1. Zip A Dee Doo Dah (3:13)
2. Nobody (2:42)
3. I Want You Back (2:58)
4. Can You Remember (2:57)
5. Standing In The Shadows Of Love (4:05)
6. You've Changed (3:05)
7. My Cherie Amour (3:40)
8. Who's Lovin' You (4:00)
9. Chained (2:48)
10. (I Know) I'm Losing You (2:16)
11. Stand ! (2:35)
12. Born To Love You (2:26)Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 was the debut album
from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band The Jackson 5, released on the Motown label in December 1969. The Jackson 5's lead singer, a preteenage boy named Michael Jackson, and his older brothers Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie, became pop successes within months of this album's release. Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5's only single, "I Want You Back", became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 within weeks of the album's release.

The album title suggested that Motown star Diana Ross had discovered the group, as do the Ross-penned liner notes on the back cover. Ross' alleged discovering of the Jackson 5 was in fact part of Motown's marketing and promotions plan for the Jackson 5; Motown artists Bobby Taylor and Gladys Knight were the ones who had actually discovered the Jacksons. Ross did, however, introduce the group to the public both in concert and on television.

All songs produced by Bobby Taylor except for "Nobody" and "I Want You Back", produced by The Corporation™.


Unreleased Tracks
1968 - I've Gotta Be Me (2:26)

1. The Love You Save (2:59)
2. One More Chance (2:56)
3. ABC (2:55)
4. 2-4-6-8 (2:54)
5. (Come 'round Here) I'm The One You Need (2:40)
6. Don't Know Why I Love You (3:45)
7. Never Had A Dream Come True (2:57)
8. True Love Can Be Beautiful (3:24)
9. La-La (Means I Love You) (3:27)
10. I'll Bet You (3:16)
11. I Found That Girl (2:56)
12. The Young Folks (2:49)Release: May 1970
Production : The Corporation / Hal Davis

Not even six months after the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael, and Tito, issued their debut long-player, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 (1969), the vocal quintet returned with ABC (1970), arguably the brothers' most solid effort of the early '70s.

The Jacksons' collective (and respective) talents, coupled with exemplary material and the finest behind the scenes crew Motown had to offer, were directly responsible for the enormous success that placed the LP at the crest of the R&B chart and into the Top Five of the pop survey, while the title track and the double-sided hit single "The Love You Save" b/w "I Found That Girl" all went directly to the number one position across the board.

Not too shabby for a group whose oldest member was barely in his teens. Granted, the familiar tunes are undeniably the focal point, making it easy to overlook some of the other stellar selections. As was customary, Motown's cache of house composers provide the lion's share of the songs, most notably the Holland-Dozier-Holland-penned "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need", brought to prominence by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Stevie Wonder's "Never Had a Dream Come True," which Wonder himself had recently included on his own Signed, Sealed & Delivered (1970).

There are also a few contemporary nuggets from beyond the boundaries of Detroit, as "La-La (Means I Love You)" is derived from the up-and-coming Philly soul movement and "I'll Bet You" was gleaned from George Clinton's incipient incarnation of Funkadelic.

However, the cuts credited to "the Corporation" with Bobby Taylor and instrumentalists Deke Richards (guitar), Freddie Perren (keyboard), and Fonce Mizell (keyboards), as well as Motown founder Berry Gordy, were of primary significance not only on the ABC album, but within the entire Jackson 5 oeuvre.

Singles :
ABC / The young folks
The love you save / I found that girl

1. I'll Be There (3:57)
2. Ready Or Not (Here I Come) (2:32)
3. Oh How Happy (2:13)
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water (5:49)
5. Can I See You In The Morning (3:07)
6. Goin' Back To Indiana (3:30)
7. How Funky Is Your Chiken (2:40)
8. Mama's Pearl (3:08)
9. Reach In (3:26)
10. The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage (4:19)
11. Darling Dear (2:36)


Release: September 1970
Production : The Corporation / Hal Davis

During the fall of 1970, pop music lovers remained in the grip of Jackson 5 fever. The quintet's Third Album (1970) continued the trend with another huge crossover smash.

Similarly, it followed its two predecessors into the upper echelons of the pop (number four) and R&B (number one) LP surveys.
It further mirrored their first two collections by taking a pair of singles into the Top Five with the best-selling ballad "I'll Be There" (number one) and the loose and funky "Mama's Pearl." The latter was credited to "the Corporation," consisting of Bobby Taylor, instrumentalists Deke Richards (guitar), Freddie Perren (keyboard), Fonce Mizell (keyboards), and Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Together, they had tailored the Jackson 5 to reflect the unmistakable Motown sound, expanding just enough to incorporate other significant influences as well. From the Thom Bell/William Hart Philly soul songbook comes the non-Motor City highlight "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)", a focus track for the Delfonics a year earlier.

