The 1995 version of Anthology was remastered and slightly retooled from the 1986 reissue, which was in turn updated from the original triple-LP set Motown released in 1974. That first Anthology [1974] featured nothing from Let's Get It On or afterward; the newest Anthology adds even more from that era while subtracting a bit from Gaye's earlier years, including a few of his numerous duets. Even so, it still stands as a near-definitive document. It's well-nigh impossible to encapsulate a career as lengthy and trailblazing as Gaye's on just one disc; Anthology hits all the high points of the Motown years in a more concise fashion than the collector-oriented box set The Master, making it the best summation of Gaye's career yet released. Kicking off with his first hit "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," Disc One traces Gaye's rise to stardom as part of the Motown hit machine, featuring 20 solo cuts from the '60s as well as seven of his most important duets with Tammi Terrell, Kim Weston, and Mary Wells. Disc Two covers Gaye the visionary auteur, beginning with material from his epochal What's Going On LP. If this disc can't reproduce the flowing, carefully calibrated moods of his albums from the period, it does touch upon every major facet of his '70s work -- the urgent social commentary, the smoldering eroticism, the soul-baring confessions. It's a rich, engaging listen from top to bottom, even with around 2 1/2 hours of music. Unfortunately, Anthology has since gone out of print, to be replaced by the two-disc Very Best of Marvin Gaye. While the newer compilation has the advantage of licensing Gaye's post-Motown smash "Sexual Healing" (which is missing from Anthology), it, unfortunately, contains 13 fewer tracks, making Anthology the preferred alternative if you can track it down.