Featuring some great, great music and great, great footage of Marvin in action this documentary (seen on the US Showtime channel in 1987) hosted by Smokey Robinson is a nostalgia feast.

Blessed with a gorgeous voice Marvin Gaye just opened his mouth and without strain produced velvet smooth soul. Focusing on the music and glossing over the scandals, the drugs etc we trace his career through his early Motown, through his duets with the gorgeous Tammi Terrell (who died tragically young) and Diana Ross through his social conscience 1970’s  years of What’s Going On and into the 1980’s with Sexual Healing before looking at the circumstances of his murder at the hands of his father on 1 April 1984.

Despite some dodgy moments (witness Gaye’s bizarre version of the US National Anthem and all the 1980’s fashions and oiled hair - especially Ashford and Simpson’s showing off for the camera efforts) this is very much a welcome release - everyone should have some Motown in their collection.