Michael's Best Motown Solo Album?

Which is MJ's Best Motown Solo Album?

  • Got To Be There (1972)

    Votes: 13 46.4%
  • Ben (1972)

    Votes: 2 7.1%
  • Music & Me (1973)

    Votes: 6 21.4%
  • Forever, Michael (1975)

    Votes: 7 25.0%
  • Farewell My Summer Love (recorded 1973, released 1984)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    28

Zack44

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I've noticed that the first four albums that Michael has done as a solo artist are generally overlooked by the general public, and even some fans, who insist that Off The Wall is his first and that these albums simply "don't count". It's true that MJ didn't have any creative input on the Motown albums, but there's still no denying that certain songs like "Ben", "I Wanna Be Were You Are", and "One Day In Your Life" helped Michael start to branch out as a star in his own right rather than as a member of the Jackson 5.

So I want to ask all of you: which of MJ's solo albums from Motown do you think is the best? I'll also include "Farewell My Summer Love" since the songs were all previously unreleased at the time, but I won't include "Looking Back To Yesterday" because half of the songs are credited to the J5.
 
Music and Me has some of my fave childhood songs: With a Child's Heart, Music and Me, Up Again, Happy, Morning Glow - so I picked that album. Though I also have a special love for his transition voice on Forever, Michael. One Day in Your life is just a beautiful vocal performance.
 
I really wish that Michael would have sung One Day In your Life and Music And Me more often live
 
Got To Be There, love most of the songs on it and his passion is electric, it just smashes out the CD. Having said that I'm not a big fan of the earlier albums, because MJ had no input and you can really feel that at times on the albums.
 
It really annoys me when these albums are overlooked.

I mean okay so he didn't write the songs, but so what? Some artists go their WHOLE careers and never write the tunes - but the stuff they've released is still rightfully noted in their catalogue.

And anyway, Michael as a singer has always been fascinating to me. So I consider the way he interprets these works and the way he uses his voice on each and every one of those early Motown solo songs as 'creative input'.

My favourite is Forever, Michael. To me, the personality of the songs are most closely connected to Michael as a person and artist. The whimsy of songs like We've Got Forever and the hope and longing of We're Almost There make this album an unforgiveable exclusion for any fan.
 
I myself didn't like how MJ didn't perform or mention hardly any of his solo motown music. I was quite surprise when he used Got To Be There as a way to say 30 years as a solo artist in 2001. I choose his album Ben. I love Ben, My Girl, Greatest Show On Earth, People Make The World Go Round, We've Got A Good Thing Going, In Our Small Way, Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
 
It has to be with a shadow of doubt, the Got To Be There album. I mean, just look at the hits/tracks:

"Got To Be There"
"Ain't No Sunshine"
"Maria"
"Rockin Robin"
"I Wanna Be Where You Are"

The lead single and song of the same name is a powerful reminder of what an exceptional vocalist he was. He was without a doubt the 'greatest child vocalist ever'.

Forever, Michael is second because it showcases MJ's maturting artistry, his vocal virtuosity is progressing well here. Particularly the song "We're Almost There".
 
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Music and Me has some of my fave childhood songs: With a Child's Heart, Music and Me, Up Again, Happy, Morning Glow - so I picked that album. Though I also have a special love for his transition voice on Forever, Michael. One Day in Your life is just a beautiful vocal performance.

Music & Me hands down. Happy, Too Young, oh god the list goes on. There isn't one average song on that album. It's the one Motown album I listen to from start to finish repeatedly quite regularly.

I am so so glad that Smokey was too late to give Happy to Diana Ross for Lady Sings the Blues
 
'Forever, Michael' is the strongest as a whole for me. Songs like One Day In Your Life, Take Me Back, and You Are There are great, as is Michael's melancholic vocals. We're Almost There is another great song.
 
I'll choose something off the list, "Farewell My Summer Love - OG Mixes" (not the 1984 overdubs but the untouched original mixes as released on 2009s "Hello World"). Compared to the actual 4 albums -that were released during his active Motown days- FMSL has no filler songs.
 
When I went to see the Thriller Live musical, they play Music And Me at the start, and the people in front of me said "I've never heard this one".

Also, most people don't know it, but Ben is actually MJ's most re-released song.
 
While I enjoy all of Michael's solo albums from the Motown days, I find myself listening to Music and Me most often. It has a cohesive feel and vibe to it that the others lack. It sounds more like a thought out album instead of just a bunch of songs thrown together in album format.
 
Personnal ranking:
1) Music and me
2) Forever Michael
3) Got to be there
4) Ben (some good songs, but a few of them and one repeated song from GTBT make the album boring to me)
Next one I slightly disagree
5) Farewell my summer (1984) (one rare case where I prefer the modified thing)
6) Farewell my summer (1973) (some OK songs but it feels flat, feels like Michael is not into it.)

And you guys forgot "Looking back to yesterday". But it's make it easier not to have to rank it ... I really like it a lot, but it sounds more like a J5 album.
 
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