Marvin Gaye
ListenLet Your Conscience Be Your Guide · 1961
Marvin Gaye — “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide,” audio supplied by Universal Music Group.
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1961 · Tamla
Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide / Never Let You Go
Marvin Gaye’s first commercially released solo single caught him between two ambitions: the elegant ballads he wanted to sing and the rhythm and blues Berry Gordy believed would reach an audience. This advance sample has an unusual yellow-and-white label pairing. [1] [2]
| Accession | OMMA-0104 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Marvin Gaye |
| Release | 1961 · United States |
| Label | Tamla · T-54041 |
| Format | 7-inch vinyl single · 45 rpm |
| Issue | DJ advance sample · mixed-colour labels |
| Runouts | Bell Sound machine stamp |
| Recorded grade | NM |
Release history and significance
Gaye admired Billie Holiday’s Lady in Satin and wanted to make a record like it. Berry Gordy remembered a young singer drawn to Sinatra and the image of a top hat and cane. For The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, Gordy allowed the standards but also included “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide,” which he wrote and produced. [1]
Released on 25 May 1961, “Conscience” preceded the album by a few weeks. Neither was a substantial hit. Gaye continued to pursue ballads even as later singles began to establish him as an R&B performer. [1]
A promotional-only “(I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over,” credited to Marvin Gay, circulated earlier in May. “Conscience” is therefore the first commercially released solo single, following both that promotional disc and his earlier group recordings. [1]
Market context
Discogs sales for this promotional variant range from US$13.88 to US$135.14, with a median of US$45.34, as listed on 13 September 2026. The latest recorded sale was 29 June 2026. [2]
Physical Description
Black vinyl with a yellow commercial-style Tamla label on side A and a white promotional label on side B. The labels carry the disc-jockey advance-sample wording and West Grand Boulevard address. The mixed presentation is a distinguishing feature of this edition. [2]
Printed label identifiers are H-55552 for “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” and H-659 for “Never Let You Go.” [2]
Condition
The disc is graded Near Mint, with full gloss and clean labels.
Provenance
Acquired through Discogs from seller tedsmagroom on 29 June 2026.
Sources
- Classic Motown, Marvin Gaye — Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide. Release date, Gaye’s ambitions, Gordy’s recollections and the earlier Masquerade promotional disc.
- Discogs, Marvin Gaye — Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide / Never Let You Go, release 6909229. Mixed yellow/white promotional labels, printed identifiers, Bell Sound stamp and sales history.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.