Customer Reviews

Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, I can't say enough about the quality of this music. Michael Jackson was a very gifted individual and all of his music - including everything on this set - is soulful, catchy, and beautiful. It already has and will continue to stand the test of time.

Now about the sound quality of the tracks included in this set:

The original release of "Ben" on CD had a few flaws in my opinion. The title track and "Greatest Show on Earth" actually sounded scratchy/glitchy in areas. It was fairly subtle but it bothered me every time I listened to it. The makers of this 3-disc set have almost perfected these tracks. Although there is still one spot in "Ben" the song where I can hear a small flaw, the rest of the track and "Greatest Show on Earth" have been cleaned up - no more glitchy scratchy sounds. And the flaw in Ben that still remains is concealed quite well. I only noticed it because I was listening hard for it - the particular glitch was much worse in the original CD release.

I also had a complaint about the original CD release of "Forever, Michael." The overall sound quality just wasn't as good as Michael's other childhood solo albums. "We're Almost There" was the worst. While a good song, it sounded like it was recorded with cheap equipment. Again, the makers of this set seem to have worked hard to improve the sound quality to the best of their ability. "Forever, Michael" still doesn't sound as good as the other albums included here, but it's definitely an improvement from the original CD release. It sounds clearer and less gritty.

I didn't notice any differences in "Got to Be There," and I never owned the original CD releases of "Music and Me," "Looking Back to Yesterday," and "Farewell My Summer Love" if they even existed. So the only comment I can make on those albums is that they sound great to me - no flaws that I can notice.

About packaging:

The CDs are tucked into the back of a small hardcover book detailing Michael's young solo career. The book is written by Mark Anthony Neal who is an established writer and an instructor of African-American studies at Duke University. Although he doesn't appear to have known Michael Jackson, he is well-versed in the subject of Michael's young solo career and offers interesting insight and information in this book. Many nice photographs are included as well as images of the original album covers.

My only complaint about the packaging of this set involves the slots included for the CDs. Rather than including a plastic setting or case in the back of the book for all three CDs, the makers of this set only included cardstock envelopes bound into the book. There isn't even any protective cloth - just cardstock. One CD was even stuck at the bottom of its little folder/envelope and I scratched it getting it out. It's a minor scratch but it bothers me that they didn't take the time to provide a safe casing for these CDs. I moved all three CDs to my CD binder, where they will remain forever (when I'm not playing them of course).

Since I bought this set for the music, I give it 5 stars. Great music. Great sound quality. However, if I had bought it for the packaging, I would have given it 3 stars. Great little book but BAD casing.

So often, Michael Jackson's early career is glossed over in a few sentences, acknowledging some big hits with the Jackson 5; maybe, maybe not mentioning his solo albums before "Off The Wall." As great as his music would become, I've found myself so full of astonishment and joy simply trying to wrap my mind around how incredible this kid was. I try to imagine kids I know doing what Michael did, and just shake my head at what a talent he was.

If you're new to his early solo music, this box set is as good as it gets. It doesn't contain every single solo track Motown has put out (there are some vinyl and cassette obscurities from the 80's), but all you really need is here. If you're a long-time fan and have all of these albums already, it's still worth hearing the previously unreleased, original versions of the "Farewell My Summer Love" album (as well as "Twenty-Five Miles"), all of which will probably be preferred to the 1984 mixes (also included). Plus, the packaging is beautiful, the book contains nice photos and session info, and the remastered sound is great. In particular, the "Got To Be There" album sounded fresher and brought out more of the background vocals and treble portion of the mix.

Many fans are probably unfamiliar with the material featured on disc three, particularly "Looking Back To Yesterday," a hard-to-find collection I was lucky to stumble across about 15 years ago and have never seen since. The sound here does not differ much from the CD I bought all those years ago, but the "Farewell..." album sounds much better than my worn-down cassette from 1984!

