J5 in the Studio

In the spring of 1974, Rock & Soul Songs sent reporter Lisa Robinson to the Motown Studios to observe a Jackson 5 recording session first-hand. As it turned out, Jermaine had the flu that day, so what she witnessed was a two-hour session of Michael, Marlon, and Jackie recording the backing vocals for "It All Begins and Ends with Love," a cut that appeared on the Dancing Machine LP. I'm sure the whole experience would have been more exciting for the young reporter if the lead singer had been been laying down vocal tracks, but she did manage to make her account interesting, in any case, and offered rare insight into the day-to-day studio work of two of the group's frequently unsung members, Marlon and Jackie.