If the Shoe Don't Fit

"If the Shoe Don't Fit" is the first full-length song on the new Jackson 5 cd, Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls. Like many of the songs on the album, it was written and produced by The Corporation, and, like most songs by this team, it's got a catchy tune and clever lyrics that were especially tailored to the Jackson 5's youthfulness. According the to the liner notes, it was recorded 1970-71. It features Michael on the up-tempo lead vocals that are reminiscent of "My Little Baby," another Corporation song that was recorded around the same time and was first released on the Maybe Tomorrow LP in April 1971.

"When at first I took you in

We had a nice association

Your love was sweet as honey then

Even bees will vouch for that.

But now you've found I'm not your type

In a different situation

The love you give is cold as ice

Even snowmen feel the draft."

After Michael sings the first line in the next bit, Jermaine comes in with the counter-lead, as we've come to expect in songs from this era. Unfortunately, it sounds like his vocals were recorded down the hall -- there's an odd echo to them.

Michael: Baby, why should we carry it on?

Jermaine: If you really think you must, girl,

I'm telling you that you're wrong.

And here's where it gets really interesting. Instead of going back to Michael, or to Jackie, Tito sings the second counter-lead in his bass voice.

  

Tito: If my love don't fit your heart

Then I don't belong.

It's a pleasant surprise to hear Tito sing lead vocals here -- and he has another line before the second chorus as well.

Speaking of the chorus, we return to Michael for the lead vocals in what is without a doubt the best part of the song -- and the part that will stick in your head for days:

"Oh, darling, don't do me no favors

Don't feel obligated

Don't you do it now, baby

If the shoe don't fit, baby, don't force it on yourself

Oh, if the shoe don't fit, honey, don't force it on yourself."

While there are some nice harmonies in the song, and the chorus is definitely memorable, the verses in this song feel a bit unfinished, and it's easy to see why the song wasn't completed and released when the J5 had recorded similar songs in late 1970 / early 1971 that were so much stronger, like the afore-mentioned "My Little Baby" and the brilliant "It's Great to Be Here."  Still, Corporation-produced J5 failures are more interesting today than most album fillers that got released by other groups forty years ago. The shoe might not have quite fit back then but it feels just fine now.

My American Dream Sounds Like the Jackson 5

There was a great piece on NPR this morning about the song "I Want You Back." In it Harvard History and Literature professor Jack Hamilton says:
 "I consider "I Want You Back" to be the best pop record ever made, by such a wide margin that I can barely entertain a conversation. It's three minutes of shimmering and sustained explosion. I can't remember where and when I first heard it but I've wanted to listen to it forever ever since."

What a treat to hear him say these things as I was getting ready for work this morning. You can hear the whole thing on the NPR website.

We're the Music Makers

Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Michael and Fred

The first song included on Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls is something of an enigma. There's not much info about it in the booklet, not even a date for the recording, and the song itself is only one minute long.The lyrics introduce the brothers individually twice, which makes me think this may have been written for a television show, perhaps as an alternative to the intro used in their 1972 TV pilot, which was sung to the tune of "I Want You Back"

Let us tell you who we are in case you just forgot
Beatles, Osmonds, Rolling Stones, Temptations we are not.
If five is not your number, there's something you can do
Just roll the dice and you'll get Jackson 7 minus 2.

"We're the Music Makers" is a bit more of a song but not by much. It could perhaps be seen as a precursor to "We're Here to Entertain You," but really isn't much more than a jingle.

We like to make music
It's fun to make music, music
We like to make music
It's fun to make music, music

Let us introduce ourselves to you:
Hi, I'm Jackie! Tito! Jermaine! I'm Marlon! And I'm Mike!

Hey, hey! We're the music makers.
Hey! Everybody! It's fun to make music
Come on! Sing along! It's fun to make music, music
Do what the feeling tells you.
We're the music makers

Tito swings, while I can sing, and Jackie scores right through
Marlon dances,  Jermaine fancies he'll play the bass for you
We're the music makers

And that's it.  Catchy but ultimately forgettable.

As a historical relic, it's of interest, but it's by far the weakest song on the entire album, if for no other reason than it feels incomplete and underdeveloped. I will say one thing: I am really, really grateful they didn't call this album We're the Music Makers.

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?

Dear Michael, Indeed!

