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The Jacksons (&Michael) underrated by the fans?

OffTheWall1979

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I believe Michael's work with the Jacksons and also some of his early solo recordings are underrated - by us, the fans. A little while ago I was on Michael's official website and there was a voting about which album was Michael's greatest. Of course, Thriller was on top, but what scared me was that Off The Wall only had 9 % of the votes and Invincible came close with 6 %. It bothers me that Invincible is only 3 % behind, because I believe Off The Wall is perhaps Michael's best work, along with Thriller, because his voice and singing was at its peak. I'm sorry to say it, but to me Invincible isn't close to being in the same league as Off The Wall.

That voting got me thinking. Obviously it was Michael's fans voting, so I figured that not so many appreciate or maybe even have heard all the songs he did with The Jacksons on Epic Recordings.

The Jacksons, Goin' Places, Destiny and Triumph are great albums, but not mentioned a lot by fans. Also Michael's work on Motown, like Forever Michael is wonderful, but I never hear anyone talking about it. Is it because the main part of Michael's fans are more into his 80's, 90's and 00's music or because, the hand on the heart, you haven't heard all songs Michael did with his brothers?

I just find it strange, 'cause for me Michael peaked around late 70's and early 80's and those songs are great. Don't take this post the wrong way, I'm just curious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlKkGtlikFM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25Lsk_9smWs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqF88lRYNFM

Three great songs. I know many of you have heard them but I guess to some those songs are unknown.
 
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A lot of that stuff didn't sell well when originally released. Many of the Motown era albums had been out of print until 2001, and most had never been on CD. Mike's solo Motown has just been recently released in a box set.
 
Yeah, I know, because some of Michael's last album on Motown, like Forever Michael, wasn't promoted properly...
 
OffTheWall1979 said:
Yeah, I know, because some of Michael's last album on Motown, like Forever Michael, wasn't promoted properly...
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Around that time other than Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, & maybe Marvin Gaye, Motown wasn't doing that well in general. Which is why Motown didn't like Stevie taking his time with "Songs In The Key Of Life".
 
Yeah, that's true but when Off The Wall only get 9 % of the fans vote I think it's very strange. I don't think it's so much up to taste, I think many fans haven't heard all Off The Wall and listening much from Bad and upwards...
 
The plain reason for this is most fans on this forum have only grown up with History and Invincible. I would say most fans on here are only in their teens to their early 20's, so they favour the later albums, which is perfectly fine.

I myself was brought up listening to Off the Wall and Thriller, but my favourite album of all time is BAD, I guess from seeing MJ for the first time during the BAD tour. But I agree The Jacksons and Michael Jackson early albums are seriously underrated, and I just adore Triumph, what a fanstastic collection of fine tunes, most are all upbeat, Can you Feel it, Walk right now and the superb This Place Hotel.
 
DJ Spins the sounds said:
The plain reason for this is most fans on this forum have only grown up with History and Invincible. I would say most fans on here are only in their teens to their early 20's, so they favour the later albums, which is perfectly fine.

I myself was brought up listening to Off the Wall and Thriller, but my favourite album of all time is BAD, I guess from seeing MJ for the first time during the BAD tour. But I agree The Jacksons and Michael Jackson early albums are seriously underrated, and I just adore Triumph, what a fanstastic collection of fine tunes, most are all upbeat, Can you Feel it, Walk right now and the superb This Place Hotel.
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I always thought that was stupid. I bought the album when it was originally released and it clearly says 'Heartbreak Hotel'. The live album also says this as well as the sheet music. The other title only came about when they started making CDs in the late 1980s.
 
DJ Spins the sounds said:
The plain reason for this is most fans on this forum have only grown up with History and Invincible. I would say most fans on here are only in their teens to their early 20's, so they favour the later albums, which is perfectly fine.

I myself was brought up listening to Off the Wall and Thriller, but my favourite album of all time is BAD, I guess from seeing MJ for the first time during the BAD tour. But I agree The Jacksons and Michael Jackson early albums are seriously underrated, and I just adore Triumph, what a fanstastic collection of fine tunes, most are all upbeat, Can you Feel it, Walk right now and the superb This Place Hotel.
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I agree, but I think most of Michael's early work went unnoticed by many fans which is sad since some of finest recordings is from that era.
 
The 69-81 era is what I like best. I am a fan of classic soul music so that's probably why. I also am a big fan of groups and harmonies. I am 33 so I grew up in the 80's still even then I always liked the earlier stuff best. Off The Wall to me is easily the best Michae solo and Destiny and Triumph are just as great.
 
