“Michael Jackson could make you forget he was so young.” So writes Suzee Ikeda, a Motown artist and A&R assistant who was a creative confidante of a teenaged Michael, in her introductory essay to Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection, a new 3-CD set that features every MJ recording released from 1971 to 1975, plus the Motown-era songs that were released after he left the company. At the height of the Jackson 5 mania in 1970-71, a solo career for young Michael was not a given. [Read More...]
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First off, I can’t say enough about the quality of this music. Michael Jackson was a very gifted individual and all of his music - including everything on this set - is soulful, catchy, and beautiful. It already has and will continue to stand the test of time.
Now about the sound quality of the tracks included in this set:
The original release of “Ben” on CD had a few flaws in my opinion. The title track and “Greatest Show on Earth” actually sounded scratchy/glitchy in areas. It was fairly subtle but it bothered me every time I listened to it. The makers of this 3-disc set have almost perfected these tracks. Although there is still one spot in “Ben” the song where I can hear a small flaw, the rest of the track and “Greatest Show on Earth” have been cleaned up - no more glitchy scratchy sounds. And the flaw in Ben that still remains is concealed quite well. I only noticed it because I was listening hard for it - the particular glitch was much worse in the original CD release.
I also had a complaint about the original CD release of “Forever, Michael.” The overall sound quality just wasn’t as good as Michael’s other childhood solo albums. “We’re Almost There” was the worst. While a good song, it sounded like it was recorded with cheap equipment. Again, the makers of this set seem to have worked hard to improve the sound quality to the best of their ability. “Forever, Michael” still doesn’t sound as good as the other albums included here, but it’s definitely an improvement from the original CD release. It sounds clearer and less gritty.
I didn’t notice any differences in “Got to Be There,” and I never owned the original CD releases of “Music and Me,” “Looking Back to Yesterday,” and “Farewell My Summer Love” if they even existed. So the only comment I can make on those albums is that they sound great to me - no flaws that I can notice.
About packaging:
The CDs are tucked into the back of a small hardcover book detailing Michael’s young solo career. The book is written by Mark Anthony Neal who is an established writer and an instructor of African-American studies at Duke University. Although he doesn’t appear to have known Michael Jackson, he is well-versed in the subject of Michael’s young solo career and offers interesting insight and information in this book. Many nice photographs are included as well as images of the original album covers.
My only complaint about the packaging of this set involves the slots included for the CDs. Rather than including a plastic setting or case in the back of the book for all three CDs, the makers of this set only included cardstock envelopes bound into the book. There isn’t even any protective cloth - just cardstock. One CD was even stuck at the bottom of its little folder/envelope and I scratched it getting it out. It’s a minor scratch but it bothers me that they didn’t take the time to provide a safe casing for these CDs. I moved all three CDs to my CD binder, where they will remain forever (when I’m not playing them of course).
Since I bought this set for the music, I give it 5 stars. Great music. Great sound quality. However, if I had bought it for the packaging, I would have given it 3 stars. Great little book but BAD casing.
So often, Michael Jackson’s early career is glossed over in a few sentences, acknowledging some big hits with the Jackson 5; maybe, maybe not mentioning his solo albums before “Off The Wall.” As great as his music would become, I’ve found myself so full of astonishment and joy simply trying to wrap my mind around how incredible this kid was. I try to imagine kids I know doing what Michael did, and just shake my head at what a talent he was.
If you’re new to his early solo music, this box set is as good as it gets. It doesn’t contain every single solo track Motown has put out (there are some vinyl and cassette obscurities from the 80’s), but all you really need is here. If you’re a long-time fan and have all of these albums already, it’s still worth hearing the previously unreleased, original versions of the “Farewell My Summer Love” album (as well as “Twenty-Five Miles”), all of which will probably be preferred to the 1984 mixes (also included). Plus, the packaging is beautiful, the book contains nice photos and session info, and the remastered sound is great. In particular, the “Got To Be There” album sounded fresher and brought out more of the background vocals and treble portion of the mix.
Many fans are probably unfamiliar with the material featured on disc three, particularly “Looking Back To Yesterday,” a hard-to-find collection I was lucky to stumble across about 15 years ago and have never seen since. The sound here does not differ much from the CD I bought all those years ago, but the “Farewell…” album sounds much better than my worn-down cassette from 1984!
Surely, a ton of credit belongs to the writers, arrangers, and producers of these songs. But it’s Michael, not only as a singer but as an interpreter, that steals your heart here. When I was just a kid myself, listening to these songs convinced me that I could feel emotions beyond what I knew at the time. In terms of vocal prowess, range, and dramatics, the first three songs on disc 1 knock me out. “Got To Be There” is the best album in the set. “Ben” as an album is similar in style, perhaps more mellow, but with an uptempo, energetic gem in “What Goes Around Comes Around”–one of my favorite Jackson Motown tracks ever. The newly released original mix of “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” is awesome, near the end of disc one.
Disc 2 is quite a contrast in styles. The inconsistent and light “Music & Me” album precedes the changed-voice, disco leaning “Forever, Michael.” Lyrically, songs like “With A Child’s Heart” and “Music and Me” seem perfect for the singer; the former especially touching in context of his adult persona. “Too Young” is a show-stopper, “Johnny Raven” is fun, “One Day In Your Life” is gorgeous.
On disc 3, how did “Give Me Half A Chance” never get released in the J5 heyday? The song is in the “Never Can Say Goodbye” vein but more urgent (if that’s possible) and Michael hits notes I still can’t believe. And try not smiling to the well-orchestrated, joyful take on “I Hear A Symphony.” The poigniant “To Make My Father Proud,” with lyrics that point out his stand-apart talent and pressure/desire to be the best, ring of truth and makes a great end to the set.