18 December 2013

18th December - The Jackon 5's Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5


Artist – Album: The Jackson 5 – Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5
Released: 18th December 1969
Sounds Like: Funk soul brothers

You, like me, might have expected Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 to be a party album, filled with lots of bubblegum soul and pop fluff and not much else of note. After all, in 1969 Diana Ross was still a Supreme and the only tunes by the Jacksons from the era that spring to mind are the delicious, disposable singles ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘ABC’.

However, it doesn’t take long for the album to stomp all over that idea with a pair of massive platform shoes, which is quite incredible considering it begins with a cover of Disney song. ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ is a funky, slinky number taken straight from the Sly Stone school of pop music. The albums only single, the impossibly brilliant ‘I Want You Back’, doesn’t take long to make an appearance, but it’s exuberant blend of soul and pop is the exception rather than the rule. The rest of the album sounds like a really talented attempt at Singstar: The Funk Edition (note to self: sell the idea of Singstar: The Funk Edition to Singstar). There’s covers of Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops and Sly & the Family Stone classics, and although none of them outshine the dazzling originals, they’re all decent efforts.

Little Michael would obviously go on to bigger andbetter things but it’s arguable whether the rest of the Jackson 5 ever topped this debut. That’s not an indictment on their Michael-less careers but an endorsement of this little record.

Albumaday... rating: 7/10

1.       Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah – 3:18
2.       Nobody – 2:54
3.       I Want You Back – 3:04
4.       Can You Remember – 3:10
5.       Standing in the Shadows of Love – 4:06
6.       You’ve Changed – 3:16
7.       My Cherie Amour – 3:44
8.       Who’s Lovin’ You – 4:06
9.       Chained – 2:54
10.   (I Know) I’m Losing You – 2:16
11.   Stand! – 2:30
12.   Born to Love You – 2:38
 
Listen to ‘I Want You Back’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Q80mk7bxE

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