The Jacksons

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The Jacksons

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There was a time, many, many years ago, long before he became known as the king of pop, when Michael Jackson was simply regarded as an incredibly gifted soul singer. He and his brothers had had several years of international success (and a bucket load of number one singles) as the Jackson 5 but as the boys grew older, they hankered for more control over their music and their destinies. Reportedly, Berry Gordy wasn't so keen on letting them have it.

So they quit Motown - sadly, Jermaine couldn't join them as he'd gone and married the boss's daughter - and with youngest brother Randy, joined CBS and changed their name to The Jacksons. CBS brought in super-producers Gamble & Huff, McFadden & Whitehead and Dexter Wansel. Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff had founded Philadelphia Records in 1971 as direct competition for Berry Gordy's Motown and in fact, had enjoyed huge success with their 'Philadelphia Soul' sound with acts like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The O'Jays and BillyPaul. Wansel at the time was relatively new but he made his mark on this album and also worked on the Jacksons' follow-up, "Goin' Places".

This album is the end result and it spawned the hits "Enjoy Yourself" and "Show You The Way To Go" - a tune that still gets played on my local radio station to this very day. The producers wrote all the songs, except for the beautiful mid-tempo Blues Away, which was penned my Michael Jackson himself. Other Jackson brothers shared in the lead vocals but it's always Michael's voice that rings clear and true. He and his brothers sound like they're having a really good time doing what they do. Songs like "Think Happy", "Good Times", "Living Together" and "Dreamer" are simply joyful to listen to.

This is one of the best soul records of that era and people who use albums like "Thriller" or/and anything that came after it to assess Michael's prowess as a singer have no idea. Personally, I believe it was on "Off The Wall" that he last did soul. He was one of the best soul singers of our generation and if you need proof, you need look no further than this gem. Still worth a gander after 30 years.

PS. And if you do like this, may I suggest you check out the box set, "The Philly Sound 1966 -1976: Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff". It's not cheap but it's worth every penny.