Customer Reviews

Diana Ross Presents / ABC

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4 star:		(6)
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I want to say congrats to Harry Weigner at Motown for re-releasing the Jackson 5 catalog, with some albums that never have been on Cd before.

This disc includes the first two Jackson 5 albums "DIANA ROSS PRESENTS THE JACKSON 5" (1969) and "ABC" (1970). DIANA ROSS PRESENTS THE JACKSON 5 is an amazing debut album. It features the massive hit "I Want You Back" and "Who's Loving You". The album is produced by the corporation and Bobby Taylor (who was fired after the completion of this album). The album opens with such a fun and happy song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" which shows what the group already knows in regards to studio work. Other notable tracks from the first album include the only other original song on the album "Nobody" which is a very exciting number to say the least, "chained" which is a cover of the Marvin Gaye song that Michael just tears up, "You've Changed" which the group recorded a few years prior in their hometown of Gary Indiana for the small town label "STEELTOWN" and is available on the many different STEELTOWN compilations available (which all basically have the same stuff) but this version is far more riviting!!! Jermaine takes lead on "My Cherie Amour" and "(I Know) I'm Losing You" which are covers of Stevie Wonder and the Temptations. The group also reworks the Four Tops "Standing in the Shadows of Love" in a much more structured way then the tops did years prior.

The ABC album features the mega hits "ABC", "The Love You Save" and the Jermaine hit "I Found that Girl" but the album contains many more fabulous tracks. Michael brings "2-4-6-8" to life (especially during the bridge!!!) and does his best on two Stevie Wonder covers "Don't Know Why I Love You" and "Never Had a Dream Come True". The latter in my opinion starts out good but gets lost in it's aim. Other tracks on the album include the average "The Young Folks", the cool "True Love Can Be Beautiful" (with an awesome bubblegum breakdown) and a very cool percussive number called "I'll Bet You" (written by George Clinton)

Also included on this disc is a special bonus track. The track is "Oh, I've Been Bless'd" which was originally recorded during the sessions for the first album and was made available on the VERY rare J5 compilation BOOGIE that was issued in limited number in 1979 - the song is a very good number that recalls many moments from the first album, and all Bobby Taylor produced tracks on the first album (he produced this). This is the first time that this track has been issued on Cd - but there are 4 other tracks that appeared on BOOGIE that still have not seen the light of day and probably won't for awhile ("Penny Arcade", "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore", "Just Because I Love You" and "One Day I'll Marry You") but that's beside the point. The mastering job on this disc is incredible and definitely worth picking up!!!!

Huge J5/MJ Fan, Justin Ostoforoff

Below you will find a lengthy analysis of the opening song on this record "I want you back." If a single song can generate this kind of response, imagine the musical content of the entire 21 song record.

This song obliterates me. All the performances are incredible, including, to quote a friend, Michael's astounding, dumbfounding lead vocal.

The bass part sounds to me as if it came straight from the composer and arranger, but in any matter it's stuffed full with inventive ideas and super fonky! Given the calculated nature of this recording I would expect the arranger to have worked out the bass part note for note. The recording is a careful tapestry of many sounds that blend together to give the overall effect. The intro is a good example. The melody played by the bass is wonderful, but that melody is doubled by other instruments plus other things are woven around that melody, all indicating that the arranger wrote it all out note for note, the bass player serving to faithfully play the arrangement.

