Generally regarded as an iconic nightclub in the history of New York City, the Copa represented that and more to Motown owner Berry Gordy. For Gordy, the Copa was one of many benchmarks indicating that his little experiment called Motown was successful, and having his artists there was the ultimate symbol of how far he had come.
The Supremes already had their shot at the Copa, and a live album was issued shortly thereafter. Next up was Gordy's rebellious but chart topping prodigy,
Marvin Gaye. In many respects this was the ideal performance for
Gaye, as many of the singers he grew to idolize shared the stage there at one point or another, with names like
Sinatra and
Cole. This was also
Gaye's shot at branching out beyond the starched suit of formulaic (but highly successful and groundbreaking) songs that Gordy and Motown urged him to sing. In many instances,
Gaye felt the material beneath him, and patiently waited for the day when he could croon his way to the top (a batch of unreleased recordings in this style would resurface in 1997's excellent
Vulnerable compilation). The performances came and went, and everything was in place to release the results. However, this never came to pass (according to the outstanding liner notes, it was largely attributed to the tumultuous relationship between
Gaye and Gordy; they had an ongoing feud that continued in one variation or another until the end of
Gaye's life) and the project was ultimately shelved. Fast forward to 2005, and the folks at Motown Select had the good sense to remaster and release these recordings in a limited pressing.
Marvin Gaye at the Copa is a survey of
Gaye's finest performances during that two-night stint and the results are nothing short of striking. A balance of standards, ballads and Motown favorites in medley form comprise the 17 tracks on the disc, and with every performance
Gaye's velvet-smooth delivery is more than evident; it's addicting. His longing to be out from under the contrived entertainment and choreography -- the juggernaut of the Motown formula -- bleeds through on tracks such as "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Strangers in the Night," and "The Song Is You." And if anything, the release of these tracks not only serve as a kind of vindication --
Gaye could not only capably sing in this fashion, he could do it better than Gordy would ever allow him credit for. It's somewhat liberating to have this collection readily available, but also somewhat sad that his career and his dreams never fully came to fruition. Of all
Gaye's previously issued live works, this ranks with the best of them. For fans of
Gaye's early years, this is musical manna from heaven. ~ Rob Theakston