Marvin Gaye and 'a bunch of cats from Detroit' on rare Funky Nation album just released

Released on streaming platforms just recently is a new addition to the Marvin Gaye canon - a rare album featuring 'a bunch of cats from Detroit' including drummer Hamilton Bohannon, a teenage Ray Parker Jr, Wah Wah Watson, Leroy Emmanuel, and bassist Michael Henderson.

Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals (1971) has been released as part of 50 year celebrations of the album that preceded it. Gaye's acclaimed iconic masterpiece What's Going On was in part a reaction to the death of his friend and collaborator singer Tammi Terrell who died from brain cancer at the age of 25 in 1970.

Gaye's return to the studio in the summer of 1971 resulted in a beguiling mix of psychedelia and funk-infused tracks, brimming with arresting rhythms, crystal clear frequencies, and breathtakingly taut ensemble playing. Numerous uplifting riffs peppered throughout are infectious, matched by the myriad of colours, shapes and stories the finished production triggers.

Although some of the tracks have previously been released in other collections, this is the first time the entire album has been released in its complete form.

Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals is available to stream now.

• Marvin Gaye