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.[5]
| The Jacksons | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 5, 1976[1] | |||
| Recorded | June–October 1976 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[2] | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B, funk, Philadelphia soul | |||
| Length | 39:27 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| The Jacksons chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Jacksons | ||||
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History
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[7] |
| Rolling Stone | mixed[8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
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
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Show You the Way to Go" | Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff | 5:30 |
| 7. | "Living Together" | Dexter Wansel | 4:26 |
| 8. | "Strength of One Man" | Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Dreamer" | Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff | 3:05 |
| 10. | "Style of Life" | Tito Jackson, Michael Jackson | 3:19 |
| Total length: | 39:27 | ||
Personnel
editLead 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
- Bobby Martin, Jack Faith, Dexter Wansel
Producers
- 1–3, 6, 9 – Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff
- 4, 7 – Dexter Wansel
- 5, 10 – Gamble, Huff, Wansel, the Jacksons, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead
- 8 – McFadden, Whitehead and Victor Carstarphen[11]
Music
- MFSB, Tito Jackson, Randy Jackson
Technical
- Jay Mark, Joe Tarsia – mixing
- Joe Tarsia – recording
- John Berg – album design
- Harou Miyauchi – cover drawings
- Norman Seeff – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1976–1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (RPM)[12] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 53 |
| US Soul Albums[14] | 6 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape[15] | 36 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Roberts, Chris (2018). The Complete Michael Jackson. Carlton Books. ISBN 978-90-447-5507-7.
- ^ Cogan, Jim; Clark, William (2003). Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios. San Francisco, United States: Chronicle Books. pp. 151–163. ISBN 0-8118-3394-1.
- ^ "promo disc with release date".
- ^ "Jacksons singles".
- ^ "The Jacksons". The Jacksons. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ^ Elias, Jason. The Jacksons: The Jacksons > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Jackson 5: The Jacksons : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. ISBN 9780743201698.
- ^ Stubbs, David (October 1997). "Freak beats". Uncut. No. 5. p. 92.
- ^ "The Jacksons – the Jacksons (1976, Gatefold, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1976.
- ^ "RPM: The Jacksons (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "The Jacksons Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "The Jacksons". Billboard.
- ^ "The Jacksons US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Jacksons – The Jacksons". Recording Industry Association of America.