Dream of a Lifetime＜完全生産限定盤＞

マーヴィン・ゲイ 1985年発売 『Dream Of A Lifetime』のアナログ盤 (カラー・ヴァイナル)

死後発表された未発表曲集。70年代後半～80年代初に録音されたシンセ・ファンクと、マーヴィンが母親に託していたとされるモータウン時代の録音で構成されている。A1の原題は「Sanctified Pussy」だったが、後に「Lady」に変えられ、別のシンガーのヴォーカルが被せられたといういわくつきの曲。スモーキー・ロビンソンとの共作である「Symphony」など、モータウン時代全盛期の録音では、奥行きのある豊潤なサウンドの中で、美しく歌い上げている。

Portions of DREAM are culled from numerous secret recordings Gaye had made over the years. The rest comes from the album he was working on before his death. In this sense, DREAM is Gaye's last record. Fans of his classic '60s albums may take issue with the heavily synthesized feel of the sonic landscape here, Truth be told, Gaye seems more like himself than ever. Unlike fellow smooth-soul legend Al Green, who sacrificed his secular sensuousness for more sacred subjects, Gaye has gone in the opposite direction--so much so that the record carries a lyrical-content warning. Gaye isn't afraid to push boundaries. Witness the master/slave narrative of "Masochistic Beauty." Everything about such tracks as "Savage In The Sack" is nasty, including the grooves. DREAMS isn't just the squeak of bedsprings, however. Gaye is in equally fine form as a sensitive balladeer, investigating the gentler side of love ("Symphony") and his own life ("Life's Opera" and the title track). The last lines of "Dream Of A Lifetime" almost sound like parting words: "I may want to cry with the past/But it's easier to laugh about it/I thank God for my wonderful life." At such moments, DREAM serves as a quiet eulogy, reminding listeners to also be thankful for Gaye's singular, precious talent.