I Want You Back Acetate

To record collectors, acetates are like gold. They are never easy to come by, and J5 acetates seem to be especially scarce. They are prized by collectors because they sometimes offer unreleased songs, or unreleased versions of familiar songs.

I took a chance on an eBay find several years ago -- an acetate of "I Want You Back." I had read that the Jackson 5 had been used as singers on the demo versions as the members of the Corporation were working out the tune and lyrics, meaning that the song was recorded in multiple alternate versions. I had hoped that this would be one of them but alas! it was not. It's still a nice little piece of music history.

Don't get me wrong -- I think the finished version of "I Want You Back" is about as close as one can get to a perfect song. I don't particularly want a different version as a replacement of the original. I'd just like to hear how they got there.