After initially releasing a terrible box set of Gaye's work, Motown more than made up for it with this package. It's a wonderfully chosen collection of hits and rare cuts that not only catches a dizzying array of great music, but also does what only the best box sets do: casts new light and perspective on the man's music.

Motown's vaults are voluminous but they didn't just load up these four discs with extraneous cuts; they pulled some great, genuinely hard-to-find tracks, some legendary never-before-released songs (esp. the famous "Vulnerable" recordings, which have since been released on their own), and the very best of the album cuts. They gave proper respect to the forgotten masterpiece "Here, My Dear." Perhaps most impressively, they worked out the legal issues with Columbia so that "Sexual Healing" and "Rockin' After Midnight" could be included, which is essential to making this a truly comprehensive collection. They even included two legendary live TV moments: Gaye's take on the Star Spangled Banner (still talked about by everyone who saw it at the 1983 NBA All Star game) and his duet with Gladys Knight on "Grapevine."

Simply put, they captured all the hits and some great hard-to-find moments and put them all together in one very well presented package. (Compare that to their recent Stevie Wonder box, which has tons of terrific, well-known tracks but nothing new or rare.) This box set was assembled with the utmost love and respect. He deserves it and his fans deserve it.

The Master 1961-1984 documents Marvin's entire career. The package has 4 discs that are mastered greatly, a book with rare pictures, songs, discography, singles, and a long essay. It has a great design. It has 90 tracks with a bonus track from the 1976 I Want You sessions. This package is filled with Marvin's career as a singer, writer, a somewhat actor.

I bought this box set for my wife who had the Anthology album on cassettes. After reviewing all the compilations, I found this to be the most complete hands down! No other CD set captures the full gamut of Marvin Gaye's talent like "The Master." I loved the fact that it included not only Marvin Gaye's solo singles, but also his great duets and his later hits like "Sexual Healing" and "Let's Get It On."

It was also nice to find that the vast majority of songs are presented in their original format without a plethora of alternate takes that are all too common in other box sets.

Needless to say, my wife loves these CDs and so do I. "The Master" ranks as one of the best CD box sets we own.

The best box sets provide listeners with the chance to hear not only the greatest hits by a favorite artist, but also to expose fans to rare sides and quality "from the vaults" tracks. This collection fits right within that category. Its got "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "What's Going On?," but you would expect that from any Marvin Gaye collection. What makes this box set a buy are obscure tracks like "I'm Going Home," "Together We Stand (Divided We Fall)," "Checking Out (Double Clutch)," and "Piece of Clay." The latter track obviously so impressed the producers of the movie, Phenomenon, that it was included in that movie's soundtrack. Also included in this collection are Marvin Gaye's rendition of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" WITH Gladys Knight & the Pips and a haunting recitation of "The Lord's Prayer." With so much of Marvin Gaye's music being a reflection of his own life, this is more than just a music collection, at times you feel like you're reading a personal diary. One particular song that comes to mind is "Anger." Although it was a single from his HERE, MY DEAR divorce album, it could just as well be about Marvin's stormy (and ultimately tragic) relationship with his father. Very powerful.

Marvin Gaye has got to be my favorite artist. His music is sexy, passionate and just a joy to listen to. If you dont own any Marvin Gaye album and want only one Marvin set in your collection then this is the one to get.