Pearls and Bad Apples

By the time the the Jackson 5's fifth single was released, it had already been available to fans for four months as an album cut on the Third Album. There were a couple of things Motown did to call attention to it as a single. First, they gave it the red vinyl treatment to make it stand out to radio disc jockeys.


The second was to issue the regular stock 45 with a picture sleeve, the first and only time Motown gave a Jackson 5 group single this kind of treatment in the United States. This inspired kids like me to buy the 45, even though I had the song, and the lovely cover of "Darling Dear" from the B-side, on my well-played Third Album LP. At that time, I wasn't a sophisticated enough listener to appreciate the superior mono mix; I could only appreciate the full-color glossy photo of The Five in their high-fashion finery.


The song got quite a bit of air play on U.S. radio stations in the early weeks of 1971 and it entered the Billboard Top 100 pop chart the last week in January. Although industry insiders used terms like "new smash hit," "the week's fastest mover," and "sure to be a million seller" when describing the single, it became the first J5 single not to reach Number 1, peaking a month later at Number 2.



Ironically, they were blocked from Number 1 by a song that had been written for them but had been rejected by Berry Gordy. Instead, it was given to the Osmonds, a family group who were striving to remake their image as pop stars, mainly by imitating the Jackson 5's sound. This was the beginning of the rivalry between the two groups that flared for the next few years.

"Who knows what hits lurk in the hearts of the Jackson 5?"

In Scoop Newsworthy's insightful interview last week with Weldon McDougal III, they talked about was how important it was for Motown to "sell" the Jackson 5 to radio disc jockeys, so they would get wide exposure through regular radio airplay.

One of the ways Motown called attention to new singles was to press the promo copies on color vinyl that would make them stand out amidst all the other white label dj copies that were sent out to radio stations. The first three Jackson 5 singles were pressed on red vinyl, and "I Want You Back" was issued with special promo sleeve that introduced the group.





When "ABC" was released a few months later, the initial standard white label promo was followed twelve days later with a "golden reservice" record, released with a printed sleeve to drive the point home.




Their third single, "The Love You Save" was also issued in red vinyl, as was the single's B-side, "I Found That Girl."


With two number one singles and a third single working its way up the charts, the Jackson 5 took time to pose with a local L.A. disc jockey, Shadoe Stevens. This photo appeared on KHJ's radio survey for the week of July 8, 1970.

By the time "I'll Be There" came out, the Jackson 5 were so hot that the record didn't need much in the way of flashy promotional gimmicks. It became the group's best selling single, just on the strength of the song itself. But Motown didn't forget the role djs had played in helping to get the Jackson 5 to the top of the charts, and they sent out a special postcard to thank them.

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.