a look into the music that influenced the Jackson 5, what their music is, what they mean to music.
essay by m. carrigan
Soul Music. The words, the rhythms, the voices. It's a rich sound that knows no time, the melodies last forever. One could research the roots of soul music, learn everything there is to know about the artists, and still not know just what it is. It's much easier to experience the music, to listen to it, to feel it. Five brothers were raised in these sounds, listening to their father play the greats with his Falcons. The brothers grew up surrounded by R&B influence, but most importantly, it was in their blood. They picked up the Motown sound, carrying the company into the 70s. Michael and his brothers wrote a new chapter in soul music, unlike any other. It's one of child prodigies, incredible energy, and Michael reinventing the way we hear it. Their first four singles went straight to the top, the first group ever to accomplish this. Their catalogue of songs will set your soul on fire, for their blazing, intense voices are for real. Straight from this group comes the man with greatest selling record of all time. Straight from this group is a large collection of songs, each solo effort impressive and nearly flawless. Straight from this group, we hear voices with a pure magic and raw talent, not found on any other recording to this date. Meet The Jackson 5.
Zip A Dee Do Dah. Can you imagine a better song to open a (very) young group's debut album? The song opens with Michael borrowing "Yeah.. yeah..yeah" from Sly and The Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song". It's one of the funkiest tracks from the J5, and heavily influenced by Sly. Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 mostly consists of covers of other songs, however, in the first three songs, The Jackson 5 have established their own original sound.
Michael Jackson as a child is amazing. He could handle any ballad, he could reach any note, and he sing any song with a full range of emotions. He could sing "Chained" with the same pain in his voice that Marvin Gaye could. Remember, Marvin felt chained in his marriage, as it fell apart slowly. Michael was nine years old. Michael had all the qualities of a great singer, and one more, his voice was Intense. And it still is. Listen to "Stranger in Moscow", off of HIStory. He sings calmly throughout the whole song, then suddenly he yells, "like a stranger in Moscow!". As Michael grew older, his voice naturally grew deeper, but more percussive. Michael is one of the finest soul singers, and this is undeniable.
Jermaine Jackson is sadly neglected, for he is a great singer as well. He has a calm and gentle voice that can hypnotise. Michael and Jermaine's duets are incredible, (see) "I'll Be There".
Jermaine's first solo displayed what a fine singer he really is. "Daddy's Home" is haunting, his emotion reminding me of the emotion in Bobby Taylor's "Does Your Mama Know About Me?".
Jermaine covered the Top's "I'm in a Different World" as well. The real treat is at the end, when he sings the words in a higher voice. It's very believable that Jermaine felt he was in a different world of happiness, as his voice does express this. Jermaine's voice is still calm, gentle, and expressive. His songs do the same thing to me as does Al Green.
Marlon Jackson is the least noticable on a J5 record. However, he is there, and he does posess the qualities of any great soul singer. His deep, raspy voice reminds me of David Ruffin, most popular for singing lead on "My Girl". In "Corner of the Sky", Marlon sings "I've got to be where my spirit can run free..". It's the most touching part of the song, and that's what soul music should do. Touch your soul. In the J5, Marlon's voice is indespensible.
Tito Jackson sings with the deepest voice. He couplements the other voices. In "Mama's Pearl", his "ba ba.." perfectly completes the song. His voice becomes the bass, a human instrument, a technique Michael uses in creating his songs. Where Jermaine and Jackie are the high notes in a song, Tito is the opposite, crucial for any J5 song.
Jackie Jackson sings with the highest voice. He is very distinguishable among his brother's blending voices. Without his brothers however, he can hold his own.. In the background, he often carries the other three's voices, to make it perfect. In "Love Don't Wanna Leave", he sings it with belief, and it's hard to turn off, once he starts with "I remember how it used to be...". When they became The Jacksons, Jackie became the co-lead singer. It's hard to imagine the Jackson 5 without him.
All their voices put together make the Jackson 5. Each of their individual qualities put together make that Jackson 5 sound, with the help of The Corporation. They were not The Four Tops, the Temptations, The Miracles, or The Supremes. They were the Jackson 5, with an original sound, that J5 sound. Many may think the Jackson 5 sang silly pop songs, but perhaps they should listen. The Jackson 5 were a combination of pop, soul, and funk all in one. "ABC" was reminesent of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World". They were modeled after Doo Wop's famous Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers. Listening to older soul hits, they must have absorbed this music almost. Sly Stone is evident in many J5 songs, and even in more recently, Michael's "Scream". Afterall, one of the first songs they performed on stage was "Sing a Simple Song".
Jermaine has expressed his love for Marvin Gaye many times in words. Michael, too, however it is strongly heard in his music. I read a quote saying, only Michael Jackson and Prince have used multi-tracking their voice as creatively as Marvin. Marvin might have invented it almost, for he used the technique magically on "What's Going On". Marvin created another masterpiece called "Here My Dear". It was a double album, containing painful, but incredible songs about the overwhelming problem in his life. The album was considered too eccentric by many, and ignored. He used multitracking to make it sound as if 4 Marvins were singing at once, becoming the lead singer, the co-lead, and the background. Remind you of HIStory? "They Don't Care About Us"? Michael has said how Diana Ross has inspired his music, and clearly, he seems to model his voice after hers, especially in earlier tracks. We also can't forget how much Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Jackie Wilson, and James Brown have influenced the J5.
I only use these comparisons with the Jackson 5 to great soul singers to show where they came from. As stated, they are an incredible talent, each of them important, make this magical group. The Jackson 5, and the Jackson family has influenced everyone in music. It's a scary world without these songs. Afterall, Michael made the music video an art. The Jackson Family chapter in music is one of the best, one of huge hits, great achievements, original sound, great music, and of course, pure soul.