Are you kidding me?! Amazon wants $409 for this multi cd set that includes re-releases of all of the Jackson 5 and Michael's solo LPs? I am so, so happy they didn't tempt me by putting a previously unreleased song on this set!

I Want You Back Live on American Bandstand

There are many things I like about the J5's first appearance on American Bandstand but I especially love the performance of "I Want You Back."  Their dance moves look well-practiced and close to perfect but the song was still relatively new, and they hadn't yet toured so they hadn't already performed it hundreds of times. A year later, they'd be rushing through the first verse and the chorus as part of a medley they would go on to perform in every concert -- and Michael would continue to perform the snippet in concert for the rest of his career. Complete live versions of "I Want You Back" are rare.

Here Michael sings the lead vocals live over his brothers' prerecorded vocals and instrumentation.  He can barely stand still enough in front of the microphone to get all the words out -- he so obviously wants to break into dancing (and those of us watching him would like him to, too).  He makes two rare mistakes. The first occurs at the :50 mark -- he sings "Those pretty faces always treat you" instead of  "Those pretty faces always made you."  No big deal, really, and a few seconds later he even appears to be laughing at himself.

The second mistake is more obvious and it occurs at the end of the song. It looks like Michael forgot that they had prerecorded an extended ending, and that he thought the song would end like it did when they first performed it a few months earlier on The Ed Sullivan Show. At 2:55, he looks momentarily startled that the music didn't end on his "I want you back!" but then he picks up and just keeps singing, giving us the most soulful conclusion ever to the song.

What's Your Game?

In the fall of 1974, Joe Jackson announced the formation of his own record label, Ivory Tower Records, and introduced his new act, four sisters named Maxine, Diane, LaVerne and Tina Willis who went by the stage name M-D-L-T Willis, or simply MDLT.  Joe first met the sisters when he saw them singing back up at Peggy Fleming's Ice Show in early 1973. He was impressed by their sound and was sure they would be the next big thing. In one of the few publicity photos that exists of the group, they are posing around Joe, looking like the old Ivory Tower himself.

The group recorded just one single, "What Your Game?" and it's of particular interest to J5 fans because it was written and produced by the Jackson 5 during a time in their careers when they were pressing Motown to let them perform their own material.  I wonder if the record itself was a ploy to prove to Berry Gordy that the Jackson 5 were ready to write and produce their own songs. 

MDLT toured briefly with the J5, performing this song and four others as part of an opening act for The Five. They even appeared on Soul Train with the J5, and they performed two songs: "What's Your Game?" and the single's b-side, "Runnin' and Pushin'" They immediately sank into obscurity, but if you  move quickly you can catch their act on YouTube.

I Know Just How You Feel, Kid

Actual caption: "I wish they'd play the Jackson 5 songs."

Michael's Secret Phone Calls

In May 1972 16 magazine promised to reveal some juicy secrets, gleaned from listening in on Michael and Jermaine's phone calls.

As usual, the teasers promised more than they delivered. First, we saw the banner headline on the cover, announcing:  MICHAEL JERMAINE Listen to Their Secret Phone Calls.

Right inside the front cover, we got another invitation, this time in the form of a full color glossy photo of  lovely Jermaine, asking the question: What do I talk about on the phone?

And in case you missed it, there was Michael inside the back cover, also in the form of a glossy color poster, begging us to turn to page 16 to find out his secrets:

By now, you're probably dying to know his secrets and surprises, right? But if you've read enough teen magazines, you probably think they're going to reveal their summer concert dates, don't you? Ah, but this is even better. In this case, it's not so much what Michael says on the phone as it is who he says it to. Read on.

Happy Halloween, J5 Fans!

Jackson 5, You're on the Air

There's a wonderful radio interview on YouTube now, recorded in 1973 when the Jackson 5 were in New York City for a concert appearance. The interview was long and free-ranging, more spontaneous than J5 interviews usually were, and the personalities of the six brothers really emerge. It was first broadcast live on WWRL on July 22, 1973.

In Part One they talk about their recent tours in Australia and New Zealand, their early years in Gary, the copy-cat groups, their recent LPs, why Tito's wife doesn't tour with them, and Janet's desire to join the Jackson 5.

In Part Two the talk about their upcoming tour to Africa, the role of their parents in their success, rehearsals, their musical influences, their hobbies, show business advice, and bubblegum vs funk.