The update of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" and the midtempo closer, "Darling Dear" (which Robinson and company had concurrently included on their Pocket Full of Miracles LP from 1970), are likewise worthwhile spins.

Perhaps not all that coincidentally, both releases also feature tastefully scored arrangements of Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," with the Jacksons' version getting the nod.

In addition to being the name of their forthcoming ABC-TV prime time special, "Goin' Back to Indiana" makes its debut appearance here as an upbeat acknowledgment of the Jackson brothers' native stomping grounds.

This is considered one of their best efforts and is their most successful album to date. It sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

Singles :
I’ll be there / One more chance
Mama’s Pearl / Darling dear

Unreleased Tracks
1970 - Guess Who's Making Whoopie With Your Girlfriend (4:20)
Early Version of Mama's Pearl (1970)

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (5:19)
2. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (2:25)
3. Christmas Song (2:53)
4. Up on the House Top (3:13)
5. Frosty the Snowman (2:40)
6. Little Drummer Boy (3:18)
7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (2:34)
8. Christmas Won't Be the Same This Year (2:33)
9. Give Love on Christmas Day (3:04)
10. Someday at Christmas (2:45)
11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (3:14)
12. Little Christmas Tree (3:37)Released : October 15, 1970
Production : The Corporation / Hal Davis

After three consecutive Top Five Pop albums in 1970 alone, it was somewhat of a no-brainer that Motown would want to include a holiday long-player to that list.

The Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) combines classic favorites as well as a handful of compositions penned by the Corporation. This all-star team of Motown staffers and musicians boasted composer Bobby Taylor, Deke Richards (guitar), Freddie Perren (keyboard), Fonce Mizell (keyboards), and label co-founder Berry Gordy.

As they had done for each of the Jackson 5's previous platters, they carefully crafted and significantly modernized familiar seasonal selections. Leading off the effort is an unusual (for a pop act, anyway) two-part interpretation of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," commencing with a fairly rote reading before kicking into gear during a fittingly R&B-inspired coda.

They follow with an undeniably soulful update of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" and the fun and funky "Up on the Rooftop" that also adds instrumental elements of their hit "The Love You Save" with a few bars of "Here Comes Santa Claus" likewise worked into the mix. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is another standard that has been infused with a fresh spirit, once again yielding a well-chosen and adeptly executed revision.

Although not as drastically overhauled, "Frosty the Snowman" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" are none the less thoroughly enjoyable.

In terms of originals, the lovely "Give Love at Christmas" informed covers by fellow Motown staples the Temptations, who used the tune as the title track for their 1980 Christmas entry, to Johnny Gill and even a reggae version by the Tamlins.

The Jacksons similarly shared the brisk and upbeat "Someday at Christmas" with the Temptations and Stevie Wonder, as well as Diana Ross, whose take is one of the highlights of her Very Special Season (1998) outing.

In 2003, the Jackson 5 Christmas Album was reissued on CD as the quintet's installment in the 20th Century Masters, The Christmas Collection.

The 11-song LP was augmented with a solo Michael Jackson performance of "Little Christmas Tree", co-written by George Clinton, that initially appeared as part of the various-artists Motown Christmas.

Singles :
Santa Claus is coming to town / Christmas won’t be the same this year

1. Maybe Tomorrow (4:41)
2. She's Good (2:59)
3. Never Can Say Goodbye (2:57)
4. The Wall (3:03)
5. Petals (2:34)
6. Sixteen Candles (2:45)
7. (We've Got) Blue Skies (3:21)
8. My Little Baby (2:58)
9. It's Great to Be Here (2:59)
10. Honey Chile (2:45)
11. I Will Find a Way (2:57)Released: April 1971
Production : The Corporation

Maybe Tomorrow (1971) was the Jackson Five's fourth long-player in less than two years, actually their fifth if you count the excellent holiday offering Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970).

Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy and Michael continue their prolific run, building off the same combination of swooning slow jams and funky rockers that had catapulted their previous outings into the Top Five R&B and Pop Album surveys.

