The Jackson Five
Get it Together (Motown/Elemental/Universal)
140 gram red vinyl LP
It's nice to take any opportunity to recall the innocent time, pre-"King of Pop" and any lingering scandals, when Michael Jackson was simply the fresh-faced front-boy with Motown family band the Jackson Five. It's largely great because so may people remember "ABC" and "Blame it on the Boogie," and not much else. Probably "I Want You Back" and "I'll Be There." But hell, the Jackson Five released some incredible music.
Get it Together was the band's eighth studio album, released in '73. Michael Jackson was 14 when it was recorded and 15 when it dropped so, while he was still very young, he was no longer the little kid that the world had gotten to know. He and his siblings started to take the band away from the teen-pop direction and into progressive soul and funk realms. That may have annoyed their dad/manager, but it yielded wonderful results.
"Produced by Hal Davis and issued on September 12, 1973, Get It Together might be seen as the Jackson 5’s first adult album, as Motown made a major attempt to craft a more mature image and style for the family group, whose first hits landed in 1969 when they were still youngsters," reads the press release. "In particular, lead vocalist Michael Jackson was then 15 years old and sporting a deeper but still mercurial voice, which he used to great effect on the album’s title single."
That's true; Michael sounds incredibly soulful and mature here, a boy becoming a man. The music is glorious. The title track sets the bar high from the start, while "Don't Say Goodbye Again" sounds like young Mike is really feeling it, rather than reciting lyrics that have been presented to him. He didn't write it, but the connection is clear.
The sleeve, with the die-cut "GIT" letters, is glorious as is the clear red vinyl. It sounds spectacular, allowing a new set of fans to discover some oft-ignored Jackson delights.
The Supremes
More Hits By the Supremes (Motown/Elemental/Universal)
140 gram, limited edition, virgin vinyl LP
Even back in '65, there was a wonderful bit of confidence, warranted arrogance perhaps, in calling the Motown girl group's sixth studio album More Hits by the Supremes. That's a title you'd normally associate with a "best of" collection. It was probably a Motown/Berry Gordy decision and, as it turned out, the title was prophetic. "Stop! In the Name of Love"--one of the Supremes' best known songs--is on here.
Put Miss Diana Ross, Mary Wells and Florence Ballard on an album together, and the results would always be predictably magnificent.
"Released on July 23, 1965, More Hits by the Supremes bore a title that acknowledged the female trio’s ongoing chart supremacy; at that point, the girl group had been competing week in and week out for a year with the Beatles at the top of the national pop chart," reads the press release.
"This new set, which continued the label’s winning formula of pairing the act with songs by Holland-Dozier-Holland and production by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, yielded two immense singles that topped both the pop and R&B charts, “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again,” and a lesser but still potent entry, “Nothing but Heartaches” (No. 6 R&B, No. 11 Pop). The album became the Supremes’ second top-10 collection, peaking at No. 6 pop and No. 2 R&B."
So yeah, there are hits on here. Nobody lied. More importantly though, the songs are fabulous. "Honey Boy" and "The Only Time I'm Happy" beautifully showcase the sweet energy and power of these three women's combined voices. Start to finish, this is a brilliant record.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Make it Happen (Motown/Elemental/Universal)
140 gram, limited edition, virgin vinyl LP
After six albums billed as simply The Miracles, Make it Happen was the third album which saw the group renamed Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (so their ninth in total). Just to muddy the water further, this 1967 album was rereleased in 1970 as The Tears of a Clown, obviously after the hit single which closes out the record.
That's all stuff and nonsense though. Thankfully, the music is very easy to love. Robinson's voice soars, and the Miracles back him beautifully.
"Originally issued on August 29, 1967, the collection reached No. 28 nationally on the strength of the hit single 'The Love I Saw In You Was Just a Mirage,' which climbed to No. 10 on the R&B side and No. 20 on the pop charts," reads the press release. "But Motown never let a great song go to waste, and the album yielded an even bigger smash. In 1970, after 'The Tears of a Clown' was pulled off the LP and became a No. 1 hit in the U.K., it was finally released as a single in the U.S."
Of course, "The Tears of a Clown" is a genuine classic. Flawless. But this is a full album of Robinson tearing out his broken heart, and showing us the pieces.
"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage"--Ouch!
"After You Put Back the Pieces (I'll Still Have a Broken Heart)"--<shudder>.
Ultimately, this is a Motown vocal group at the top of their pomp, and reveling in it.
