The Jacksons (album)

Last updated
The Jacksons
Jacksons.jpg
Studio album by
The Jacksons
ReleasedNovember 5, 1976 [1]
RecordedJune–October 1976
Studio Sigma Sound Studios
(Philadelphia)
Genre Soul, R&B, funk, Philadelphia soul
Length39:27
Label
Producer
The Jacksons chronology
Joyful Jukebox Music
(1976)		The Jacksons
(1976)		 Goin' Places
(1977)
Singles from The Jacksons
  1. "Enjoy Yourself"
    Released: October 29, 1976 (US)
  2. "Show You the Way to Go"
    Released: March 1977 (US)
  3. "Dreamer"
    Released: July 29, 1977 (UK) [2]

The Jacksons is the eleventh studio album by the Jacksons, the band's first album for Epic Records and under the name "the Jacksons," following their seven-year tenure at Motown as "the Jackson 5". Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson stayed with Motown when his brothers broke their contracts and left for Epic, and he was replaced by youngest Jackson brother Randy. The album was released in 1976 for Epic Records and Philadelphia International Records as a joint venture. [3]

Contents

History

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [5]
Rolling Stone mixed [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Philadelphia International heads Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff produced and executive produced the album, including their first top ten hit in two years "Enjoy Yourself", but had a difficult time focusing on a sound for the now-grown-up boy band. However, the group was able for the first time to record their own material, something that had been denied to them at Motown. The Jacksons composed "Style of Life" and "Blues Away" on their own. "Blues Away" was the first published song written by lead singer Michael Jackson, who began to take a more percussive vocal approach on this album. The album also spawned a second successful R&B single, "Show You the Way to Go" (UK no. 1). Though never released as a single, "Good Times" became a popular album cut from regular quiet storm airplay.

The album was the Jacksons' first gold album, despite their having sold more than 10 million albums while at Motown (Motown's sales and financial records were not presented for auditing by the RIAA until 1976).

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Enjoy Yourself" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:24
  2. "Think Happy" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:07
  3. "Good Times" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 4:57
  4. "Keep on Dancing" (Dexter Wansel) – 4:31
  5. "Blues Away" (Michael Jackson) – 3:12

Side two

  2. "Show You the Way to Go" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 5:30
  3. "Living Together" (Dexter Wansel) – 4:26
  4. "Strength of One Man" (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen) – 3:56
  5. "Dreamer" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:05
  6. "Style of Life" (Tito Jackson, Michael Jackson) – 3:19

Personnel

Lead vocals

Michael leads the tracks 4–6 and 9–10 on his own while he and his brother Jackie lead the vocals on tracks 1–3 and 7. All the brothers (except Tito) sing lead on track 8.

Arrangements

Producers

Music

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for The Jacksons
Chart (1976–1977)Peak
position
Canadian Albums ( RPM ) [9] 4
UK Albums (OCC) [10] 53
US Soul Albums [11] 6
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape [12] 36

Certifications

Certifications for The Jacksons
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was and remains the world’s most classy record label. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. It was known for showcasing the Philadelphia soul music genre that was founded on the gospel, doo-wop and soul music of the time. This sound later marked a prominent and distinct era within the R&B genre. During the 1970s, the label released a string of worldwide hits that emphasized lavish orchestral instrumentation, heavy bass and driving percussion.

<i>Destiny</i> (The Jacksons album) 1978 studio album by the Jacksons

Destiny is the thirteenth studio album released by American band the Jacksons, recorded in part at Dawnbreaker Studios in San Fernando, California. It was released in November 1978 on Epic Records and CBS Records. The album would eventually sell over four million copies worldwide, two million in America during its initial run and another two million worldwide. The album marked the first time in the band's career in which they had complete artistic control, and was also the first album produced by the brothers who promoted it with a year-long world tour.

<i>Goin Places</i> (The Jacksons album) 1977 studio album by the Jacksons

Goin' Places is the twelfth studio album by the Jacksons. It would be the last Jacksons' album released as a joint venture between Epic Records and Philadelphia International Records. Goin' Places peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, and at No. 11 on the US Soul Albums chart. The album sold over half a million copies worldwide. A concert tour to promote the album, named the Goin' Places Tour, ran from January to May 1978.

<i>Ship Ahoy</i> (album) 1973 studio album by The OJays

Ship Ahoy is an album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released in 1973 on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, entering Billboard on November 10, and reaching No. 11. It reached No. 1 on the "Black Albums" chart and launched two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" and "Put Your Hands Together." Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for its serious subject matter. The album, which achieved RIAA platinum certification in 1992 for over 1 million copies sold, has been reissued multiple times, including in a 2003 edition with a bonus track. Ship Ahoy was the highest selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974.

