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The move to Epic

I am purely speculating but I suspect he thought a decent solo career may have been on the cards. Hmmmm?
 
Jermaine

#MJforever57 said:
I still say Jermaine should have stay with the group and move with them to CBS
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If that had happened, I wonder if Switch and DeBarge would have been discovered. Jermaine probably wouldn't have had any clout at Epic like he did at Motown to get them a record deal. Would he have recorded Let's Get Serious, since Stevie Wonder might not have been allowed to produce someone on another label. Would Randy have been made an official member with Jermaine still in the group?

Around the time the group was getting ready to leave Motown, Jermaine recorded a solo album with Philadelphia International producer Norman Harris & their house band MFSB. When the group left for CBS Records, Motown cancelled the album and it is still unreleased to this day except for one song (Good For The Gander) that came out on a compilation. I guess Berry Gordy and/or Motown did not want to release a record with the same people The Jacksons were recording with at Epic/PI.
 
Is it true that MJ and Stevie Wonder made an unreleased album together during those years before off the wall? Or was it just the "buttercup" song?
 
SW

aqwsz said:
Is it true that MJ and Stevie Wonder made an unreleased album together during those years before off the wall? Or was it just the "buttercup" song?
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There wasn't an entire album. Stevie produced a few songs around 1974 for the J5 including Buttercup. Another song J5 Stevie produced (You're Suppose To Keep Your Love For Me) was later re-recorded and released on Jermaine's solo album Let's Get Serious. Stevie produced and played on Jermaine's version. Stevie gave Buttercup to Carl Anderson who released his version in the early 1980s. I don't think Stevie was involved with Carl's recording. Carl's version was produced by Richard Rudolph, who was Minnie Riperton's husband. That might be how Carl got a hold of Buttercup. Stevie & Richard had worked together on some of Minnie's songs in the 1970s. It's been said that Stevie owns the masters to the songs he produced for the J5 and he has to approve them to be released. I don't see that happening since Stevie doesn't put out any of his own unreleased music. I'm surprised he approved the release of Buttercup. It's been long rumored that Stevie has it set up that any of his unreleased music is to be destroyed when he passes. I don't know if that includes stuff he produced for others.
 
Randy Jackson on Questlove Supreme (October 31, 2018)

Randy did an interview on Questlove's show in October 2018 about The Jacksons' career. You can listen to it here: Episode 108. The link takes you to whoever the current interview is with, but just click on the episodes link on the site and go to episode 108.

If you go to episode 107, there's an interview with George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson and he mentions Mike during the Off The Wall sessions. You can't forward through the interviews, but they are split into sections which can be clicked on. Some other people who mention the Jacksons are Babyface and Jimmy Jam. The Jimmy Jam interview is real long, around 3 hours.
 
the remaking of 'farewell my summer love' and to a less extent (in terms of popularity, not quality) 'girl you're so together' in '84, is proof that Michael still could have made hits had he stayed with Motown. wasn't 'somebody's watching me' also released on that label? whether or not he would have been given the creative freedom he wanted, or been promoted as much is another story. maybe they would have reached a compromise where the writing and production was split 50/50 between himself and the in house writers and producers? it would have been better than the first 2 albums at cbs, where only 2 self written songs could be contributed to each one.
 
83magic said:
the remaking of 'farewell my summer love' and to a less extent (in terms of popularity, not quality) 'girl you're so together' in '84, is proof that Michael still could have made hits had he stayed with Motown. wasn't 'somebody's watching me' also released on that label? whether or not he would have been given the creative freedom he wanted, or been promoted as much is another story. maybe they would have reached a compromise where the writing and production was split 50/50 between himself and the in house writers and producers? it would have been better than the first 2 albums at cbs, where only 2 self written songs could be contributed to each one.
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Remake? That song wasnt remade. They released it while mj was on his height of fame & they knew ppl would think that was a new album (hince the 84 in the title) & buy it after thriller. Motown constantly tried to get on the money train
 
83magic said:
the remaking of 'farewell my summer love' and to a less extent (in terms of popularity, not quality) 'girl you're so together' in '84, is proof that Michael still could have made hits had he stayed with Motown. wasn't 'somebody's watching me' also released on that label? whether or not he would have been given the creative freedom he wanted, or been promoted as much is another story. maybe they would have reached a compromise where the writing and production was split 50/50 between himself and the in house writers and producers? it would have been better than the first 2 albums at cbs, where only 2 self written songs could be contributed to each one.
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The only really big selling act Motown had in the 1980s was Lionel Richie. Stevie Wonder was still popular up to the In Square Circle album in 1985, but the ones after that didn't really crossover. Rick James was popular on R&B radio, but he had little crossover besides Superfreak, and the later MC Hammer version (U Can't Touch This) was way bigger. Motown tried to make El DeBarge a big crossover act, but he didn't really make it. In the 1980s, Motown didn't have staff writers. That was mostly the 1960s, maybe the early 1970s.

The Farewell My Summer Love album was previously unreleased songs recorded in the early 1970s that had new 1984 remixes. The new music wasn't really the popular sounds of 1984, which was usually more synth based or electrofunk that people could breakdance/pop lock to. Compare that album to songs New Edition had out around the same time.
 
I should have been more clear about the 'farewell my summer love' song and album. they were more like remixes than remakes. I think they did an amazing job with the songs I mentioned in my previous post. really gave them a boost of life! I honestly think they would have been hits regardless of the 'thriller' wave they were riding. after all 'one day in your life' became a uk number 1 after it was re-released in '81. quality songs stand the test of time. i'm not sure if it was properly promoted the first time around.
 
DuranDuran said:
The only really big selling act Motown had in the 1980s was Lionel Richie. Stevie Wonder was still popular up to the In Square Circle album in 1985, but the ones after that didn't really crossover. Rick James was popular on R&B radio, but he had little crossover besides Superfreak, and the later MC Hammer version (U Can't Touch This) was way bigger. Motown tried to make El DeBarge a big crossover act, but he didn't really make it. In the 1980s, Motown didn't have staff writers. That was mostly the 1960s, maybe the early 1970s.

The Farewell My Summer Love album was previously unreleased songs recorded in the early 1970s that had new 1984 remixes. The new music wasn't really the popular sounds of 1984, which was usually more synth based or electrofunk that people could breakdance/pop lock to. Compare that album to songs New Edition had out around the same time.
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Groups were very polish back then; now, groups look like someone just grabbed them either off the streets or out of bed and put them on stage and said "Sing".
 
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