The Jacksons is the first album by The Jacksons. Despite the promise, "The Jacksons" is hampered by derivative tracks and a lack of knowing what to do with the group, particularly lead singer, Michael Jackson. The big hit here, the jerky "Enjoy Yourself," perfectly captured Michael Jackson's late adolescence, with his newfound vocal tics and inflections. "Show You the Way to Go" best captures the Philly sound, with a pretty melody and a great vocal from Michael. Michael, Jackie, Tito, and Marlon were able for the first time to write 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 the second R&B single "Show You The Way To Go".[1][2]
Track list[]
- Enjoy Yourself
- Think Happy
- Good Times
- Keep on Dancing
- Blues Away
- Show You the Way to Go
- Living Together
- Strength of One Man
- Dreamer
- Style of Life
Singles[]
Charts and Awards[]
The album itself placed #36 and #6 on the pop and r&b album chart. The album was the Jacksons' first gold album, despite selling more than 10 million albums while at Motown. (Motown's sales and financial records were never presented for auditing by the RIAA until 1976).