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Post by Russg on Jul 29, 2017 6:03:02 GMT
1978 - Destiny 1979 - Off The Wall 1980 - Triumph 1982 - Thriller
What an incredible run of albums. Hard to believe so much good music came out within just a five year timespan. I truly believe this to be MJs creative peak and it is undoubtedly the most prolific period in his career, where he really came into his own as a songwriter. Just look at the sheer quality of the classic songs he was writing from 78-82:
Billie Jean Startin Somethin' Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) Heartbreak Hotel Beat It DSTYGE Can You Feel It Walk Right Now Working Day & Night Get On The Floor Things I Do For You The Girl Is Mine Push Me Away
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Post by dancingmjsdream on Jul 29, 2017 8:39:13 GMT
And some people still believe that MJ didn't write most of his best material and that his only good album was Thriller LOL
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Post by MattyJam on Jul 29, 2017 10:31:24 GMT
It certainly was a very prolific and productive era for MJ. Can you imagine being a fan during this era, seeing the Triumph and Victory tours and witnessing first hand his artistic growth between each album? It must've been a magical time.
Although it was definitely the most productive era of his career certainly in terms of quantity, whether it was his "creative peak" is another matter altogether. Being prolific and being creative are two different things. I would say 1990-1997 (Dangerous and HIStory sessions, along with the BOTD EP and really strong outtakes such as Someone Put Your Hand Out, Monkey Business, Much Too Soon etc) was a highly prolific time, and I would personally call this era his creative peak, because I think the songs he was writing during this time were more experimental/creative/unique.
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Post by nikki80 on Jul 29, 2017 14:59:14 GMT
Absolutely LOVE that time span in his career! And yes, the group albums at this time were underrated (the group never had another number-one hit as The Jacksons did they?), and STILL are which is truly a shame, I agree.
Wish I had been born in time to witness all of that musical greatness. I'm sure there were people out there that didn't think The Jacksons/MJ could have a comeback after The Jackson 5 ended and left Motown, but in the end they were proven wrong, especially where Michael was concerned.
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Post by aazzaabb on Jul 29, 2017 15:15:53 GMT
No doubt 78 to 82 was a peak of sorts; perhaps more of a coming-into-his-own as a writer and more rounded artist, but I would have to say 85 to 95 was his true artistic peak, that whole ten years from the Bad sessions to the HIStory sessions is mammoth in terms of what he created, that includes the BOTDF tracks and many others.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 15:35:17 GMT
I would personally have to stretch that from 1974-1983. There were many highlights. One that doesn't get mentioned much (if at all) is the Jacksons Variety Show. Michael, along with Jackie and Marlon, choreographed the numbers. I think that's an amazing feat, considering he/they weren't 'trained' professionals. Look at his solo routine for 'Get Happy'. He's straight tapping! It's one of my favourite performances (I wish it was listed in the poll about the routines). His robot in 'Dancing Machine' continued to evolve with every performance. There's even a clocktower sketch where he's so convincing, it's like a prequel to the Scarecrow. He was popping and locking with his brothers in 'That's The Way We Like It' years before he met Jeffrey Daniels. Doing the splits in 'Flat Foot Floogie' and 'I Shot The Sherriff'. He was doing things that he hadn't done before or since! What really became enhanced was he trademark spin - which was my favourite move ever. No one can do it like him. I would watch an entire show of him just doing that, ha! Yes, I've seen the compilation videos On top of that, he was discovering his new voice, whilst trying to adjust it to old classics. It was trial and error, but Michael was fearless! I know how Michael felt about the show, and I understand and respect his views. I still think that it was a great training ground for him. He showed his versatility by adding other elements to his act; comedy, presenting, traditional broadway style routines, being personable with the audience, etc. He did it all with a smile on his face too! It was a crucial part of his development. I wasn't trying to write an essay here, lol. There are other highlights I want to mention! Maybe the Variety Show needs its own thread?
