Artist:Marvin Gaye
Song:Ain't That Peculiar
Album:Anthology
By the time Ain't That Peculiar was released in 1965, Marvin Gaye had established himself as one of Motown's biggest stars. He had several solo hits along with hit duets with Mary Wells. But Gaye was always battling with Motown owner Berry Gordy over commerce vs art, the constant struggle between musicians and record companies. Fortunately, Gaye worked with producers who seemed to know how to get the best out of him and satisfy his artistic goals. In the case of I'll Be Doggone and the follow up Ain't That Peculiar, that producer was Smokey Robinson. Robinson loved working with Gaye. The idea for the 1965 classic Ain't That Peculiar came from Miracles guitarist Marv Tarplin while working the Motortown Revue in Europe. He based the riff on the Bill Doggett hit Honky Tonk. Fellow Miracles Pete Moore & Bobby Rogers worked with Robinson to turn it into a song. Gaye wrote the lyrics. Ain't That Peculiar reached #1 on the R & B charts and #8 on the pop charts and continued Gaye's long string of hits. This 2CD comp Anthology is currently out of print and was replaced by the 2001 2CD comp The Very Best Of Marvin Gaye. The difference between them is Anthology has more of Gaye's earlier hits and Very Best has Sexual Healing. So it depends what you're looking for. Of course you can always get the 4CD box set The Master if you want something definitive. Here's Marvin Gaye performing Ain't That Peculiar in 1966.
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