No doubt influenced by the recent success of "I'll Be There," the focus tunes extracted as singles were the heartfelt and Michael-led ballads "Never Can Say Goodbye," as well as the title track "Maybe Tomorrow." Although the youngest member of the Jackson 5, he consistently turned in precociously age-defying performances. Once again Motown's self-inclusive team of Bobby Taylor, instrumentalists Deke Richards (guitar), Freddie Perren (keyboard), Fonce Mizell (keyboards) and the label's co-founder Berry Gordy, known collectively as the Corporation, supplied a majority of the grooves.

However, it was increasingly the tunes brought in from elsewhere that were gaining the most attention. Actor/composer/performer Clifton Davis supplied "Never Can Say Goodbye," while Hal Davis' mid-tempo arrangement of the Crests' 1958 hit "16 Candles" is a perfect vehicle for Jermaine.

He would return to his R&B ancestry for the significant solo side, a cover of Shep & the Limelites' "Daddy's Home"."

Standouts from the Corporation's contributions are the fun, though admittedly lightweight "My Little Baby," the harder driving "It's Great to Be Here" and the upbeat funk vibe "I Will Find a Way" that concludes the platter.

When Maybe Tomorrow was reissued on CD in 2001, it was coupled with the quintet's Third Album (1970) and supplemented with two of the last recordings created by the Corporation, "Sugar Daddy", which initially surfaced on the Greatest Hits [1971] (1971) package, and the non-LP "I'm So Happy."

Singles :
Never can say goodbye / She’s good
Maybe tomorrow / I’ll find a way
Sugar daddy / I'm so Happy

1. I Want You Back (1971 ABC Special) (4:16)
2. Maybe Tomorrow (1971 ABC Special) (4:19)
3. The Day Basketball Was Saved (1971 ABC Special) (7:58)
4. Stand! (Live Goin' Back To Indiana) (4:15)
5. I Want To Take You Higher (Live Goin' Back To Indiana) (2:09)
6. Feelin' Alright (Live Goin' Back To Indiana) (4:12)
7. Walk On / The Love You Save (Live Goin' Back To Indiana) (4:57)
8. Goin' Back To Indiana (Live Goin' Back To Indiana) (4:47)Released: September 1971
Production : Berry Gordy / The Corporation

Ever the savvy multimedia imprint, Motown Records prepared this long-player to coincide with the Jackson 5's hourlong Goin' Back to Indiana prime time ABC-TV special in September of 1971.

With the exception of a few skits, featuring the likes of Bobby Darin as a used car salesman and Diana Ross, who is credited simply as "the Pregnant Lady", the album includes some of the less visually dependent material.

The first half of the program was a buildup to the "homecoming" concert.

That Gary, IN, performance was held on May 29, 1971, and highlights were excerpted in the final portion of the television show. The long-player replicates that concept, with side one boasting guest shots from Bill Cosby as roving reporter Skip Newsworthy and Tommy Smothers as "the Crimson Ghost," an adversary for Tito Jackson's race-car fantasy sequence.

Perhaps most impressive is the all-star basketball "dream team" with Elgin Baylor, Ben Davison, Elvin Hayes, and Bill Russell.

The latter can be heard during the recitation of "The Day Basketball Was Saved" as the NBA legends go head to head with the Jacksons.

Although not documented in front of an audience, the "rehearsal" versions of "I Want You Back" and "Maybe Tomorrow" sport fresh lead vocals over the top of the familiar instrumental backing.

Every one of the live cuts crackles with practically palpable energy, especially the covers of Sly & the Family Stone's "Stand!," the reworking of Dave Mason's "Feelin' Alright," and the piledriving title track, "Goin' Back to Indiana".

When issued on a two-fer CD with the Jackson 5's subsequent LP, Lookin' Through the Windows (1972), "Who's Lovin' You", from the Gary set,was tacked on as one of the supplementary selections.

1. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing (2:31)
2. Lookin' Through the Windows (3:37)
3. Don't Let Your Baby Catch You (3:10)
4. To Know (3:21)
5. Doctor My Eyes (3:14)
6. Little Bitty Pretty One (2:50)
7. E-Ne-Me-Ne-Mi-Ni-Moe (The Choice Is Yours to Pull) (2:53)
8. If I Have to Move a Mountain (3:20)
9. Don't Want to See Tomorrow (2:47)
10. Children of the Light (2:29)
11. I Can Only Give You Love (2:37)Released: May 1972
Production : The Corporation

A new phase in the Jackson Five's career began with Lookin' Through the Windows (1972), the quintet's seventh release since 1969.

The album came out in the wake of the stop-gap Goin' Back to Indiana (1971) from the Jackson 5's hour-long ABC-TV network special of the same name, and just in time for Christmas, Greatest Hits [1971] (1971).

