Inductee #4 – The Jackson 5

 

The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music quintet (and briefly a sextet and quartet) from Gary, Indiana. The group, fully active from 1966 to 1990, regularly played from a repertoire of R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. Considered “one of the biggest phenomenons in pop music”^[1] during the early 1970s, the Jackson 5 are also notable for launching the careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael. Joseph Jackson formed the early incarnation of the band in 1964 and served as its manager, with Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and unrelated youths Reynaud Jones and Milford Hite comprising its original lineup. Within a year, however, Michael and Marlon joined the band forming the principal lineup of the group.

Signed to the Motown label from 1968 to 1975, and to Epic/CBS Records (as “The Jacksons”) from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era and became the first recording act to have their first four major label singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”) reach the top of the American charts. Several future singles, among them “Mama’s Pearl”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Dancing Machine”, were Top 5 pop hits and number-one hits on the R&B singles chart. Most of the early hits were written and produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The Corporation™; later Jackson 5 hits were crafted chiefly by Hal Davis.

Significantly, they were the first black teen idols to appeal equally to white audiences. Upon their departure from Motown for CBS in 1975, the Jacksons were forced to change their name and replace Jermaine (who remained at Motown) with younger brother Randy. The group took control of their songwriting, production, and image, and their success continued into the 1980s with hits such as “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “State of Shock”, and the highly successful Victory Tour. The Jacksons officially disbanded in 1990, after the commercial underperformance of their 1989 album 2300 Jackson Street, recorded mostly without Michael and Marlon.

Just recently, I’ve really got into their music and I absolutely love it. While Michael’s voice is spectacular as lead, the backing music deserves a lot of credit. The guitar riffs in each song are different and yet ultimately catchy and in later albums, the introduction of other instruments and special sound effects added a further element to their sound. The magnificent thing about their music was that no matter when they released their albums, whether it was in the 60s, 70s or 80s, their sound was always fresh and with the times; just listening to Victory was enough to tell you it was made in the mid 1980s. If you’re a fan of Motown, or just a funk, dance or soul kinda guy/gal, I compell you to get hold of their music.

Albums worth acquiring are:

• Triumph
• Victory
• Destiny
• The Jacksons
• Moving Violation
• ABC
• Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5

Inductee #3 – Jamiroquai

 

Hate him or love him, you can’t deny the impact he’s had on the genre of acid jazz and funk over the past two decades. Originally auditioning for the lead singer of the Brand New Heavies, Jason “Jay Kay” Cheetham decided to form the group known as Jamiroquai. Jamiroquai’s first single, “When You Gonna Learn”, was released in 1992 on the Acid Jazz label. Following its success, Kay signed an eight-album record deal with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The first Sony album, Emergency on Planet Earth was released in 1993. It was followed in 1994 by The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single “Space Cowboy” gained notice on the charts and in club rotation.

While Jamiroquai was growing in popularity in the UK and Western Europe, they remained relatively unknown to U.S and other international audiences. The band’s international breakthrough came with the third album, Travelling Without Moving in 1996, which yielded two big hits, “Virtual Insanity” and “Cosmic Girl”. The success of “Virtual Insanity” was due in part to its innovative video, which featured Kay’s dance moves and some gravity-defying images. At the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, the creative videoclip for “Virtual Insanity”won four awards, including Best Video, Best Special Effects, Best Cinematography, andBreakthrough Video.

The acid jazz flavours and ethnic influences of the first three albums continued with the release of Synkronized in 1999. Jay Kay’s interest in funk and disco music were shifting the band’s directions towards such. By their fifth album, A Funk Odyssey (2001), they had evolved so drastically, that some critics and listeners would remark they lost the ‘Jamiroquai sound’. With the departure of more and more original band members, including Wallis Buchanan and his didgeridoo, Jamiroquai had become a very different band than that of 1992. In spite of the changes, the fifth album’s first single, “Little L”, reached #1 in many charts worldwide.

Their sixth album, titled Dynamite was released on June 20, 2005. It reached #3 on the UK charts. The first single, “Feels Just Like It Should” was released early in June, the second, “Seven Days in Sunny June” released on August 15th, 2005, followed by the third, “(Don’t) Give Hate A Chance” on November 7, 2005.

Jamiroquai released a greatest hits collection, High Times: Singles 1992-2006 in November 2006. The release of this album marked the end of Kay’s eight-album contract with Sony. The album reached the number 1 spot in the UK album chart after its first week of release. The album featured two new tracks, “Runaway” and “Radio”. On September 18, 2006, “Runaway” was given its first play by UK radio stations. It was released as a single on October 30, 2006.

His ability to consistently produce quality tunes through a myriad of genres (pop, electronica, acid jazz, funk, soul to name a few) is a quality many artists and music groups crave. Some may think of him as merely a Stevie Wonder wannabe with a good backing outfit behind him, but his music speaks volumes (pardon the pun) and he he’s no where near finished. If you’ve never heard Jamiroquai or would like to hear more of his music, try:

• Travelling Without Moving
• Synkronized
• A Funk Odyssey
• Dynamite.

Obama beats Clinton… in the Grammies?

 

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200802111758.htm 

No, you’ve not misread the title, American Democratic Candidate Barack Obama beat Bill Clinton in the “Best Spoken Word Album” Award in the 50th Grammy Awards last night, for the audio version of his book, “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”. It was Obama’s second Grammy. His first win came two years ago for the audio edition of “Dreams From My Father.” Could this possibly be an taste of things to come?

Moving on from politics, Amy Winehouse swept the board with 5 wins, thanks by large to her aptly named hit single “Rehab”. She won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. Other winners included Justin Timberlake in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance award and Best Dance Recording and Maroon 5 in the Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals.

Inductee #2 – Led Zeppelin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin 

While I’ve never actually listened to their music, I’m well aware of the impact they have left on rock music and music in general. Many rock fans call Led Zeppelin the greatest rock band ever, and even though the genre that they categorized under is heavy metal, all fans of music who know who Led Zeppelin are and have heard their music will tell you of their admiration for the band. Besides, it’s not any dogs-body that can appear in an episode of The Simpsons, is it?

For those who would like to start listening to Led Zeppelin, try these albums:

Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin IV, Physical Graffiti and Mothership. 

RSS Feed

I’ve added a link to the feed of this blog, so if you want to subscribe (please subscribe!), then click on the link. I’m very grateful for the 1000+ hits, as I didn’t expect that many in the first place. Don’t hesitate in leaving comments or suggestions as to who you’d like to see in the L&U Hall of Fame.

Album Review: Simple Things (2001)

Picked myself up a copy of Zero 7’s Simple Things today, arguably their best album for £6 in HMV. Luckily, I already have it on my iPod, so I know just how amazing it is, but I just had to buy it, purely for collective purposes and just in case I no longer have an mp3 player (touch wood!).

If you’ve not heard the album, or even the band, I strongly suggest you buy the album, or if you’re cash strapped, borrow it from somebody or by any other means necessary (just don’t get caught, if you know what I mean). Many people believed them to be just a British rip off of the French downtempo phenomenon that is Air, but listening to this album well and truly shuts the critics up. While still having that ambient mood of the French twosome, the added instrumentals and distinct difference in melody and sound, along with angelic vocals from the likes of Sia Furler and Sophie Barker, not to mention the deep sultry voice of Mozez, give this CD an edge that sets Zero 7 apart from all the ambient bands out there. If you don’t believe me, go to YouTube and type in Destiny by Zero 7 and play the video and I’m sure you’ll agree that should you want relaxing, Zero 7 are the band for you.