This double-play CD contains the
Skywriter
and
Get It Together
albums as well as a trio of recordings made, but not issued, circa
the Jackson 5
's intermediate and increasingly independent years at
Motown
. While the days of immediate and successive chart-topping albums and singles had subsided, emerging was a band whose wisdom came from its members' pursuit of their unifying passion for music. Regardless of the lack of hit power on either of these albums, there is a notable maturity in the selections. Likewise, these long-players were not laden with cover songs. This allows
room to explore material that would accentuate group participation, such as
"Boogie Man."
This should not suggest an abandonment of the quintet's unique style and approach.
"Corner of the Sky"
-- from the Broadway play
Pippin'
-- and the clavinet-driven
"Uppermost"
contain the same funky
bubblegum
stride with which they would ultimately become synonymous. Remnants of the musical machine known as
the Corporation
-- which consisted of
founder
Berry Gordy
along with
Deke Richards
,
Freddie Perren
, and
Fonce Mizell
-- surfaced throughout
. Although
"You Made Me What I Am"
bears the quartet's full credentials,
Richards
Perren
Mizell
continued providing material for the band.
The Jackson 5
's next effort,
, doesn't hang together quite as cohesively as its predecessor. However, it does contain the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" as the final track:
"Dancing Machine"
would take the brothers head-on into
disco
. The song would resurface as the title track of their next long-player. ~ Lindsay Planer