Their previous studio outing Maybe Tomorrow (1971) had proven to be the last created under the primary direction of Bobby Taylor, Deke Richards (guitar), Freddie Perren (keyboard), Fonce Mizell (keyboards) and Motown co-founder Berry Gordy, who were collectively credited as the Corporation.

So this effort is padded with a few scraps from their tenure, such as the breezy "To Know," sounding like a mixture of Stevie Wonder and the Philly soul stylings of the O'Jays, as well as the charming but unremarkable "If I Have to Move a Mountain".

The highlight from that cache is the funky "Don't Let Your Baby Catch You," bearing a propulsive groove would have effortlessly translated to Michael Jackson's post-Motown career. The LP spawned two R&B/pop crossovers.

The first, an update of Thurston Harris' "Little Bitty Pretty One" features several different Jacksons on lead with an arrangement that immediately recalls Michael's solo cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin."

Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, Michael's 45 climbed to the number two pop position less than a month before the Jackson Five landed in the Top 15 with their remake. While on the subject of outsourced musical influences, the introductory orchestration to the Clifton Davis-penned title track indicates an undeniable and pronounced nod to Isaac Hayes (Theme From) "Shaft".

They also commit a bouncy interpretation of Jackson Browne's "Doctor My Eyes".
Meanwhile, the combo had to look no further than the copious Motown back catalog for their impressive opener, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", a selection initially brought to significance by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell some four years earlier.

In 2001 Lookin' Through the Windows was coupled with the aforementioned Goin' Back to Indiana (1971) on to a double-play compact disc. One of the bonus cuts on that package is "Love Song," another Clifton Davis tune that first surfaced as the B-side to the "Lookin' Through the Windows" 7" single.

Singles :
Little Bitty one / If I have to move a mountain
Lookin’ through the windows / Love song

1. Skywriter (3:08)
2. Hallelujah Day (2:46)
3. Boogie Man (2:56)
4. Touch (3:00)
5. Corner of the Sky (3:33)
6. I Can't Quit Your Love (3:12)
7. Uppermost (2:26)
8. World of Sunshine (2:45)
9. Ooh, I'd Love to Be With You (2:49)
10. You Made Me What I Am (2:50)Released: March 1973
Production : Jerry Marcellino / Mel Larson / Hal davis

Skywriter could be described as a turning-point record for The Jackson 5. Released in the beginning of 1973, lead singer Michael's vocals were now showing the signs of his maturing tenor voice, while Jermaine's voice had gotten much deeper in tone.

Notably, one of Skywriter's songs, "Touch" (originally recorded by the Diana Ross-less Supremes in 1971), features Michael and Jermaine singing about satisfying a woman in the bed.
As such, "Touch" was one of the most controversial singles Michael sung on until his solo career took off again in the 1980s.

Michael, at this point, was frustrated with the direction he and his brothers were going in, and complained to Motown's staff producers and writers about the kind of music they were doing.
The brothers were openly discouraged of the style they were receiving from Motown writers. Also, by this point, all five brothers were writing their own material, but Motown prevented them from recording their own compositions.

The frustration was showcased most openly by the album cover, where all five brothers solemnly looked at the camera around an early-1900s-era airplane.

This is one of the least successful albums the Jackson brothers ever created mainly because of only one top twenty single, and lack of promotion because the boys were on a worldwide tour at this time. This would be the last album that followed the bubblegum pop sound and from now on the group would follow a more souful disco sound.

The Jackson 5 slipped a bit with this album, although they still had two pop and R&B hits.
But it wasn't anywhere near as dominant or popular an album as their earlier ones and wound up being one of their final three releases for Motown.

They later did some recording with Stevie Wonder, Michael cut some solo material, and everyone except Jermaine headed for Columbia.

Singles :
Corner of the sky / To know
Hallelujah day / You made me what I am

1. Get It Together (2:48)
2. Don't Say Goodbye Again (3:27)
3. Reflections (2:58)
4. Hum Along and Dance (8:37)
5. Mama I Gotta Brand New Thing (Don't Say No) (7:11)
6. It's Too Late to Change the Time (3:57)
7. You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You?) (3:45)
8. Dancing Machine (3:27)Released: September 1973
Production : Hal Davis

Get It Together, was a 1973 album released by The Jackson 5 for the Motown label.

During the group's last years with Motown, the label struggled to come up with material for the group.
As a result, the Jackson 5 fell into a period from 1973 to 1974 where they scored no Top 10 singles. By this point, most of the Jackson 5's members, and their manager Joseph Jackson, were vocally complaining about the group's direction, with Michael Jackson becoming the most vocal.
The only member not to complain about Motown's handling of the act was Jermaine Jackson, who would marry Motown head Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel three months after the release of this album.

