40 years after his death, unreleased songs by Marvin Gaye found in Belgium

As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's death, murdered by his father, a pastor, after a dispute, unreleased tracks by the singer have just been found in Belgium, as reported by the BBC. However, legal issues could prevent these songs from being released, even though the songs are described as very promising.

The man nicknamed the Prince of Soul has indeed left behind a legendary repertoire, thanks to a string of classics like "Sexual Healing," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Let's Get It On," "Got To Give Up," and of course the album "What's Going On," hailed as the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Why in Belgium? Simply because in the early 80s, the Motown star took refuge in Ostend to rebuild his health, both physically and artistically, notably by trying to distance himself from drugs. It is there that he began to write what would be his final album "Midnight Love" (1982), marked by the hit "Sexual Healing."

Chartsinfrance.net explains that it was with the Belgian musician Charles Dumolin that Marvin Gaye recorded his last hit, and it is at his home that these unreleased tracks were found, sleeping for 40 years on tapes, alongside old costumes and notebooks that belonged to the American artist, also containing furious letters to his label. It is true that the Belgian composer passed away in 2019, however, his lawyer Alex Trappeniers has assured that he possesses "30 tapes with 66 demos of new songs." "Some of them are complete and others are as good as 'Sexual Healing' because they were made at the same time," he explains, implying that these demos are of quality.

However, fans might be disappointed as these unreleased tracks may never see the light of day. Indeed, the 66 demos found belong to Charles Dumolin's family. "They were left in Belgium 42 years ago. Marvin gave them to them saying, 'Do what you want with them,' and he never came back. 'This is very important,' the lawyer tells the BBC, although he indicates that both parties could 'benefit' from them. For now, Marvin Gaye's family has not yet responded to requests. Especially since Belgium has a law stating that a property becomes yours after 30 years of possession, but this does not apply to intellectual property.

If the matter were to be resolved, it would not be the first time. Indeed, four albums by Marvin Gaye were released posthumously between 1985 and 2019: "Dream of a Lifetime," "Romantically Yours," "Vulnerable," and "You're the Man," the latter of which was recorded in 1972, but the artist canceled its release at the time. Additionally, according to the BBC, Marvin Gaye's repertoire continues to be streamed or downloaded over 20 million times per month.