MUS15:  Michael  Jackson  

The  Jackson  5:  Motown  Success,  Reluctant  Teen  Idols  and  the  Move  to  

Epic  Records  

Music  Biz  Recap  

• 1940s-‐1950s:   recording   technology   becomesmore  affordable  and  available

• Rise  of  independent  record  labels  and  studios• “Niche   market”   music   starts   receiving   moreairplay,  thereby  bringing  it  to  wider  audiences(geographically  and  socio-‐economically)– Blues  and  Country

Music  Biz  Recap  

• Country   and   Blues   arQsts   begin   to   experiment   withdifferent  combinaQons  of  genres

• Rock  and  Roll– Rhythm   and   Blues:   Gospel-‐style   singing   with   blues   structures

and   an   up-‐tempo   backbeat.   Started   in   the   south   but   spreadnorth  as  southerners  leU  to  seek  work  in  the  Rust  Belt

– Rockabilly:   CombinaQon   of   country   singing   style   with   bluesstructures  and  an  up-‐tempo  backbeat.  Exclusively  white  marketin  Memphis,  TN

– Doo   Wop:   Voice-‐based   version   of   R&B   that   featured   minimalinstrumental  accompaniment,  uQlizing  nonsense  syllables  to  fillin   the  more   rhythmic  parts.  Developed   in  urban  environments(Harlem,   Philadelphia,   Detroit,   Chicago)   and   not   exclusive   to   asingle  race.

Music  Biz  Recap  

• “Crossover”   is  a  blanket   term  that   is  used   in   the  music   industry   to   describe   genres/styles   that  appeal  to  various  groups  of  people.  

•   Television   helped   move   genres   from   the  communiQes   in   which   they   were   created   to  audiences   that  would   normally   never   have   seen  or  heard  it  before.  

• It   also  meant   that  music  wri^en  by  black   arQsts  but   performed   by   white   arQsts   was   immensely  popular.  

Motown  Recap  

• Berry  Gordy  – Successful   songwriter   and   producer   for   “Mr.  Excitement,”  Jackie  Wilson  • Lonely  Teardrops  and  To  Be  Loved  

– Took  earnings  from  these  two  hits  and  founded  Tamla  Records   in   1959,   first   signing   R&B   singer-‐songwriter,  Smokey  Robinson  and  the  Miracles  

– 1960:   founds   Motown   based   on   the   “Fordism”  methodology   used   by   the   auto   industry   in   which   all  parts  of  the  producQon  were  done  in-‐house  by  a  team  of  specialized  workers.  

Motown  Modus  Operandi  Recap  • Family-‐style  business,  open  22  hours  a  day  • Operated  out  of  a  home  purchased  on  Grand  Ave.  near  downtown  Detroit  • ArQst  Development    

– eQque^e  coaching  (for  the  ladies),  media  training,  choreography  and  styling    • SongwriQng  and  Development    

– Holland/Dozier/Holland  – K.I.S.S.  Principle:  if  a  song  formula  works,  then  replicate  it  unQl  it  stops  selling  

records  • Recording  Studio  

– The  Snake  Pit  – The  Funk  Brothers  

• Quality  Control/DistribuQon/Management  – Friday  EvaluaQon  MeeQngs  – Billie  Jean  Brown  

Jackson  Beginning  Recap  

•  Joe  and  Katherine  and  their  9  children  lived  in  a   2   bedroom   home   on   Jackson   St,   in   Gary,  Indiana  

•  Joe   was   a   steel   worker   and   amateur   R&B  musician  

•  AUer   Joe   discovered   the   boys   had   talent,   he  decided  to  manage  the  group  himself    

•  The   boys   toured   extensively   on   the   Chitlin’  Circuit,  playing  amateur  talent  night  contests  

Jackson  Beginnings  Recap  

• Eventually,   they   won   the   major   contests   at   The  Apollo   Theater   in  Harlem  and   the  Regal   Theater  in  Chicago  

• The  began  opening  for  acts  such  as  Gladys  Knight  and  the  Pips,  who  menQoned  the  boys  to  Gordy  

• Recorded   a   demo   at   Steeltown   Records   in   Gary,  Indiana,  produced  by  Gordon  Keith  “Mr.  Keith”.  – Big  Boy  and  We  Don’t  Have  to  Be  21  (to  Fall  In  Love)  