Part 3 opens with a radio concert ad, and then the interview continues with questions about concerts, a solo song they have written and produced for Randy, fans,and their upcoming concerts.

In Part 4 they talk about what they do in their off-time on tour, favorite foods, Jermaine's cooking, what Randy likes best about show business, Jackie's upcoming solo LP, their J5 cartoon series, and the Sylvers.

Part 5 begins with the DJ opening the interview to others in the studio so they can ask questions. They talk quite a bit about how they work in the recording studio, what sorts of songs they like to record, their "cousins" Ronnie and Johnny, Steve Manning and the Jackson 5 fan club, favorite television shows, and Jackie's girl friend Debraca Foxx.

In Part 6, they talk about Jackie's recent car accident, Jermaine and Tito's cars, auto insurance (?), Isaac Hayes' cover version of "Never Can Say Goodbye," the Sylvers (again), security, the J5's worldwide image, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" as a million-seller in New Zealand, the J5 as role models for Black kids, and financial matters. The interview closes by playing "Never Can Say Goodbye" in its entirety, and the J5 return at the every end to say goodbye. Tito ends with the surprising revelation that this was the first time they had ever been invited by a DJ to come to the studio for an on-air interview. "I think that you guys are groovy disc jockeys, outta sight."

Later that day, the Jackson 5 posed backstage with some young fans prior to their concert.

Randy the Ham

In the early years of the Jackson 5, little brother Randy was often in the shadows. So on those rare occasions where he was included, he made sure people noticed him. Big arms was one technique he used...




Jumping over his brothers was another...


I've always wondered what this scene looked like once Randy landed.

Rare Jackson 5 Medley

I thought I had seen them all till Spyros posted this find on the Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 Facebook page. Unfortunately, Jermaine wasn't with them, but hearing Jackie cover a Bread song almost makes up for it.

Oldies Week: Sixteen Candles

Michael wasn't the first to sing an old hit from 1958 when he recorded "Rockin' Robin." The Jackson 5 themselves did it first with "Sixteen Candles," a song that was released in April 1971 on the group's fifth LP, Maybe Tomorrow.

The song was originally released in 1958 by The Crests:

So why why did the Jackson 5 ever record such a hokey, dated song? Well, we may have a couple of clues in the song itself. Jermaine sings the lead vocals, and he changes the lyrics in a significant way. Instead of singing what The Crests did:

Sixteen candles make a lovely light
But not as bright as your eyes tonight

Jermaine sings:

Sixteen candles make a lovely sight
But not as bright as your hazel eyes

Is it mere coincidence that Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel has just turned 16 a few months before the song first appeared on a Jackson 5 LP? Or that since Hazel was 15, Berry had known his daughter had such a huge crush on Jermaine that she wrote him over-the-top fan letters? Could it be that Berry had arranged to have Jermaine sing the song as a birthday surprise for Hazel when she turned 16 on August 24, 1970, and then liked it so much he decided to put it on the J5's next LP?

It's all speculation, of course, but the pieces do all fit together.

In Holland and Sweden, where "How Funky Is Your Chicken" was released as a single, "Sixteen Candles" was used as the B-side.


Whether is was an album cut or a single, it was never a popular song among fans, except for those young female fans about to turn 16. They all knew exactly who Jermaine was singing to.

Oldies Week: Rockin' Robin

The Jackson 5 recorded several cover versions of old songs that were classic doo-wop. This week, we'll take a closer look at them, starting with one of Michael's solo release that was released as a single 39 years ago this month.

In February of 1972, Michael released his second solo single, "Rockin' Robin." The song hadn't originally been scheduled as a single, and it was only after radio djs started playing the song from Michael's first LP, Got to Be There, that Motown decided to release it as the second single, instead of of "I Wanna Be Where You Are."

The djs who has originally played the album cut in the first place probably chose it because it was a familiar song to them, having first been released as a single back by Bobby Day back in 1958, the year Michael was born.

Here's Bobby Day's version for comparison.

The Jackson 5 performed the song live on Top of the Pops when they were in England in November 1972. Tito has a nice guiar solo, and be sure to check out the very end where Marlon, Jackie, and Michael do a little bit of the funky chicken.

The song was released as a single not just in the United States but in other countries, as well. Here are some of the foreign pressings I have in my collection.

