Latest on MJJC

MJ's Pre "Off The Wall" Solo Albums

Cinnamon234

Proud Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
3,372
Points
63
Location
U.S.A
I really don't understand why apart from "Ben" "Rockin' Robin" and "Got To Be There" why most of MJ's solo stuff he did with Motown is so overlooked-even by fans. I feel like we always discuss the same six albums which yes they are all good or great, but why be so limited when there are plenty of other great songs Michael has recorded (even if many of them were covers). I just think his earlier recordings deserve more recogniton.

A list of MJ's Pre-OTW albums:

Got To Be There



41YP9S0QXAL._AA240_.jpg


"Ain't No Sunshine"
"I Wanna Be Where You Are"
"Girl Don't Take Your Love From Me"
"In Our Small Way"
"Got to Be There"
"Rockin' Robin"
"Wings of My Love"
"Maria (You Were the Only One)"
"Love Is Here and Now You're Gone"
"You've Got a Friend

BEN



65e45c7b6673f33de7ef02f840183d91.jpg


"Ben"
"The Greatest Show on Earth"
"People Make the World Go Round"
"We've Got a Good Thing Going"
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool"
"My Girl"
"What Goes Around Comes Around"
"In Our Small Way"
"Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day"
"You Can Cry on My Shoulder"

Music & Me

MusicandMelp.jpg


"With a Child's Heart"
"Up Again"
"All The Things You Are"
"Happy (A Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)"
"Too Young"
"Doggin' Around"
"Johnny Raven"
"Euphoria"
"Morning Glow"
"Music and Me"

Forever Michael

5331_ML_USA_PFA_01.jpg


"We're Almost There"
"Take Me Back"
"One Day in Your Life"
"Cinderella Stay Awhile"
"We've Got Forever"
"Just a Little Bit of You"
"You Are There"
"Dapper Dan"
"Dear Michael"
"I'll Come Home to You"

One Day In Your Life

d87249h9sy3.jpg


"One Day in Your Life"
"Don't Say Goodbye Again"
"You're My Best Friend, My Love"
"Take Me Back"
"We've Got Forever"
"It's Too Late to Change the Time"
"You Are There"
"Dear Michael"
"I'll Come Home to You"
"Make Tonight All Mine"

Farewell My Summer Love

200px-Mjfarewell.JPG


"Don't Let It Get You Down"
"You've Really Got a Hold on Me"
"Melodie"
"Touch The One You Love"
"Girl You're So Together"
"Farewell My Summer Love"
"Call on Me"
"Here I Am (Come and Take Me)"
"To Make My Father Proud"

-I didn't include unreleased/rare solo songs he did with Motown, but I think these are all of them , but someone tell me if I left anything out.


Anyway, what is everyone's top 10 fave songs from these albums?

Mine are:

1)Aint No Sunshine
2)Got To Be There
3)Music & Me
4)With A Child's Heart
5)Dear Michael
6)One Day In Your Life
7)Cinderella Stay A While
8)Farewell My Summer Love
9)You Are There
10)Don't Say Goodbye Again
 
OK, I looove these albums! they are IMMENSELY OVERLOOKED! my top 10 from those are:

1-"Take Me Back"
2-"One Day in Your Life"
3-"Just a Little Bit of You"
4-"Happy (A Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)"
5-"It's Too Late to Change the Time"
6-"Call on Me"
7-"Music and Me"
8-"I Wanna Be Where You Are"
9-"You've Got a Friend
10-"Got to Be There"

*SIGH* and mind you, I havent even heard all those songs, so my list may change once I take a trip to itunes!!!!!!! I loooove alot of MJ pre-otw songs. They are soooo beautiful, and more ppl need to recognize them!
 
I agree. His pre-OTW work gets overlooked.

These are my 10 faves
1. I Wanna Be Where You Are
2. Got to Be There
3. Music and Me
4. Ain't No Sunshine
5. People Make the World Go Round
6. Ben
7. Rockin' Robin
8. Farewell My Summer Love
9. Maria (You Were the Only One)"
10. Cinderella Stay Awhile
 
Ben is my all time favorite song he's sung pre-Off the Wall. I don't know what it is about it but it's just so good. I'm very, very, VERY glad Donny Osmond wasn't the one who sang it.
 
Last edited:
His pre Off The Wall eras are sooo overlooked.....I absolutely love all of those sweet, nostalgic albums, Michael is a precious gem in all of the them.
 
Last edited:
I havent heard his pre off the wall stuff besides ben. I dont know where to find any of them
 
I have Farewell My Summer Love in Vinyl and like a compilation cd of a lot of his solo stuff when he was still a kid.
I agree his early solo work is extremely overlooked. Most people dont seem to know about it.
 
victorytour84 said:
I feel like your not a true mj fan if you don't like that stuff
Click to expand...

Well I don't know if I'd go as far as to say that people who don't have those albums aren't "true" fans, but I definitely think fans who haven't heard these albums or songs are definitely missing out big time on some great music.

I feel like to truly appreciate Michael's greatness and talent as an artist, you have to appreciate all of his work and that includes his earlier stuff.

mj_13 said:
I havent heard his pre off the wall stuff besides ben. I dont know where to find any of them
Click to expand...