"Get It Together" was the first album to feature Michael Jackson's noticeable growth spurt. Now fifteem, his voice began to deepen, taking on a more soulful sound. With Michael's voice having changed, the overall sound of the group changed as well.
The young boys who first came on the scene with "I Want You Back" just four years earlier were becoming men, and those high notes that only Michael could hit were retired.

The album was a breakaway from the group's bubblegum soul sound as they came up with a more funk-oriented album similar to The Temptations' Norman Whitfield-produced albums.
Whitfield in fact provides covers of two of his Temptations songs here, "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)", and "Hum Along and Dance". The Jackson 5's cover of the latter song, an eight-minute album-closer, is today regarded as the most notable version of the song. Get It Together was also one of the earliest disco albums, released at a time before the genre was mainstream.

The album's title track was a modest pop hit for the group reaching number twenty-eight, while the album-closing "Dancing Machine" became a smash pop hit, reaching number two on the pop chart and briefly restoring the Jackson 5 back to their former success.

On "Hum Along and Dance" and several of the other album tracks, all five Jackson brothers had a chance to share lead vocals, including Marlon and Tito. Michael was now a full-fledged tenor, and no longer the child star that had become a pop star during the early-1970s.

"Get it Together" was the first album not to feature production or songwriting from any of the members of The Corporation. Motown head Berry Gordy, a member of the Corporation, was busy expanding his Motown empire into movie ventures, mostly starring Diana Ross.

Although they were still getting hits, there were some problems creeping into The Jackson 5's Motown albums. The main one was that the company was no longer in the forefront of black music production, and their '60s-style efforts were sounding dated.

Only Michael Jackson's individual brilliance and the group's polished performances salvaged much of this material, and they soon openly expressed their disapproval.

Singles :
Get it together / Touch
Dancing Machine / It’s too late to change the time

1. I Am Love (7:18)
2. Whatever You Got, I Want (2:55)
3. She's A Rhythm Child (2:39)
4. Dancing Machine (2:36)
5. The Life Of The Party (2:34)
6. What You Don't Know (4:25)
7. If I Don't Love You This Way (3:28)
8. It All Begins And Ends With Love (3:07)
9. The Mirrors Of My Mind (2:59)Released: September 1974
Production : Mel Larson / Jerry Marcellino

Dancing Machine was an album released by Motown quintet The Jackson 5 in 1974.

The song's title track was a #2 pop hit and a #1 R&B hit in the United States, briefly returning the group to their former prominence. The group released two singles from the album the funky "Whatever You Got, I Want" and the groups last top twenty hit "I Am Love".

Although the Jacksons were back on the charts, the brothers still complained of their artistic direction. Nonetheless, the album became another disco concept album for the group, and showcased lead singers Michael and Jermaine Jackson.

Around this time the Jacksons were performing in Las Vegas with the rest of the family leaving this album with low promotion.

For a brief time, it seemed as if the magic was back between Motown and the Jackson 5. The title track was their best up-tempo hit since "ABC," and put them back on top of the R&B charts for the first time in three years.

It just missed topping the pop charts as well, peaking at number two. They even got a second chart hit from the album, and it restored their position within the pop and R&B communities.

Singles :
Dancing Machine / It’s too late to change the time
Whatever you got, I want / I can’t quit your love
I am love - Part 1 / I am love - Part 2

1. Forever Came Today (6:23)
2. Moving Violation (3:37)
3. (You Were Made) Especially For Me (3:28)
4. Honey Love (4:40)
5. Body Language (Do the Love Dance) (4:07)
6. All I Do Is Think Of You (3:12)
7. Breezy (3:38)
8. Call Of The Wild (2:33)
9. Time Explosion (4:13)Released: May 1975
Production : Suzee Ikeda

Moving Violation, released in 1975, was the final regular studio album released by the family on Motown Records.

By the end of their six-year run in Motown, all five Jackson brothers had matured dramatically in both age and vocals: youngest member Michael was, at 16, the only non-adult in the group. With the boys now becoming men, it was difficult for the group to deal with Motown's policies against writing and producing their own material.

Like Dancing Machine before it, Moving Violation was an early-disco album. The group's funk-based version of Diana Ross & the Supremes' 1968 single "Forever Came Today" was a club hit, while the single's b-side, the R&B ballad "All I Do Is Think Of You", became a popular and frequently covered song in its own right.

