Marvin Gaye's the Real Thing DVD

I used to watch live performances of Michael Jackson and people would be falling all over the place. I'd always wonder "How in the world can you connect with an artist THAT much?" Those were the days before I was old enough to understand what music can do to someone's soul. Those were also the days before I could understand Marvin Gaye's lyrics. I liked Michael Jackson, but Marvin Gaye makes my heart beat faster and my eyes water. I am CRAZY about that man's voice. When I walked into a bookstore, I snatched this DVD up so fast you would've thought I was on fast forward. 

His voice is beautiful and the emotion that comes out of him is outstanding. The first six performances were frustrating for me to watch because it showed how strong segregation was. The audience was predominantly white and the atmosphere very stiff, but I wanted to hear his songs. Even in an audience that seemed to look at him as more of a puppet than respect him as an artist, he went into his own little world and boooooooy, did he sing those songs. When I got to #7 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and saw his very lustful performance with Tammi Terrell...that was IT. It was what I'd been looking for all along. Those two looked like they wanted to get a room and stop the song, and I cracked up. I felt like I was sneaking and watching the performance, but they didn't know they were live. I'll tell you one thing...those two must've made one helluva couple! 

Every single song he sang moved my spirit and made me dance around the room, but the two that stood out most to me were "What's Going On?" when they showed how black neighborhoods looked, how the war was treating the world, the bungalows reminded me of my old neighborhood, and he was so vulnerable in the song. The second song was my all-time favorite song in the world "Let's Get It On." HE DID THAT SONG! That man sang that song like a woman was standing right in front of him...I wonder what kind of actor he'd have made, because you couldn't tell me he wasn't doing one helluva an acting job imagining what he'd do to that woman. When he started whispering at the end like he was trying to coax her into going into the dark...wow.