Little Michael Jackson. There's something about the sight of him, and
especially about his voice, that makes me unbelievably hopeful and
almost unspeakably sad at the same time. Now that we know about Jackson's
tyrannical father, the self-loathing that led him to destroy his face
with plastic surgery, his two strange marriages and divorces, and the
accusations of child molestation leveled against him, it is easy to say in
hindsight that there was something knowing and sad about his delivery
on those Motown hits of the '70s.
Hopefully, appreciating Michael Jackson's early work, which was
admittedly saccharine at times, won't be seen as rewriting musical history.
Such critical revisionism is best exemplified by the case of Karen
Carpenter, whose music, once seen as the epitome of sentimentality and
commercialism, has been reevaluated and more appreciated (as her vocals are
now described as "melancholy" or "tragic") since her death from
anorexia. This critic, for one, can attest to recognizing this tragic quality
in Jackson as far back as the Thriller days, even before the stories
about oxygen chambers and the Elephant Man's bones began to circulate.
A much happier Jackson story, and one of my favorites, is that, before
recording the first Jackson 5 single, "I Want You Back", the
ten-year-old asked one of his brothers what the lyrics meant. The reply was not
to worry about it; just sing it like you mean it. This philosophy seems
to have guided Jackson's entire Motown career. He was forced to play
the part of an adult, both by enduring a demanding career and by singing
songs that bore little relation to the average kid's life, and he did
it with a grace that is hard not to admire.
For some reason, whether because he was a sharp kid who quickly "got"
what he was singing about, or because he was just damn good at faking
it, Michael Jackson pulled it off. His Motown hits, both solo and with
the J5, are dazzling examples of his technical range and emotional depth
as a singer. This kid had more going on when he was twelve years old
than most vocalists do by the time they're fifty.
Want proof? Just check out Jackson's entry in "The Millennium
Collection" series. His vocals on "Got To Be There", "Rockin' Robin", "Ben", and
"Happy" are nothing short of gorgeous, and lesser-known songs like
"Music and Me" are gems waiting to be rediscovered. The short, budget
format of this series sometimes shortchanges artists by omitting key
tracks, but it's the ideal setting for Jackson, who, as a latecomer to
Motown, suffered from sub-par material as the label lost its focus. There are
just enough highlights on The Best of Michael Jackson to convince you
of his brilliance, and few examples of the pap that prompted him to
leave Motown and make history on his own. Any fan should be happy to own
this collection.
