Album Reviews

There’s plenty already said about the musical content of Marvin Gaye’s 1971 classic What’s Going On so I’ll avoid redundancy and just say that its scope—from the sociopolitically-minded lyrics to the carefully assembled song cycle structure and luscious musical arrangements—pushed the boundaries of what a Motown release could be, and truly stands the test of time. It’s an endlessly relevant record (decide yourself if that says more about the album’s excellence or society’s failures), and also one of the most exhaustively reissued: in the past 20 years, we’ve seen Universal’s 30th anniversary 2CD featuring the original Detroit mix, more alternate mixes, and a Kennedy Center live recording from 1972; Mobile Fidelity’s SACD and 33rpm single LP releases; UMG’s 40th anniversary “super deluxe” edition adding further session material and alternate versions; quite a few run-of-the-mill digitally-sourced vinyl reissues of the core album, done at United for the US and GZ for Europe; an Abbey Road half-speed 4LP mirroring the 2001 2CD; and MoFi’s 45rpm double LP UltraDisc One Step cut from tape. That’s not including the “Vinyl Lovers” Russian reissues of dubious legal origin cut and pressed at GZ, the 192kHz/24bit hi-res download, a Blu-ray Audio release (remember that format?), and the Japanese SACDs, CDs, and MQA-UHQCDs featuring a flat transfer of the original master tapes (yes, really!). important to keep in mind.

So what does UMe’s latest reissue, a belated 2LP 50th anniversary edition, have to offer? To start, for the US edition Kevin Gray mastered the core album all-analog at 33rpm, meaning no constant side flipping like MoFi’s 45rpm One Step. There’s also a bonus disc compiling the original mono singles with some alternate versions of the title track, again cut by Gray from a “composite analog reel derived from analog and digital sources,” as per the liner notes. GZ pressed the 180g black vinyl LPs (the hype sticker credits Precision in Canada, though an additional “Made In Czech Republic” sticker means it ended up at GZ), packaged in a glossy tip-on gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves featuring track details and an essay from author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib. I already have the MoFi One Step, but wanted to see how this 50th anniversary reissue compared. (Please note that Gray did not cut the European What’s Going On 50th anniversary edition, whose hype sticker mentions Dublin Vinyl instead of Precision. While the printed materials credit Gray, Lawrence Dunster at Curve Pusher cut the European pressing from digital files. No matter the reasoning, this is extremely unfair to European customers expecting Gray’s AAA mastering, and is false advertising for which UMe should be held accountable. To be clear, I don’t have anything against Dunster as this isn’t his or Curve Pusher’s fault.)

First, the extra reissue stuff. The short bonus LP is nice but rather inessential. It starts with a new “stripped version” of the title track, using only the vocals, percussion, and some strings; while enjoyable, it’s the only “previously unreleased” track here because it’s a new remix from January 2021. The “rhythm ’n’ strings instrumental mix” rehashed from the 2001 reissue is likewise pleasant but unnecessary. More interesting is a mono test mix of “What’s Going On” believed to be its first ever mix, prepared by Motown’s engineers for a Quality Control meeting before the strings and horns were added. This and “Sympathy (Demo Version),” the song that “What’s Going On” originated from, are easily the most illuminating bonus tracks, but they aren’t new. The mono single mixes on the last side are nice to have in clean LP fidelity, though aside from these alternate versions of “God Is Love” and “Flyin’ High” (the latter labeled as “Sad Tomorrows”), I can’t imagine myself often revisiting them.

This 50th anniversary reissue’s glossy tip-on gatefold faithfully and nicely replicates the original, though the printed inner sleeves are a bit thin and I wish that the records came in poly-lined inner sleeves (there’s a common audiophile complaint you’ll rarely hear from me). Still, the inner sleeves include a poignant essay by writer Hanif Abdurraqib (written on January 6, 2021), a shorter note from professor Andrew Flory appreciating David Van DePitte’s orchestrations, an extra image from the album cover photo shoot, brief but insightful technical info, and extensive credits. Considering I bought this new at Portland’s Second Avenue Records for only $38.99, the packaging is more than satisfactory.