The  Jackson  5  and  Motown  

• Gordy  insisted  that  he  wasn’t  interested  in  managing  a  kids  act  

• Eventually,   Gordy   relented   upon   the   insistence   of   B-‐level  Motown  songwriter,  Bobby  Taylor  

• July  1968:  The  boys  were  invited  to  audiQon  via  video  tape  – They  sang  a  string  of  R&B  hits,  ending  with  James  Brown’s  “I  Got  

the  Feelin”  – According  to  Michael,   the  audiQon  was  brief  and  cold,  with  no  

immediate  response  from  the  audiQon  panel  • Gordy  loved  them:  They  were  signed  to  a  development  deal  

and   invited   to   record   more   tracks   at   the   Detroit   Studios  under  the  guidance  of  Bobby  Taylor.  

Bobby  Taylor,  Producer  

•  "The   leap   from   raw   live   performance   to   studio  professionalism  can  be  a  big  one,  and  Taylor,  as  much  as  anyone,  provided  Michael  and  his  brothers  with  that  iniQal  educaQon."  –  Nelson  George,  31  

•  Joe   could  hustle   the  boys   around   the   club   circuit   and  put  together  an  energeQc  stage  show,  but  they   lacked  the  finesse  needed  to  record  a  professional  record.    

•  Live  performances   can  be  a   li^le   loose,  musically,   but  records  have  to  be  Qght  in  order  to  receive  “The  Nod”  from  Billie   Jean   Brown   and   Berry  Gordy   at   the   Friday  EvaluaQon  MeeQngs  

Bobby  Taylor’s  Sound  

• Taylor   paid   for   the   boys   and   their   father   to  relocate   temporarily   to   Detroit   to   record   a   few  tracks  in  the  Snake  Pit  at  Motown  

• In   these   sessions,   they   recorded   covers   of   R&B,  Soul  and  Funk  hits    – Isley  Brothers  “It’s  Your  Thing”  – Sly  and  the  Family  Stone  “Stand!”  – The  Four  Tops  “Reach  Out  (I’ll  be  There)”  – Ray  Charles  “Fool  for  You”  – Smokey  Robinson  “Who’s  Lovin’  You”  

A  Fool  For  You  I  know  you  told  me  Such  a  long  Qme  ago  That  you  didn't  want  me  You  didn't  love  me  no  more  

I  want  to  know  Oh,  what  makes  me  be  Do  you  believe  me  child?  I'm  a  fool  for  you  Oh,  I'm  a  fool  for  you  

I  know  you  told  me  You  didn't  want  me  'round  And  I  know  You  got  a  man  way  'cross  town  

So  I  know  it's  something  Oh,  what  makes  me  be  Do  you  believe  me  child?  I'm  a  fool  for  you  Oh,  I'm  a  fool  for  you  

Did  you  ever  wake  up  in  the  morning  Or  just  about  the  break  of  day  Reach  over  and  feel  the  pillow  Where  your  baby  used  to  lay?  

Then  you  put  on  your  crying  Like  you  never  cried  before,  oh  Lord  Yeah,  you'll  even  cry  so  loud  You  give  the  blues  to  your  neighbor  next  door  

Ever  since  you  were  five-‐years  old,  baby  I  been  a  fool  for  you,  li^le  girl  Way  down  in  my  soul  I'm  a  li^le  fool  for  ya  

So  I  know  it's  something  Oh  Lord,  yeah  I'm  a  fool  for  you  Oh,  I'm  a  fool  for  you  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsqgTDnGKI4

1955:  Ray  Charles  TradiQonal  Blues    •  Lyric  Structure:  closely  Qed  to  speech  vernacular  instead  of  using  

complicated  poeQc  device.  –  AAB  Rhyme  Scheme  

•  PlainQve  melody,  structured  around  the  call  and  response  format  of  church  music  –  Vocal  style  similar  to  wailing,  moaning,  while  remaining  in  a  very  minimal  pitch  

range  (doesn’t  go  too  high  or  too  low)  •  Simple  rhythmic  structure,  acQng  as  a  support  for  the  melody/voice,  

relying  on  repeQQon  of  short  musical  ideas  to  allow  for  improvisaQon  in  the  melodic  part  

