hear my dear

album of the weeks:

here my dear, recorded by marvin gaye for tamla records in 1978 to generally dismal sales (it flopped) in comaprison to his earlier work, is a human chronicle of pain, the break-up kind. court-ordered to hand over the cashola (alimony) from the sales of h.m.d as well as a cut of the next record to his x anna (sister of berry gordy, owner of motown records), marvin gaye stripped bare in a confessional double album that finds his three-octave-vocal range inhabit, ransom and possess songs that are at the same time bitter and naked, belligerent and tender, churlish and reflective, ireful and seductive, petulant and pleading, sarcastic and threatening. even the album art work suggests as much.......................check it out.