The Marvin Gaye Collection (1990)

About this title: Marvin Gaye has more than enough great music to make a superb box set, but the haphazard Marvin Gaye Collection isn't it. The four discs within the set are arranged thematically: one terrific disc of hits, one good disc of duets, one largely uninteresting disc of rarities, and one wildly uneven disc of ballads. By spreading out the material this way, Motown shortchanges Gaye's musical accomplishments; there is no sense of growth or innovation. Although many of the songs are wonderful, some of the selections are puzzling -- they seem to be chosen because they're arcane, not because they're ... read more

Tracks:

1. Stubborn Kind of Fellow [Gaye/Gordy/Stevenso]
2. Hitch Hike [Gaye/Paul/Stevenson]
3. Pride and Joy [Gaye/Stevenson/Whit]
4. Can I Get a Witness [Dozier/Holland/Holl]
5. You're a Wonderful One [Dozier/Holland/Holl]
6. Try It Baby [Gordy]
7. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) [Dozier/Holland]
8. I'll Be Doggone [Moore/Robinson/Tarp]
9. Ain't That Peculiar [Moore/Robinson/Roge]
10. I Heard It Through the Grapevine [Strong/Whitfield]
11. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby [Bradford/Strong/Whi]
12. That's the Way Love Is [Strong/Whitfield]
13. What's Going On [Benson/Cleveland/Ga]
14. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) [Gaye]
15. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) [Gaye/Nyx]
16. Trouble Man [Gaye]
17. Let's Get It On [Gaye/Townsend]
18. I Want You [Ross/Ware]
19. Got to Give It Up [Gaye]
20. Sexual Healing [Brown/Gaye/Ritz]
21. Once upon a Time [Ales/Hamilton/Paul/]
22. What's the Matter With You Baby [Ales/Paul/Stevenson]
23. I'm Yours, You're Mine [Gaye/Stevenson]
24. All I Got [Gilberto/Montana]
25. You Can Dance [Stevenson]
26. Rilleh! [Page]
27. So Good to Be Loved by You [Coefield/Pipkin/Pip]
28. Was It a Dream? [Britt/Coslow/Spier]
29. Steadies [Page]
30. It Takes Two [Moy/Stevenson]
31. Exactly Like You [Fields/McHugh]
32. Teach Me Tonight [Cahn/DePaul]
33. Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) [Porter]
34. It's Me [Stevenson]
35. Ain't No Mountain High Enough [Ashford/Simpson]
36. Your Precious Love [Ashford/Simpson]
37. If I Could Build My Whole World Around You [Bristol/Bullock/Fuq]
38. If This World Were Mine [Gaye]
39. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing [Ashford/Simpson]
40. You're All I Need to Get By [Ashford/Simpson]
41. You Are Everything [Bell/Creed]
42. You're a Special Part of Me [Johnson/Porter/Wrig]
43. My Mistake (Was to Love You) [Jones/Sawyer]
44. Don't Knock My Love [Pickett/Shapiro]
45. Pops, We Love You [McLeod/Sawyer]
46. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide [Gordy]
47. Never Let You Go (Sha-Lu-Bop) [Fuqua/Gaye]
48. It's Party Time [Stevenson]
49. The Christmas Song [Torme/Wells]
50. Down and Under When You Limbo [Stevenson/Whitfield]
51. My Girl [Robinson/White]
52. It's Not Unusual [Mills/Reed]
53. Sunny [Hebb]
54. Sweeter as the Days Go By [Gordon/Wilson]
55. Sweet Thing [Hunter/Stevenson]
56. I Love You Secretly [Gaye]
57. I Want to Come Home for Christmas [Gaye/Hairston]
58. Jan [Live] [Gaye]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.