•  InstrumentaQon:    –  Verse  1:  piano,  drums,  bass  –  Verse  2:  add  horns  playing  long,  held  notes  –  RepeQQon  of  the  A  SecQons:  Instruments  and  Voice  in  call  and  response  –  Final  B  SecQon:  Only  secQon  in  which  Ray  does  any  vocal  improvisaQon  

1967/68:  OQs  Redding  Soul/R&B  •  Singing  is  more  rooted  in  Gospel  music,  in  a  form  of  ‘secular  

tesQfying’  •  Blues  Song,  adding  more  intricate  rhythm  secQon,  and  looser  

singing  style  •  InstrumentaQon:  

–  Intro:  piano,  guitar,  horns  in  call  and  response  –  Verses  1  and  2:  Guitar,  drums,  bass,  piano,  horns  add  tags  to  end  of  

verse  –  RepeQQon  of  A  SecQons:  call  and  response  similar  to  the  introducQon,  

leaving  plenty  of  space  for  OQs  to  improvise  by  extending  syllables  and  adding  more  wailing  

–  Final  B  SecQon:  Add  Organ,  builds  to  a  climax  with  OQs  and  the  guitar  exchanging  improvisaQonal  phrases  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRMoS7kSuGA

1969:  The  Jackson  5  Bobby  Taylor  and  The  Motown  Sound  •  Motown  InstrumentaQon:  guitar,  bass,  organ,  drums,  piano,  horns,  

strings,  harp,  backing  vocals  •  Michael’s  Vocal  Style  

–  Almost  every  single  phrase  has  some  sort  of  improvised  tag,  flourish,  turn  

–  The  final  repeQQon  of  the  A  secQons  goes  on  for  nearly  two  minutes  –  Adds  a  few  tongue  in  cheek  references  to  his  own  youth:  “Ever  since  

you  were  1-‐2-‐3-‐4-‐5  years  old…I’ve  been  a…I  been  a  fool  for  you  baaaaaby,  yeah…”  

–  Performance  of  emoQonal  maturity:  “Way  down  in  my  SOOOOUUUUL  yeah,  yeah”  

•  This  producQon  of  the  song  is  significantly  more  dense  than  the  other  two  versions…a  long  way  from  a  simple  blues  song  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wkKz_1vVUc

Motown  and  Detroit  

•  The  Taylor  sessions  of  1969  were  done  without  the  supervision  of  Berry  Gordy  at  Motown’s  studio  A,  and  were  intended  to  be  included  on  their  debut  record  

•  Berry  Gordy  wasn't  too  thrilled  that  the  group  was  recording  oldies,  and  felt  that  they  should  be  recording  original  material  

•  Gordy  was  spending  more  and  more  Qme  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  had  recently  purchased  a  home  and  was  interested  in  going  in  a  different  musical  direcQon    –  The  Jackson  5  were  going  to  be  his  first  a^empt  at  a  new  style  and  sound  

Farewell,  Detroit  

•  Gordy  gave  no  noQce  that  he  would  be  moving  his  company  to  the  Hollywood  

•  Many  of  the  musicians  were  stuck:  either  go  with  Gordy  and  try  to  keep  the  career  alive,  or  stay  in  Motown  and  fade  into  obscurity  

•  The  Funk  Brothers,  for  the  most  part,  remained  in  Detroit  •  The  highly  producQve  songwriQng  team,  Holland-‐Dozier-‐

Holland,  were  in  the  middle  of  legally  terminaQng  their  contract  with  Motown  over  royalty  disputes  

•  In  a  city  sQll  trying  to  rebuild  from  the  devastaQng  1967  riots  and  the  declining  finances  of  the  auto  industry,  Detroit  needed  Motown  more  than  Motown  needed  Detroit  

Hello,  Los  Angeles  

•  Gordy  purchased  a  palaQal  estate  in  the  Hollywood  Hills…he  also  rented  a  home  for  Diana  Ross  just  down  the  street  

•  Changes  in  producQon  model:  – Hal  Davis  and  The  CorporaQon  replaced  Holland-‐Dozier-‐Holland  as  the  primary  songwriQng  and  producQon  team  

