Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In the heavy revisionism that has enveloped the Motown Records story, it has been forgotten that until Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye stepped outside the machinery, Motown was first and formost a SINGLES label. The albums were almost universally slipshod collections that surrounded a few hits (or wannabes) with low grade filler.

The Jackson 5 albums were no exception. The hits--and they are all here--were undeniably great. But beyond the hits and valient attempt second stringers (most of which are also here), the J5 albums were littered with filler. So this collection is DEFINITELY the best way to enjoy the J5. There are more complete surveys available (including a 4CD box), but trust me, those are only for the diehards. Everything anyone else would want from the Motown era J5 (outside of Michael's solo hit Ben) is right here.

Start here and move onto the Epic era stuff if you're interested in the funkier material.

dap

I was the same age as Michael..he seems to have a lost a year somewhere in time. In any case when he first appeared on tv he was a a wonder to behold. Jermaine was the Jackson that most of my friends had a crush on and when he married Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel they were all crushed of their crushes. Jackie was cute but too old, Tito had the guitar, But Michael was the voice. When I hear songs like I want you Back I can vision this little guy on the stage singing and dancing like Sammy Davis and James Brown. You had to be there to actually appriciate his talent. He looked like he was having a good time. This Cd makes me cry when I hear his old songs like "I'll Be There"..NO ONE can sing it like him..no one. Never Can Say Goodbye..ABC. I cannot had vision what a tragic figure he has become. Because like I had mentioned he looked like he was having a good time, and he certainly commanded the stage. "I Want You Back" which has one of the most famous guitar riffs ever in the beginning was a disapointment on the cd because the version on the cd was not it. But the cd is still very good. Let me make a point. The Jackson 5 were so big at the time they spured copycat groups like The Osmond Brothers, The Sylvers, The DeFranco Family. Donny Osmonds voice One Bad Apple was a direct copy of Michaels voice and a comtiplation of every song the Jackson 5 made at the time. I am surprised Joe Jackson did not sue them. One last thing, one song that liked was ommited "Let me Show you the way". That was a hit for The Jacksons not The Jackson 5 so maybe that is why it is not on the Cd. Buy it but it almost a sin they did not use the more famous version of "I want you back"

This is the best Jackson 5 CD there is! All the big hits are here, and for a great price. I've been amazed by MJ's talent since 1970. Whenever I hear songs like, I'll be there, The love you save, Who's lovin you, and Mama's pearl, just to name a few, I'm absolutely amazed that I'm listening to a little kid! His voice alone would have made him a superstar, but the fact that he has such INCREDIBLE dance moves to go along with that voice, truly make him a talent we will NEVER see again! It's sad to see what he looks like now, but it doesn't make him any less talented.This CD is only $9.99 what a steal! I hope someday soon, they put a live J5 concert on DVD, with all of their big hits, that would be incredible!

B2K took notes ... and ran
N'Sync/The Backstreet Boys/98 Degrees took notes ... ran
Dru Hill took notes ... and ran
112 took notes ... and ran
Jodeci took notes ... and ran
Boyz II Men took notes ... and ran
New Edition took notes ... and ran

But the J-5 set the precedent and their music keeps going and going and going!!!

Michael was still Black, the brothers were gettin' along, LaToya's clothes were still on, Janet was makin' us fall in love with her on "Good Times" and the craziness that was Joe and Katherine's relationship was still a well-kept family secret.

In between, you'll get this CD of timeless classics from the Jackson 5 -- "The Ultimate Boy Band ... Period."

"Dancing Machine," "Never Can Say Goodbye Girl (No, No, No; No, No, No)," "Rockin' Robin," "I Wanna Be Where You Are (Oh!)" ... the list LITERALLY goes on and on and on.

And to think as soon as the Jacksons first hit it big, Mainstream America tried to quell their thunder by pushing so-called more "mainstream" (read between the lines) family acts like the Osmonds and the Partridge family (as if?!?!?)

This was just another time and place in life.

This album captures a more pure, innocent time in music.

Highly recommended album!

The Ultimate Collection by The Jackson 5 really gives us a generous potion of the best from a great group. The Jackson 5 never sounded better; and their fans will love this retrospective!

