Never overly reliant on the Holland-Dozier-Holland machine, Marvin Gaye weathered their departure pretty well, turning to Norman Whitfield (for the epochal "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"), as well as Ivory Joe Hunter, Ashford & Simpson, Frank Wilson, and, for two songs, his own pen. One of Gayes other R&B hits from In the Groove, the impassioned "You," is in the Four Tops style (its patterned after "Reach Out"), while "Chained" is another brilliant performance and production of a sub-standard tune. The Brill Building standard "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "There Goes My Baby" were early-60s throwbacks in sound and feel, quite a jarring effect in context. After "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" became one of the biggest hits of 1968, Motown re-released In the Groove as I Heard It Through the Grapevine. ~ John Bush

Rovi