Come and Get It

If anything can take this blog off hiatus, it's a brand new cd by the Jackson 5. Come and Get It has just been released by Hip-o-Select, and it includes 32 great tracks, including 19 I've never even heard before.  The actual release date for the cd is Sept 18, but you can buy the mp3 versions now off Amazon or iTunes (the more affordable option). I got it the day it was available on iTunes for a mere $15.99 and it's been in constant rotation on my iPod ever since. It's like taking a time machine back to 1971 and hearing a new J5 album for the first time.

There are some inspired cover versions -- and, hey, "Mama Told Me Not to Come" actually works, sort of, for a young teen group the way it was produced, as well as some great original songs. Most of the songs were recorded in the J5's early years at Motown (1970-71), but there are a few later ones recorded after Michael's voice had changed.

Along with Soulsation and I Want You Back: Unreleased Masters, this is the third major offering of previously unreleased songs, and it is by far the best. I think what makes it so good is that most of the songs showcase the Jackson 5's talent as a group, instead of focusing mostly on Michael's vocals, as the previous releases did. There are more than a few songs here with Jermaine leads, for example, and Jackie gets a chance to actually sing some, too, instead of just supplying a backing warble. Even Tito and Marlon get their turns at the microphone. One of my favorite songs is their cover of The Drifters' "Up on the Roof," where the entire group sings together, sounding very much like a youthful Fifth Dimension.

I'll be blogging more about this amazing record and the individual songs on it over the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you haven't ordered it yet, don't delay! And if you have and you're waiting for the cd to arrive in your mailbox, prepare to have your socks knocked off.

And, of course, releases like this always make me wonder, what else do they have in those vaults?