‘What’s Going On’ is the eleventh studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, first released May 21, 1971, on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records.Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1970 and March-May 1971 at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World and United Sound Studios in Detroit and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California.‘What’s Going On’ was the first album on which Motown Records' main studio band, the group of session musicians known as the Funk Brothers, received an official credit.What’s Going On was an immediate success upon release, both commercially and critically.