Moods of Marvin Gaye

Moods of Marvin Gaye is the seventh studio album by Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label in 1966.

The album was the result of a plan to establish Gaye as a strong album-oriented artist as well as a hit maker. Gaye was still uncomfortable with performing strictly R&B and had begun work on a standards album around this time after meeting musician Bobby Scott. However, the sessions were unsuccessful and he would successfully complete a standards album only in his later years (released posthumously as Vulnerable in 1997). For the time being, Gaye was winning more fans and had become a crossover teen idol. Six songs from Moods of Marvin Gaye were released as singles: impressively, all reached the Top 40 on the R&B singles chart and four of them reached the Top 40 on the Pop Singles Chart, a rare feat for a solo R&B artist even at that time.

Gaye also scored his first two #1 R&B singles, "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar", both co-written by Gaye's friend, Berry Gordy's right-hand man Smokey Robinson.

Personnel

 * Marvin Gaye - lead vocals
 * The Andantes - backing vocals (all of side 1; side 2, tracks 8-10)
 * The Miracles - additional backing vocals (on "I'll Be Doggone")
 * The Spinners - backing vocals (on "Hey Diddle Diddle")
 * Marv Tarplin - guitar (side 1, tracks 1, 3, 5 and 6)
 * The Funk Brothers - instrumentation