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The late, great Marvin Gaye drew on his large repertoire of hits to fill the bulk of Live at the London Palladium, which Motown originally released as a two-LP set in 1977. This program, remastered for CD, includes live readings of evergreens like “What’s Going On” and “Ain’t That Peculiar” plus the disco-oriented, side-long “Got to Give it Up,” an initially dull but ultimately invigorating studio entry. The concert band seems sluggish in places and the package’s trio of long medleys, which cut short some of my favorites, can be an irritant. But Gaye’s sweet, simmering vocals have never sounded better. Joining him for duets that originally featured such giants as Mary Wells and Tammi Terrell, moreover, singer Florence Lyles more than holds her own.
By Jeff Burger 