(Un)fortunately, any excellence in other portions of this song is obscured by Michael's unbelievable vocal. So much stuff, so much soul, so much range and flexibility. This vocal is way in the unbelievable range for any artist. But to come from a brand new 11 year old is, as my friend put it so well, "dumbfounding." (If this selection does not feature sound clips, look at other Jackson 5 records here on Amazon to hear the mentioned snippets.)
*He sounds a little hoarse and that increases the authority.
*The way he uses subtle, rhythmic vibrato on the word "me" in the phrase "won't you please let me back in your heart." (Hear this on the Amazon snippet.)
*The pause and surprise attack on the word "back" in the same phrase. (Hear this on the Amazon snippet.)
*The screaming with 100% authority.
*The drifting out of tune on the words "now, baby, yeah" in the phrase "Yes I do now, Oh oh baby, yeah yeah yeah yeah, Nah Nah no no." (Is there a technical term for this "drifting out of tune" vocal technique?) (Hear this on the Amazon snippet.)
*The authority and inventiveness and soul of the scatting on that same phrase and other scats in the song, including the various fun "Huh"s.
*The natural way he does the call and response sections with his brothers.
*The perfect timing all over the place, including jumping on some of the responses a little early.
*The exciting vocal build on the phrase "All I want, all I need, all I want, all I need!" with the fantastic atonal exclamation on the second "all I want."
And on and on. You could almost analyze every single note the guy sings. The fact that this guy could do this at 11 years old shows beyond any question that singing at this level requires talent given to you directly by God. You can't get it and you can't learn it. God either gave it to you or He didn't. My guess is that some genius worked out most of this stuff and recorded a track for Michael to sing along with during the session. I mean God given talent or not, Michael could not have come up with that stuff on his own, atonal, drifting out of tune, etc. But to even sing along and get these results....incredible. Plus, who was that singing genius that came up with all that stuff?

Other great parts of the song are the pervasive background vocals, the excellent call and response, the subtle, almost inaudible use of strings and background vocalizing, and the various guitar parts that weave an interesting tapestry.

One thing that I think is ground breaking but at the same time takes away from this arrangement is the calculated, restrained drum part. The drum part sounds completely canned, written out and played note for note. It's not exuberant; instead it's carefully restrained. To my ears it sounds too mellow for this joyous, raucous romp. But it's groundbreaking because this style of drumming became prevalent later and today in the 2000s you rarely hear any drum pyrotechnics in favor of a steady drum beat that does not break the flow of the song.

I wonder if all the vocals on this recording are Jacksons? I assume they are and that shows the talent of this family and the quality of this product.

Excellence and analysis of each individual part aside, the real value of this song, besides Michael's vocal which you simply can not retire to the background, is the overall sound. Each part is carefully calculated and blended to create a unique, exuberant, joyful, new, and instantly recognizable sound that's unlike anything that had been heard before. Though each part is worthy of study, perhaps the best way to listen to this song is with a 6 inch speaker through an AM radio in your car. And isn't that the way it was meant to be?

Larry Brown

I am 40 years old and still listening to this album. I still can't get over how absolutley fabulous these songs are. 2-4-6-8 has a hook that I can't get out of my head. Don't Know Why I Love You is classic J-5. Michael wails on this one, nice cover of a Stevie Wonder song. Of course..ABC and The Love You Save are the instant classics on this album..but howabout "I'll Bet You" and "The Young Folks"..The Young Folks is a cover of a Supremes song, but the J5's version demolishes it. My all time fave though is "One More Chance".. I think I have played this song over a thousand times. What a great ballad. Nice melody and vocal performance. This would have gotten 5 stars, bought I still am not fond of "True Love Can Be Beautiful" and "Never HAd a Dream Come True". Their next great lp was "Maybe Tomorrow".

I'm only 22 years old and i am a big fan of the Jacksons history. When I bought this album,it showed me exactly what was to come out of this group years later down the road. The first song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da is the perfect 2 start off a debut album. The next 3 tracks,"Nobody","Can You Remember?",and their classic single "I Want You Back" (which in my opinion would be the only J5 song 2 sound good without any drums playing in the background). A standout track on the first album is "Born To Love You" where Michael and Marlon do their own vocal-trade off. Considering I like 2 sing all of Marlon Jacksons' parts on their songs. The follow-up album was also pretty good,but the lack of hit material after the song "2-4-6-8" is why this review is only 4 stars,but HEY!! it's still a good CD 2 own in your collection.

i have been a j-5 fan since i first heard i want you back thats why when i found out that umg/motown was re-releasing these albums on c.d i was estatic!! DIANA ROSS PRESENTS encompasses the j-5's unique harmonies as well as michael and jermaine'ssoul stirring leads BOBBY TAYLOR and crew deserve a standing ovation from the funk of zip a dee doo dah&i know im losing you to the improvisations of my cherie amour and standing in the shadows of love the j-5 shineWHO'S LOVIN YOU which has been a ghetto classic for the last thirty years still stands as michaels most soulful recording to date its as if he was BORN TO ENTERTAIN! so take a listen and see if u agree p.s my fave song on here is YOUV'E CHANGED....

