The Jacksons - The Hi-Res Album Collection (1976-1989/2016) [Official Digital Download]

The Jacksons were a popular American Soul/R&B group, formerly the Jackson 5, before leaving Motown Records. After their departure from Motown, the band changed the name to The Jacksons. The group's new recording contract with Epic offered them a more lucrative agreement than they had enjoyed with Motown, although at first they seemed to have exchanged one artistic strait-jacket for another. Their initial releases were written, arranged and produced by Gamble And Huff, whose expertise ensured that the Jacksons sounded professional, but slightly anonymous. This Hi-Res collection includes all band's releases from 1976 to 1989.

After the commercial reprieve of the innovative 'Dancing Machine' single (and album of the same name), the Jackson 5's successful five-year relationship with Motown and Berry Gordy ended. Their last Motown effort, Moving Violation, had barely made a dent. After an acrimonious split, brother Jermaine Jackson stayed at Motown, and Gordy fought and won, keeping the Jackson 5 moniker. The Jacksons isn't only their Epic label debut, it's the first album to feature youngest brother Randy Jackson. To ensure chart success, the group was teamed with Philadelphia producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, as well as their staff of writers and players. Despite the promise, The Jacksons is hampered by derivative tracks and a lack of knowing what to do with the group, particularly lead singer, Michael Jackson. The big hit here, the jerky 'Enjoy Yourself,' perfectly captured Michael Jackson's late adolescence, with his newfound vocal tics and inflections. 'Show You the Way to Go' best captures the Philly sound, with a pretty melody and a great vocal from Michael, but it's a weak lyric. The Dexter Wansel-written and -produced 'Keep on Dancing' matches a substandard discofied track to Michael Jackson's singular vocals. The last track, the graceful 'Blues Away' marks the writing debut of the group and is a great match between artists and producers. For the most part, The Jacksons gives the guys by-the-numbers Philly tracks that could have been easily done by Lou Rawls. Despite the best songs, The Jacksons misses more than it hits.

Tracklist:

01 - Enjoy Yourself
02 - Think Happy
03 - Good Times
04 - Keep On Dancing
05 - Blues Away
06 - Show You the Way to Go
07 - Living Together
08 - Strength Of One Man
09 - Dreamer
10 - Style Of Life

The Jacksons' second album with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, „Goin' Places“ doesn't quite fulfil the promise of their debut a year previous. However, with stellar production work from the production team, the whole album is polished and clean sounding. Michael's singing is passionate, while the album is stylistically divided between making music to boogie to, such as "Music's Takin' Over," "Jump for Joy," and "Do What You Wanna," and the slow grooves of "Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl" and "Find Me a Girl." The Jacksons were masters of these two styles, though the choice of material probably reflects a record company unsure how to market these one-time teenaged pop stars who were fast becoming adults. The Jacksons' next album, „Destiny“, would give them a chance to exert more control, and became the first in a long string of hits.

Tracklist:

01 - Music's Takin' Over
02 - Goin' Places
03 - Different Kind Of Lady
04 - Even Though You're Gone
05 - Jump For Joy
06 - Heaven Knows I Love You
07 - Man Of War
08 - Do What You Wanna
09 - Find Me a Girl

The brothers' third post-Motown album as the Jacksons was their most successful release, both commercially and creatively, since 1974's Dancing Machine. Their first two Epic albums, where they aligned with Gamble, Huff, and other Philly soul stalwarts, had some strong singles but were very uneven and somewhat awkward in stretches, and this time out, they wrote and produced on their own. Backed by an arsenal of up-and-coming and veteran L.A. session musicians – including guitarists Michael Sembello and Paul Jackson, Jr., drummer Rick Marotta, arranger Thomas 'Tom Tom 84' Washington, and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, the last of whom played on just about everything involving a Jackson family member through the early '90s – Destiny did much more than set the stage for Michael's Off the Wall. The sunny 'Blame It on the Boogie' and the dazzling Off the Wall prelude 'Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)' were the album's only singles, upbeat numbers that peaked at number three on the Black Singles chart, but the mature Michael showcase ballad 'Push Me Away' (pointing toward 'I Can't Help It' and 'Human Nature') and the alternately somber and uplifting 'Bless His Soul,' containing a startling confession from Michael ('There is no life for me at all/'Cause I give myself at beck and call') added an impressive level of depth to the Jacksons' discography.