The Jackson 5 closed out their celebrated Motown tenure with Moving Violation, a slight if intermittently engaging LP buoyed, as always, by the brothers remarkable vocals.

A slickly commercial overture to the growing disco audience, the record is a patchwork of borrowed sounds and styles, from the Philly soul-inspired title cut to the percolating nightclub groover "Body Language" to the futuristic climax "Time Explosion"

Also noteworthy is the gossamer ballad "All I Do Is Think of You," which anticipates the quiet storm sensibility of the decade to follow.

After this album, the Jackson 5, at the behest of father Joseph, left the Motown label after securing a new deal with CBS Records.
Motown sued the Jackson 5 for breach of contract, and refused to allow them to leave.
After some litigation, Motown allowed the group to leave for CBS, but withheld ownership of the "Jackson 5" name and trademark. Joseph continued the legal battle, until Michael suggested that they simply change the name of the act to "The Jacksons" and end the litigation.

Besides their name, the Jackson 5 left behind secondary lead singer Jermaine Jackson at Motown. Jermaine was married to Motown head Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, and ultimately chose Motown and the Gordys over his brothers.
This move incensed Joseph, who intoned that "my blood runs through Jermaine's veins, not Berry Gordy's." Jermaine would go on to have a semi-successful eight-year solo career at Motown.

Jackie, Tito, Marlon, and Michael Jackson moved on, hired youngest Jackson brother Randy and began recording for CBS Records in 1976. Motown would issue two compilation albums, Joyful Jukebox Music in 1976, and Boogie in 1979, made up of archived recordings the group had made during their tenure at the label.

Singles :
Forever came today / All I do is think of you

1. Joyful Jukebox Music (3:13)
2. Window Shopping (2:43)
3. You're My Best Friend, My Love (3:24)
4. Love Is The Thing You Need (3:06)
5. The Eternal Light (3:15)
6. Pride And Joy (2:46)
7. Through Thick And Thin (3:03)
8. We're Here To Entertain You (3:04)
9. Make Tonight All Mine (3:18)
10. We're Gonna Change Our Style (2:43)Released: 1976
Production : Berry Gordy

Although technically credited to "The Jackson Five featuring Michael Jackson," Joyful Jukebox Music (1976) was actually issued after the quintet split from Motown, their home for five years and a total of 11 long-players.

The majority of the contents had been cut several years earlier circa the sessions that yielded Skywriter (1973) and Get It Together (1973). As Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy and Michael had yet to surface with any new material from their freshly-inked deal with Epic Records, Motown was understandably eager to get their platters on the air and in the racks before the competition.

One primary correlation connecting tracks on this collection to those aforementioned LPs and many of the band's earlier successes is the involvement of Freddie Perren (keyboard) and Fonce Mizell (keyboards). The pair were part of the Corporation, Motown's team of producers, musicians and composers whose elite membership also consisted of Bobby Taylor, Deke Richards (guitar) and the label's co-founder Berry Gordy.

While certainly releasable, enthusiasts will be able to tell why the majority of the selections had originally been delegated to the cutting-room. That certainly shouldn't suggest that the entire affair is a washout as the lovely ballad "Through Thick and Thin," and the Perren co-penned up-tempo jiver "Make Tonight All Mine" are arguably better than anything that had turned up on either Skywriter or Get It Together.

When dipping into the incalculably voluminous Motown back catalog, they only come up with an interesting, though ultimately dissatisfying, if not excessive overhaul of Marvin Gaye's "Pride and Joy".

Worse still are the self-serving schmaltzy "We're Here to Entertain You" and the equally unnecessary closer "We're Gonna Change Our Style".

Granted, compilers may have considered it as a fitting harbinger to the next stage in the Jacksons career, however modern ears will probably dismiss it as extraneous filler.

In 2004, Hip-O Select compiled both Joyful Jukebox Music and the odds and sods Boogie (1979) onto a single double-player and limited-edition package, making them available for the first time on CD.

1. Love's Gone Bad (3:55)
2. I Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore (3:01)
3. ABC (2:55)
4. I Was Made To Love Her (3:22)
5. One Day I'll Marry You (2:58)
6. Never Can Say Goodbye (2:57)
7. Oh I've Been Blessed (2:50)
8. Penny Arcade (2:41)
9. Just Because I Love You (3:14)
10. Dancing Machine (2:36)Released: January 1979
Production : Motown (Natural Resources)

The phenomenal success of the "Destiny" album in 1978 pushes Motown to search a little more in its stock of unreleased songs and propose this compilation in 1979 called "Boogie", including 5 totally new titles:

"I Is not Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" / "One Day I'll Marry You" / "Oh I've Been Blessed" / "Penny Arcade" / "Just Because I Love You" as well as several titles from the golden ages of the Jackson Five.