Surely, a ton of credit belongs to the writers, arrangers, and producers of these songs. But it's Michael, not only as a singer but as an interpreter, that steals your heart here. When I was just a kid myself, listening to these songs convinced me that I could feel emotions beyond what I knew at the time. In terms of vocal prowess, range, and dramatics, the first three songs on disc 1 knock me out. "Got To Be There" is the best album in the set. "Ben" as an album is similar in style, perhaps more mellow, but with an uptempo, energetic gem in "What Goes Around Comes Around"--one of my favorite Jackson Motown tracks ever. The newly released original mix of "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" is awesome, near the end of disc one.

Disc 2 is quite a contrast in styles. The inconsistent and light "Music & Me" album precedes the changed-voice, disco leaning "Forever, Michael." Lyrically, songs like "With A Child's Heart" and "Music and Me" seem perfect for the singer; the former especially touching in context of his adult persona. "Too Young" is a show-stopper, "Johnny Raven" is fun, "One Day In Your Life" is gorgeous.

On disc 3, how did "Give Me Half A Chance" never get released in the J5 heyday? The song is in the "Never Can Say Goodbye" vein but more urgent (if that's possible) and Michael hits notes I still can't believe. And try not smiling to the well-orchestrated, joyful take on "I Hear A Symphony." The poigniant "To Make My Father Proud," with lyrics that point out his stand-apart talent and pressure/desire to be the best, ring of truth and makes a great end to the set.

This collection is a treasure for the Michael Jackson fan!!! It is simply a must-have!! So many classic songs and a demonstration of the talents of a tween/teen Michael. All the Motown hits are here from "Got To Be There", "Rockin' Robin", "Ben", to the lesser-knowns, "Happy", "With a Child's Heart", "I Wanna Be Where You Are", and "One Day in Your Life".

There are some wonderful covers here as well! "Ain't No Sunshine", "Love is Here and Now You're Gone", "You've Got a Friend", "My Girl", "Too Young", "I Hear a Symphony", "Lonely Teardrops", and "I Was Made to Love Her".

Some standout tracks include, "Maria", "In Our Small Way", "Music and Me", "Cinderella Stay Awhile", "Girl, You're So Together", "If N' I Was God", and "To Make My Father Proud".

I can't say it enough. This collection is MANDATORY for the true Jackson fan. Period.

Michael Jackson was one of the hardest working men in show business before he was even a man. The work this kid put in recording in the studio was massive! All avid MJ fans must have this collection. If you want to know where Michael got all that creative energy, why he was so awesome, this collection will take you to the beginning and you'll learn that he was always dynamic. You'll see that this kid wasn't a "made" star, but born a star.

Let's begin with the packaging. It reminds me of a photo album almost, because it isn't your typical boxed set. It's more a book and the CD's are in slots at the back of the book. The photo's in this book are of good quality and may have been taken from past album shoots, but most look rare. There is one shot where MJ is drawing a picture of Charlie Chaplin, you see that he was quite the artist. Of course, these are pics of a young MJ into his early teens. All are absolutely cute and adorable.
There is a lot of information crammed in the liner notes and credits.

The music is beautiful. Timeless, beautiful songs of a caliber that you may not experience from such a young soul ever again. Some of these songs are familiar, a lot of them aren't. Some tracks like "Ain't No Sunshine," that were released in the UK, I'd never heard. Michael's interpretaion of this song is done beautifully with lots of soul. It's interesting to hear him perform remakes and do them as skillfully, if not better, than the original artist. There are a lot of songs like that; "People Make the World Go Round," is another example.

I marvel at his ability to sing complex songs like "Maria" and just come off sounding so real, pure and heartfelt. To say that this kid was a "natural" is such a huge understatement. There is a lot of music packed in this set; I've heard so much that I am dizzy and can't keep the songs straight. So many standout songs. Music like this is not being made today. That's the bottom line. If you want to hear angelic, soulful, (because Michael is singing from his soul, he isn't just taking direction) pure singing then this is the collection for you. If you want to listen to songs that speak to you, that stay with you, then you have to add this because your MJ collection won't be complete without its beginning.

--Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's incredible singing never ceases to amaze me; and this three CD set certainly is a must-have for his fans! The music we get here is fantastic; Michael hits every note just right and even from a very young age we can easily tell that Michael was delving deep in order to convey all the nuances to every lyric of every song he performed. The quality of the sound is excellent and I like the artwork, too. We get so much in the way of essays and original album artwork; this really gives the KING OF POP what he deserves.

The first CD features outstanding tunes like "Ain't No Sunshine;" "Got To Be There" with its outstanding arrangement; the fun and infectiously catchy "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day; "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone" which has Michael easily handling complex tempo and key changes like a pro; "You've Got A Friend;" "Ben" with that melody that charms me every time I hear it; "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" by Stevie Wonder and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me."

The second CD continues with so many sublime tracks. I really like "With A Child's Heart" with that elegant piano arrangement; "Happy (Love Theme From "Lady Sings The Blues")" which features Michael squarely front and center; "Too Young" that has Michael acing this effortlessly with a fine arrangement for the strings; "We're Almost There" from a somewhat more mature Michael who does this beautifully; the poignant "One Day In Your Life;" "Just A Little Bit Of You" with that amazing sound; the gorgeous "I'll Come Home To You" and the original mix of "Call On Me." Excellent!

The third CD brings even more gems that any Michael Jackson fan will love. Michael performs "I Hear A Symphony" with all his heart and soul; "Lonely Teardrops" with that awesome flavor to it and the rest of The Jacksons helping him out; a very catchy "That's What Love Is Made Of" with some excellent percussion; "I Was Made To Love Her" by Stevie Wonder; a perfect "If N' I Was God;" the gorgeous "You've Really Got A Hold On Me;" "Farewell My Summer Love" with Michael singing from the bottom of his heart; "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" and the ending track entitled "To Make My Father Proud."

This three CD set covers so much ground; and I know I will cherish this for many, many years to come. I highly recommend this for any MJ fan who wants a fine addition to their music collection. You will not be disappointed!

This well put together boxed-set of Michael's earliest solo recordings showcases the indisputable vocal genius of the world's greatest entertainer. As it's been said countless times before, Michael's investment in singing a lyric always bared the mark of a time-worn storyteller recalling years filled with all ranges of emotions - mostly loneliness - but the "saloon singer" in this case was a child barely approaching his teens. Few artists before young Michael could truly convince us that they've lived a lyric, his most prominent predecessor, perhaps, was the Frank Sinatra of the 1950s and 60s, but Sinatra was well into his late-30s when he began to perfect his craft - Michael was 10! This boxed-set holds all of the proof..
The original albums Got to Be There, Ben, Music and Me, and Forever Michael are included here in high quality masters with original album artwork. Also in this set is the 1986 compilation Looking Back to Yesterday, which is prominently made up of discarded Jackson 5 outtakes, some dating back to the 1969 sessions for their first album. The rest of Looking Back to Yesterday ranges through 1973.
The only frustrating thing about "Hello World" is the inclusion of the 1984 Motown collection Farewell My Summer Love 1984. This 8 song collection was one of Motown's attempts at cashing in on the world famous superstar who had left their label almost 10 years before. Michael's voice is of top quality on these early 70s outtakes, but the album's sound was padded out with additional instrument overdubs added in 1984, having nothing to do with the original conceptions of the recordings. And worst of all, these additional instrument overdubs sound like 1984, mixing unnaturally with Michael's early 70s vocals. This was Motown trying to capture the record buying public by combining young Michael's vocals with 1980s style instrument tracks. FORTUNATELY, Motown was smart enough on this 2009 release to also include the original mixes of these 8 songs without the unnecessary overdubs. I am pleased, as you will be too, to hear these unadulterated recordings in all their sparse glory.
What matters here are young Michael's vocals, the voice beyond its years. Michael dedicated his life to creating magic for us and "Hello World" represents his early 1970s gifts to us.