"I Want You Back" starts off the album with a late `60s/early `70s rock flavor to it that is absolutely irresistible. The melody is quite catchy and little Michael Jackson sings his heart out. "ABC" continues in the same vein; and again Michael sings the main vocals while the rest back backup vocals, harmonizing and adding their own lyrics at just the right intervals. Moreover, listen for "The Love You Save;" this number was always one of my very favorites by The Jackson 5 and I think you'll like it, too.

"I'll Be There" switches gears completely to feature The Jackson 5 performing a soft and sweet love song that impresses me very much; and "Never Can Say Goodbye" is another beautiful ballad that proves just how special The Jackson 5 really were.

"Got To Be There" focuses on Michael who sings this beautifully; and the musical arrangement makes good use of the drums and percussion. Michael never misses a beat, either! "Rockin' Robin" again focuses on Michael and this tune has a great soft rockin' beat that I really like. Great guitar work on "Rockin' Robin," too!

"Get It Together" has that funky `70s sound and the group sounds as great doing this as they did when I first heard it; and "Dancing Machine" really shows The Jackson 5 batting this one straight out of the ballpark! Again, I am very impressed.

The album ends with a remix of "It's Your Thing;" this 1995 remix will appeal to fans of rap and hip hop; but you'll still hear Michael squarely in the spotlight.

Of course, time will never erase the memories of The Jackson 5---they were too big and successful for that. It's also wonderful to listen to a rather young Michael Jackson singing his heart out and leading their adoring audiences wherever he wanted them to go.

This is one of the most talented and musical families in music history. They started out playing in talent shows and bars, and then, with the help of Diana Ross and Berry Gordy, were launched into huge success at Motown Records. This disc contains all the greatest, from "ABC" to "I Want You Back". Of course, also contained is "I'll Be There", one of the most covered songs ever, even covered by Mariah Carey. Other great tracks are "Dancing Machine" and "The Life of the Party". This disc also contains some of Michael Jackson's solo songs, a Jermaine Jackson solo song, and an extended 1995 remix of "It's Your Thing". It's amazing how this group became popular because the lead singer was only 5 years old when the group first started. Michael Jackson also went on to Epic Records to huge success as a solo artist. This CD is great for any occasion: a nostalgia dance party, just grooving in the car, or listening and dancing! So go out and buy it today and turn your CD player into a "Dancing Machine"! If you liked this CD, check out any of Michael Jackson's solo CD's. THEY ARE AWESOME! Groove on!

I am fans from Hong Kong. Of course, I was just below 10 year's old in 1970, I did not know what Jackson-5 or Michael Jackson, I just knew there was a very good song, called "I'll Be There", which was very popular in Hong Kong. I could remember that most of the HK band group would sing this song when doing live TV show, I always thought that the vocalist of this song was a girl. Until I was teenager, I just realized that the vocalist of this song was Michael Jackson when introduced by one of the Radio D.J.s in Hong Kong. I also remembered that the Radio D.J. always talked about story of Michael's childhood when introducing his songs, how sad he was... how he was forced to perform under his father's control, etc.... Since then I had Michael in my mind. It was just amazing when I first saw the young Michael thru his "Rock With You" music video on T.V. I love this black handsome guy, then started to notice him.

Honestly, I just started to love Michael since his "Off The Wall" Album in 1979; then "Thriller" ..... I love him very much. But in early 1990, Hong Kong's song culture started to change to listen to Chinese/Cantonese songs, so the Radio or TV broadcasted less Western music, but still knew his Hit songs, such as "Black Or White", "Heal The World" or "You Are Not Alone". Until one day I browsed the Internet, I had read about Michael Jackson's Wikipedia, I start to listen all his songs other than the hit ones, and found that most of his songs are terribly great with message, then I start to listen his old songs (Motown) also.

"The Ultimate Collection" Album included the best songs of little Michael in Jackson-5 decade. I love the most is "Who's Loving You" and "I'll Be There"

Michael was born to be a talent singer with outstanding voice, from extreme high tone to extreme low. I am not hesitated to introduce all of you to buy this CD, as this CD shows the Talent of Little Michael. He is deserved as KING OF POP.

Michael, I always miss you!

A search in Music under the heading Ultimate Collection will garner you over 2,000 hits, ranging from Benny Hill and George Formby to 10cc and The Who, and just about everyone in between. Even Motown uses Ultimate Collection on a number of their CDs, but the best of the lot where they are concerned is the series with similar cover art by David Irvin and involving Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Marvelettes, Martha (Reeves) & The Vandellas, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and Mary Wells. Each has a comprehensive series of background notes and discographies of the contents and usually 25 tracks.

