The Jacksons (album)

The Jacksons is the eleventh studio album by the Jacksons, the band's first album for CBS and under the name "the Jacksons," following their seven-year tenure at Motown as "the Jackson 5". Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson stayed with Motown when his brothers broke their contracts and left for Epic, and he was replaced by youngest Jackson brother Randy. The album was released in 1976 for Epic Records and Philadelphia International Records as a joint venture.

The Jacksons
Studio album by
the Jacksons
ReleasedNovember 5, 1976
RecordedJune–October 1976
StudioSigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
GenreSoul, R&B, funk, Philadelphia soul
Length39:27
Label
ProducerKenneth Gamble & Leon Huff
McFadden & Whitehead
Victor Carstarphen
Dexter Wansel
The Jacksons
The Jacksons chronology
Joyful Jukebox Music
(1976)		 The Jacksons
(1976)		 Goin' Places
(1977)
Singles from The Jacksons
  1. "Enjoy Yourself"
    Released: October 29, 1976
  2. "Show You the Way to Go"
    Released: January 6, 1977
  3. "Dreamer"
    Released: August 13, 1977 (UK)

History
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[2]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Philadelphia International heads Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff produced and executive produced the album, including their first top ten hit in two years "Enjoy Yourself", but had a difficult time focusing on a sound for the now-grown-up boy band. However, the group was able for the first time to record their own material, something that had been denied to them at Motown. The Jacksons composed "Style of Life" and "Blues Away" on their own. "Blues Away" was the first published song written by lead singer Michael Jackson, who began to take a more percussive vocal approach beginning with this album. This album also spawned a second successful R&B single, "Show You the Way to Go" (UK No. 1). Though never released as a single, "Good Times" became a popular album cut from regular quiet storm airplay. The album itself placed No. 36 and No. 6 on the pop and R&B album charts respectively.

The album was the Jacksons' first gold album, despite their having sold more than 10 million albums while at Motown (Motown's sales and financial records were not presented for auditing by the RIAA until 1976).

Track listing

Side One

  1. "Enjoy Yourself" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:24
  2. "Think Happy" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:07
  3. "Good Times" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 4:57
  4. "Keep on Dancing" (Dexter Wansel) – 4:31
  5. "Blues Away" (Michael Jackson) – 3:12

Side Two

  1. "Show You the Way to Go" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 5:30
  2. "Living Together" (Dexter Wansel) – 4:26
  3. "Strength of One Man" (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen) – 3:56
  4. "Dreamer" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:05
  5. "Style of Life" (Tito Jackson, Michael Jackson) – 3:19

Produced by:
1-3, 6, 9 - Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
4, 7 - Dexter Wansel
5, 10 - Gamble, Leon Huff, Wansel, the Jacksons, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead
8 - McFadden, Whitehead and Victor Carstarphen [5]

Personnel
Lead vocals

Michael leads the tracks 4–6 and 9–10 on his own while he and his brother Jackie lead the vocals on tracks 1–3 and 7. All the brothers (except Tito) sing lead on track 8.

Arrangements
Music
Technical
  • Jay Mark, Joe Tarsia - mixing
  • John Berg - album design
  • Harou Miyauchi - cover drawings
  • Norman Seeff - photography

Charts
Chart (1976–77) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (RPM)[6] 4
French Albums (SNEP)[7] 22
UK Albums (OCC)[8] 53
US Hot Black Albums 6[9]
US Billboard 200[10] 36

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Elias, Jason. The Jacksons: The Jacksons > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. http://www.discogs.com/Jacksons-The-Jacksons/release/4700613
  6. "RPM: The Jacksons (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  7. "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  8. "The Jacksons Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  9. https://www.billboard.com/music/the-jacksons/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums
  10. "The Jacksons US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  11. "American album certifications – The Jacksons – The Jacksons". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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