I'm Glad Motown has finally released this collection.! It was a long time coming.I Have been waiting forever it seems for Motown to release the L.P "Farewell My Summer Love" on C.D( and to get the un-dubbed/altered versions is a real unexpected treat for any Michael Jackson fan.),with these songs, they really showcase Michael as an artist to the World.! Michael was way ahead of his time , being so young , One can really appreciate his genious., but like the other reviewers,I agree, Motown didn't do a good job with the packaging for the HIP-O-SELECT U.S VERSION.{DISC 3 BECAME STUCK AND I DAMAGED/RIPPED THE(cardboard sleeve) TRYING TO GET IT OUT}.I ASLO OWN THE JAPAN VERSION OF THIS SET THAT WAS PUT OUT BY MOTOWN UNIVERSAL/JAPAN UMG. ITS MUCH BETTER PACKAGING AND YOU ACTUALLY GET ALL THE MINI L.P COVERS WITH THE C.D's INSIDE A NICE LITTLE BOX WITH THAT FAMOUS JAPAN OBI STRIP.(unlike the U.S Hip-o-select U.S version which is a hard cover book/c.d case-sleeve type with pages that shows pictures of the L.P covers) 5 TOTAL: 1 "got to be there". 2.2 BEN /3. one with rat cover" 4."music and me" .5 "forever michael" .YOU ASLO GET 2 BOOKLETS/ ONE IN ENGLISH WITH ALL THE PICTURES JUST LIKE IN THE HIP-O-SELECT.U.S COLLECTION, ITS JUST NOT A HARD COVER BOOK CASE(like the Hip-o-select U.S version), but who cares about that? PLUS A JAPANESE BOOKLET AS WELL,! AND THE SOUND QUALITY IS FAR BETTER THAN THE HIP-O-SELECT U.S VERSION . THOSE JAPANESE REALLY DO A GOOD JOB WITH THE DIGITAL-BIT MASTERING. AND THE C.D'S COME INSIDE THESE MINI/PLASIC ENVELOPES INSIDE THE MINI L.P COVERS.SO WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OUT, YOU REALLY NEVER HAVE TO TOUCH THEM.[ brilliant idea! ]THIS MOTOWN/UNIVERSAL JAPAN UMG. VERSION IS A MUST HAVE, BUT YOU BETTER HURRY,BECAUSE THIS SET WAS ONLY JUST RELEASED THIS PAST SEPTEMBER 2009,IN LIMITED NUMBERED SETS, AND ALREADY THEY'RE GETTING HARD TO FIND. I have set NO.2175, SO HURRY , GET YOURS BEFORE THEY'RE GONE.

This is definitely the most comprehensive collection of Michael's Motown output, only lacking a few tracks such as the 1987 remixes of 'Twenty-Five Miles' and 'You've Got A Friend' found on 'Original Soul', the original 1972/1973 versions of tracks found on 'Looking Back To Yesterday', and 'Make Tonight All Mine' found on 'One Day In Your Life'. The inclusion of the non-overdubbed (and some previously unreleased) versions of tracks from 'Farewell My Summer Love' goes some way to make up for these omissions. However, this collection will always fail to get 5/5 simply because of its packaging - in common with other reviewers, the third CD was stuck in its slot, and was impossible to remove without scratching. Fortunately it still plays fine, and all three have been treated to plastic sleeves, but this will annoy the very purchasers of this collection, as the majority are likely to be life long fans, who may well be duplicating albums to replace them with a definitive collection of pristine freshly re-mastered CDs.

Happy to own the early releases of michael jackson from the motown era !
So many great songs remastered including 10 bonus tracks on 3 cds.
Hello world is a great boxset.

I love michael, these songs were some of my favorites growing up. I was so in love with michael growing up in the 70's. It makes me shed a tear on my commutes in the mornings on the commuter train to and from work on my ipod. his sweet voice so angelic, and full of passion. he truly was a God sent gift. there will never be an artist of his caliber. I will never say goodbye.