michael's other wall
-
Artist:The Jackson 5ive
-
Album:Maybe Tomorrow
-
Track:The Wall
I wasn't going to chime in on Michael Jackson, because, really, it seems like overkill, but like so many people, I was out on the street the night he died, hearing his music come from cars and bars, and it was all '80s MJ, and even on TV, the clips of the Jackson 5 weren't played much. That incredible 'Bandstand' clip, with the J5 doing 'ABC,' and Michael more poised, adult, and plain cool than he ever was as an actual adult, is still such a fascinating document, and once in a while you saw a little bit of an Ed Sullivan Show performance, but the jabber on the cable news shows was all about how he 'really became a superstar' with those '80s Epic albums, which is such fucking nonsense.
It was the Michael from the J5 that made the cover of 'Rolling Stone' when he was about 11. And I dug out my LP of 'Maybe Tomorrow' (the album that has 'Never Can Say Goodbye'), and instead of a generic Motown innersleeve, there's an all-J5 sleeve. You could order an Official Concert Poster, The Jackson 5ive's -- that's how it's spelled on the album cover -- Own Magazine! ('TcB'), Jackson 5ive Note Pads, plus photo stickers, a private photo album, and instructions on becoming Michael's Personal Soul-Mate! ($2).
Michael and his brothers were huger than huge, and if they had done nothing else but the work they created at Motown, it would have been (and was, in fact) a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame career.
I got to see the Jacksons twice. Once, in the '70s, at Saratoga with The Commodores, and then on the Victory Tour. At the '70s show, the J5 were slightly past their commercial peak (I think it may have been around the time of 'Corner of the Sky,' which would make it late-summer in '72, but maybe Cosmo can confirm that). Michael was no longer a pint size cherub, but he still had the moves, and if it was a lull, it was a momentary one; he and his brothers just had to find their groove, and they quickly did with 'Dancing Machine,' 'Enjoy Yourself,' etc.
There's much to like about 'Off The Wall,' but it doesn't, for me, match the sheer excitement of 'The Love You Save,' or 'Mama's Pearl,' or the joy of 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,' or that decade-ending explosion that was their debut Motown single, 'I Want You Back.' That supernatural kid on 'Bandstand,' lip-syncing like a total pro, 'Sit down, girl! I think I love you!, NO, get up girl, show me what you can do!' is the Michael I mourn.
Comments (6)
You make a good case for his early brilliance. Take away his gift for song and dance, and we would not be talking about him.
He still had the innocence of possibility. The enthusiasm and joy is what I like about the J5. Plus some cracking songs.
I'm with you there. Never was enough of a fan to invest in his CDs or concerts, but really enjoyed the radio-friendly pop of his earlier years. Definitely talented and gone too soon.
The Saratoga show was actually summer of '73. Very incongruous weekend...I remember we drive from the rain and slop of Watkins Glen (The Band, Allmans & The Dead) right to Saratoga to see the Jacksons. Kind of weird when you look back on it but it seemed normal at the time.
Thanks. I did figure it out, and remembered that drive in the pouring rain from Watkins Glen back to your general neck of the woods. Hey, did you know that Springsteen is playing Saratoga, before the Giants Stadium shows?
That will be a great place to see him...you should hike up there for the show.