Third Man Books is proud to announce its publication of Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On? and the Last Days of the Motown Sound by 2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated writer Ben Edmonds. Originally published in 2001 and long out-of-print, Edmonds’s acclaimed in-depth history of Gaye’s landmark 1971 album is available now at Third Man Records digital and physical storefronts and booksellers everywhere.

The music of Marvin Gaye transcends time in ways that can’t be described. From relatable songs about romance and heartbreak like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to socially conscious meditations “What’s Going On” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”, his music continues to resonate across generations.

“Songs That Shook The Planet” reintroduces listeners to indelible songs from artists who literally put their lives on the line to speak truth to power and provides a soundtrack of civil uprising that is perhaps even more powerful and relevant today.

Fifty years ago, Roberta Flack released her third studio album, Quiet Fire, just six months after Marvin Gaye’s groundbreaking masterpiece, What’s Going On came out in May 1971. At the time, the nation’s emotions were heated and raw with the Vietnam War raging and the Civil Rights movement bringing racial injustice, societal inequality and the ugly truth behind police brutality to the forefront of the American consciousness.