Showing posts with label Jacksons (the). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jacksons (the). Show all posts

Wednesday 19 April 2023

I'll be there - The Jackson 5

The first single from the Jackson 5's third album was 'I'll be there', a track that has since become part of that huge Motown legacy. In his autobiography 'Moon walk', Michael Jackson noted that this song solidified The Jackson 5's careers and showed audiences that the group had potential beyond bubblegum pop. 

Jackson turned 12 one day after the song was released.  The single sold 4.2 million copies in the USA, and 6.1 million copies worldwide. It was the group's final number 1 hit in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. For the rest of their career as a major-label act, Jackson 5 singles would climb no higher than number 2. The song was famously butchered by Mariah Carey during her MTV Unplugged session in 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 6941
Found: Vinyl & zo, Rijswijk, 15 April 2023
Tracks: 'I'll be there' / 'One more chance'

Saturday 8 June 2019

Walk right now - The Jacksons

Record dealers are often likely to charge an arm and a leg for records of famous bands and the Jacksons can count as one of the most famous bands of all time. So it was a source of much pleasure to find a very good copy of this single by the Jacksons for just one euro during an open air record fair last week.

'Walk right now' was taken from the album 'Triumph', the album that gave us the hits 'Can you feel it' and 'Lovely one'. The single performed well in the UK, peaking at number 7, but only got to number 73 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 6113
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 1, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Walk right now' / 'Your ways'

Tuesday 24 January 2012

I want you back '88 remix - Michael Jackson with the Jackson 5

The second half of the Eighties was littered with remixes of old tracks. Somehow record companies thought it was a cheap way to make profits without having to pay for studio time - except the time for the remixer of course. But in some cases, even the remixers didn't even spend that much time on it.

Take this one for example: an '88 remix of the old Jacksons hit 'I want you back' with a young Michael Jackson. In 1988 the name Michael Jackson meant a lot to a lot of people. Popular remixers Phil Harding and Ian Curnow were recruited for a remix. They added a drumbeat, and there you had it: a new single. A poor effort, however. But even this reached number 8 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5269
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2012
Cost: 1,5 pounds
Tracks: 'I want you back '88 remix' / 'Never can say goodbye'

Sunday 19 June 2011

Blame it on the boogie - The Jacksons

You don't hear the word 'boogie' anymore. Back in the Seventies, is was the buzzword for having a good time, dancing around and generally going out of your mind. And the Jacksons, Michael included, had one of their biggest hits with 'Blame it on the boogie' in 1978.

The first promotional music video by the Jacksons was created for 'Blame it on the boogie', thus marking Michael Jackson's video debut. The video, featuring the group's members dancing on a black background, relied heavily on vintage electronic trail effects, created at Image West, Ltd. using then-cutting edge equipment: the Scanimate analog computer system and a Quantel DFS 3000 digital framestore.

My collection: 7" single no. 5156
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Blame it on the boogie' / 'Do what you wanna'

Saturday 11 June 2011

Dance Classics: the party mix - Various artists

The Arcade label was very successful with compilation albums of old hits. It made their albums chart hits and its boss, who would later go into politics for purely selfish reasons of course, very rich. One of their staples was the 'Dance Classics' series. In fact, it was such a hype that it spawned a few singles as well. The first two, released in 1990, were mixed by Ben Liebrand, and reached the Dutch Top 40.

This single was released two years later and didn't chart at all. The mixers, Koen Groeneveld and Addy van der Zwan weren't as wellknown as Liebrand, and by 1992, the concept was hardly new. Still, it included a few timeless dance classics by Dan Hartman and the Jacksons.

My collection: 7" single no. 5117
Found: Backtrack, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Dance Classics - The Party Mix' / 'Dance Classics - Party groove'

Thursday 25 February 2010

Lovely one - The Jacksons

Released as the first single from the Jacksons' album 'Triumph', 'Lovely one' was the followup to their 1979 hit, 'Shak your body (down to the ground)'. Lead vocals in this song were performed by Michael Jackson, while his brothers Jackie, Tito, Randy and Marlon performed backing vocals.

The single reached number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 29 in the UK singles chart and number 13 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 102
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Lovely one' / 'Bless his soul'

Sunday 14 February 2010

Shake your body (down to the ground) - The Jacksons

'Shake your body (down to the ground)' was released as a single from the Jacksons' album 'Destiny' in December 1978. The single version was edited down to almost four minutes from the original eight minute album version. The single reached number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 4 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

Performed during the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in September 2001, it would be the last song performed live by the Jacksons.