This one, also from Motown, is not part of that series, but it's still a pretty decent compilation of the 20 Motown hits registered by The Jackson 5 from late 1969 to 1975, with 3 pages of informative notes written by David Ritz, author of Divided Soul: The Life Of Marvin Gaye (among other works), several more nice shots of the boys, and a discography of the contents. The sound quality is excellent.

If there's a fault to be found, it's the inclusion of four solo hits by Michael (tracks 10, 12, 15 and 20) and one by Jermaine (track 13) - all hits to be sure, but their inclusion came at the expense of these legitimate Jackson 5 charters: I Found That Girl, the B-side to the 1970 # 1 Billboard Pop Hot 100/R&B The Love You Save, and considered a "follow-along" hit on both charts; Little Bitty Pretty One, a # 8 R&B and # 13 Hot 100 in May 1972; Corner Of The Sky, a # 9 R&B/# 19 Hot 100 in late 1972 from the Broadway musical Pippin; Hallelujah Day, a # 10 R&B/# 28 Hot 100 in April 1973; Whatever You Got, I Want, a # 3 R&B/# 38 Hot 100 in late 1974; and their final hits at Motown, the two-sided Forever Came Today (# 6 R&B/# 60 Hot 100 in July 1975 and its flip-side, All I Do Is Think Of You, a # 50 R&B on its own.

You do get their very first hit for Motown, after coming over from Steeltown Records (no hits there), the two-sided I Want You Back (# 1 R&B for 4 weeks/# 1 Hot 100 for a week in late 1969/early 1970) and its B-side, Who's Loving You?, an R&B "follow-along" hit. Four of their next five were also R&B # 1 hits, starting with ABC, which also spent 4 weeks at the top of the R&B charts and two on the Hot 100 in spring 1970, then followed that summer by the above-mentioned The Love You Save, and in the early fall by I'll Be There (6 weeks at # 1 Hot 100 and 6 R&B, as well as # 24 on the Adult Contemporary charts. In early 1971, Mama's Pearl reached # 2 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts, and a couple of months later they hit # 1 R&B again with Never Can Say Goodbye (as well as # 2 Hot 100).

In late summer 1971, Maybe Tomorrow peaked at # 3 R&B/# 20 Hot 100, and they then closed out a very successful year with Sugar Daddy, which rosew to # 3 R&B/# 10 Hot 100 early in 1972. Summer of that year saw Lookin' Through The Windows top out at # 5 R&B/# 16 Hot 100, and in late summer 1973, Get It Together made it to # 2 R&B/# 28 Hot 100. Dancing Machine then became their last # 1 R&B in spring 1974, and also # 2 Hot 100, and in February 1975, I Am Love (Parts I & II) finished at # 5 R&B/# 15 Hot 100.

The following year they moved to Columbia's Epic subsidiary where, from 1976 to 1989, billed as The Jacksons (and with personnel changes), they would add another 15 hit singles. Another, 1987's Time Out For The Burglar from the film Burglar (# 88 R&B in February), was released on MCA, while in 1992, a different version of Who's Loving You, recorded on May 29, 1971 in Gary, Indiana, was a # 48 R&B hit on Motown, again billed as The Jackson 5.

A very nice compilation, which includes two album cuts (tracks 5 and 18) and, at track 21, It's Your Thing (The J5 in `95 extended remix). A 5-star edition with those missing J5 hits.

I Want You Back is one of my favorite songs and Jermaine was my favorite Jackson. On this CD his vocals are missing from the song, major disapointment for me. But overall CD is excellent!

Miichael Jackson here delivers some of his greatest hits. Hits included in this album include ABC , Ben and the unmissaable I wanmt You Back. Actually all the tracks on this album are amazing i look through and i struggle to find a poor track. I own this album and i purchased it for double the price that amazon sell it for and i am still glad i purchased the album its breathtaking. The only problem with this album is that it is so amazing that when listening to it i usually last about thirty seconds on each track because i cannot wait to go to ABC or any tune. This album is perfect for all occasions Partys, Just Chilling, Light Music or Just Blasting it through the House shaking your body to Blame It On The Boogie! Your neighnours wont complain about the noise either because they will be dancing to it aswell even Granny Betty!