– Gordy  loosened  his  grip  on  arQsts,  allowing  most  of  them  the  opportunity  to  write  and  produce  their  own  material  

The  CorporaQon  

•  Team  of  songwriters  and  producers  assembled  by  Berry  Gordy  for  the  new  Hollywood  studios  – Mostly,  they  were  put  together  expressly  for  The  Jackson  5  

•  Berry  Gordy:  execuQve  producer,  arranger,  songwriter  •  Hal  Davis:  producer    

–  Acted  as  lead  producer  for  much  of  The  CorporaQon’s  output,  causing  contenQon  among  the  members  

•  Alphonzo  Mizell:  producer  •  Freddie  Perren:  pianist  and  songwriter  •  Deke  Richards:  vocal  coach  and  arranger  

Three  Number  Ones  "I'm   gonna   make   you   the   biggest   thing   in   the  world,   and   you're   gonna   be  wri^en   about   in  history   books...Your   first   record   will   be   a  number   one,   your   second   record   will   be   a  number   one,   and   so   will   your   third   record.  Three  number  one  records   in  a  row.  You'll  hit  the   charts   just   as   Diana   Ross   and   the  Supremes  did.”    

–  Michael  Jackson  Moonwalker,  67-‐68  

Music  Changeover  in  the  1960s  •  The  music  industry  had  shiUed  in  the  1960s  in  favor  of  rock  

groups  –  ‘Teen'  pop  music  was  widely  panned  as  formulaic  and  

'bubblegum'.    –  It  was  considered  a  passing  fancy  for  young  people  who  aren't  

wise  enough  to  know  that  what  their  listening  to  has  no  arQsQc  merit.    

•  If  Motown  was  going  to  produce  a  kids’  act,  they  were  determined  to  make  it  less  about  novelty  and  more  about  depth.    

•  These  would  be  boys  whose  personaliQes  and  smarts  beyond  their  years  could  appeal  to  a  broader  audience  (which  was  Motown's  M.O.).    

•  Gordy  was  interested  in  making  music  that  both  a  youthful  and  mature  audience  could  get  behind.  

Diana  Ross  Presents:  The  Jackson  5  (1969)  

•  The  Jackson  5  were  the  only  group  Gordy  funded  to  move  to  Los  Angeles  –  Joe  and  the  three  eldest  sons  (Jackie,  Jermaine  and  Tito)  lived  in  Berry  Gordy’s  home  

– Marlon  and  Michael  lived  with  Diana  Ross  •  Displeased  with  Bobby  Taylor’s  work,  Hal  Davis  was  asked  to  step  in  as  execuQve  producer  and  songwriter  –  “Who’s  Lovin’  You”  would  be  the  only  Taylor-‐produced  track  to  make  it  onto  an  official  Jackson  5  record  

Suzanne  De  Passe  

•  Suzanne  De  Passe:  an  execuQve  in  the  ArQst  Development  Department  – Stepped  in  as  manager  – Sold  the  group  by  making  them  2  years  younger  than  they  were  

– Styled  them  in  Qghtly  groomed  afros  and  coordinaQng  psychedelic  clothing  

– Most  importantly,  it  was  decided  that  their  story  would  be  changed  to  indicate  Diana  Ross  had  actually  discovered  them  

A  New  Image  for  a  New  Decade  

From:  Grownups  in  Training  of  the  1960s    

To:  Hip  Kids  of  the  1970s  

Gordy’s  PerfecQonism  

•  Hal  Davis  and  The  CorporaQon  recorded  a  rough  mix  of  several  songs,  modeling  them  aUer  the  deep  soul  sound  of  previous  Motown  hits  

•  Gordy  hated  them  for  the  same  reasons  he  hated  the  Bobby  Taylor  mixes.    – He  personally  oversaw  the  re-‐recording  of  the  each  song  unQl  he  had  achieved  a  more  meQculous  Pop  sound.  

