The Jacksons To Release E...ebruary 12

The Jacksons Catalog Reissue Project will also include 2LP Vinyl Release of The Jacksons Live! on Friday, March 26

Epic Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release expanded digital editions of the classic albums recorded by The Jacksons as they built on their Jackson 5 boy band origins and emerged as avatars of an R&B/pop revolution.

Coming Friday, February 12, the first wave in The Jacksons definitive album project includes expanded digital releases of The Jacksons (1976), Goin’ Places (1977), and Destiny (1978). Each title includes the original album in its entirety, bundled with additional bonus tracks.

A 2LP vinyl edition of The Jacksons Live! (recorded during their 1981 North American Triumph Tour) will be released on March 26 and may be pre-ordered here.

Originally released in 1976 on Epic Records/Philadelphia International Records (PIR), The Jacksons was the group’s first studio album recorded with youngest brother Randy. It was also their first for their new label and their first under “The Jacksons” moniker. Produced/executive produced by PIR’s legendary hitmakers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, The Jacksons generated “Enjoy Yourself” (the first Gamble-Huff-penned Top 10 hit in two years), “Show You the Way to Go,” the group’s first UK #1, and “Good Times.”

For the first time, The Jacksons were able to write and record their own material for an album and the results included “Style of Life,” penned by Michael and Tito, and “Blues Away,” the first published song written solely by Michael. These also became the first two recordings on which the Jacksons served as producers. The Jacksons reached #36 on the Billboard 200 and #6 on the R&B charts and became the first album by The Jacksons to be certified RIAA Gold.

The expanded digital version of The Jacksons includes the original album plus four bonus tracks: “Enjoy Yourself” (7″ Extended Version); “Enjoy Yourself” (12″ Version); “Show You the Way to Go” (7″ Version); and “Living Together” (Dimitri From Paris Disco Re-Edit).

Released in October 1977, Goin’ Places was The Jacksons’ second and final album released under the Epic Records/PIR joint venture. The album premiered two new songs written by The Jacksons: “Do What You Wanna” and the disco dance floor hit “Different Kind of Lady.” Goin’ Places has sold more than half a million units worldwide. The Jacksons took the album on the road on a successful tour running from late-January through mid-May 1978.

The expanded digital edition of Goin’ Places includes the full original album plus three bonus tracks: “Goin’ Places” (7″ Version); “Find Me a Girl” (7″ Version); and “Even Though You’re Gone” (7″ Version).

Originally released by Epic Records in December 1978, Destiny, the third studio album under The Jacksons’ banner, was recorded at their home studio at their Hayvenhurst family compound and at Dawnbreaker Studios in San Fernando, California. For the first time in their career, The Jacksons produced the entire album on their own, giving them complete artistic control over the repertoire, writing, recording and production of the album. The Jacksons finished recording the collection within a couple of months. With the exception of “Blame It on The Boogie,” every song on this album was written by the Jacksons, including the smash hit, “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground”) written by Michael and younger brother, Randy.

Destiny lived up to its name, cementing The Jacksons as one of the world’s top-selling ensembles. Released in October 1978, “Blame It on the Boogie,” the album’s advance single, hit #8 in the UK while bringing The Jacksons back into the Hot 100 (#11) stateside and reaching #3 on the Hot R&B chart. The album’s second single, “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” hit the Top 10 with Destiny reaching #3 on the Billboard Black Albums chart and #11 on the Pop Albums chart. Destiny is the first album by The Jacksons to achieve RIAA Platinum status and has sold more than four million copies worldwide. The Jacksons Destiny Tour was an international sensation.

The expanded digital edition of Destiny includes the original album in its entirety as well as six bonus tracks: “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground” (7″ Version); “Destiny” (7″ Version); “Blame It On the Boogie” (12″ Version John Luongo Disco Mix); “Shake Your Body (Down To the Ground)” (12″ Version John Luongo Disco Mix); “That’s What You Get (For Being Polite) (12” Version); and “That’s What You Get (For Being Polite)” (DJ Reverend P Edit).

I'm not interested in digital albums, but I wonder why they're not using the alternate mix of Different Kind Of Lady that was on the picture disc version of Goin' Places.

I couldn't care less about a digital stream. It'd be nice to have a nicely remastered Triumph and Live album. There has to be more bonus tracks for the former than those couple of remixes out there. Live could really use a solid remaster and beefing up.

TrivialPursuit said:

I couldn't care less about a digital stream. It'd be nice to have a nicely remastered Triumph and Live album. There has to be more bonus tracks for the former than those couple of remixes out there. Live could really use a solid remaster and beefing up.

