The Jacksons' Triumph is truth in advertising

The Jacksons : Lovely One

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On October 12 The Jacksons released Triumph (US#10 pop, #1R+B) . Recorded in the wake of Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, the album sold a million copies and prompted a 39 city tour that grossed $5.5 million. Triumph's opening track, "Can You Feel It", wasn't a hit but a special video produced to open every concert was the most technically advanced made so far .

Triumph sounds like the great lost Michel Jackson album. He handles most of the writing and lead vocal duties. The brothers produced the album. The first single, "Lovely One" (#12) , which sounds like another infectious dance track from Off The Wall, is the highlight, but the whole album is joyful.

While the album only finished #83 in the Village Voice Pazz and Jop critics poll, it made Robert Christgau's top 10 for the year.

 

Let's Dance Let's Shout

The Jacksons : Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)

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On January 18, 1979 The Jacksons released "Shake Your Body ( Down to the Ground)", the second single of their 1978 album Destiny. Written and composed by Randy and Michael Jackson, it would sell two million copies, peak at US #3 and become The Jacksons's all time biggest selling single for Epic Records. Here, for the first time, we hear Michael's trademark yelping and hiccuping vocal style. Maybe the only Jacksons tune that stands up to Michael's solo material. The full album version is even better than the single, running 8 minutes. Ranked the #9 best single of 1979 by NME writers.

Don't Blame It On The Sunshine

The Jacksons : Blame It On The Boogie

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On December 17, 1978 The Jacksons released Destiny, an album that sold four million copies worldwide. This is the first time the brothers had full artistic control. Among the first songs they recorded was "Blame It on the Boogie", a song by English singer-songwriter Mick Jackson ( no relation)  that peaked at US#54. 

"I got such a rush," Mick Jackson tells disco-disco.com upon hearing the Jacksons version of his song "I was thrilled because their version was INCREDIBLE! Our version had 100% of our heart and soul in it but the Jackson's version had the magic extra 2% that made it incredible. We actually wrote it with Stevie Wonder in mind - now that would have been an INCREDIBLE version and to this day I think that would have been an amazing version."

"It was an uptempo, finger-poppin'-time type song that was a good vehicle for the band approach we wanted to cultivate," said Michael Jackson. " I had fun slurring the chorus:  'Blame It on the Boogie' could be sung in one breath without putting my lips together."

  In the U.K.both versions were released at the same time. The music press closely watched "the battle of the boogie".The Jacksons' version was more successful, peaking at UK#8 .The Mick Jackson version—hailed by NME as "far superior"—peaked at Number 15 on the chart.

The second Jackson single, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", would be a bigger hit from Destiny, peaking at US#7.