I would say I am a bigger fan of Michaels early work with his brothers and his first solo album off the wall. And i am only 23, so its not true that al younger fans prefer his newer music..I am huge fan of old soul/funk music in general.
 
mbe said:
The 69-81 era is what I like best. I am a fan of classic soul music so that's probably why. I also am a big fan of groups and harmonies. I am 33 so I grew up in the 80's still even then I always liked the earlier stuff best. Off The Wall to me is easily the best Michae solo and Destiny and Triumph are just as great.
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Same goes for me, but I'm soon 20.
 
mbe said:
The 69-81 era is what I like best. I am a fan of classic soul music so that's probably why. I also am a big fan of groups and harmonies. I am 33 so I grew up in the 80's still even then I always liked the earlier stuff best. Off The Wall to me is easily the best Michael solo and Destiny and Triumph are just as great.
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libsta81 said:
I would say I am a bigger fan of Michaels early work with his brothers and his first solo album off the wall. And i am only 23, so its not true that al younger fans prefer his newer music..I am huge fan of old soul/funk music in general.
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I agree with alot of this :yes: I looove the jacksons and OTW and thriller are my faves. Their music during this time is kinda funk/soul/pop/...magic?? lol, idk. But I love the sounds and how thier music appeals to everyone. But of course I love all of MJ's stuff :wub:
 
I say it time again but i think Michael did some of his best work with the Jacksons! I'm a long fan (in my 20s) and I'm just now discovering the gems from the Jacksons and I'm totally in love with their music. I'm listening to "Jump For Joy" and I love how all their songs actually had a positive message or some type of meaning. From "Think Happy" to "Goin Places" to "Enjoy Yourself" those are songs that just makes you wanna smile and dance
 
PrincessLNJ said:
I say it time again but i think Michael did some of his best work with the Jacksons! I'm a long fan (in my 20s) and I'm just now discovering the gems from the Jacksons and I'm totally in love with their music. I'm listening to "Jump For Joy" and I love how all their songs actually had a positive message or some type of meaning. From "Think Happy" to "Goin Places" to "Enjoy Yourself" those are songs that just makes you wanna smile and dance
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I second that.

I love Time Waits For No One, All Night Dancin'....and other beauties...:wub:

I'm 23. :cheeky:
 
Even though my first full (and very rich) memories of Michael were during the Thriller era, over the years OTW became my favorite of all his albums. When he passed, it was the first album I reached for (and I still haven't played Thriller). It just seems to epitomize what Michael was all about. It's soulful, it's melodic, it's funky, it's groovy, it's pop-y...it's great.

I, unfortunately, don't have as extensive a knowledge of his earlier works, both solo and with his brothers, as I'd like. My family had collected those albums, but we had a house fire when I was just a toddler and all of those works literally went up in smoke. They/we never tried to recover them.
 
The Jacksons - NEVER underrated by me! My faves:
Time Waits For No-one
Blame It On The Boogie
Diffrent Kind Of Lady
Blues Away
Bless His Soul
Give It Up
Destiny

Soooo good!!
 
The Jacksons (Jackson 5 as well) are my favorite group and MJ is my favorite artists. The Jacksons have so many great songs and albums.
 
OffTheWall1979 said:
Same goes for me, but I'm soon 20.
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Wow that's great!

I just relate to the pre Thriller Michael more. I like a little flash like the 1981 or even the 1984 shows but I like the music to take center stage. Plus I love the group interaction. I mean the dancers and singers Michael used on his solo tours may have had more techincal know how, but they didn't have the personality or soul of the brothers. I find I like the 1983-84 live footage or the 2001 reunion better then anything else from those years. As much as I admire Michael's one of a kind videos (Thriller, Ghosts, Stranger In Moscow, Remember The Time) I almost always miss the others. Even in The Wiz I wished the crows were the Jacksons.

Again it all comes down to my taste. There are about 40 post 1981 Michael or Jermaine solo or group songs I like as much as the early ones (which is pretty good considering there were maybe 120 released), but I can pick about 40 from 78-81 alone that I love if you count Michael and Jermaine's solo material as well as the Jacksons. If they had stayed together I bet I would still like the earlier stuuf better due to me not liking modern Rock or RnB music as much as stuff cut from the fifties to the seventies. Yet no matter what I would have liked the added harmonies and interaction.
 
troubleman84 said:
For me, it's the 1976-1980 Jacksons material that is really overlooked.
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Very true. They were a big part of that great sound of the era and Off The Wall was only one part of it.
Triumph and Destiny are as good as any soul albums ever made.
 
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