A monthly music fundraiser event for Dorothy House Hospice, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, featuring classic album playback using donated hi-fi equipment and occasional live music.
The vinyl album which we will listen to and discuss is Marvin Gaye's famous 1971 release 'What's Going On.‘ This is considered to be a landmark recording in popular music and was significant to the development of soul music in particular. In 1985, writers on the NME voted it the best album of all time and in both 2020 and 2023, Rolling Stone magazine listed it as the greatest album of all time. Part protest album, part concept album, the songs form a narrative that tells the story of a Vietnam veteran returning to his home country to witness hatred, suffering, and injustice - based partly upon the experiences of Marvin's own brother - and was quite a departure for the Motown label. One of the engineers that worked on the final album mix, Larry Miles, said of Marvin Gaye's intention that he wanted it "...to be an intimate listening experience. We were mixing it for people sitting in their living rooms listening to the album straight through” - which alone makes it a great choice for our event.
Alongside this we will have live music from local guitarist, Paul Caston. Originally from the USA, Paul is an accomplished session musician who has performed internationally in a wide variety of live and studio settings.
Everyone is welcome, and you can drop in at any time and stay for as long as you like. Entry is completely free, though voluntary donations in support of Dorothy House Hospice are warmly appreciated.