Nothin' But the Music - Track 5

                I’m a big fan of “the family band” concept, as I believe that some groups of relatives have an almost magical vocal bond that makes them blend musically in a different way than any other groups.  There are many famous examples, some of which I’ve featured in this series on the blog (The Bee Gees and Gladys Knight & the Pips).  I also have several relatives of my own that have so often amazed me when they joined together in song and reminded me that blood is thicker than sound waves.  So, for “track 5” on my blogged playlist, I think it appropriate to honor the power of five – The Jackson 5.  A group that really needs no introduction, they have spawned more hits, more notable solo music careers, and more items of publicity (both good and bad) than any of us could count.  Discovered by Gladys and Bubba Knight in Indiana and crafted and promoted by an ambitious Diana Ross and the inventive Berry Gordy at Motown, the original powerhouse group of singing brothers charted new territory when they entered the national stage.  It would be incredibly tough to feature all of their best quality work.  So, for the sake of simplicity, here is my own top five by The Jackson 5.  Let me know how closely we agree.

#5 – “I Want You Back” – The first big hit by the brothers from Gary, this is a toe-tapping, volume pumping tune that makes you feel good from the first few notes.  It is also one of those songs that you simply must watch them perform, rather than just hear.  A great example of patented Jackson family choreography. 

#4 – “I’ll Be There” – A heavily and well-covered hit, this was one of the first tunes with which the Jacksons proved that they could sing feelings and concepts beyond their age.

#3 – “Dancing Machine” – Another perfect example of a song that was written for the Jacksons to perform live, this song has a kind of obvious hidden meaning.  Though the song talks about a girl being “a dancing machine,” the greatest dancing machines of all time are the young men who sang about her.  This is a great pumped-up beat to get you going if the morning is starting off too slow.

#2 – “Never Can Say Goodbye” – Another heavily-covered hit, the Jacksons performed this song of not letting go with its best known balance of R&B soul and early 70s pop.  This tempo put it squarely between the other two most noted versions – Isaac Hayes with a slower, deeper soulful rendition and Gloria Gaynor with a fast-paced straight up disco version.  The Jackson brothers’ harmony still makes theirs stand out.

#1 – “Can You Feel It?” – You may not agree that this is the top Jackson tune, but I love it.  It’s one of the songs that defines the later years of their career as a group and pumps me up every time I hear it.  Any group that would name a “Victory Tour” had to have a song like this.  The extended music video that Michael made was interesting too.  The song alone is enough, though, and proves a staple on the lists of great “feel good” soul tunes.  That’s what the Jackson 5 did best.  When they asked “can you feel it?”, thanks to their music, we could all answer “Yes we can!”