreleased material distributed across the deluxe editions of Marvin Gayes 1971-1981 studio albums, this performance appeared in totality on the second disc for Whats Going On. Eighteen years later, newly mixed by John Morales, it gets an appropriate, separate release with in-depth contextualization from Gaye biographer David Ritz. Context here is crucial, and theres a lot of it. For starters, the occasion was Washington, D.C.s Marvin Gaye Day, the events of which culminated in the reluctantly present singers first concert in four years. Struck with stage fright, still deeply affected by the death of duet partner Tammi Terrell, and resentful of his hometown, he took to the stage of the then-new Kennedy Center to perform the entirety of Whats Going On, backed by most of the album contributors, including the Funk Brothers and the Andantes, and locally sourced musicians for strings and horns. The star begins with a 13-minute medley of nine hits from the 60s. The tempo on some of the hits is slowed, setting the tone for the run-through of Gayes year-old masterpiece. He erroneously starts with Right On instead of the title song, so the second side is played first. The sets emotional peak is therefore reached early with Wholy Holy, one of many instances where Gayes voice sounds unaffected by years away from the stage. Rather than end the set by promoting Gayes new single, Youre the Man, Gaye and company roll through second renditions of Inner City Blues and Whats Going On. Thats when it sounds like a proper celebration. ~ Andy Kellman

Rovi