M.P.G.

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M.P.G.

Studio album by Marvin Gaye
Released	April 30, 1969
Recorded	1968-1969
Genre	Soul/Psychedelic soul/R&B
Length	36:26
Label	Tamla
Producer(s)	Norman Whitfield
All Music Guide link
Marvin Gaye chronology
I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1968)	M.P.G. (1969)	Easy (with Tammi Terrell) (1969)

M.P.G. is a 1969 album by Marvin Gaye for the Tamla (Motown) label, his best-selling album of the 1960s. Released on April 30, 1969, the album became Gaye's first solo album to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, peaking at #33, and also became his first #1 album on the Soul Albums Chart. The album's title is derived from Gaye's own initials (Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr.)

The songs showcased Gaye's vocal and musical growth, as he headed into a crossroads in his music career. The album featured three top 40 hits as well as Norman Whitfield compositions "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (originally recorded by labelmates The Temptations), "That's The Way Love Is" (originally recorded by The Isley Brothers) and a cover of Gladys Knight and the Pips´ "The End Of Our Road". The singles "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" which was the longest-running No. 1 hit on the R&B charts in 1969 and a No. 4 Pop hit and "That's The Way Love Is" (#2 and #7 on the soul and pop charts, respectively) became consecutive million-sellers. These records were among Whitfield's many psychedelic soul productions of the time, and recalled the arrangement of Gaye's #1 hit "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". "That's the Way Love Is" would also be included on Gaye's next solo album, also titled That's The Way Love Is, which was the final LP from the pre-What's Going On period of his career.