Now, the sound quality. To avoid confusion, in this review I’ll mostly ignore the Detroit mix, which was the initial mix that Berry Gordy deemed uncommercial; I’ll focus only on the more polished West Hollywood mix that you hear on the final record. In 2019, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued What’s Going On as an UltraDisc One Step, spreading it over a 45rpm double LP pressed at RTI on 180g MoFi SuperVinyl (a Neotech- and RTI-developed compound free of carbon black, also marketed as SRX and VR900). Michael Fremer found that the UD1S “destroys” the RCA-mastered original Tamla LP as well as MoFi’s 2008 half-speed mastered 33rpm single LP: “It’s difficult to believe these are sourced from the same tape. […] The resolution of musical and spatial detail that’s smeared on the other versions is huge. I’ve heard complaints about there being ‘too much bass’ but I think that’s what’s on the tape that’s previously been rolled off. This reissue is a major sonic step forward both for Mobile Fidelity and for vinyl reissues generally.”

However, that supreme quality comes at the expense of the originally intended continuous listening experience, as the sides are split in half. The fades between sides don’t really bother me, though for many it was a dealbreaker, not to mention that the UD1S was a $125 retail (now $300+ on Discogs) box set whose bespoke lift-off packaging is just as inconvenient as the discs it holds, especially for an album less than 36 minutes long. The core album LP in UMe’s US 50th anniversary reissue, cut by Kevin Gray right from those same tapes, solves the side split problem, but how does it sound?

On initial listen, this new pressing sounds quite good, with plenty of definition, a wide soundstage, and sweet-sounding strings. You surely won’t hear the vocals this intricately detailed on any digital version (save for maybe the Japanese flat transfer discs which I haven’t heard), nor will the finger snaps and percussion embellishments be as clear. The tonal balance leans bright, but that’s obviously what’s on the tape and the bass is still tight, focused, and very much present. If you’ve only ever heard digital versions or digitally-sourced vinyl pressings of What’s Going On, this will surely be an upgrade, and it might even beat vintage LP pressings but I don’t have those to compare.

Still, the One Step absolutely obliterates this new pressing to the point where it’s not even funny. Kevin Gray’s cut is very good… until you hear the MoFi. By the time you’ve heard the first 10 seconds, it’s already better: there’s so much more space around the vocals (almost as if Marvin Gaye is right there), an absurd improvement in soundstage depth and three-dimensionality, deep and strong bass, shimmering triangles, vivid shakers and congas, and panoramic strings. I’m not sure what the measurements would say, but the stunningly involving UD1S certainly sounds more dynamic than the KG cut, which in comparison sounds thicker and flattened out, with the bass dialed in a bit. It still retains the analog goodness typical of AAA vinyl, but in terms of spatial detail the One Step wins without contest.

Do you need this 50th anniversary reissue? If you have the One Step and don’t mind the side breaks and other minor inconveniences, you’re all set. If you don’t have the One Step, then whether that one’s still worth the hefty price difference depends on how much you like this record. If What’s Going On is one of your top favorite albums ever and you have the money, don’t hesitate on the One Step. If you only listen to it sporadically, buy the UMe US 2LP and you’ll be plenty satisfied. Still, I’ve included excerpts of the title track (digitized using the SSL 2+ interface)so you can compare the two and determine that yourself.

50th Anniversary Excerpt

MoFi UD1S Excerpt

Considering the mixed source quality, the bonus LP in this 50th anniversary package sounds as good as it reasonably can, and the fact that it was cut from a composite analog reel shows that someone really invested the time and effort into properly doing this reissue. Yet, if you’re in the market for the nth What’s Going On reissue, the all-analog mastering probably means more to you than a slapped together bonus disc; I would’ve preferred the Detroit mix over the singles and alternates compilation, but UMe probably assumes that you already have that or they’re currently devising a way to sell it to you again. GZ did a decent job plating and pressing the 180g LPs, though my copy has some (negligible) non-fill issues as well as light surface noise that after vacuum cleaning dissipated only a bit. The noise floor is of course higher than the SuperVinyl One Step, but that’s an unfair comparison. If my review of this new reissue sounds rather negative, it’s because the One Step is just that great. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Kevin Gray’s 50th anniversary cut, which is placed in a value-minded, high quality package that will leave most listeners very happy and hopefully set a new standard for UMG vinyl.

(Malachi Lui is an AnalogPlanet contributing editor, music obsessive, avid record collector, and art enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.)