•  The  biggest  change  would  come  in  the  way  Michael  was  allowed  to  deliver  the  vocal…  

Cleaned  Up:  From  THIS  to  THIS  

Pop  Vocals  •  Michael’s  solo  line  is  stripped  of  the  excessive  vibrato  he  

used  in  his  Steeltown  releases,  allowing  it  to  sneak  in  at  the  ends  of  held  notes  

•  The  boys’  arrangement  is  slick,  coordinaQng  a  very  Qght  call  and  response  between  Jackie,  Jermaine  and  Michael  

•  Inclusion  of  Doo  Wop  elements,  such  as  non-‐sense  syllables  meant  to  imitate  rhythmic  instruments  

•  EmphaQc  improvisaQon  is  a  No-‐No,  eliminaQng  it  enQrely  

http://youtu.be/5wkKz_1vVUc?t=3m10shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Q80mk7bxEhttp://youtu.be/4-mqVVj0PyU?t=28s

Their  First  #1  Hit  

I  Want  You  Back  •  Wri^en  by  Freddie  Perren,  a  pianist  from  Chicago  

–  Originally  Qtled  "I  want  to  be  Free"  and  was  intended  for  Gladys  Knight  

•  Produced  by  Gordy  and  The  CorporaQon  •  Jermaine  and  Tito,  the  group's  bassist  and  guitarist,  

respecQvely,  were  worried  they  wouldn’t  be  able  to  play  the  song.    –  They  were  informed  that  the  rhythm  track  would  be  recorded  

by  studio  musicians  first  and  that  the  boys  were  only  to  be  responsible  for  recording  the  vocals.  

–  This  meant  that  the  boys  would  be  responsible  for  playing  them  live,  and  the  pressure  was  on  to  keep  up  their  skills  

Bubblegum  Soul  Formula  

•  Smooth  out  Michael’s  insQncQvely  flamboyant  vocal  •  Tight  background  vocals,  drawing  from  doo  wop  tradiQons,  and  call  and  response  formats  

•  Add  interjecQons  by  Jermaine,  the  group’s  original  lead  singer  and  feature  Jackie  singing  in  his  false^o  

•  Funky  bass  and  guitar  parts  that  Jermaine  and  Tito  would  play  only  on  live  performances  

•  Extended  choruses  that  would  feature  both  a  catchy  hook  and  their  Qght  choreography  

•  Innocuous  lyrics  about  aspiraQonal  relaQonships,  not  necessarily  about  anything  that  might  be  experienced  –  Plays  up  their  youthful  naïveté  

ABC  (1970)  and  Third  Album  (1970)  

•  In  typical  Motown  form,  The  Jackson  5’s  next  3  hits  would  follow  the  songwriQng  formula  that  was  so  successful  with  “I  Want  You  Back”  

•  ABC  was  released  immediately  following  Diana  Ross  Presents…  and  Third  Album  followed  in  the  same  year  

•  Three  more  #1  hits!  –  “ABC”  –  Spring,  1970  –  “The  Love  You  Save”  –  Summer,  1970  –  “I’ll  Be  There”  –  Fall,  1970  (from  Third  Album)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6tlZzkqfHwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR-X4pCwL_ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6pAxF2br_U

Copycats  

"My  brothers  and  I  –  our  whole  family  –  were  very  proud.  We  had  created  a  new  sound  for  a  new  decade...AUer  "ABC"  hit  the  charts  in  such  a  big  way,  we  started  seeing  other  groups  that  record  companies  were  grooming  to  ride  the  bandwagon  we  built."  –  Michael  Jackson,  Moonwalker,  79  

•  The  rise  of  family  acts  took  off  aUer  Jackson  5  –  The  Osmonds  and  The  DeFranco  Family  –  The  Partridge  Family:  a  family  music  act  created  for  TV    –  The  Brady  Bunch:  a  family  sitcom  that  started  to  include  more  

musical  elements  •  Though  The  Osmonds  had  already  existed  as  a  pop-‐

crooning  group,  they  immediately  changed  their  tune  (ha)  and  started  incorporaQng  more  soul  into  their  sound.    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlFQvbHVk5o

Media  Blitz    and  Idoldom  

1971:  OversaturaQon  

Growth  and  Insecurity  

•  Puberty:  As  soon  as  they  were  successful,  Michael  hit  a  major  growth  spurt  and  his  voice  began  changing  

•  They  released  extensive  merchandise  to  appeal  to  their  younger  fan  base  

