Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 Learning How to Love You 3:31
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arranger
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- A2 Instant Love 3:27
- with Minnie Riperton (vocals)
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arranger
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producer
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Jacqueline Hilliardsongwriter
- A3 Body Heat 4:50
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arranger
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producer
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songwriter
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- A4 Share Your Love 3:30
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arranger
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producer
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backing vocals
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Fecilia Grinerbacking vocals
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backing vocals
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- A5 Holiday 3:25
- with Marvin Gaye (vocals) & Bobby Womack (vocals)
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arranger
- B1 Phantom Lover 3:52
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arranger
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Jacqueline Hilliardsongwriter
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- B2 Journey Into You 4:04
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arranger
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songwriter
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- B3 Musical Massage 3:47
- with Bobby Womack (vocals)
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arranger
- B4 French Waltz 2:02
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arranger
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- B5 Turn Out the Light 4:01
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arranger
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- Total length: 36:29
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
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8 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Musical Massage [p] 33 rpm
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Musical Massage Bonus Tracks
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Musical Massage 33 rpm, Bonus Tracks, Remastered
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2003 CD UICY-3757
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Musical Massage Bonus Tracks
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2003
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Musical Massage [Brown Vinyl] 180 gram, Colored Vinyl, Limited Edition
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Musical Massage 180 gram, 33 rpm, Limited Edition, Remastered
10 Reviews
Pity Leon Ware. Motown gave his album to Marvin Gaye, who essentially sang over demos, the result being I Want You, a staggeringly weary bedroom record. According to Ware, Motown pressured him to turn his next project over to Mr. Gaye also; when he refused, they released his record without promotion, ensuring its stillbirth.
And that's a damn shame. As an emoter, Ware was no Gaye, but his more modern delivery made even the highflown tracks skim the ground a bit. I Want You is a black hole of sex, all feel and little emotion. Musical Massage is more, well... fun. "Body Heat" rocks on a bouncy bass groove and rolls to a nice string arrangement. "Instant Love," besides a great desperate duet between Ware and Minnie Riperton, boasts a cosmopolitan, slashing string section. "Holiday" has a velour groove, high-toned bass, and a male chorus that includes Messrs. Marvin Gaye and Bobby Womack. Notes are bent and blues'd; sounds like a Motown nose party, really - that's in its favor. Same thing for the rapturous and too-brief "French Waltz": this is AM soul with a jazz heart, some blown version of a Donald Byrd LP.
So if you don't want to be bummed out by your boudoir soul, this would be the way to go. I Want You is Marvin's Gaucho - but this isn't the place for me to get into that.
And that's a damn shame. As an emoter, Ware was no Gaye, but his more modern delivery made even the highflown tracks skim the ground a bit. I Want You is a black hole of sex, all feel and little emotion. Musical Massage is more, well... fun. "Body Heat" rocks on a bouncy bass groove and rolls to a nice string arrangement. "Instant Love," besides a great desperate duet between Ware and Minnie Riperton, boasts a cosmopolitan, slashing string section. "Holiday" has a velour groove, high-toned bass, and a male chorus that includes Messrs. Marvin Gaye and Bobby Womack. Notes are bent and blues'd; sounds like a Motown nose party, really - that's in its favor. Same thing for the rapturous and too-brief "French Waltz": this is AM soul with a jazz heart, some blown version of a Donald Byrd LP.
So if you don't want to be bummed out by your boudoir soul, this would be the way to go. I Want You is Marvin's Gaucho - but this isn't the place for me to get into that.
Published
This album has a certain subdued intensity, a barely-contained drive that makes the album feel much more dramatic than a lot of the smooth soul albums I've heard so far. The sound is definitely more towards what I'd expect from Marvin Gaye (which makes sense since Ware produced Gaye's I Want You album. The strings and keyboard get incredibly swanky on every track, which works quite well.
Overall this is a very sensual album, even among soul albums. Surprisingly consistent, too. Shame it didn't get more promotion at the time.
Overall this is a very sensual album, even among soul albums. Surprisingly consistent, too. Shame it didn't get more promotion at the time.
