When you hear Jermaine sing his verse on "I'll be there", or any of his solo work, did you felt he had the talent to become a superstar?

Krytonite said:

I love Jermaine's voice but he wasn't dynamic enough to be a superstar.

I always thought he was more talented behind the scenes. He also knew good stuff--Switch, DeBarge, O'Bryan possibly...

He reminds me of today's producer/songwriter who decides he wants to be the front man and is good but never really has that sumthin-sumthin that makes them a superstar own their own.

Personally, I don't think he should have stopped making music whether as an artist or for or with others. Word to the Bad and being Michael's brother didn't help him.

Typically, people become superstars by putting out mindblowing music (Stevie), by being able to dance like hell or being sex symbols(Janet, Usher), by creating scandal (Madonna), or all three and then some. Jermaine's scores are not that high in any of these.

well...Sexofit (RIP) liked his music!
[Edited 8/17/06 10:36am]

miguelbulcao said:

RIP?!?!?!

JackieBlue said:

I didn't get that either. I sure Jermaine hasn't died, so I am assuming your talking about someone else.

whatsgoingon said:

you guys do not remember sexofit, the orger?

He liked Michael Bolton, Jermaine, NKFTB and Hammer!

miguelbulcao said:

Yes, we/I remember him but he's not RIP is he??? Or did he just leave the org or is MIA?

JackieBlue said:

the rip part was joke because I haven't seen him in age here. he must be mia or he may have found a girlfriend

miguelbulcao said:

Whew! That's what I figured but wasn't sure. Hopefully he did find a special girl to listen to his MC Hammer albums with.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...ayKyC29XhA

http://www.youtube.com/wa...1czi8Yzo9A

http://www.youtube.com/wa...z_ixovk048

I like alot of Jermaine's songs as a solo act:

"Daddy's Home" (1972)
"Let's Get Serious" (1980)
"Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" (1982)
"Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin" with Michael (1984)
"Dynamite" (1984)
"Do What You Do" (1984)
"I Think It's Love" (1986)
"Don't Take It Personal" (1988)

He really could have been a superstar.The problem is,he had a more popular brother to compete with.

Jermaine wasn't as good looking as Michael, his voice wasn't as good as Michael's, he couldn't dance like Michael, and he didn't have Michael's vision. He had no chance at become a superstar. Michael was the only J5 with potential to make it big as a solo act, and he did.

DarlingDiana said:

SoulAlive said:

elaborate

DarlingDiana said:

I think Jermaine has a good,strong singing voice.He also had some superb songs ("Let's Get Serious" rivals anything on 'Triumph',imo).As for his looks...well,he certainly looks more masculine than Mike ever did (lol).If he wasn't Michaels' brother,he would have been a superstar.

Yeh I guess. I do love his voice, but there's just something about Mike's voice that Jermaine doesn't have. Jermaine could've been a huge success if he had killer songs, but Mike's solo songs just outshone Jermaine's by a land slide.

SoulAlive said:

What about "You Like Me Don't You", pure classic.

I do believe Jermaine has a wonderful voice as good as Michael's but in a different way. And considering MJ has a problem singing live nowadays, I am sure his voice is better than his now.

As for looks Jermain was considered the pin-up of the Jackson 5, so he was as good looking as MJ, if not better in their natural state. Nowadays I think all the brothers are better looking than Michael, simply because they look a whole lot healthier than he does..
[Edited 8/18/06 6:20am]

whatsgoingon said:

also,"You're Supposed To Save Your Love For Me" and "I'm Just Too Shy"

whatsgoingon said:

I agree. I always liked Jermaine's voice. Very smooth. Great for ballads and mid-tempos.

As for looks, he was never bad looking. Plus Jermaine had the guitar/bass. Very hard to resist the guy in the band with the guitar. Today, I think Jackie is really still very handsome. And Marlon. What's the album of Jermaine on the cover with the lilac-ish shirt and white riding pants? He looks great on there.

I always thought he was the driving force behind I Am Love, an underrated classic J5 jam.
[Edited 8/18/06 6:04am]

well any cat that play bass,sing and dance has potential . He was on Motown when they still mattered(stevie,lionel,rick,marvin). I heard berry wanted him to be the next Marvin Gaye.

I think he could have be bigger than he was.

Jermaine was very talented.

Rhondab said:

True....I was just as impressed with Jermaine's musical talent as with Michael's...trust me..it takes skill to be able to sing, play and dance with that big heavy Fender Jazz he had.

I've always wondered this about JJ myself, I wonder if he stayed with his bro's and went to CBS how big would he have been.

Isn't his son called Jermajesty?

Jermaine is my favorite Jackson, I loved his voice and his looks. He had potential to do more, but none of the Jacksons were going to blow up like Michael.

It's been said here already , but although Jermaine had potential as singer/musician/producer , the total picture and X-factor to become a superstar were not the case like with MJ . I think MJ had the luck to start working with Quincy Jones in 1978 ( The Wiz ) and finally for a solo-launch in 1979 , which gave an uplift in the popular music scene and the final breakthrough with Thriller . On both OTW & Thriller were hit-compositions from Rod Temperton which was a helping factor . Don't forget that Thriller was "MOLDED" to perfection .
With the first review they did , the record company didn't see much potention in the album so MJ & Q went back in the studio to perfect it to their ultimate goal . That's what makes the difference , cause for instance , Rod Temperton also wrote for Q's The Dude or Herbie Hancock's Lite Me Up , both which came around the same era as Thriller , but didn't reach the same succes , apart from the great work on both those albums .

Also Jermaine released around the Thriller-year , the album Let Me Tickle You Fancy from which i find the title-track the lesser track compared to fast jams like Very Special Part , Uh Uh , I Didn't Do It and Running or the shuffle-rhythmed This Time and the fine ballad You Belong To Me featuring the late Syreeta Wright .
Problem was that all spotlights were released on Thriller , including the first same-titled movie-clip .
Jermaine did indeed a great crossover with Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin featuring MJ .
His other collabo with Pia Zadora was a big miss , imo .
Do What You Do & Take Good Care Of My Heart were fine though .

I haven't followed his work after 1985 apart from incidently hearing that Word 2 The Badd on the radio .

I'm not informed why he didn't join his brothers until Victory .
Would his stardom have been more with Triumph ....
Maybe , maybe not ... did his solo-stuff had to do with the fact that his father-in-law , Berry Gordy , was a close source ?
From what i'm reading here is that he tried to mold JJ to a new Marvin Gaye .
There are much questions for me cause the Jacksons had major creative & business issues with Motown and that's why they left the label .
Jermaine was married with Berry's daughter , .... i dunno ... maybe i'm just tending .
After all , Jermaine already started to do solo-work around the mid 70's .
Maybe he wanted to be independent after so much crazy and hectic years with J5 .
I must say though that his opening-track fom 1981 , Got To Have Ya , can easily be put in the mix with MJ's Wanna Be Startin At Something .

Janet is the only one who succeeded in the popular scene . She had the luck to start working with the hottest producers-duo from that era .
Sisters Latoya and Rebie did good albums but missed to have a total solid production like Janet's .


From his brothers , Marlon did solowork , Randy Jackson did one album with his band called The Gypsies . Same succes-story as with Latoya and Rebie .

Tito did some independent production from which Steven & Sterling's album in 1982 stands out . His sons had a short succes as the group 3T .

Finally , i was a lil' shocked with Jermaine's latest nip-tucks , which didn't look like a good job .
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[Edited 8/19/06 12:58pm]

Yes he did have the talent, but the look wasn't right. He needed the stage presence and charisma and those he didn't have. Still love "Do What You Do."