1. Introduction/ We're Gonna Have a Good Time (3:41)
2. Lookin' Through the Windows (4:28)
3. Got to Be There (3:09)
4. Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save (3:01)
5. Daddy's Home (5:24)
6. Superstition (3:18)
7. Ben (2:58)
8. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (5:27)
9. That's How Love Goes (3:21)
10. Never Can Say Goodbye (2:21)
11. Ain't That Peculiar (5:29)
12. I Wanna Be Where You Are (6:28)Original Release Date: 1973
Label: Hip-O Select

Still known as the Jackson 5, Marlon, Tito, Randy, Jackie and Michael took to the stage of Osaka's Koseinenkin Hall in support of their most recent release Skywriter (1973), yet the extracts from the show on this title are filled primarily with familiar tunes not only from the quintet's sizable songbook of hits, but also selections gleaned from Michael Jackson's and Jermaine Jackson's respective solo catalogs.

In fact, both brothers come out stronger than the collective ensemble with Michael performing "I Want to Be Where You Are", "Got to Be There" and "Ben" while Jermaine provides persuasive renderings of his early platters "That's How Love Goes," as well as covers of Shep & the Limelites "Daddy's Home" and Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar".

The show kicks off with sturdy, though unremarkable stabs at the Rare Earth side "We're Gonna Have a Good Time," followed by a half-hearted "Lookin' Through the Windows".

It doesn't take long before they are able to turn the beat around on the inspired interpretation of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", which many may find worth the price of admission in and of itself. They similarly barrel into a propelling and hearty spin of the Temptations "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" commencing with an eerily portentous siren during the prelude.

Even as the version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" is among this set's zeniths, it is likewise the sole entry from the Jackson 5's extraordinary run of best-selling and chart-topping R&B/pop crossover smashes.

Those omissions are not entirely unexpected, as they had come a great distance from the catchy bubblegum of "ABC", "I Want You Back" and "The Love You Save" maturing into decidedly more demanding roles within the band, especially Jermaine and Michael, whose respective stars would continue their ascent during the ensuing decades.

1. Let Me Carry Your Schoolbooks (2:58)
2. I Never Had a Girl (3:05)
3. Monologue (0:26)
4. Michael the Lover (2:20)
5. We Don't Have to Be over 21 (To Fall in Love) (2:24)
6. Big Boy (5:24)
7. You've Changed (2:40)
8. Jam Session, Pt. 1 (3:42)
9. My Girl (2:30)
10. Jam Session, Pt. 2 (3:44)
11. Under the Boardwalk (2:39)
12. Soul Jerk (1:58)
13. Saturday Night at the Movies (1:53)
14. Tracks of My Tears (2:28)Released: 1996
Production: Ben Brown (Steeltown Records)

This album contains the first recordings ever made by the Jackson 5. Recorded in 1967, several of these tracks were actually released by Steeltown Records as singles. One of which, 'Big Boy', became a local hit in the Chicago/Gary area.

All recordings have been left in their original and unenhanced state for historical purposes.
14 tracks including, 'Let Me Carry Your Schoolbooks', 'My Girl' and 'Soul Jerk'. Standard jewel case.

The studio recorded material, basically the first half of the disc, is presented in the best quality possible.

1. Monologue (0:33)
2. We Don't Have To Be Over 21 (2:14)
3. You've Changed (2:35)
4. Big Boy (2:59)
5. Michael The Lover (2:22)
6. Jam Session (3:44)
7. My Girl (2:31)
8. Soul Jerk (2:00)
9. Under The Boardwalk (2:40)
10. Saturday Night At The Movies (1:55)
11. Tracks Of My Tears (2:31)
12. Lonely Heart (1:12)
13. Stormy Monday (2:39)Released: July 21, 2009
Label: S.D.E.G./J5 Music

This recording features a very young (pre-Motown) Michael Jackson with his brothers performing a dozen classic Soul/R&B tunes with a very recognizable hint of their future success.

Drummer Johnny Jackson was not a blood relative of the Jackson 5 but often referred to as their 'cousin' who was present for their earliest Steeltown recordings in Gary, Indiana.
When the Jackson family moved to Los Angeles, he went with them, was signed along with them to Motown and was on their earliest recordings for that label.