Well I've seen "Forever Michael" at quite a few record shops and at amazon.com, but yeah his earlier stuff with motown is not that easy to find. If you are unable to find those albums, may I suggest that you consider getting "The Best of Michael Jackson (Anthology Series)". It's a great double disc album with 44 songs compiled from Michael's earlier solo album's w/Motown. If you like R&B, soul or motown especially then I think you'd like this. It's well worth the money.

41F2T5QGHML._SL500_AA240_.jpg


http://www.amazon.com/Best-Michael-...samples/B000001A8C/ref=dp_tracks_all_2#disc_2
 
Last edited:
I think its mostly because they kind of get lost in the [Motown] shuffle. Also, he wasn't an adult, so we consider 'Off The Wall' his first solo album.
 
I agree. His Motown albums are criminally underrated. I think Forever, Michael is a great album.
 
street walker said:
I agree. His Motown albums are criminally underrated. I think Forever, Michael is a great album.
Click to expand...

Wow, true...An outstanding album, full of precocious sensitivity, maturity and harmony. It's actually one of his best albums, in my opinion. "You Are There", "One Day In Your Life", "We're Almost There", "We've Got Forever", for instance, are classic masterpieces and spread light and hope. Totally underrated works...
 
the floacist said:
I think its mostly because they kind of get lost in the [Motown] shuffle. Also, he wasn't an adult, so we consider 'Off The Wall' his first solo album.
Click to expand...

Technically, he was an adult for Forever, Michael. But I see what you mean, and I agree, Off The Wall was considered his first 'proper' album.
 
Farewell My Summer Love was old songs. Mike's vocals were used, but the original music was replaced with newly recorded (in 1984) music. The CD re-release has a different cover than the original with the audience picture. I had the cassette from when it was originally released, but gave it away when I bought the CD that was out briefly.
 
Cinnamon234 said:
Well I don't know if I'd go as far as to say that people who don't have those albums aren't "true" fans, but I definitely think fans who haven't heard these albums or songs are definitely missing out big time on some great music.

I feel like to truly appreciate Michael's greatness and talent as an artist, you have to appreciate all of his work and that includes his earlier stuff.



Well I've seen "Forever Michael" at quite a few record shops and at amazon.com, but yeah his earlier stuff with motown is not that easy to find. If you are unable to find those albums, may I suggest that you consider getting "The Best of Michael Jackson (Anthology Series)". It's a great double disc album with 44 songs compiled from Michael's earlier solo album's w/Motown. If you like R&B, soul or motown especially then I think you'd like this. It's well worth the money.

41F2T5QGHML._SL500_AA240_.jpg


http://www.amazon.com/Best-Michael-...samples/B000001A8C/ref=dp_tracks_all_2#disc_2
Click to expand...

I will definitely check that out thank you
 
shipoffools said:
Technically, he was an adult for Forever, Michael. But I see what you mean, and I agree, Off The Wall was considered his first 'proper' album.
Click to expand...
He was actually only 16 when he released Forever, Michael (January 1975).
 
^^ But his voice had matured to a point where it was much more adult than his previous albums, that's what I meant.
 
I agree wholeheartedly. There is great material within the Motown solo work that is almost forgotten. Some of my favs - Farewell My Summer Love, (I recall radio play when it was re-released in '84) Don't Say Goodbye Again, We've Got A Good Thing Going, Happy, Music and Me, With A Child's Heart (the last two both featured in Michael Jackson The Legend Continues). Most of these songs were recorded by MJ over 30 years ago and never sung again. I always wonder if Michael could remember the lyrics to many of the songs he recorded from the Jackson 5 and solo albums produced by MOtown.
 
I wish Got To Be There, Ben, Music & Me and Forever, Michael were remastered and rereleased. There so hard to find, and the copies I have are downloaded. I'd love to have legitimate, good quality copies of his Motown solo albums.
 
Last edited:
The fact that the media almost always refer to Off The Wall as Michael's first solo album, shows how overlooked his Motown solo are. Off The Wall was the first album Michael Jackson had creative control of, so in that sense it's the first solo Michael Jackson a creative artist. But Technically Got To Be There is Michael's first also album, other wise Michael wouldn't have celebrated 30th Anniversary Concert's as MSG in 2001 as a solo artist, as Got To Be There was his first solo single release in 1971

I every love part of Michael's career from the Jackson 5 to present. I've been listening to Michael solo Motown albums a lot recently. I've been mainly listening to Got To Be There and Forever, Michael.

My favorite Michael Jackson solo songs from Motown are.

01. Got To Be There
02. We're Almost There
03. Just A Little Bit of You
04. Rockin Robin
05. Dapper Dan
06. Maria
07. Ain't No Sunshine
08. Take Me Back
09. Wanna Be Were You Are
10. One Day In Your Life
10. Music and Me
12. The Greatest Show on Earth
13. Dear Michael
14. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
15. Happy (A Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)
 
Last edited:
I wanna be where you are
my girl
farewell my summer love
music and me
take me back
got to be there
rockin' robin
one day in your life
ben
Ain't No Sunshine

this was so hard!!! And this probably changes every week or so:D I'm crazy about I wanna be where you are at the moment :)
I don't have a MJ album from the motown-era though... My dad has got some of those motown-albums and there are some MJ- songs on there but I haven't got a full-album... I can't find them anywhere so I have to buy them at iTunes.. but that's not the same!:no:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top