ABC. the 2nd j-5 release this cd encompasses5 of my fave j-5 tunes ONE MORE CHANCE(another ghetto classic) ABC,THE LOVE YOU SAVE,I FOUND THAT GIRL&ILL BET YOU.growing up i only wanted to hear the j-5 many years later i found p-funk and bootsy maybe thats why i love ill bet you(written by GEORGE CLINTON..)2-4-6-8 another fave simply put IF YOU ARE AN J-5- FAN FROM BACK IN THE DAY BUY THESE C.D'S LIKE I JUST DID..lock yourself in a private space and see if you can still sing along.and remember 1970 ! if uare a new j-5 fan HERES THE STARTING POINT! MUCH LOVE!

The Jackson 5 exploded on to the music scene in late 1969 with one of the greatest singles of all time, "I Want You Back". The song is as perfect a three minute single as you could record. The five brothers from Gary, Indiana had been honing their craft on the road for a few years before being discovered by the Motown label. Although Diana Ross gets credit for discovering the band, it was really Bobby Taylor form the label's virtually unknown Bobby & The Vancouvers that brought the brothers to Berry Gordy's attention. History aside, their first album is titled Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 and band does their mentor proud with a stellar debut that is mostly made up of cover tunes, but shows off the brother's picture perfect vocals. As mentioned, "I Want You Back" is the centerpiece of the album and the song shot to number one on the charts. Their cover of The Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You" shows off young Michael's impressive vocal skills while their take on Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" allows Jermaine to shine. Other great tracks include "Nobody", "You've Changed" and a killer remake of the Four Tops "Standing In The Shadows Of Love". While their first release showed they had talent, ABC confirmed that these Indiana kids were something special. Combining the group's perfect vocals, The Corporation's supreme production and a stellar list of songs, ABC is an R&B gem. The album contains two number one singles, the title cut and "The Love You Save", and they are only the tip of the iceberg. What made Michael so impressive of a vocalist at the tender age of 12 is that he could interpret songs and convey feelings that someone of his age probably have never felt. On "One More Chance" he pleads for a chance at redemption, in Stevie Wonder's "Never Had A Dream Come True" he sings of failure and missed chances, in the plaintive "Don't Know Why I Love You" he sings of blind devotion and he expresses the joys of pure and unrequited love in "True Love Can Be Beautiful". "I'll Bet You" has a Sly Stone funkified soul sound and sounds like nothing else the band has done and they do a good job on the Delfonics' "La La (Means I Love You)". Jermaine takes over the lead vocal duties on "I Found That Girl". Even though they could sing about more mature themes, they were still just basically teenagers and they show that on the nursery rhyme like "2-4-6-8" and the declaration of their youth in "The Young Folks". Motown proclaimed that they were the "Sound of Young America" and this was never truer than with the J5 and ABC is the pinnacle of the band's career with the label.

I must admit that I'm one of the few people who didn't care for the Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller or any of the songs on it. Nor have I ever been a big MJ fan. But with his recent passing, I wanted to have something from the earlier days to remember him by.

Owning The Ultimate Collection, a very good compilation of the Jackson 5's most popular hits, I wanted something a little more substantial. This led me to the re-release of DIANA ROSS PRESENTS THE JACKSON 5 and ABC, which collects the first two Jackson 5 albums onto one CD.

These two albums really show off the raw talent that was the Jackson 5. The tunes are catchy and infectious, the vocal harmony is tight, and a very young Michael Jackson--he was 10-years old when "Diana Ross Presents..." was released according to the liner notes--shows off a vocal talent very rarely heard in a child of that age.

Despite what you might think of Michael Jackson and the rest of his family, and along with all of the legal troubles and some of the more bizarre behavior he exhibited in the later stages of his life, you'd be hard pressed not to like this double-album CD.

Even when they are covering other artist's songs like Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour," The Miracles "Who's Lovin' You," The Temptations "(I Know)I'm Losing You," Sly & The Family Stone's "Stand," as well as others, the Jackson 5 put their own youthful stamp on the hits and make them their own.

So even if you, like me, aren't a huge fan of the Jackson 5's work you'll find these songs familiar. There's the original big hits like "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save," and "ABC" that you're bound to know.