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Post by HIStoric on Jul 29, 2017 15:41:00 GMT
I gotta be honest, I consider The Jacksons to be a 'greatest hits' band. You can buy their Greatest Hits, receive a disc full of really, really good tracks, but once you explore the tracks outside of those on the GH, there's not much there to go wild about.
Least that's been my experience. There's still a tiny handful of non-GH songs I rather enjoy (I really really like Things I Do For You, especially the live version). I replayed Triumph a few weeks back and any of the tracks not on the GH weren't necessarily bad, but they didn't really command to be replayed either. I found them largely forgettable. I tried to play Victory but gave up after a bit, it's a terrible album, outside of State of Shock and perhaps Be Not Always - which I like because it's Michael against a simple acoustic guitar but the guitar instrumental leaves something to be desired. Stylistically comparable, I like Michael's Much Too Soon and wish I could hear more of Michael against a simple guitar.
I see fans go on about how forgotten a lot of The Jacksons material is, but then I play most stuff outside of their greatest hits and to me it's really not hard to see why. Some of the songs that do feature on the Greatest Hits remain absolutely incredible, unforgettable classics to this day that make you wanna do nothing but dance - like Blame it on the Boogie is known by practically everyone and was actually even played at a party I was at a few weeks back.
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Post by Snow White on Jul 29, 2017 15:56:41 GMT
Totally agree with your comment. I mean, the 90s was at his peak as a lyricist, as studio performer, he released Ghosts surpassing creatively what he did with Thriller. All his 90s albums are quite strong and creative. It certainly was a very prolific and productive era for MJ. Can you imagine being a fan during this era, seeing the Triumph and Victory tours and witnessing first hand his artistic growth between each album? It must've been a magical time. Although it was definitely the most productive era of his career certainly in terms of quantity, whether it was his "creative peak" is another matter altogether. Being prolific and being creative are two different things. I would say 1990-1997 (Dangerous and HIStory sessions, along with the BOTD EP and really strong outtakes such as Someone Put Your Hand Out, Monkey Business, Much Too Soon etc) was a highly prolific time, and I would personally call this era his creative peak, because I think the songs he was writing during this time were more experimental/creative/unique. Totally agree with your comment. I mean, the 90s was at his peak as a lyricist, as studio performer, he released Ghosts surpassing creatively what he did with Thriller. All his 90s albums are quite strong and creative.
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Post by MattyJam on Jul 29, 2017 16:22:21 GMT
I gotta be honest, I consider The Jacksons to be a 'greatest hits' band. You can buy their Greatest Hits, receive a disc full of really, really good tracks, but once you explore the tracks outside of those on the GH, there's not much there to go wild about. Least that's been my experience. There's still a tiny handful of non-GH songs I rather enjoy (I really really like Things I Do For You, especially the live version). I replayed Triumph a few weeks back and any of the tracks not on the GH weren't necessarily bad, but they didn't really command to be replayed either. I found them largely forgettable. I tried to play Victory but gave up after a bit, it's a terrible album, outside of State of Shock and perhaps Be Not Always - which I like because it's Michael against a simple acoustic guitar but the guitar instrumental leaves something to be desired. Stylistically comparable, I like Michael's Much Too Soon and wish I could hear more of Michael against a simple guitar. I see fans go on about how forgotten a lot of The Jacksons material is, but then I play most stuff outside of their greatest hits and to me it's really not hard to see why. Some of the songs that do feature on the Greatest Hits remain absolutely incredible, unforgettable classics to this day that make you wanna do nothing but dance - like Blame it on the Boogie is known by practically everyone and was actually even played at a party I was at a few weeks back. I appreciate your honesty HIStoric, but wholeheartedly disagree with your assertion that The Jacksons are a GH band. You would never find songs like Push Me Away, Time Waits For No One, That's What You Get For Being Polite, Dreamer, Bless His Soul, Things I Do For You, One More Chance, Be Not Always, Walk Right Now or Destiny on a Jacksons hits collection, and I personally would take each and every one of those songs over Blame It On The Boogie. I agree that Victory is a mixed bag, but Torture, One More Chance, State of Shock and Be Not Always are solid cuts, and some of the brothers tracks like Wait and Body are actually pretty good, if you can stomach the cheesiness.