Germany, Japan, Spain, and Sweden all issued the single with different picture sleeves. All were backed with "Love Is here and Now You're Gone," as was the U.S. pressing.





Greece didn't issue it with a picture sleeve, but this is one the few Greek pressings I have in my collection. They issued it as the B-side of "Got to Be There."


The picture sleeve from Spain had an interesting back cover, too, showing the different photo they used on the LP release of Maybe Tomorrow (MS-9030) -- a rarity I have so far been unable to find.


The search never ends for a Jackson 5 collector.

Coming to J5 Collector Next Week

The Jackson 5 cover the oldies

Show and Tell with the Jackson 5

I know it's hard to believe but after the Jackson 5 returned from Dakar, they visited a public school in Los Angeles to talk about their trip. I know, I know, I would never have believed it myself if the July 1974 issue of Rock and Soul Songs hadn't carried this amazing piece with the photographic evidence.

But Rock and Soul Songs wanted to make one thing clear: they did not sing. They only ever did that at West Side High.

Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye

From the moment the Jackson 5 touched down in Dakar, cameras were rolling to record their every move for a planned documentary, the brainchild of the concert promoter Johnny Secka, a Senegalese filmmaker (not to be confused with Johnny Secka, a Senegalese actor).

Secka had first met Michael and Joe Jackson at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1973, when Michael was there to sing one of the nominated songs, "Ben." According to reports, it was then that Secka told Joe he wanted to get the Jackson 5 to Africa. Secka, then just 26 years old, was quite the entrepreneur. He had moved to the United States to pursue his career, but his heart remained in Africa, and he was driven to get American soul acts to perform there. At the same time, he was also working to get James Brown, B.T. Express, the Staple Singers, and Stevie Wonder to come to Africa. He was acting not just as a de facto goodwill ambassador and concert promoter, but he also hoped to stimulate the economies of West African countries and to get Americans to pay attention to some of the local talent in Africa.

The Jackson 5 tour to Africa was Secka's first big success. The documentary film he made based on their trip, called The Jackson 5 in Africa was really more of a publicity tool than it was a work of art. That's why the 60-minute film appears to American viewers to be more of an educational film than a concert film. Watching the film, we learn more about Dakar and modern West Africa than we do the Jackson 5. In this regard, Secka was really quite the brilliant strategist and businessman, not unlike Berry Gordy, Jr. He was essentially a one-man "USA for Africa" about a decade ahead of his time.

The film itself premiered at the United Nations in November 1974, and got a bit of play in big-city markets, but it was probably not the smash hit Secka or the Jacksons had been hoping for. The most interesting part of the film for J5 fans is, without a doubt, the live concert footage. We see them singing "Hum Along and Dance," "Feelin' Alright" and "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)," amongst scenes of them at the National Palace, visiting an artists' village, and awkwardly answering questions at a press conference conducted mostly in French. At the end of the film -- and perhaps most tellingly -- narrator Robert Hooks makes a plea for other Black artists, or "displaced persons," to return to Africa.

Sadly, Johnny Secka never got to realize his dream. He died five years later at age 32. At the time of his death, he was just putting the finishing touches on a tour that would bring Bob Marley and the Wailers to Gabon.

"Exclusive! On Tour in Africa with the Jackson 5"

Blues & Soul, a British music magazine, had the best coverage I've found to date of the J5's trip to Africa. Reporter Kwame Brathwaite offered a detailed, up-close-and-personal account of the trip he took to the Motherland aboard Pan Am Flight 184 with the Jackson 5.

Brathwaite was not just a reporter and photographer, but also a J5 fan, so he gives us all sorts of interesting details about what the trip was like. His photos offer the same level of intimacy. I love his portraits of Randy and Jermaine, playing an acoustic guitar. He also doesn't shy away from discussing politics, something most other reporters avoided.



The color photograph used as the centerfold poster was taken shortly after the Jackson 5 arrived in Dakar. Here they pose with promoter, Johnny Secka.

And just who was Johnny Secka? Tune in tomorrow.

"Frenzy of Senegalese Surprised Group"

Jet magazine sent a reporter and a photographer along ont he Jackson 5's trip to Senegal, resulting in a wonderfully informative 8-page cover feature. Right from the beginning of their career, Jet was always great at covering the Jackson 5, but this report is their best J5 coverage ever.