Also, songs that have been covered by other artists in the 80s/90s like "(I Know) I'm Losing You," I think was covered by Nancy Martinez but Wikipedia credits a group called Uptown, "La-La (Means I Love You)" covered by the Jets, and the intro to En Vogue's "Hold On" uses a cover intro of "Who's Lovin' You," not to mention the various samples used, so these two albums won't be totally unfamiliar.

Michael sings lead on most of the songs but there's plenty of sharing on lead with either Jermaine or Jackie (I'm not sure), so you get variety. The CD is 24-bit remastered and contains a fold out book with original liner notes from Diana Ross, updated liner notes from Brian Chin, color pictures, song credit and chart information.

Anyway, if you want something a little more than the standard compilation CD get DIANA ROSS PRESENTS THE JACKSON 5/ABC. It's well worth it and you'll be listening to it for years to come.

The Jackson 5 will always be giants amongst giants; and this album proves it! Despite the incredibly sad and untimely death of Michael Jackson, something I am still trying so hard to understand, we can still take comfort in the incredible musical legacy he left to us both as a member of The Jackson 5 and as a solo performer. This CD features The Jackson 5 but even from the start it was clear that Michael had genius, in fact it was a type of genius I rarely hear and enjoy. The sound quality on this CD is excellent.

We get all the songs from the first 2 Jackson 5 record albums entitled "Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5" and "ABC." There is one wonderful song after another; I love them all and it's hard to know where to begin! "Zip a Dee Doo Dah" has The Jackson 5 squarely front and center--and that awesome late 1960s/early 1970s beat is just so good! Michael's voice is clear and very easy on the ear; I really like this opening tune. "I Want You Back" is a classic Jackson 5 number; Michael and the rest of the family do this one to perfection--and beyond! "I Want You Back" is easily a major highlight of this album. The percussion and the guitars work really well to accompany their vocals on "I Want You Back," too. "Standing in the Shadows of Love," originally recorded by The Four Tops, is very well done; they never miss a beat and that's grand. "My Cherie Amour" surely made Stevie Wonder proud; this gets the royal treatment indeed! "Chained" showcases The Jackson 5 doing a magnificent cover of this Marvin Gaye song; "Chained" shines brighter than silver and gold in their capable hands. "(I Know) I'm Losing You" speeds up the tempo a bit for a song that just plain sounds good even if the lyrics aren't all that happy; and listen for "Stand!" "Stand!" gets a very spirited arrangement that works very well; and I also like their very famous hit entitled "The Love You Save." "The Love You Save" is another huge highlight of this CD.

"ABC" is one of the catchiest tunes I've ever heard; The Jackson 5 made this an instant classic with their sublime singing and the music that accompanies their vocals is perfect. Michael couldn't have done this any better; his performance on "ABC" is absolutely flawless and I'm amazed. "2-4-6-8" has Michael up front and center for some pretty awesome singing; and "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" stuns me with its power. Great! Now THAT'S music!

"La La (Means I Love You)" by Thom Bell and William Hart completely charms me with its beauty; The Jackson 5 cover this with a very sensitive arrangement and this number sparkles when they do it. "I'll Bet You" has a great flavor and I also enjoy "I Found That Girl." The album ends with a nice bonus track; we get an outtake of "Oh, I've Been Bless'd" and it will leave you wanting more.

And more is what we all can enjoy with other CDs by The Jackson 5. They never let their fans down; they gave blood to make each and every song shine so brightly and their artistry was very, very special. Their popularity to this day proves it! I highly recommend this CD for their fans. People wanting to discover their talents, as well as Michael's talent early on, would do well to get this CD with all these awesome songs.

Not counting the Steeltown records, these albums were the debuts of the J/5. Couldn't have started on a better note! Much has been said about the original tunes, but the J/5 were brilliant at covering tunes and making them their own. These versions of "Can You Remember," "Stand," "Born to Love You," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "Oh How Happy," "La la Means I love You," "Come Round Here," "Who's Lovin' You," etc. usually outclass the original versions. This two-cd set lives up to the cliche' ALL KILLER NO FILLER!

Two great albums together. I love listening to Michael when he was young singing adult songs!