Looking back at M J's finest albums

Some periods in your life tend to be very much connected with external events such as polical history, the whole hype around a film, tv show or for that matter a record.

Given the last time I wrote about him here was way back in 2010 it's time to move on.

I can remember the hype around this Michael Jackson's first solo album for Epic Records in the Fifth Form around September and October of 1979 having read 208 magazine, the teen monthly issued by Radio Luxemburg with features on him and his then upcoming single Don't Stop Til You Get Enough  sandwiched between the ads for Boots No.7 cosmetics and girls intimate products.

Clearly that magazines target was teen girls but they did cover soul and funk music which was popular at the time well and it was clear Big Things were expected of this album.

In due course they did being the home of Off The Wall, Rock With You (the single contains added hand claps) and the poignant She's Out Of My Life.

At this point strangely enough people had forgotten his Motown solo career starting as it did with Got To Be There and running for four solo lps, one being the Ben soundtrack something that British Motown put right in that gap between his Epic albums when they re-released 1975's excellent One Day In Your Life from the Forever Michael album and had a #1 hit with it in the summer of 1981.

That is my British original orange Epic label original which came in a gatefold sleeve which unlike later copies didn't replace the original Rock With You for the single version.

After Off The Wall his next project emerged around October of 1982 with the relatively low key The Girl Is Mine colaberation with Sir Paul McCartney which followed from Michael's cover of his Girlfriend on the previous album.

Like Off The Wall, Thriller was concieved as a luxury project so had a gatefold lp jacket  this time taken up with a posed photograph and the album lyrics this time on the lp inner sleeve.

It was a slow album to sell initially not being helped by being released into the mainly British New Romantic invasion by such acts as ABC, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet whose sound tended to eclipse American soul and funk although it was Shalamar's finest hour in the UK.

Eventually aided by such upbeat numbers as Billy Jean and especially Beat It with Eddie Van Halen's  guitar solo and ground breaking videos, it took off to be one of best selling albums in the UK and the topping the Billboard sales for 1983.

Amazingly six out of nine tracks made it to 7 inch vinyl  or got radio playlisted with the last one being P.Y.T. in early 1984 in the UK.

November's premier wherever in the world you were of the Thriller extended promotional video was an event few of us can forget it moved video on as much as Girls On Film did two years before and like that not necessariily without a little controversy either.

That is my Dutch pressed copy from 1983 - it has Co-production credits to Michael Jackson on the jacket unlike first pressings - and this edition used the American mastering on stampers rather than one made locally.

If you look closely at the label, you will spot both the full track length and also the introduction lengths marked  for DJ's.

This is the promotional leaflet outlining previous Jacksons and Michael Jackson albums included in mine but mine being an early copy makes no reference to Compact Discs and "For Europe cds from the then CBS Group didn't come in until around 1984/5.

For me these two albums remain his greatest solo achievements, the point where he was setting the standard in Soul and Funk rather than playing catch up as with Bad and especially 1991's Dangerous where he copped the New Jack Swing style but seemed out of his depth as some of the controversy  around early versions of lyrics showed what may be fine for some could never be acceptable for a person whose appeal was more universal.

Chaka Khan

Seeing we've left Christmas we can resume the music posts on this blog.

This like most of them is connected to my past in as much as this artist Chaka Khan as part of the soundtrack of my life as I grew up (don't laugh!) with her sounds being on the radio as well as the emergent MuchMusic and MTV television networks.

Born Yvette Marie Stevens in Chicago, Ill. in the late 60's she took the name Chaka from the Yoruba word for 'fire' and following the break up of her marriage to an Indian bass player kept the Khan surname as part of her stage name. 

Unlike most of her generation, her singing career didn't start via Gospel singing in the Church but more from her listening to Jazz and in 1972 she joined what became Rufus, a R&B band (when R&B had rhythm and blues) who signed to ABC Records recording seven albums as their lead singer.

By 1978 however the lead wanted to a solo career and so signed  to Warner Bros working with producer and arranger Arif Mardin creating five albums together.

That is where she entered my life though the radio play given to her '45 "I'm Every Woman" where that voice and Arif's arrangements hooked me although the 1981 album with "I Know You I Live You" passed the casual R&B fan.

By 1984 she was back getting column inches with the funk and electro influenced "I Feel For You" complete with turntable scratching helped by popularity of the previous years "Ain't Nobody" a product of the last contractual release with Rufus followed by the "This Is My Night" and "Eye To Eye" in 1985 which remain favourites of mine from that era.

What makes this pack of five original albums attractive is it offers the first five albums taking in soul, disco, funk, electro and guest MC'ing  so you see beyond the the hits and can explore her more deeper cuts.

Front and rear cover are is reproduced with the discs in slim box.

The sound quality is very good on these discs and  being inexpensive makes for a good introduction to her catalogue.