Midnight Love

by Marvin Gaye

Overview

Marvin Gaye once said, "When my life suffers, my art prospers." And 1982's MIDNIGHT LOVE, Gaye's first and only full studio album for Columbia Records, proved this statement correct. With the IRS hounding him for back taxes, a second marriage in shambles, and his 21-year relationship with Motown shattered, Gaye retreated to Belgium to record a comeback album. The result was MIDNIGHT LOVE, Gaye's most successful album in a decade -- heralded by the seductive hit single "Sexual Healing." Apparently, during his exile, Gaye found himself heavily influenced by both the futuristic techno sounds of Kraftwerk (check out the gurgling synths on "Midnight Lady") and the steel drum pulse of reggae music ("Third World Girl" was a tribute to Bob Marley). In addition to playing many of the instruments, Gaye loaded this masterpiece with biting horn arrangements and the type of mechanical rhythms that later became electro-funk staples. Balancing out up-tempo tracks such as the largely instrumental "Rockin' After Midnight" and the funk-fused "Joy" are ballads including the poignant "'Til Tomorrow" and the optimistic, reverential "My Love Is Waiting." MIDNIGHT LOVE was a surefire sign that this soul legend and musical visionary was embarking on an exciting new chapter in his career -- one that was cut short by Gaye's untimely death in 1984. Dave Gil de Rubio

Product Details

Release Date:	08/03/2018
Label:	Sony Import
UPC:	0190758438719
catalogNumber:	584387

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Marvin Gaye   Primary Artist