Hoy llego el disco ecuatoriano

Foreign pressings of Jackson 5 45s are especially prized by collectors, and I'm no exception. Understandably, most collectors especially like the 45s that have picture sleeves, and I've certainly collected my share of those. But as a collector my favorite 45s are those from Latin America, even though most of them never had picture sleeves. I love the Spanish translations of the song titles, which often vary from country country. Here we see "Forever Came Today" as "Hoy llego la eternidad" which contrasts with the translation on the pressing from Spain, "Hoy empezo el futuro."

Latin American pressings from countries other than Argentina and Brazil are fairly rare. The label shown above is the only Ecuadorian pressing I have ever come across. It's a sentimental favorite of mine because I lived in Quito in 1973, and don't recall ever hearing the Jackson 5 on the radio or seeing any Jackson 5 records while I was there (other than the ones I had brought with me). But this 45 is proof that the Jackson 5 did indeed reach fans in Ecuador. I hope to continue to find more. And maybe one day I'll even find the elusive Bolivian pressing.

Love' s Gone Bad / I Hear a Symphony

One of the rarest Jackson 5 45s from Motown is this 1986 promo-only release from Canada of "Love's Gone Bad" backed with "I Hear a Symphony." It was issued to promote Looking Back to Yesterday: Never Before Released Masters, an LP credited only to Michael even though half the songs were Jackson 5 songs. Interestingly, the 45 lists "Love's Gone Bad" as a solo song by Michael, and "I Hear a Symphony" as a Jackson 5 song, and on the LP the credits are reversed. In actuality, both were recorded by the Jackson 5.

The A-side was originally recorded in 1972, and appeared on the 1979 LP Boogie, and the B-side was recorded in 1970, and also appeared in 1986 on the Jackson 5's second Anthology album.

ABC Test Pressing and Color Vinyl Promo

Two of the most collectible items from the Jackson 5 are these two 45s. The first is a test pressing I found on eBay a while back. Note that the timing strip says 2:00 when the original single version almost a full minute longer. As soon as I get a turntable that works, I am going to have to play this one to see what it is. Perhaps it's a version we've never heard.

The second item is the color vinyl promo for "ABC." Motown had originally sent out one of their standard white label promos, but sent this one out with a printed sleeve 12 days later to give it an added push. You occasionally see the gold vinyl promo for sale, but it rarely includes the printed sleeve. When it does, it goes for a bundle. I was lucky to get the vinyl 45 with the sleeve from a dealer about 20 years ago for $50.