<i>Dance Your Troubles Away</i> 1975 studio album by Archie Bell & the Drells

Dance Your Troubles Away is a 1975 studio album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label TSOP Records and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<i>Teddy Pendergrass</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Teddy Pendergrass

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<i>Life Is a Song Worth Singing</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Teddy Pendergrass

Life Is a Song Worth Singing is the second studio album by American musician Teddy Pendergrass. It was released on June 2, 1978, by Philadelphia International Records and Sony Music Entertainment. Pendergrass supported the album by touring with the Isley Brothers.

<i>Teddy</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy is the third album by the American musician Teddy Pendergrass, released in 1979.

<i>Live! Coast to Coast</i> 1979 live album by Teddy Pendergrass

Live! Coast to Coast is a live album by the R&B crooner Teddy Pendergrass. It was recorded in Philadelphia in 1978 and Los Angeles in 1979. It did rather well on the Billboard album charts, reaching #33 Pop and #5 R&B.

<i>Heaven Only Knows</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Teddy Pendergrass

Heaven Only Knows is the seventh album by R&B crooner Teddy Pendergrass. It was his final studio album for Philadelphia International, released just after he left the label to record for Asylum Records. It produced one single, "I Want My Baby Back," which reached #61 on the Billboard charts in 1984.

<i>The Spirits in It</i> 1981 studio album by Patti LaBelle

The Spirit's in It is the fifth studio album by American singer Patti LaBelle. It was released by Philadelphia International Records on August 28, 1981, in the United States, her first with the label.

<i>Travelin at the Speed of Thought</i> 1977 studio album by The OJays

Travelin' at the Speed of Thought is an album by the American R&B group the O'Jays, released in 1977 on Philadelphia International Records. Unusual for the time, there had been no advance single release from the album; the only single subsequently issued, "Work on Me", became a #7 R&B hit but failed to reach the pop listings, making this the first O'Jays PIR album without a top 100 pop single. Travelin' at the Speed of Thought peaked at #6 on the R&B chart and reached #27 on the pop chart. The album achieved a gold certification.

<i>Let Me Be Good to You</i> 1979 studio album by Lou Rawls

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<i>Melba</i> (1978 album) 1978 studio album by Melba Moore

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<i>Philadelphia Freedom</i> (album) 1975 album by MFSB

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<i>Summertime</i> (MFSB album) 1976 studio album by MFSB

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<i>The Jones Girls</i> (album) 1979 studio album by The Jones Girls

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<i>Got My Head on Straight</i> Album by Billy Paul

Got My Head on Straight is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. It was produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, arranged by Bobby Martin and Lenny Pakula, and engineered by Joe Tarsia. Released in 1975, it reached #140 on the Billboard Pop Album chart and #20 on the Soul chart. It includes the singles "Be Truthful to Me" #37 R&B; "Billy's Back Home" #52 R&B; and "July, July, July, July" which did not chart.

<i>When Love Is New</i> 1975 studio album by Billy Paul

When Love is New is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. It was produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff; arranged by Bobby Martin, Dexter Wansel, Norman Harris, and Jack Faith; and engineered by Joe Tarsia. Released in December 1975, it reached #139 on the Billboard Pop Album chart and #17 on the Soul chart. It includes the singles "Let's Make a Baby" which hit #83 on the Pop singles chart, #18 on the Soul chart, and #30 in the UK and "People Power" which reached #82 on the Soul chart and #14 on the U.S. Dance chart. The album was reissued on CD in 2010 by the U.K.'s Edsel Records. This was the final album where Paul was backed by MFSB, the house band of Philadelphia International Records (PIR).

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Chris (2018). The Complete Michael Jackson. Carlton Books. ISBN   978-90-447-5507-7.
  2. ↑ "Jacksons singles".
  3. ↑ "The Jacksons". The Jacksons. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  4. ↑ Elias, Jason. The Jacksons: The Jacksons > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 27, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ↑ "The Jackson 5: The Jacksons : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. ISBN   9780743201698.
  8. ↑ "The Jacksons – the Jacksons (1976, Gatefold, Vinyl)". Discogs . 1976.
  9. ↑ "RPM: The Jacksons (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ "The Jacksons Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ "The Jacksons". Billboard .
  12. ↑ "The Jacksons US Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  13. ↑ "American album certifications – The Jacksons – The Jacksons". Recording Industry Association of America.
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