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I suppose the first question most people will ask is whether or not the autobiography of Michael Jackson has any place on a soul website. By his current standards the answer is clearly not, but we must remember that when the Jackson Five first started out they had three consecutive number ones, not only in the pop charts, but also in the R&B charts as well. I have to confess that even at that time I found their particular brand of pop-soul far too light for my taste, by far preferring the more masculine, gritty wailing of the Stax stars. Whatever my view, the opinion of Black America cannot be ignored and they put the Jackson's at the top of the pile, so who am I to argue? The Jackson Five's own father played in an R&B band, worshipping the leading lights of the day. Michael acknowledges his early influences to be Jackie Wilson and James Brown. The Jackson Five grew up having to contend with the same problems which other soul hopefuls faced, so their story is clearly relevant. They were also, at one time, Motown's hottest property, and this in itself means Michael Jackson has an important view on America's most successful soul label. We should not forget that after leaving Motown the Jacksons joined Epic, then CBS and worked with legendary Philly Soul producers Gamble and Huff The book can roughly be divided into two halves. The first covers his youth, his upbringing and his early years at Motown. The second considers his Rock Music, his international stardom, his plastic surgery and his love of children. It is punctuated by platitudes which represent his vision of love, peace and tolerance. Nothing new that hasn't already been said by dozens of 'visionaries' before. Although published in 1988, he already discusses some of the idiosyncrasies which many people find difficult to associate with. This half of the book has little to do with soul music and is therefore of little relevance to the soul fan. If we return to the first one hundred and thirty pages or so, there is much which I think will be of interest to the soul aficionado. The way his father drove him and the rest of the family to achieving his personal dream that they would become successful musicians. Michael also recounts stories of the seedy joints they gigged and the regime of constant rehearsal until they achieved perfection. Finally he tells us of his early days at Motown. Unlike other Motown superstars who felt betrayed when the company left Detroit to relocate in California, the Jackson Five did not join until the transition was complete. Other Motown biographies blame this upheaval from the companies roots to its eventual demise. To the Jacksons however there was no baggage or hidden agendas, and their early days with Motown in LA were very sweet indeed. Michael has nothing but fond memories of them. We are thus treated to an alternative view of the company to the one most commonly held. Michael Jackson's acknowledges the importance of Soul and R&B in these early years. Whatever music he chose to make later, he does not ignore his soul heritage or denounce it as being artistically inferior to white rock as other soul artists have subsequently done. The book is written in a very simplistic style which complements the innocence which is often associated with Michael Jackson. It is well illustrated with numerous photographs, both black and white and colour. The book is a must for any Jackson fan, and although not 'essential' reading there is much of interest to the Soul/R&B fan. I picked my copy up in a junkshop which goes to show, they're always well worth browsing through. You never know what you might find. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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