Tracklist:

01 - Blame It on the Boogie
02 - Push Me Away
03 - Things I Do For You
04 - Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
05 - Destiny
06 - Bless His Soul
07 - All Night Dancin'
08 - That's What You Get (For Being Polite)

Released during the summer of 1980, just as the hits from Michael's Off the Wall were sliding off the charts, Triumph became the Jacksons' first Top Ten pop album since 1972's Lookin' Through the Windows. This despite the album-opening 'Can You Feel It,' promoted with a spectacle of a video that made the Jacksons into gigantic superheroes capable of transforming bridges into bendable rainbow tubing, stalling at number 77 on the Hot 100. It didn't make much of an impact on the R&B chart either, but then again, its supernatural anthemic stomp is more a fireworks program finale than something as small scale as a mere single. As on 1978's Destiny, the Jacksons wrote and produced the material, this time with keyboardist Greg Phillinganes bumped up to associate producer, and with an uptick in star backing – including but not limited to Ronnie Foster, Phil Upchurch, Webster Lewis, Michael Boddicker, and Ollie Brown, as well as Triumph holdovers Michael Sembello, Thomas Washington, and Nathan Watts. The other singles, including 'Lovely One' (very nearly 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' reheated) and 'This Place Hotel' (an elaborate six-minute affair, written and arranged by Michael, that could have easily swollen to greater length) propelled the album into sales greater than that of Destiny, and it's equally durable (and markedly slicker) all around.

Tracklist:

01 - Can You Feel It
02 - Lovely One
03 - Your Ways
04 - Everybody
05 - This Place Hotel (a.k.a. Heartbreak Hotel)
06 - Time Waits For No One
07 - Walk Right Now
08 - Give It Up
09 - Wondering Who

he Jacksons Live! is a live album by The Jacksons released on November 11, 1981, by Epic Records. The album was recorded during their North American tour in fall 1981, known as the Triumph Tour. The live double album was culled from recordings made on the tour's stops in Buffalo, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Atlanta and New York City. The live album would go on to sell over two million copies worldwide. It certainly sounds like the audience is having a spectacular time at this explosive evening. Mixing hits from Michael's OFF THE WALL (which get the biggest screams) with their then-current hits such as "Shake Your Body," "Lovely One," and "Heartbreak Hotel," the Jacksons provide sheer entertainment.

Tracklist:

01 - Can You Feel It
02 - Things I Do for You
03 - Off the Wall
04 - Ben
05 - This Place Hotel
06 - She's Out of My Life
07 - Movie and Rap
08 - Medley: I Want You Back / ABC / The Love You Save
09 - I'll Be There
10 - Rock with You
11 - Lovely One
12 - Working Day and Night
13 - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (from the 1981 U.S. Tour)
14 - Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)

Victory has the distinctions of being the only Jacksons album to feature all six brothers and the last Jacksons album to feature Michael Jackson. In the four years that had passed since the last Jacksons studio album, Triumph, Michael had become the biggest pop star in the world because of 1982's Thriller. He had little excuse other than family ties to work with his brothers again, but he agreed to a final album and tour. So, here one has the ludicrous situation of an album in which Marlon Jackson has as prominent a role as Michael Jackson. That's how it sounded to listeners in 1984, anyway, and they weren't fooled – 'State of Shock,' on which Michael shared vocals with Mick Jagger, was a gold Top Ten hit, and 'Torture,' which teamed Michael with Jermaine, made the Top 40, while the album went platinum. But the tracks by other group members went virtually ignored. In retrospect, Victory is a competent album of slick contemporary R&B, occasionally goosed toward greatness by the appearance of one of pop music's most identifiable voices. Which is the same thing you can say about nearly the entire Jackson 5/Jacksons catalog.

Tracklist:

01 - Torture
02 - Wait
03 - One More Chance
04 - Be Not Always
05 - State of Shock
06 - We Can Change the World
07 - The Hurt
08 - Body

2300 Jackson Street is the eighteenth and final studio album by American Pop/R&B group The Jacksons, and their final album for record label Epic, released in the United States on May 28, 1989 (see 1989 in music). This is the group's first album without lead singer Michael Jackson, who had left the group along with older brother, Marlon Jackson. Their final album debuted at #59 on the Billboard 200 and at #14 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and would sell over half a million copies worldwide.

This was the final gathering of the entire Jackson family, and it turned out to have both historical significance and some musical value. The team of L.A. and Babyface, then emerging as major producers, spearheaded the track "Nothin' Compares to U," and the title track was a nice autobiographical/family outing song.

Tracklist:

01 - Art Of Madness
02 - Nothin (That Compares 2 U)
03 - Maria
04 - Private Affair
05 - 2300 Jackson Street
06 - Harley
07 - She
08 - Alright With Me
09 - Play It Up
10 - Midnight Rendezvous
11 - If You'd Only Believe


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