Published
Anyone who really loves Marvin's I Want You owes it to themselves to check this one out. It may not have his delirious sensuality over every track but it's a consistently smooth dose of sound butter. Create life to this album!
Published
This 1976 release certainly brings me back down memory lane when listening to all of Marvin Gaye's shit was the cool thing to do. The story of how Marvin came to acquire the material for I Want You is something worth looking up. All of it makes you wonder what would've happened with Leon Ware's career if Motown/Gordy had had the balls to release I Want You with Leon singing instead of Marvin Gaye. Musical Massage proves that Leon is a capable singer, but a song as brilliant as After the Dance should sell itself. Maybe there is nothing as high quality as After the Dance on this album, but many of the tracks sound as if they would fit comfortably on the I Want You album. If that chick on the cover isn't enough reason for you to track this down, the album is actually pretty consistent and contains no filler. The highlight is undeniably the duet with Minnie Riperton, Instant Love. The cd also boast several interesting bonus tracks
Published
That's Leon's hand on the cover. Lots of you must be jealous ;-) ...
Sensual soul album originally on Gordy label. Close in spirit of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" ... which is entirely made of Leon Ware's songs previously intended for this very album. Includes collaborations with Bobby Womack ("Holiday" & "Musical Massage"), Marvin Gaye ("Holiday"), Minnie Riperton ("Instant Love", "Comfort") and the best studio wizards of California. Check the Internet and you will see the buzz that this reissue created, justifiably: it is a great album.
Sensual soul album originally on Gordy label. Close in spirit of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" ... which is entirely made of Leon Ware's songs previously intended for this very album. Includes collaborations with Bobby Womack ("Holiday" & "Musical Massage"), Marvin Gaye ("Holiday"), Minnie Riperton ("Instant Love", "Comfort") and the best studio wizards of California. Check the Internet and you will see the buzz that this reissue created, justifiably: it is a great album.
Published
EXCDM 9 CD (2001)
Starts of very well, like a good Marvin Gaye / Isaac Hayes record, but the quality of the songs soon dips. Couple of good bonus tracks save what can be saved.
Best tracks: Instant Love, With You
Best tracks: Instant Love, With You
Published
Almost worth another half-star for the revelations. Marvin's woozy classic "Come Live With Me Angel" recast as a Ware/Riperton duet. The vocals sound like classic Motown (that Tammi/Marvin mesh), but that miasmic groove is still one-of-a-kind. With its vocal phrasing, "Long Time No See" plays like a discarded Steely Dan demo with a great half-sung refrain. This is the kind of soul I wouldn't mind hearing nowadays; if the uptown pop sound is too passè, at least today's R&B singers could try a little craft, instead of coasting on melismatics and fruitless flirtation with hip-hop's au courant. Again, a topic for another review.
Published
(2003)
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Catalog
11 May 2024
4 May 2024
2 May 2024
27 Apr 2024
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A1
Learning How to Love You
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A2
Instant Love
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A3
Body Heat
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A4
Share Your Love
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A5
Holiday
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B1
Phantom Lover
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B2
Journey Into You
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B3
Musical Massage
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B4
French Waltz
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B5
Turn Out the Light
25 Apr 2024
15 Apr 2024
7 Apr 2024
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A1
Learning How to Love You
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A2
Instant Love
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A3
Body Heat
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A4
Share Your Love
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A5
Holiday
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B1
Phantom Lover
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B2
Journey Into You
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B3
Musical Massage
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B4
French Waltz
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B5
Turn Out the Light
3 Apr 2024
31 Mar 2024
28 Mar 2024
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A1 Learning How to Love You
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A2 Instant Love
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A3 Body Heat
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A4 Share Your Love
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A5 Holiday
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B1
Phantom Lover
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B2 Journey Into You
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B3 Musical Massage
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B4 French Waltz
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B5 Turn Out the Light
28 Mar 2024
28 Mar 2024
27 Mar 2024
26 Mar 2024
22 Mar 2024
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