•  Saturday  Morning  Cartoon  debuted  and  aired  for  2  seasons,  further  cemenQng  them  as  a  Bubblegum  Act  (which  the  boys  didn’t  really  want  to  be)  

•  The  more  fans  demanded  of  Michael,  the  more  he  became  withdrawn  

Closeness  and    Joe’s  QuesQonable  ParenQng  

•  They  boys  toured  extensively  in  the  early  70s,  which  meant  they  spent  every  waking  hour  together.    –  Jermaine  and  Michael  ended  up  becoming  the  closest  out  of  the  

5,  as  they  were  the  most  prone  to  mischief  and  pranks  •  Joe  would  make  Michael  and  Jermaine  room  together,  

gezng  the  room  next  to  theirs  through  connecQng  doors.  –  The  boys  resented  this  arrangement  –  Joe  could  supervise  them  more  closely,  but  he  also  exploited  

them  –  There  is  an  infamous  story  where  Joe  used  to  bring  in  groups  of  

girls  into  their  hotel  room  while  they  were  sleeping.  The  boys  would  wake  up  to  giggling  girls  staring  at  them.  

Michael’s  IdenQty  Crisis  

"Michael   was   a   cute   li^le   kid;   I   was   a   gangly  adolescent  heading  toward  five  feet  ten  inches.   I  was   not   the   person   they   expected   or   even  wanted   to   see.  Adolescence   is  hard  enough,  but  imagine   having   your   own   natural   insecuriQes  about   the   changes   your   body   is   undergoing  heightened   by   the   negaQve   reacQons   of   others.  They   seemed   so   surprised   that   I   could   change,  that  my   body  was   undergoing   the   same   natural  change  everyone  else's  does.”  

 -‐    Michael  Jackson,  Moonwalker,  96  

The  Formula  Goes  Stale  

•  Frustrated  by  the  way  Motown  was  trying  to  keep  their  product  within  certain  boundaries,  the  boys  began  to  suggest  any  number  of  things  to  try  out  in  the  studios,  all  of  which  would  be  wri^en  off  due  to  their  age.    

•  MJ  remarks  that  if  Motown  could  have  it  their  way,  the  boys  would  never  have  aged.    –  Keeping  Jackie  the  studly  17  year  old  and  Michael  the  adorable  10  year  old.  

•  Reluctantly,  Gordy  and  The  CorporaQon  agreed  to  let  them  begin  using  more  disco  and  funk  elements    –  (more  on  that  next  week)  

Soul  Train  and  the  Power  of  TV  

•  Between  1971  and  1974,  they  released  6  records,  none  of  which  achieved  the  same  sales  as  the  iniQal  3.  –  They  were  in  danger  of  becoming  an  oldies  act  before  Michael  had  turned  18.  

•  1974:  they  appeared  on  Soul  Train  performing  a  new  dance  hit,  showcasing  Michael’s  interest  in  trendy  dance  moves  he’d  seen  on  the  show  –  If  the  boys  had  no  input  on  their  songs,  they  could  at  least  control  the  live  performance  element  

– Michael  decided  to  incorporate  a  dance  move  that  would  be  a  sort  of  visual  signature  for  the  song:  The  Robot  

–  AUer  this  performance,  the  record  became  their  next  mega  hit  with  kids  everywhere  dancing  The  Robot  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w54LMGurXNo

The  Motown  Divorce  

•  1974:  the  boys  wanted  to  update  their  sound  and  start  wriQng  their  own  material  –  So  long  as  the  group  was  sQll  mostly  underage,  and  with  

Jermaine  being  married  to  Berry's  daughter,  the  group  was  sQll  fiercely  under  the  thumb  of  Motown  Inc.  

