As one of the most striking albums in Motown Records’ deep catalogue and one of the most moving pieces of conscientious Black expression in pop music, What’s Going On has been in the spotlight many times since its release nearly a half-century ago. This week, Universal Music Enterprises seeks to streamline the album’s reissues in the 21st century with three new digital products.

What’s Happening Brother: Earlier Reissues

What’s Going On first got the deluxe treatment for its 30th anniversary, one of the initial releases in Universal’s standardized “Deluxe Edition” series, featuring remastered classic albums with bonus discs, thick digipaks and that distinctive translucent O-card wrapping around the set. That double-disc set featured the album three ways: its original version; a denser, more intimate alternate mix completed at Motown’s original headquarters in Detroit before the company moved to Los Angeles; and a 1972 live concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (It was Gaye’s first performance since duet partner Tammi Terrell collapsed into his arms in 1967; she died of a brain tumor three years later.) The discs also featured unique mixes of the immortal title track – a stripped down “rhythm and strings” take and the original mono single version – plus some non-album B-sides from the era.

A decade later, as the “super deluxe” trend started to take hold on the reissue marketplace, What’s Going On was again revisited in 2011, as part of a new 2CD set that included the original album, all the mono single sides, the first pass at a “What’s Going On” single mix, and a disc of partially unreleased sessions at Motown’s Studio B. Here, Gaye led a group of young session players (including Ray Parker Jr., Wah Wah Watson and Michael Henderson) through loose jams and sketches; some of these had previously been presented on a 2001 deluxe edition of follow-up album Let’s Get It On, and one – a politically-charged single called “You’re the Man” – got a standalone release in 1972. That package closed out with a vinyl version of the Detroit mix.

In 2016, a muted 45th anniversary celebration of What’s Going On produced a 10″ single featuring two new alternate mixes, including one with modern Motown artist BJ the Chicago Kid. Three years later, the Marvin Gaye mythology expanded with the release of a full-on You’re the Man double album, built from period outtakes between What’s Going On and Let’s Get It On. That same year, the Kennedy Center show was remixed and released on its own as What’s Going On Live.

Current Digital Products

Now, with You’re the Man and What’s Going On Live a part of the Marvin Gaye discography, this weekend has seen the release of three new digital collections that present the balance of the What’s Going On-era material:

• A 50th anniversary edition of the original album features What’s Going On and a dozen extra tracks from all previous reissues. This includes the six mono single sides (including “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”), four alternate mixes of “What’s Going On” (including the two from the 2016 single) and two stray outtakes: a demo called “Symphony” and an instrumental, “I Love the Ground You Walk On”
• For the first time, the Detroit mix is now available on its own
• Finally, Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals brings together 14 tracks from the post-What’s Going On session as featured on the super deluxe set – removing the versions of “You’re the Man” from that disc

Seems confusing, perhaps? Sure – but assuming the previous deluxe editions get removed from the playing field, this is probably the best way to check out this material in its own unique way. (Just in case your head is still spinning, we put together this spreadsheet covering what tracks are on what product!)

You can check out each title at the links below.

What’s Going On: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Motown/UMe, 2021)

iTunes / Amazon / Spotify

1. What’s Going On
2. What’s Happening Brother
3. Flying High (in the Friendly Sky)
4. Save the Children
5. God is Love
6. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
7. Right On
8. Wholy Holy
9. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
10. What’s Going On (Mono Single Version)
11. God is Love (Mono Single Version)
12. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (Mono Single Version)
13. Sad Tomorrows (Mono Single Version)
14. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) (Mono Single Version)
15. Wholy Holy (Mono Single Version)
16. What’s Going On (Original Single Mix)
17. What’s Going On (Rhythm ‘n’ Strings Mix)
18. What’s Going On (Coffeehouse Mix)
19. What’s Going On (2016 Duet Version with BJ the Chicago Kid)
20. Symphony (Demo)
21. I Love the Ground You Walk On (Instrumental)

Tracks 1-9 released as Tamla TS-310, 1971
Tracks 10-11 released as Tamla single T 54201, 1971
Tracks 12-13 released as Tamla single T 54207, 1971
Tracks 14-15 released as Tamla single T 54209, 1971
Tracks 16 and 21 released on What’s Going On: Super Deluxe Edition – Motown/UMe B0015552-02, 2011
Track 17 released on What’s Going On: Deluxe Edition – Motown 440 013 404-2, 2001
Tracks 18-19 released on Motown/UMe 10″ single B0024485-01, 2016
Track 20 released on Let’s Get It On: Deluxe Edition – Motown 440 014 757-2, 2001

What’s Going On: The Detroit Mix (Motown/UMe, 2021)

iTunes / Amazon / Spotify

1. What’s Going On
2. What’s Happening Brother
3. Flying High (in the Friendly Sky)
4. Save the Children
5. God is Love
6. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
7. Right On
8. Wholy Holy
9. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

All tracks originally released on What’s Going On: Deluxe Edition – Motown 440 013 404-2, 2001

Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals (Motown/UMe, 2021)

iTunes / Amazon / Spotify

1. Checking Out (Double Clutch)
2. Chained
3. Country Stud
4. Help the People
5. Running from Love (Version 1 – Edit)
6. Daybreak
7. Doing My Thing
8. “T” Stands for Time
9. Jesus is Our Love Song
10. Funky Nation
11. Infinity
12. Mandota
13. Struttin’ the Blues
14. Running from Love (Version 2 – with Strings)

Tracks 1-2 released on The Master: 1961-1984 – Motown 314 530 492-2, 1995
Tracks 3-4, 6-11 and 13 released on What’s Going On: Super Deluxe Edition – Motown/UMe B0015552-02, 2011
Tracks 5, 12 and 14 released on Let’s Get It On: Deluxe Edition, Motown 440 014 757-2, 2001