Marvin Gaye "Live at Montreux 1980"

Marvin Gaye might not have been the obvious invitee to the 1980 Jazz Festival in Montreux, but this DVD of his appearance there is as good a document as any currently available of the soul sage at the height of his talents. Gaye is joined on stage by a full band replete with backup singers and horn section, all resplendent in their late-'70s fashion statements. While the continual onslaught of overhead lighting is reminiscent of a concert in a high school gym, Gaye isn't letting anything get in his way as he lays down groove after groove of his most beloved material. He fights to keep "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" fresh even if it's his zillionth time plaintively administering that age-old news. The whole concert brims with an energy that only climbs higher in the finale as Gaye electrifies with "Mercy Mercy Me" and takes his sweet time with his classic "What's Going On," in which he even includes a soul-searching monologue that answers with some finality that nagging question: what's it all about? Live at Montreux is a must for fans and connoisseurs of soul alike. --Karl Wachter

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