Live In Montreux 1980

Coming off the most insular album of his career (Here, My Dear) Gaye was eager to reaffirm his mettle as a stage master. While his previous live albums were marked by a velvety orchestra the Montreux band is all about rhythm and punch. Instead of strings, Marvin hired a bevy of auxiliary horn players and percussionists, who bring fire and grit to “Got to Give it Up,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and “Trouble Man,” all of which feel like new songs in this setting. The duelling congas of Sandra Akaka and Joe Mayo bring a Latin heat to “I’ll Be Doggone” that would have been all but forbidden in the clean-cut Motown days. Anchored by the rhythm section from Here, My Dear and In My Lifetime, “Inner City Blues” and “What’s Going On” become fat-bottomed bass workouts. The textures are tougher and thicker than anything Gaye had tried onstage before, but the results are invigorating. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” has never sounded fiercer, although the hilarious telephone conversation introduction between Gaye and backup singer Frank Bates — complete with props — must be seen on DVD to be fully appreciated.