Disco de The Jackson 5: “ABC”

The Jackson Five were the last of the great Motown acts from the label's halcyon days. Their first release showed they had talent, but ABC confirmed that these Indiana kids were something special. Combining the group's perfect vocals, The Corporation's supreme production and a stellar list of songs, ABC is an R&B gem. The album contains two number one singles, the title cut and "The Love You Save", and they are only the tip of the iceberg. What made Michael so impressive of a vocalist at the tender age of 12 is that he could interpret songs and convey feelings that someone of his age probably have never felt. On "One More Chance" he pleads for a chance at redemption, in Stevie Wonder's "Never Had A Dream Come True" he sings of failure and missed chances, in the plaintive "Don't Know Why I Love You" he sings of blind devotion and he expresses the joys of pure and unrequited love in "True Love Can Be Beautiful". "I'll Bet You" has a Sly Stone funkified soul sound and sounds like nothing else the band has done and they do a good job on the Delfonics' "La La (Means I Love You)". Jermaine takes over the lead vocal duties on "I Found That Girl". Even though they could sing about more mature themes, they were still just basically teenagers and they show that on the nursery rhyme like "2-4-6-8" and the declaration of their youth in "The Young Folks". Motown proclaimed that they were the "Sound of Young America" and this was never truer than with the J5 and ABC is the pinnacle of the band's career with the label.

Their first album showed promises, but ABC put them in position of *Ultimate Boy Band*. Don't let the Boy Band fool you, these kids can actually CAN sing, they CAN play their own instruments, and they are guarenteed to raise a cheer on a rainy day or your money back! Well, not really but you get the point... Boom, right off the bat the J5 hits you with the upbeat dancey song the Love You Save with the dramatic entry STOP! You just can't help but be seduced by Michael's cartoon-like high voice that you wouldn't really expect. He fills up the spotlight drowning out everything, his brothers backing vocals and the music itself. The album moves on to the slower song One More Chance, Michael begging a girl to come back and give him *One More Chance.* There is geniuine emotion in the song, as again his voice fills up the speakers. Would you expect something like this from a kid who hasn't graduated grade school? If you said no, you don't know Michael Jackson, let alone these 5 little stars. After One More Chance ends the famed ABC takes center stage, argueably one of/THE most famous J5 song/s ever. Its a happy tune, to get your feet tapping. The rest of the album is still pretty darn good, but the first three are the big gems. The album ends with the only song NOT about love on the album The Young Folks, which is like a marching song, reflecting on "you have to make way for the young folk". All and all, this album provides easy listening for relaxing, and a promise that commercial pop CAN be good!

This effort by the Jackson 5 proves to be a commercial success. Michael Jackson is a very, very talented singer and while he takes most of the lead, Jermaine gives it his best on "I Found That Girl". "ABC" is the most well known song on the album and it's sampled a lot even today."One More Chance", "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" and "2-4-6-8" are also gems to be heard, also, with Michael sounding so young and fresh. This is one of the Jackson 5's best albums and I definitaly recommend it for any Jackson 5 even if you are not die-hard one.

Hi. I love this album! It has "ABC & The Love You Save". It also has several clippings of the J5 on the back cover! This is the sound of young america-MoTown!!!

What can I say about the great Jackson 5 that hasn't already been said? Their second album, ABC, is a timeless classic and sounds as fresh and vibrant today as it did in 1970. 12-year-old Michael Jackson's vocals explode like dynamite - full of soul and energy - while Marlon, Jermaine, Tito and Jackie provide smooth background harmonies. The title track and "The Love You Save" topped the charts but this album contains one great song after another. Michael pours his soul into "Don't Know Why I Love You", Jermaine delivers sweetly on "I Found That Girl", they groove on their cover of Funkadelic's "I'll Bet You". I could go on but that's how amazing this album is. The Jackson 5 set the trend that other pop music family groups followed.