The Jackson 5 burst on the music scene like a ray of sunshine in late 1969, reeling off four consecutive No. 1 hits and inspiring worldwide Jacksonmania. They also recorded constantly, and a treasure trove of newly discovered, 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), available September 18, 2012. 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 — is housed in a special box with deluxe packaging that includes not only the two discs but a vinyl 7-inch single, rare photos, essays and detailed information.
Come And Get It: The Rare Pearls is rich with gems, among them “If The Shoe Don’t Fit,” a Corporation classic that coulda-woulda-shoulda been a smash hit. “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 studio version that became a staple of the J5 live show; 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.”