The Jacksons - The Jacksons

Out of print in the U.S.! Album Description

Infectious rhythms, but simplistic lyrics

This album, the first the Jacksons recorded for Epic Records, is a mixed bag. While it has some fantastic rhythms and danceable tracks, the lyrics on many songs are simplistic, unsophisticated and frankly, somewhat naive. But it's not entirely their fault, since the Jacksons didn't write and produce this album.

Several songs offer an inspirational look at society, but the lyrics to them can be quite naive without offering much in the way of any deep philosophy about war and race relations that the songs want to broach. Now, don't get me wrong. I realize that the Jacksons were not U2. Nor would i want them to be. But if you're going to sing about the horrors of war and race relations, you should really say something. It reminds me of the "Just Say NO" campaign.

In addition, the writing on the love songs is also equally simplistic in many cases, giving one the feeling that they're listening to songs written for a elementary school music program.

That all aside, the album still warrants 3 stars. Despite the lack of strong lyrics, the music itself is very good. It has many danceable tracks, and rich textured rhythms that make you simply feel good. In addition, the vocals are smooth, with Michael really beginning to come into his own as a strong lead vocal.

The problems with weak lyrics will continue into their second Epic album, Goin' Places, but will undergo a complete turnaround once the Jacksons themselves take control of their own writing and production with their thrid & fourth albums: Destiny and Triumph.

Unless you're a Jacksons completist, you would probably be more than happy with just getting Destiny & Triumph. After listening to those, you may not want to listen to any other Jacksons CDs. Of course, if you hear Off The Wall, you probably won't be able to settle for ANYTHING else. It's that good. April 6, 2008

Smooth transition from bubblegum pop to disco & funk

The Jackson family took an important step forward with this album, which trades on their early 70s style for the emerging disco & funk. Michael's voice has matured more at this point, and on songs which he sings lead, he pretty much sounds like he would a few years later in his brilliant solo career. He really lets it all out on "Show You The Way To Go" (arguably one of the best songs of the "Jacksons" period), and is also good on the hit "Enjoy Yourself". The disco-ish "Think Happy" is also good. October 23, 2007

Very good...but

if you're a Jackson fan...get it, but the Philly sound for this group wasn't that great January 4, 2007

The Jacksons do the sound of Philly

There was a time, many, many years ago, long before he became known as the king of pop, when Michael Jackson was simply regarded as an incredibly gifted soul singer. He and his brothers had had several years of international success (and a bucket load of number one singles) as the Jackson 5 but as the boys grew older, they hankered for more control over their music and their destinies. Reportedly, Berry Gordy wasn't so keen on letting them have it.

So they quit Motown - sadly, Jermaine couldn't join them as he'd gone and married the boss's daughter - and with youngest brother Randy, joined CBS and changed their name to The Jacksons. CBS brought in super-producers Gamble & Huff, McFadden & Whitehead and Dexter Wansel. Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff had founded Philadelphia Records in 1971 as direct competition for Berry Gordy's Motown and in fact, had enjoyed huge success with their 'Philadelphia Soul' sound with acts like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The O'Jays and BillyPaul. Wansel at the time was relatively new but he made his mark on this album and also worked on the Jacksons' follow-up, "Goin' Places".

This album is the end result and it spawned the hits "Enjoy Yourself" and "Show You The Way To Go" - a tune that still gets played on my local radio station to this very day. The producers wrote all the songs, except for the beautiful mid-tempo Blues Away, which was penned my Michael Jackson himself. Other Jackson brothers shared in the lead vocals but it's always Michael's voice that rings clear and true. He and his brothers sound like they're having a really good time doing what they do. Songs like "Think Happy", "Good Times", "Living Together" and "Dreamer" are simply joyful to listen to.

This is one of the best soul records of that era and people who use albums like "Thriller" or/and anything that came after it to assess Michael's prowess as a singer have no idea. Personally, I believe it was on "Off The Wall" that he last did soul. He was one of the best soul singers of our generation and if you need proof, you need look no further than this gem. Still worth a gander after 30 years.

PS. And if you do like this, may I suggest you check out the box set, "The Philly Sound 1966 -1976: Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff". It's not cheap but it's worth every penny.
December 8, 2006

A New Begining For The Jacksons...Needs To Be Remastered!!!

As everyone already knows, 'The Jacksons' (1976) marked the begining of a new era for Michael & his Brothers (With Randy & minus Jermaine!). This debut on the legendary Philadelphia International Label was very interesting because Gamble & Huff were the KINGS of the then fledging Phily Sound (incl. acts like The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Blue Notes, The Three Degrees, Billy Paul, and a host of other acts).

'The Jacksons' was a moderate success, spawning 2 well known hits ('Enjoy Yourself' & 'Show You The Way To Go'), and it was a nice start for the Jacksons in 1976 after leaving Motown. The Brothers would end up recording one more album in 1977 under Gamble & Huff's direction ('Goin' Places'), and it didn't do as well as expected, but the album had some nice moments ('Different Kind Of Lady' & 'Find Me A Girl' for example!).

As I listened to the 1st 2 albums by The Jacksons, it became apparent that they sound better when playing them back to back, and that the sound quality REALLY needed to be improved. For some reason Epic/Sony won't remaster the original CDs, so I cleaned them up for a fanstatsic 2 on 1 collection featuring BOTH 'The Jacksons' (1976) & 'Goin Places' (1977) on a single CD! Fans can do the same if they have decent remastering software (Magix for example), and the sound is incredible. Come on Sony, remaster & release the 1st 2 Jacksons albums on a single CD..it makes all the sense in the world!
Peace, SD
(of 'Chaka's World') July 21, 2006

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