Yep. Boring as hell. And not even real bonus tracks. Who needs that shit?

PatrickS77 said:

Yep. Boring as hell. And not even real bonus tracks. Who needs that shit?

Agreed. I feel like there's just some untapped gold in the Jacksons vault. There has to be other songs recorded. MJ pulled out some stuff for that box set quite a few years ago. Why the hell can't Sony put together some bigger packages? I think Destiny, Triumph, The Jacksons Live, and Victory can easily be remastered, and have a bonus disk of material, or at least tracks tacked onto the album disk (since everything was LP length back then) and include a video disk.

Digital releases like this is just a cheap ploy at ...something. (pissing off any remaining fan base)

MotownSubdivision said:

Who's in charge of this project? Michael's estate, the brothers themselves or someone else?

lf the case of the Gamble & Huff albums, it might be them. Technically those 2 albums were originally released on Philadelphia International. I would guess Gamble & Huff would have any unreleased stuff from those sessions too. Gamble & Huff are supposed to be doing something for their 50th anniversary, probably remastered albums. I don't know if they're going to put out any unreleased songs. They did put out an album of old unreleased O'Jays tracks that had newly recorded instrumental tracks in the early 2000s. Sort of like Farewell My Summer Love on Motown. At the time, I remember Walter Williams had said don't buy the album because the group had nothing to do with it.

Jermaine recorded a solo album called Do Unto Others around 1975 with the Gamble & Huff session guys and producers. Berry Gordy canceled the album, and it's still unreleased except for one song (Good For The Gander) released on a 2002 non-Motown compilation of different artists. I guess Gordy might have done that because he found out the other brothers were working with the same people and also Motown was suing the group.

MickyDolenz said:

Maybe it's because there's not much in music that excites me anymore but, either way, I'm here for all 3 of these...

wilmer said:

They should release Victory with those three MJ and Freddy Mercury demos.

Wasn't some of that released on a recent Queen set, though? "There Must Be More To Life Than This" is out, I think. or am I thinking of something else?

I would like to hear a decent take on "State of Shock," though.

TrivialPursuit said:

I don't really care about the albums. I already got em. The Jacksons was the 1st thing I bought on a CD. Personally I'd prefer DVDs of the TV specials like Goin' Back To Indiana, the variety show, the Mexico concert, appearances on different shows like Mike Douglas, Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, Sonny & Cher, etc. Even the Rock n Roll Sports Classic, although it's not only The Jacksons. I don't how The Runaways got on it since they were not a group that the mainstream TV audience of the time would know.

SoulAlive said:

MotownSubdivision said:

SoulAlive said:

I know digital only benefits the label because its cost effective but this is lame.

Also, they're missing:
- Dreamer [Single Version]- which is longer than the album version

- The original LP mix of Different Kind of Lady

No unreleased material

Also, I've been hoping for reissues that have similar packaging as the Japanese mini LP replica editions from 2009. THOSE look incredible

daPrettyman said:

SoulAlive said:

well these were released yesterday....did anyone check them out?

Ehhhhh....

There was a rumor on a spanish language MJ forum that said MJ's Estate has veto power over any unreleased tracks featuring lead vocals by Michael Jackson. I'm assuming this applies to the CBS Jackson records (Destiny and Triumph?)

Unreleased songs exist from those sessions, but his estate does not want them out there. Their M.O. is to repurpose songs with complete vocals as new contemporary remixes and release them as one off singles at timed intervals.

[Edited 2/18/21 21:13pm]

TheGloved1 said:

I'm assuming this applies to the CBS Jackson records (Destiny and Triumph?)

It can't be Motown material since they've put out several unreleased J5 songs including an entire album called I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters.

TheGloved1 said:

The posthumous albums Michael and Xscape are the other examples. The unreleased tracks on Bad 25 mostly feaured incomplete vocals and were unusable for remixing. The exception to this and an example is "Loving You" written and recorded during the Bad sessions. It's vocals are complete, and it was held of the 25th anniversay release and remixed for inclusion on Xscape.

They have stated they're moving away from albums and focusing on one off singles. I don't belive they had a say in the Don't Matter To Me situation because that sample was taken from a session done with Paul Anka who owned the tape and sold it/collaborated with Drake. I could be wrong, perhaps they were simply unaware Anka had more material. The song released and helped Jackson gain a technical hit on the charts.

Anka had accused Jackson of stealing the song reels for This Is It, Love Never Felt So Good and possibly others after a collaboration around the time Thriller blew up in the charts. He and the estate worked out some agreement after the This Is It single was initially released in 2009 without crediting Anka.

TheGloved1 said: