Let's Get It On
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Let's Get It On is the ninth studio album by American soul musician Marvin Gaye, released August 28, 1973 on Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from June 1970 to April 1972 at Hitsville U.S.A. and Golden World Studio in Detroit, Michigan and from February to July 1973 at Hitsville West in Los Angeles, California. It was produced by Gaye and Ed Townsend, and was mostly recorded following a period of writer's block by Marvin Gaye. The album served as his first venture into the funk genre and romance-themed music. Along with its prominant funk, it contains elements of smooth soul, doo-wop and quiet storm. Let's Get It On has been noted by critics for its sexually-explicit lyrics, and was cited by one music writer as "one of the most sexually charged albums ever recorded."
Following the breakthrough success of his socially-conscious album What's Going On, the initial acclaim of Let's Get It On helped establish Marvin Gaye as a sex icon, while furthering his mainstream appeal. With the help of the hit single "Let's Get It On", it became the most commercially successful album of Gaye's recording career, and it further expanded his creative control during his tenure with Motown. The recording sessions for Let's Get It On contributed in emphasizing Gaye's multi-tracked vocals to the forefront of his music and influenced later R&B and soul production. The sexual balladry and seductive, funky sound featured on the album had a profound effect on the music industry and soul musicians at the time, and helped pioneer slow jam music and quiet storm, while influencing future contemporary R&B artists.
Following its initial reception of general praise from critics, the album has been regarded by many music writers and critics as a landmark recording in R&B and soul music, as Gaye's smooth soul sound on the album marked a change for his record label's previously success with the "Motown Sound" formula, while also helping further funk music's popularity during the 1970s. Let's Get It On has also been ranked at or near the top of many publications' "best album" lists in disparate genres. On September 18, 2001, Let's Get It On was reissued by Motown Records as a two-disc deluxe edition release featuring extensive liner notes and digital remastering, as well as several material from the initial recording sessions. In 2003, the album was ranked number 165 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
