Marvin Gaye ~ Let's Get It On 1973 Soul Purrfection Version

Producer/writer/perfomer Ed Townsend had his own hits, "For Your Love" from 1958 is one as well as creating R&B classics for Theola Kilgore and Dee Dee Warwick. In 1972, he was visiting Los Angeles and heard the rumor that Marvin Gaye was asking about him. Going straight to Gaye, he brought a few songs to the table and Gaye agreed to record them if Townsend produced them. With Gaye's blessing, Ed secured a 50% publishing stake of the songs and the project was a go. The musicians who played on the track inlcuded the Crusaders Joe Sample on keyboards, guitarists David T Walker and "Wah Wah" Watson, Wilton Felder on bass, and Gaye on piano. Marvin was very into layering his vocals and other studio tricks which Townsend ended up challenging. Townsend stopped the recording and admonished Marvin by saying "I understand why you don't go on tour because you can't take the studio with you and stop and overdub at Madison Square Garden. You have to start at the beginning and go to the end." Ed was not used to a lot of overdubbing as the going production style was to record the music to two tracks, then four tracks with the vocal being recorded once over that. Marvin got ticked off, took off his shirt in the studio and nailed the vocal in one amazing ten minute take. When he was done, he put his shirt back on and asked "Now what do you think?". Townsend was ecstatic with the results and feels that Marvin was the most cooperative artist he ever worked with. When this one first came out, it was surprising to hear such explicitly carnal lyrics, but that is just what drove the success. The song was #1 for six weeks R&B and spent two weeks at the pinnacle of the Hot 100.