It wasn’t until late 1969 that the Jackson 5 burst into the hearts and living rooms of America with the smash-hit singles “I Want You Back” and “ABC.”
But the band of brothers had already been practicing for three years before releasing those Motown tracks. Although this early material isn’t as clean and polished as the group’s later work, it does offer the rare opportunity to appreciate the raw talent Jermaine, Tito, Marlon, Jackie and, of course, Michael (along with their drummer, Johnny) brought to the table.

In addition to the band’s first singles, including “We Don’t Have to Be Over 21″ and “Big Boy,” the compilation documents an all-Jackson jam session and opens with a James Brown-worthy mini-monologue, replete with the boastings of high-voiced brothers of various ages.

There’s also a zany, curious confection called “Michael the Lover,” that retells its hero’s fictional encounter with an admirer (you know, kind of like “Billie Jean”).
Most pleasing of all are the covers, from an innocent “My Girl” to a tinny, tropical-flavored “Under the Boardwalk.”

No one who listened to 10-year-old Michael sing his heart out on these tracks would be surprised that he grew up to become the King of Pop.

Release Date: June 29, 2010
Label: HIP-O SELECT

The Jackson 5: Live At The Forum is a new 2-CD set released June 22 that uncovers an amazing chapter from
the phenomenal career of Michael Jackson and his brothers
in the J5: their extraordinary performances from the Los Angeles Forum, recorded in June 1970 and August 1972,
the first at the start of their rapid ascent to stardom, the second when they became established icons.
These brilliant shows have not been released in any form until now, the 40th anniversary of the 1970 show.

Live At The Forum features earth-shaking live performances of the group's best-known hits - "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," "I'll Be There," "Never Can Say Goodbye" and more. Single B-sides "I Found That Girl" and "I'm So Happy" and such surprises as album cuts "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Zip A Dee Do Dah," plus songs not released by the J5, including covers of James Brown's "There Was a Time" and the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing," are part of the shows. The 1972 show also features a full, fantastic set of Michael's solo hits, including "Got To Be There" and "Ben," his brand new single at the time, as well as a solo spot by Jermaine.

Disc 1 includes the Forum show recorded June 20, 1970, when the group broke existing box office records at the venue. The J5 were on their first national tour, and the show is a unique document of the growing "Jacksonmania" gripping the globe. Disc 2 is the complete show from August 26, 1972, just three days before Michael's 14th birthday. Each disc includes a bonus track: an unreleased full live version of "Mama's Pearl," from the concert that became part of the 1971 TV special Goin' Back To Indiana, closes Disc 1; "I Wanna Be Where You Are," from the soundtrack album to Save The Children, makes its CD debut at the end of Disc 2.

Live At The Forum is housed in a collector's digi-pak with rare photos, collectable postcards of each Jackson brother and insightful liner notes by Mark Anthony Neal.


Disc 1 - June 20, 1970

1. Introduction (0:41)
2. I Want You Back (3:08)
3. Feelin' Alright (4:50)
4. Who's Lovin' You (4:56)
5. Walk On (2:21)
6. Don't Know Why I Love You (3:40)
7. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (2:55)
8. ABC (3:32)
9. It's Your Thing (4:55)
10. I Found That Girl (4:45)
11. There Was A Time (3:14)
12. Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin (7:07)
13. The Love You Save (3:36)

Bonus Track:
14. Mama's Pearl Live in Indiana (3:10)


Disc 2 - Back @ the Forum August 26, 1972

1. Brand New Thing (3:01)
2. Medley: I Want You Back / ABC / Mama's Pearl (4:51)
3. Sugar Daddy (2:57)
4. I'll Be There (4:03)
5. Introduction by Michael (1:56)
6. Goin' Back to Indiana / Brand New Thing / Goin' Back to Indiana (3:55)
7. Bridge Over Troubled Water (2:21)
8. I Found That Girl (3:40)
9. I'm So Happy (2:59)
10. Lookin' Through The Windows (3:53)
11. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (2:35)
12. Introduction by Jackie (0:22)
13. Ben (2:39)
14. Rockin' Robin (2:30)
15. Got To Be There (2:11)
16. You've Got A Friend (2:21)
17. Ain't No Sunshine (5:29)
18. I Wanna Be Where You Are (3:42)
19. Introduction by Jermaine (1:09)
20. That's How Love Goes (3:15)
21. Never Can Say Goodbye (4:43)
22. Walk On (2:22)
23. The Love You Save (3:53)

Bonus Track:
24. I Wanna Be Where You Are from "Save The Children" (4:13)