Jackson 5 / Michael Jackson / The Jacksons Album-by-Album Thread

I know, I know. Time to revive this thread!

 

Jacksons - Triumph



Release date: September 26, 1980
Billboard 200 Peak Position: #10
Length: 44:39

1. Can You Feel It (6:00)
2. Lovely One (4:52)
3. Your Ways (4:31)
4. Everybody (5:00)
5. This Place Hotel (5:44)
6. Time Waits for No One (3:24)
7. Walk Right Now (6:29)
8. Give It Up (4:20)
9. Wondering Who (4:19)

Singles released
"Lovely One" b/w "Bless His Soul"
Release date: September 12, 1980
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #12 (#2 R&B singles)

"Heartbreak Hotel" (AKA "This Place Hotel") b/w "Things I Do For You"
Release date: November 24, 1980
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #22 (#2 R&B singles)

"Can You Feel It" b/w "Everybody"
Release date: March 5, 1981
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #77 (#20 R&B singles)

"Walk Right Now" b/w "Your Ways"
Release date: June 15, 1981
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #73 (#50 R&B singles)

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Hot off the heels of Let's Get Serious, Jermaine released another LP just two weeks after his brothers dropped Triumph.

Jermaine Jackson - Jermaine



Release date: October 10, 1980
Billboard 200 Peak Position: #44
Length: 42:32

1. The Pieces Fit (5:22)
2. You Like Me Don't You (5:00)
3. Little Girl (Don't You Worry) (4:48)
4. All Because Of You (4:43)
5. You've Changed (Interlude) (1:52)
6. First You Laugh, Then You Cry (4:52)
7. I Miss You So (2:46)
8. Can I Change My Mind (3:30)
9. Beautiful Morning (5:14)

Singles released
"Little Girl (Don't You Worry)" b/w "We Can Put It Back Together"
Release date: November 1980
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: did not chart (#17 R&B singles)

"You Like Me Don't You" b/w "You Like Me Don't You (Instrumental)"
Release date: February 1981
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #50 (#13 R&B singles)

 

I thought I'd post both of these albums at the same time. They were released only a couple weeks apart, and I'm not sure how many people have actually heard the Jermaine LP. It didn't chart well, nor did any of its singles.

Triumph is fantastic, and it seems often overlooked IMO, probably due to being overshadowed by Off The Wall. I'm absolutely blown away about the low singles chart positions of "Walk Right Now" and "Can You Feel It." Both of those songs should have been major hits, and I can't understand why they both tanked. Was Epic not properly promoting them? Were people tired of hearing Michael Jackson by early 1981?

"Lovely One" is probably my favorite track on Triumph, closely followed by "Can You Feel It."

 

This is easily one of Michael's greatest studio vocal performances.

 

"Heartbreak Hotel" AKA "This Place Hotel"

I read somewhere that Michael had the song title changed to "avoid confusion" with the Elvis song of the same name. Anyone know if this is the true story for the name change and when that occurred?

 

Poor Randy. He ended up with a part of the vocal on "Can You Feel It" but it was completely out of his range so he couldn't really sing. It was placed in the right key for Michael only (which I get) but it did a disservice to Randy.

Ed

 

Michael changed the title during the BAD tour and it occured for the first time on the Japanese 3" CD single "THIS PLACE HOTEL / LOVELY ONE ( 10.8P-3048) released in November 1988.

 

The first time I was made aware that The Jacksons had a new album out was at school. Someone I was DJ'ing with brought it in was compiling a tape with "Lovely One" on it. It didn't impress me at first, but it is easily one of my favorite Jacksons tunes now. I guess I just hadn't gotten used to the band's understated sound at that point.
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Hmmm...I know i've seen the album somewhere but don't remember it at all. But, I do know, like, and have the single "You Like Me Don't You". It's easily one of his best.

At the time, there was a lot of noise about the video for "Can You Feel It". I didn't think much of it, but it was certainly something that influenced Michael in his own solo video efforts.

It took me a couple of decades to appreciate and love "Walk Right Now". Now I look forward to hearing it on the album.

I read, probably from someone who produced one of their CD comps, that the change was made in Japan, not by Michael. See, Japan has no word in their language for "heartbreak", so they titled it "This Place...". The problem is, after the Japanese issue of the album. no one anywhere at Sony or CBS ever checked it out for accuracy, and perpetuated the error to the point where everyone thinks that is the correct title. Another rumor was that Michael changed the title to avoid conflicts with his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley's dad's hit "Heartbreak Hotel". Nope, it's not true. It's all about a language barrier and copyright mistakes. To clear up the confusion with people who remember the original title from 1980, and later fans who know it as "This Place Hotel", Sony now uses the "aka" qualifier. C'mon! It's in the lyrics! "Heartbreak Hotel"!

