Buy Low Price From Here Now
Low price reissue of 1972 album that's out-of-print domestically. Ten tracks. Spectrum. 2003.
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By Andre S. Grindle (Brewer Maine)
Who said in the early 70's that you couldn't be a solo artist on Motown without leaving a group? When this album came out the Jackson 5 were still at the top of their game as Never Can Say Goodbye and such as Michael Jackson,for the first time was making his first solo recording. His Motown solo career has always tended to be overlooked of course due mainly to what he'd achieve at the end of the decade with Quincy Jones. There was a lot Berry Gordy put into this album-gathering all the same writers,musicians and writers to bring a similar magic to Michael's solo recordings as he did to the Jackson 5. And it all paid off because not only did this album make Michael into an instant solo hit but gave him a very different musical flavor then he had with his brothers. And even at that the unique musical style and harmonic flavor of Leon Ware oozes out of every pore of "I Wanna Be Where You Are",one of Michael's best hit songs during his Motown years both in terms of music and vocals.This album starts out with a really unique version of "Ain't No Sunshine",dressed up in this slow burning psychedelic soul version with all these fuzzed out guitars and Michael rapping at the beginning "You ever want somethin/you know you should'nt have/The more you know you should'nt have it/the more you want it/And then one day you get it/it's so good to you".The fact that this line is being recited in all seriousness by a 13 year old practicing Jehovah's Witness who....according to a friend of mine with plenty of experience in the matter had plenty of understanding of that kind of forbidan fruit.The title track of this album is another highlite,in terms of structure not all that different from the yearning,tension filled kind of romantic "smooth jams" (since it's not exactly a ballad) that would serve him so well during his 80's years."Maria" is another great tune here,a great longing epic right up there with his presentation.There are some more standard Motown/"Corperation" styled productions such as "Girl Don't Take Your Love From Me",the Diana Ross styled "In Our Small Way" and a cover of "Love Is Here And Now Your Gone".All of these tunes though have a certain weightiness to them."Rockin' Robin",a lighthearted "You've Got A Friend" and the rather 50's doo-wop styled "Wings of My Love" are the only tunes here that display much of a hint of youthful "kiddie pop" kind of outlook. I would have to agree this album is incredibly cohesive. It's still very much in the hit-making factory mentality of Motown's salad years that Gordy was still clinging to during the early 70's. At the same time the individual songs that are presented here are strong showcases for the aspects of Michael's pop crafting talents.Even though at this juncture Michael,as with all his brothers and most Motown artists had little creative say outside of showing up and singing. But there was a lot to be learned for him musically from these early solo sessions. And even for fans of the Jackson 5 this album still projects enough of an individual identity to make it enjoyable on it's own merrits.
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This is a good beginning to Michael Jackson's solo career. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" is my favorite, and after reading a concert review from the early 70s it was the audience's favorite then too. It's timeless.
His cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" is great, and as an intro he talks about missing his girl. It's very cute when you think how young he was. Then of course there's "Got to Be There" which is a good song. Overall it's one of my favorite cds.
By D. R. Hettiarachchi (UK)
I became a Michael Jackson fan just a few months ago. Yes, that's right!
This was his first ever solo album....and boy, it was a true indication of what this guy was going to achieve. The singing is FANTASTIC. Pure voice, with soul and heart! Aint No Sunshine is out of this world! I cannot believe he was just 13yrs old when he sang it.
What amazes me about Michael Jackson, and what a lot of people fail to appreciate, is how each album of his is completely different. The sound, the image, the look...everything is different with each album. He's never stuck to a "tried & tested" method and has never been afraid to experiment. Sadly, this same characteristic has earned him a lot of criticism. Someday, people will understand.
By Gayle L. Edmond (New York State)
Of when Michael Jackson was brown. . .My brother's kids don't even believe it's the same Michael Jackson they see today! My Uncle got me this "album" when I was 13 years old. (The same age as Michael at the time). I played it to death. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a wonderful song and can still hold its own all these years later. "Rockin' Robin" is real cute - and was a big hit back in the day. His voice was clear and on "Ain't No Sunshine" he sounds very mature for his age. The entire album is good because he didn't do all those ("Hee hee hee") verbal ticks back then that he does now. I recommend this very much.
By The Fancy One (Westchester County, NY)
GOT TO BE THERE will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the very first album I ever purchased when I was a little kid...the VERY FIRST!! I was already a die-hard J-5 fan by 1971, and as hard as it was to save my allowance to buy GOT TO BE THERE, it was worth every penny! It still is.
Michael Jackson...my first crush, the first singer that really and truly moved me because he was only a few years older than I was, and this was his first solo album!! Forget what SOME people will say about OFF THE WALL being Mike's first outing away from the Jacksons (or should I say the Jackson 5, as they were still being called in 1971). Those people obviously don't know anything about the solo career MJ had on Motown; they simply group his solo work with that of his brothers - which there is nothing wrong with that, but Mike DID do solo work. So what if his brothers were singing background on those solo cuts?
Anyway, "Got To Be There" was Michael's first solo single, and his first hit. The rest of the album does not disappoint. All of the soul, passion and energy that was evident on MJ's J-5 work is present here: From the breathtaking reworking of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" to the funky remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin", to the James Taylor classic "You've Got a Friend", the young Michael displays an amazingly mature vocal style that only showcases what would come in later years for him. One should not dismiss this as just another "bubble gum" pop/soul offering from a kiddie artist, which at the time, the industry seemed to be overrun with them (i.e. Donny Osmond, Foster Sylvers, Chee Chee and Peppy, etc.). It was, and still is, appealing to adults as well. Everything on this album (CD) clicks. Anytime I want to take a trip down memory lane, I play this and remember how much I loved Michael back then.
Standouts are "Maria (You Were The Only One)", "Girl Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Wings of My Love", "In Our Small Way" and Mike's second hit, "I Wanna Be Where You Are", but like I said, everything is enjoyable on it. Michael Jackson is a legend! No matter how history may try to smear his image or what he has done to himself over his adult years, NOTHING can change the fact that he was/is a remarkable talent. He made wonderful music, influenced and inspired millions of kids over three generations. GOT TO BE THERE is where it all began. It's a true classic, a must have.
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