Jackson 5 box set now available

The Jackson 5 burst on the music scene like a ray of sunshine in late 1969, reeling off four consecutive No. 1 hits, inspiring worldwide Jacksonmania. To stay hot they kept recording, and a treasure trove of newly discovered and previously unreleased recordings by Michael, Jermaine, Jackie, Marlon and Tito are being released for the first time on Come And Get It: The Rare Pearls (Motown/Hip-oSelect/UMe). Produced by Deke Richards, leader of “The Corporation™,” the Jackson 5’s original hit songwriting-production team, the extraordinary 32-track, 2-CD set — enough songs to fill three Jackson 5 albums — will be available digitally August 28, 2012, in honor of Michael’s birthday (August 29). The retail version will be released September 18, 2012, and housed in a special box with deluxe packaging.

“Motown maintained a level of quality that remains unparalleled,” said Bruce Resnikoff, President/CEO, UMe. “The Jackson 5, like many of the Motown greats, recorded more material than they could ever release. There’s something in this set for every fan, from their bubblegum-pop beginnings to their more mature years. Every song on this set is a ‘Jackson 5 classic’ and we are thrilled that they were discovered and we can make them available to the public for the first time.”

Producer Deke Richards added, “When I listened to the very first tracks that were uncovered, it was almost like scratching my way through the darkness, with only a small torch to guide me. Then all at once a glow appeared, like discovering King Solomon’s Mines…. There were sapphires, diamonds, rubies, and then there were those gorgeous pearls, those unmistakable ‘rare pearls.’ They sound as good today as they did when they were recorded 40 years ago. Michael and his brothers are truly remarkable. I knew when I heard their songs again, it was my destiny to give each of these songs some TLC and share them with the rest of the world. Pound for pound, this is some of their best music ever.”

Come And Get It: The Rare Pearls is rich with gems. “If The Shoe Don’t Fit” is a “Corporation classic” that coulda-woulda-shoulda been the follow-up to the J5’s No. 1 hit “The Love You Save.” “Our Love,” led by Jermaine, is destined to become a new wedding favorite. “If You Want Heaven” updates the classic Motown sound, while “Iddinit,” “If I Can’t Nobody Can” and “Would Ya Would Ya Baby” hint at a new funk direction for the brothers. “Love Trip,” a ballad, points in the direction a solo Michael would take in the next phase of his career.

There are also striking covers done J5-style, including “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” a No. 1 hit for Three Dog Night; Jackie DeShannon’s “Movin’;” the pop/soul perennial “Up On The Roof;” a Stax nugget, “I Got A Sure Thing;” Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright,” in a stompin’ studio version of a song previously best known performed live by the J5; and new versions of Motown chestnuts “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Keep An Eye,” “I’m Your Sunny One (He’s My Sunny Boy)” (all originally by the Supremes); “Since I Lost My Baby” (Temptations); “Lets Go Back To Day One” (Eddie Kendricks); and “Label Me Love” (Different Shades Of Brown).

Bonus tracks are: producer Deke Richards’ original unedited version of “That’s How Love Is,” a rarity which first appeared on 2009’s I Want You Back!: The Unreleased Masters; Richards’ original extended mix for “If I Have To Move A Mountain,” an LP track issued in 1972; and a super treat for J5 fans, the demo for “Mama’s Pearl,” previously hidden deep in Deke’s personal vault.

Come And Get It: The Rare Pearls is housed in a unique package: a 7-inch square box packed with the discs in their own sleeves; an oversized booklet featuring detailed annotations, rare photos, and essays by Deke Richards and author/professor Mark Anthony Neal; and an actual 45-rpm, 7-inch vinyl single in a slick picture sleeve – “If The Shoe Don’t Fit” b/w “Feelin’ Alright.” It’s a perfect birthday celebration for one of the greatest groups of all time.

TRACK LIST:

Disc 1
1. (We’re The) Music Makers
2. If The Shoe Don’t Fit
3. Come And Get It (Love’s On The Fire)
4. I Got A Sure Thing
5. After You Leave Girl
6. Mama Told Me Not To Come
7. Iddinit
8. Since I Lost My Baby
9. Keep An Eye
10. Movin’
11. Feelin’ Alright studio version
12. You Better Watch Out
13. I’m Your Sunny One (He’s My Sunny Boy)
14. Someone’s Standing In My Love Light

Disc 2
1. If You Want Heaven
2. You Can’t Hurry Love
3. Keep Off The Grass
4. Going My Way
5. Makin’ Life A Little Easier For You
6. Up On The Roof
7. If I Can’t Nobody Can
8. Our Love
9. I Can’t Get Enough Of You
10. Cupid
11. Let’s Go Back To Day One
12. Would Ya Would Ya Baby
13. Love Trip
14. Label Me Love
15. Jumbo Sam

Bonus Tracks
16. That’s How Love Is original complete version
17. If I Have To Move A Mountain original complete version
18. Mama’s Pearl demo (“Guess Who’s Making Whoopee”)