The Jacksons Live!
The Jacksons Live! (a.k.a. Live) is a live album by The Jacksons. It was 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.[1]
The Jacksons Live! | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | November 11, 1981 | |||
Recorded | July 8, 1981 at Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis, Tennessee) August 2, 1981 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (Buffalo, New York) August 12, 1981 at Omni Coliseum (Atlanta) August 13, 1981 at Civic Arena (Pittsburgh) August 16, 1981 at Providence Civic Center (Providence, Rhode Island) August 18, 1981 at Madison Square Garden (New York City) | |||
Length | 66:33 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | The Jacksons | |||
The Jacksons chronology | ||||
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The 1981 live show featured songs from the group's 1980 album Triumph, two songs from Destiny, a medley of their Motown hits, and five songs from lead singer Michael's 1979 solo album Off the Wall.
The Triumph Tour would be the group's last tour together for three years, while Michael recorded and released the phenomenally successful Thriller (1982) album and its singles in 1982 and 1983. The group would reunite for their final tour (sans an injured Jackie Jackson, who only participated in the second and final last leg of the tour after recovering from a knee injury) — Victory Tour — in 1984. In 1988, Rolling Stone magazine described the Triumph Tour as one of the best 25 tours between 1967 and 1987.
Reception
Bruce Eder awarded the album 3.5 stars out of 5 on AllMusic, claiming the album "is a reminder of how great an act they (the Jacksons) were, and captures what was just about the end of Michael Jackson's work with the family group, all of it very much on a high-note. The album is worth tracking down as an artifact of a simpler, more unabashedly joyous time in music, as well as the family's history."[2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Opening/Can You Feel It" | Michael Jackson, Jackie Jackson | 6:04 |
2. | "Things I Do for You" | Michael Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson | 3:38 |
3. | "Off the Wall" | Rod Temperton | 4:00 |
4. | "Ben" | Walter Scharf, Don Black | 3:52 |
5. | "This Place Hotel" | Michael Jackson | 4:40 |
6. | "She's Out of My Life" | Tom Bahler | 4:48 |
7. | "Movie and Rap, Including Excerpts of: I Want You Back/Never Can Say Goodbye/Got to Be There" | Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards, Clifton Davis, Elliot Willensky | 3:04 |
8. | "Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save" | Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards | 2:55 |
9. | "I'll Be There" | Berry Gordy, Bob West, Willie Hutch, Hal Davis | 3:12 |
10. | "Rock with You" | Rod Temperton | 3:59 |
11. | "Lovely One" | Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson | 6:28 |
12. | "Workin' Day and Night" | Michael Jackson | 6:53 |
13. | "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" | Michael Jackson | 4:22 |
14. | "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" | Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson | 8:34 |
Personnel
- The Jacksons
- Michael Jackson – vocals
- Jackie Jackson – vocals, percussion
- Tito Jackson – guitar, vocals
- Marlon Jackson – vocals, percussion
- Randy Jackson – vocals, congas, piano, keyboards
- Additional musicians
- David Williams – guitar
- Bill Wolfer – keyboards
- Mike McKinney – bass
- Jonathan Moffett – drums
- East Coast Horns: Alan "Funt" Prater, Broderick "Mac" McMorris, Cloris Grimes, Wesley Phillips – horns
- Technical
- Bill Schnee – recording, mixing
- Lynn Goldsmith, Todd Gray – photography
Charts
Chart (1981–82) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard 200[4] | 30 |
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums[5] | 10 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Chery, Carl: XXL: Michael Jackson Special Collector's Edition, page 100. American Press.
- Eder, Bruce (November 1981). "The Jacksons Live: All Music Review". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (November 2, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Fireside. p. 410. ISBN 978-0743201698.
- "The Jacksons Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- "The Jacksons Chart History: Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- "American album certifications – The Jacksons – The Jacksons Live". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
External links
- The Jacksons - The Jacksons: Live (1981) album review by Bruce Eder, credits & releases at AllMusic
- The Jacksons - Live (1981) album releases & credits at Discogs
- The Jacksons - Live (1981) album to be listened as stream on Spotify