The Jacksons have long been known as the iconoclast of American pop music and the template for R&B pop groups like New Edition, DeBarge, 5 Star and The Sylvers. From the “steeltown” dreams of Gary, Indiana, to a world renown legacy that has sold 100 million records and been honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Hall of Fame, you simply can’t deny the impact of The Jacksons. GFM had the honor of attending the celebrated Unity Tour in Atlanta reuniting brothers Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson. Here are the concert photos from the occasion.
The year was 1968. The Jackson 5 was the opening act for Etta’s Apollo Theater performance, Aretha Franklin received the cover of TIME magazine and Leonard Chess was looking for the right song to get Etta back on the charts. Created to pit against Aretha’s current success was the classic soul, blues, pop single, Tell Mama. While Etta received much acclaim for this song and it posed her first Top 10 on Billboard since 1964, it was a song Etta NEVER liked and NEVER liked singing. She personally thought the song gave her the association of being “the gal you come to for comfort and easy sex.” Despite Etta’s disdain, the song was greatly admired by artists like Janis Joplin who highly esteemed Etta and later rerecorded the single.
If you have not already, first and foremost I want you to head over here to the MXP4 website and experiment with the “stripped” Michael Jackson mixes that are provided. I have been having the best time just listening to the different elements of the mix by themselves and then, how they fit into the grand scheme of the production.
A few words about MXP4 which is being heralded as a great alternative to the almost passe mp3. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it over hear at GFM but I’m not a big fan of mp3. Do I use them on a daily basis, certainly because like they are convenient to move around blah, blah blah. Do they sound good? No. But then again we have yet to approach anything that sounds as good as the analog tape vinyl combination, but that’s my opinion. Does it even matter? It sort of reminds me of my hate-hate relationship with Wal-Mart. Is there anything of value there? No, but it’s (allegedly) cheaper and convenient(but at what price)?
Wow. Like the rest of the world, I’m still in shock. This has been a tough week; Iran, North Korea, the economy, the DC Metro tragedy, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and now Michael Jackson. For those of us who grew up in the 70′s or 80′s, it’s hard to explain to others just how BIG Mike was!! Larger than life and the ultimate entertainer.
Little boys wanted to be him, young girls just knew they’d marry him and he was adored on every continent in the world. There will never be another like him. Luckily, we have his music to carry us through.
It is imperative that we share, teach and expose our children to the greatness that is Michael and all of the other great artists that are leaving us far too soon. He was a special, special cat. Pure musical genius. Thank you Michael for sharing your gifts with us.
Earliest MJ memory: Being a young kid, about 5 or 6 years old — Hearing the Jackson 5 come on the radio (Santa Claus is coming to town!) and begging my older brother to take me to the station to meet Michael.
Then, throwing the tantrum of all tantrums when he tried to tell me “they ain’t there”! Also, trying to figure out how they fit the group between those little grooves in the record…….
Ok, so maybe I wasn’t the brightest kid….. what’s your favorite MJ memory?
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Jackson family, as well as his many fans worldwide. Parents should never have to bury their children. Rest in Peace to my brother as well as Michael Jackson.