 

All of the brothers could sing, but compared to Michael's magic, strange, androgynous, otherworldly voice, no other brother could ever come close. Generic R&B from the other brothers' solo albums albums.

 

I used to think this was deliberate. In my fantasy version of events, MJ set it up so that the beginning would be a mediocre introduction for his vocal. When he comes in on "All the colors of the world", after a fairly bland vocal, the effect of his voice is all the more otherworldly. It was as if he was saying, "Make no mistake. I'm the reason you are here."

 

Oh yeah, this was definitely deliberate. I never thought otherwise, honestly. Randy was set up to give a mundane vocal that was out of his range.

Ed

 

Ok there's no word for "heartbreak" in Japan! Anyway they released a 7" in 1980 HEARTBREAK HOTEL / THINGS I DO FOR YOU. Even the titles were written in Japanese language on the cover! Does it already say "This place... on the 1980 single?

 

The mistake started with the Japanese CBS/Sony CD reissue.

Perhaps you are trying to justify the widely-believed fase rumor that Michael changed it because of his then-wife's father. The truth is less exciting and salacious.

 

JJ's follow up to Serious doesn't do much for me. But I do like several cuts on The Jacksons' Triumph. The video to Can You Feel It is interesting.

 

In case more needs to be said about Triumph, feel free to continue discussing that one. For those wanting to move forward, here are the next two Motown releases from 1981.

Michael Jackson - One Day In Your Life



Release date: March 25, 1981
Billboard 200 Peak Position: #144
Length: 33:58

1. One Day In Your Life (4:12)
2. Don't Say Goodbye Again (3:22)
3. You're My Best Friend, My Love (3:23)
4. Take Me Back (3:22)
5. We've Got Forever (3:09)
6. It's Too Late To Change the Time (3:53)
7. You Are There (3:20)
8. Dear Michael (2:33)
9. I'll Come Home To You (3:00)
10. Make Tonight All Mine(3:18)

Singles released
"One Day In Your Life" b/w "Take Me Back"
Release date: March 25, 1981
Billboard Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #55


Jermaine Jackson - I Like Your Style



Release date: September 1981
Billboard 200 Peak Position: #86 (#31 R&B albums)
Length: 43:05

1. I Gotta Have Ya (5:09)
2. I'm Just Too Shy (3:47)
3. You're Givin' Me The Runaround (3:36)
4. Paradise In Your Eyes (5:10)
5. Is It Always Gonna Be Like This (4:08)
6. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours (3:46)
7. Maybe Next Time (3:58)
8. I Can't Take No More (3:19)
9. It's Still Undone (5:45)
10. I'm My Brother's Keeper (4:27)

Singles released
"I'm Just Too Shy" b/w "All Because Of You"
Release date: October 1981
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: #60 (#29 R&B singles)

"Paradise In Your Eyes" b/w "I'm My Brother's Keeper"
Release date: January 1982
Hot 100 Peak Pos.: did not chart (peaked at #60 R&B singles)

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" was also released in 1981 as a promo only 45 in the US with the same catalog number as "I'm Just Too Shy" (M 1525F).

 

The MJ single "One Day In Your Life" didn't do much on the US charts, but it was his first #1 solo hit in the UK.

 

Here's Jermaine's single "I'm Just Too Shy," a funky, mid-tempo track that is very "of the time." Is that Stevie on harmonica? The album credits Jermaine on harmonica, but that solo has Stevie written all over it!

 

Was at the African American Smithsonian Museum Sunday. There were a bunch of exhibits showing the Jackson 5 there. I was surprised that there was no exhibit regarding Motown overall.

 

I don't think they are finished, yet, but, yeah, that is strange. One of the first Black-owned record companies, and they aren't featured. Who was responsible for that?

 

I remember it being all over the radio.

 

Poor Jermaine. He just couldn't get a break. At this point, i'm betting he was regretting his decision to stay at Motown.

 

For real. Perhaps the single wasn't a top 5 smash, but #60? That's it? It's a good track. Certainly better than many other top 40 hits on the charts in October of '81.

 

R&B perhaps? It didn't do well on the pop charts according to Billboard and Radio & Records. I was a little too young to remember exactly what was on the radio at that time.

 

Stevie Wonder's version of "Let's Get Serious" is just so good.

 

Pop radio.