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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE FIRST 2 J5 RELEASES - PURE GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, August 14, 2001
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
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No superlative good enough for this found in my thesaurus, March 15, 2006
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
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CLASSIC CHILDHOOD FAVORITE...STILL SOUNDS FRESH (ABC that is, March 18, 2004
By A Customer
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".
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