My collection: 7" single no. 1576
Found: Record fair, January 25, 1992
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Shake your body (down to the ground)' / 'That's what you get (for being polite)'

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Can you feel it - The Jacksons

Michael Jackson and his brothers formed the Jacksons, a successful group that made hit singles until the Eighties, after which solo careers took preference over the group effort. 'Can you feel it' is arguably the band's last big hit, released on the 1980 album 'Triumph' and released as a single in early 1981. It reached number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 2 in the Dutch Top 40, while it only reached number 77 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The accompanying music video was noted for its remarkable special effects created by Robert Abel and Associates. Michael created the video's concept and Tito's sons Taj and Taryll appeared as extras.

My collection: 7" single no. 844
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 27, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Can you feel it' / 'Wondering who'

Saturday 4 July 2009

She's out of my life - Michael Jackson

It's hard to believe now, but 20 years ago, when you wanted to hear a song and not be dependent of radio stations, you actually had to buy records. You could also opt for cd's, but since my money resources were limited, I usually bought singles. And this is how I ended up with this single from the 'Hall of fame' series by Epic Records.

'She's out of my life' was an old song from 1980, which I did not have. I really wanted to have it, and while I am usually searching for picture sleeves, in this instance I made do with this release. Even if it didn't look that attractive, and even if the B-side was already part of my collection. These days, most people just download tracks somewhere. Life has become so much easier.

My collection: 7" single no. 1079
Found: HMV, London, October 19, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'She's out of my life' (Michael Jackson) / 'Lovely one' (Jacksons)

Sunday 24 May 2009

Show you the way to go - The Jacksons

'Show you the way to go' was the second single by the Jacksons (They were named the Jackson 5 before that). It was their first hit in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 12 in the summer of 1977. In the UK, it did even better: it reached number one.

The song was written and produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who were responsible for the majority of the Jacksons' work after they moved from the Motown label to Epic Records. In 1978, when they released 'Destiny', the Jacksons finally took over creative control.

My collection: 7" single no. 3738
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 23, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Show you the way to go' / 'Blues away'

Monday 4 May 2009

Shake your body (down to the ground) - The Jacksons

When people ask me what music I would like to have played on my funeral, I usually cite titles like 'Down down deeper and down' (Status Quo) and this one by the Jacksons. Released as a single in December 1978, this track became a hit for the group in 1979, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 3 in the Netherlands.

The 12" single contains an 8'37 extended remix, which is half a minute longer than the album version on 'Destiny' (1978).

My collection: 12" single no. 333
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Shake your body (down to the ground)' / 'That's what you get (for being polite)'

Friday 9 January 2009

State of shock - The Jacksons

'State of shock' was recorded by The Jacksons with Mick Jagger in 1984 for the album 'Victory'. Originally the song was going to be a duet with Freddie Mercury, with whom Michael Jackson wrote it. Unreleased demos have surfaced on bootleg discs to testify to this fact. The Jacksons finally recorded the song with Mick Jagger. Mick Jagger performed the song live with Tina Turner during Live Aid in 1985.

I bought this single after my recent surge of interest in Michael Jackson's back catalogue. This is a great example of a powerful pop song with not a lot of substance. Still very enjoyable though.

My collection: 7" single no. 3531
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, January 9, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'State of shock' / 'Your ways'

Tuesday 6 January 2009

Thriller - Michael Jackson

The title track from the album 'Thriller' was released as the fifth single. 'Thriller' is one of Jackson's signature songs, in no small part because of its music video, a 14 minute epic which features extra parts of acting and lots of impressive crowd dance scenes.

This single was pressed on red vinyl and is part nine of a limited edition nine disc set released in 1983. The singles 'P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)' and 'Human nature' were not included in this package.

My collection: 7" single no. 3530
Found: eBay, January 6, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Thriller' / 'Things I do for you (live)' (The Jacksons)
Download: here

Wanna be startin' somethin' - Michael Jackson

'Wanna be startin' somethin'' was the fourth single taken from the album 'Thriller'. It was originally intended for the album 'Off the wall' but was not recorded until the sessions for 'Thriller' in 1982. The song was written by Michael Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The song ends with a chorus repeatedly singing 'Ma ma-se, ma ma-sa, ma ma-coo-sa', which is an African chant. This chant was later re-used in Rihanna's 2007 single 'Don't stop the music'.

This single was pressed on red vinyl and is part eight of a limited edition nine disc set released in 1983.

My collection: 7" single no. 3529
Found: eBay, January 6, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Wanna be startin' somethin'' / 'Rock with you (live)' (The Jacksons)
Download: here
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