According to the BBC, there is an archive in Belgium containing 66 we gave unreleased by Marvin Gaye. Recorded on a series of cassettes, the songs will be in the possession of the family of Charles Dumolin, a musician who died in 2019 with whom Gaye lived on Belgian soil for a brief period in 1981. Dumolin’s heirs will also possess, in addition to these recordings, a collection of costumes worn by Marvin Gaye on stage and personal notebooks of that symbol of soul.
The BBC states that there is no doubt about the “authenticity” of this file, which was revealed to the British broadcaster by Belgian lawyer Alex Trappeniers, identified by the BBC as being a “business partner” of Charles Dumolin’s family — who feels they are the rightful owners of this material . Trappeniers listened to the 30 cassettes in the collection and assigned a number to each song. “In the end, I had 66 we gave of unreleased songs. Some of them are complete and some of them are as good as sexual healingbecause they were made at the same time.” sexual healingsong from Marvin Gaye’s latest album, Midnight Love (1982), was written with the famous singer and composer living in Ostend, Belgium, where he sought to combat his cocaine addiction.
Alex Trappeniers argues that Dumolin’s family has the right to keep these recordings, as well as the remaining items in the archive. “Marvin gave them this collection and said, ‘Do whatever you want with it.’ This is important,” he claims. But Gaye’s heirs may want to fight in court for this collection. The BBC contacted them and knows that, now, lawyers for two of the musician’s three children are aware of the existence of these materials. It is possible that there will be negotiations in the future, “but they have not yet started”, reports the British broadcaster.
The collection includes, in addition to Marvin Gaye’s personal notebooks, other written documents such as “angry letters” addressed to his publisher and concert lineups. When it comes to music, Alex Trappeniers emphatically applauds a specific song, which, in his opinion, has the potential to be a posthumous hit for Gaye, if it is ever released. For the lawyer, it was enough to listen to ten seconds of this recording to, as in a moment of “alignment of the stars”, have “the music and lyrics in my head all day”.
Voice of classic themes like Ain’t no mountain high enough, I heard it through the grapevine or How sweet it is (to be loved by you)Marvin Gaye is one of the great musical icons of the 20th century. What’s Going On, from 1971, is often referred to as one of the best albums ever. Gaye has been a reference and inspiration in the soul and R&B scene for decades. He died precisely 40 years ago, on April 1, 1984: he was shot by his own father, one day before celebrating his 45th birthday.