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Post by aazzaabb on Jul 29, 2017 16:26:11 GMT
I gotta be honest, I consider The Jacksons to be a 'greatest hits' band. You can buy their Greatest Hits, receive a disc full of really, really good tracks, but once you explore the tracks outside of those on the GH, there's not much there to go wild about. Least that's been my experience. There's still a tiny handful of non-GH songs I rather enjoy (I really really like Things I Do For You, especially the live version). I replayed Triumph a few weeks back and any of the tracks not on the GH weren't necessarily bad, but they didn't really command to be replayed either. I found them largely forgettable. I tried to play Victory but gave up after a bit, it's a terrible album, outside of State of Shock and perhaps Be Not Always - which I like because it's Michael against a simple acoustic guitar but the guitar instrumental leaves something to be desired. Stylistically comparable, I like Michael's Much Too Soon and wish I could hear more of Michael against a simple guitar. I see fans go on about how forgotten a lot of The Jacksons material is, but then I play most stuff outside of their greatest hits and to me it's really not hard to see why. Some of the songs that do feature on the Greatest Hits remain absolutely incredible, unforgettable classics to this day that make you wanna do nothing but dance - like Blame it on the Boogie is known by practically everyone and was actually even played at a party I was at a few weeks back. Interesting. Personally I love Destiny and Triumph as albums but everything else before and after album-wise is average save for the occasional single. The J5 were very much a singles group on a singles label during their Motown days. Marvin Gaye's What's Going On released in 71 changed things up a bit but J5 were largely a singles act. When the brothers moved to Epic they had to really fight for the right to have more creative input but I would guess that Epic initially saw them as a singles group. It's probably no coincidence that their 2 pieces of work that work pretty great as albums happen at the precise moment MJ began to evolve. I'm not saying it's only down to him, but those two albums are right on either side of OTW and they decline back into a singles group for Victory when MJ had lost all interest in being in the group.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 17:08:03 GMT
I don't see anything wrong with being a singles act. After all, it's the hits that people remember the most. If an artist or group is fortunate enough to have a string of those, their legacy is set.
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Post by aazzaabb on Jul 29, 2017 17:25:52 GMT
^^ I don't think anyone see's anything wrong with it. Most other artists who don't have hits tend to say their album artists. J5 was a singles act, that was the big market back then -I love the first 3 J5 albums, I even like the Christmas album- but people still love the hits and always will, it's a good thing.
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Post by Snow White on Jul 29, 2017 17:43:31 GMT
Didn't Michael say along the lines he wanted to make full good albums since Thriller? He started to have more creative freedom since that album as a solo artist, his brothers, Quincy and other song writers restrained him in a way in those previous works. In the late 70s and early 80s was more about shaking off his child star status and proving he arrived as a solo artist to stay. And the 90s he was already a renowned solo artist setting the bar even higher. He needed to be more innovative and not playing safe,that's why I believe the 90s was his creative peak.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 17:55:29 GMT
^^ I don't think anyone see's anything wrong with it. Most other artists who don't have hits tend to say their album artists. J5 was a singles act, that was the big market back then -I love the first 3 J5 albums, I even like the Christmas album- but people still love the hits and always will, it's a good thing. I think it's limiting to call Jackson 5 an singles or albums act. They were an overall phenomenon. Whether it was the cartoon series, concerts and tv performances, vegas act, etc. No other group that age had ever done it on that level.
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Post by Snow White on Jul 29, 2017 18:08:51 GMT
^^Many MJ fans (not all) at least the ones born in the 70s and onwards only know and love the J5 classics. I personally am more of a fan of the Jacksons albums than complete J5 ones.
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