“Let’s Get It On” might the most sexually inspired hit single ever, a song so well written that you could listen to it with your mother and not be embarrassed.  

The entire album is relentlessly erotic, but in a way that feels natural instead of deviant. Marvin Gaye was always Motown’s leading sex symbol but until now the image was implicit, based on his attractive appeal as the label’s most smooth and soulful vocalist.

Here, he embraces that image openly, and it works brilliantly. Where another performer may have sounded sleazy, Gaye comes off as poised and confident. His layered vocals imply an omnipresence that only adds to the sexuality of the arrangements. Occasionally, he pushes things a bit too far (“You Sure Love to Ball” lacks structure and loses momentum as it meanders) but his impassioned falsetto leaves any listener thoroughly convinced that Gaye’s passion is as overwhelming as it is honest. “Let’s Get It On” is the libidinous parallel to “What’s Going On?”.

Featured Tracks:

Let's Get It On

Pleaase Stay (Once You Go Away)

I Should Die Tonight

Keep Gettin' It On

Come Get To This

Distant Lover

You Sure Love To Ball

Just To Keep You Satisfied

August 1973 - Billboard Charted #2