Boogie

In a bid to cash in on the post-Motown successes of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael -- known by the late '70s simply as the Jacksons -- the ten-song odds and ends collection Boogie actually turned out to be a rarity due to its brief shelf-life. The contents consist primarily of previously unissued tracks, although there are also remixes of the early Jackson Five smashes "ABC," "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Dancing Machine" that while at once compelling are ultimately non-essential to all but the most fanatical enthusiast. The remainder of material encompasses their six-year (1969-'75) run on Motown, chronologically commencing with "Oh, I've Been Blessed," a Bobby Taylor-penned side hailing from the very first sessions the quintet cut for Motown in 1968. Scholarly Motown listeners should note that in addition to the Jacksons' inspired run-through, both Taylor himself, as well as the Four Tops released their own respective readings. Other 'borrowed' tunes include the Holland-Dozier-Holland composition "Love's Gone Bad." (While Chris Clark's version of the same showed up on a 1966 single that almost made it (number 41) into the Top 40 R&B survey, lovers of proto-punks the Nomads will remember their update.) Another highlight is the engaging overhaul of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her" with Michael Jackson displaying signs of his remarkably precocious talents. ~ Lindsay Planer