Limited 180 gram heavyweight vinyl LP pressing. The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye is the debut studio album by Marvin Gaye, released in 1961, and the second long-playing album released by Motown. It is most notable as the album that caused the first known struggle of Gaye's turbulent tenure with the label. Marvin Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown Records during this period and was one of the greatest voices to emerge from the label. Marvin Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of solo hits and duet recordings with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Tammi Terrell, later earning the titles Prince of Motown and Prince of Soul.