–  Only  a  couple  of  Motown  acts  had  fought  and  earned  the  right  to  produce  their  own  material:  Stevie  Wonder  and  Marvin  Gaye  

•  The  youngest  brother,  Randy  had  begun  playing  with  the  group  as  a  back-‐up  vocalist  and  bongo  player  (though  they  were  sQll  called  The  Jackson  5)  

•  They  were  given  their  own  Variety  Show  aUer  a  string  of  successful  appearances  on  others’  shows  –  The  show  put  a  major  strain  on  their  relaQonship  to  Gordy,  

though  it  introduced  the  world  to  this  li^le  lady.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP9z9xXaZEA

"Eventually   my   brothers   and   I   reached   a   point  with   Motown   where   we   were   miserable   but  no   one   was   saying   anything.   My   brothers  didn't   say   anything.   My   father   didn't   say  anything.   So   it   was   up   to   me   to   arrange   a  meeQng   with   Berry   Gordy   and   talk   to   him.   I  was   the   one   who   had   to   say   that   we   –   the  Jackson   5   –  were   going   to   leave  Motown."   –  Michael  Jackson,  Moonwalker,  115  

Move  to  Epic  Records  •  They  secured  and  incredible  record  deal  with  Epic  in  which  their  takeaway  was  20%  per  record  royalty  (Motown's  2.8%)  

•  Motown  owned  the  trademark  to  "The  Jackson  5"  so  they  changed  it  to  “The  Jacksons”  – Motown  tried  to  sue  for  breach  of  contract,  but  eventually  conceded  and  let  them  go  

•  Jermaine  didn't  make  the  switch  with  the  group,  since  he  had  just  married  Gordy's  daughter,  Hazel,  and  he  was  interested  in  starQng  his  solo  career  

Philadelphia  Soul  

•  Epic  was  a  major  compeQtor  for  Motown  and  was  healmed  by  Kenneth  Gamble  and  Leon  Huff,  execuQve  producers  

•  By  the  early  1970s,  their  “Philadelphia  Soul”  sound  had  eclipsed  the  Motown  Sound,  uQlizing  an  arrangement  style  popularized  by  Disco  

•  Their  own  in-‐house  band  named  MFSB  (mother  father  sister  brother)  –  Wrote  TSOP  (The  Sound  of  Philadelphia)  –  later  known  as  the  

theme  song  to  Soul  Train  •  The  group  maintained  a  rigorous  touring  schedule  and  

released  6  records  from  1976  –  84  •  Michael  began  wriQng  more  and  more  songs,  eventually  

becoming  the  designated  lead  songwriter  

The  Jacksons  (1976)  

Enjoy  Yourself  •  Less  ambiguous  lyrical  content,  though  sQll  quite  clean  

–  A  song  about  dancing  with  a  wallflower  and  showing  her  a  “good  Qme”  

•  The  dancing  becomes  a  li^le  more  suggesQve  and  much  more  loose,  giving  Michael  freedom  to  either  join  the  choreography  or  not  

•  Michael  Jackson,  now  18,  is  free  to  include  more  soulful  vocal  interjecQons  

•  The  song  ends  with  an  extended  repeat  of  the  chorus,  with  Michael  improvising  over  it  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WILbxhnlSQ&feature=youtu.be

DesDny  (1978)  

Back  on  Top  

•  With  DesDny,  the  group  had  re-‐affirmed  their  status  as  a  major  music  commodity  – “Blame  It  On  The  Boogie”  and  “Shake  Your  Body  (Down  to  the  Ground)”  were  both  Top  10  singles  

•  The  group  wrote  all  but  “Blame  It  On  The  Boogie”  for  the  record,  and  self-‐produced  the  enQre  thing  

•  They  delved  head-‐first  into  the  big  music  and  dance  craze  of  the  late  1970s:  DISCO!!!  

Shake  Your  Body  (Down  to  the  Ground)  

•  Visually,  the  group  is  fully  invested  in  this  futurisQc  jumpsuit  thing.    –  In  all  footage  from  this  Qme  period,  they’re  wearing  some  

version  of  this  ou}it  •  Musically,  they’re  blending  funk,  disco  and  soul  

–  Disco:  soaring  string  parts  providing  interesQng  counter-‐melodies  

–  Funk:  a  more  melodic  bass  line  and  dense  horn  parts  –  Soul:  that  voice  

•  Michael  is  starQng  to  incorporate  vocal  sounds  that  would  eventually  become  his  trademarks  –  He’s  beginning  to  explore  the  differences  between  his  false^o  

and  the  regular  singing  voice.  –  He’s  also  starQng  to  include  more  of  the  punctuaQon  sounds:  

the  hiccups  and  WOOH  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsry9yfRb2w

ALL   of   this   is   laying   the   groundwork   for   his  upcoming  solo  projects….  

UnQl  Next  Time…