Diana Ross Presents – THE JACKSON 5****

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah/Nobody/I Want You Back/Can You Remember/Standing In The Shadows Of Love/You’ve Changed/My Cherie Amour/Who’s Lovin’ You/Chained/(I Know) I’m Losing You/Stand/Born To Love You

Debut album from Motown’s youthful Jackson 5, whose lead singer would become a mega star during the last two decades of the 20th Century. Diana Ross Presents includes the Grammy winning US No. 1, and UK No. 2, hit single I Want You Back. Whisper it quietly but many of Michael Jackson’s best tunes were recorded with his brothers during this early period. (US:5 UK:16)

“The Jackson 5 exploded on to the music scene in late 1969 with one of the greatest singles of all time, I Want You Back. The song is as perfect a three minute single as you could record.”

“The band does their mentor proud with a stellar debut mostly made up of cover tunes that show off the brothers’ picture perfect vocals. I Want You Back is the centrepiece of the album and the song shot to number one on the charts. Their cover of The Miracles' Who's Lovin' You shows off young Michael's impressive vocal skills while their take on Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour allows Jermaine to shine.”

“The majority of the songs on this album were uninteresting and same-y. It was a struggle to get through the entire record. I Want You Back is a fantastic song and I also didn't mind Chained and My Cherie Amour but this album just felt manufactured and soulless.”

“How on earth was Motown able to make a pop album by a bunch of little kids so good? Or perhaps the question should be if these kids could do it then why aren't there more kiddie pop albums this good?”

“An impressive debut album, made doubly so by the fact that the lead singer of The Jackson 5 is an eleven-year-old kid. Diana Ross Presents is arguably the best of the J5 LPs. It's certainly the most digestible, since Berry Gordy hadn't yet pushed the Jackson brothers into bubblegum territory.”

“Michael does some pretty impressive vocal stunts here, most notably the impressive octave scale descent on the opening track Zip A Dee Doo Dah. Of course it falters in places, but in general its a good start for Michael Jackson and his band.”

Grand Funk – GRAND FUNK****

Got This Thing On The Move/Please Don’t Worry/High Falootin’ Woman/Mr Limousine Driver/In Need/Winter & My Soul/Paranoid/Inside Looking Out

The eponymous second album from the American heavy rock group Grand Funk. Released just before the start of the new decade in which they would enjoy enormous popularity. (US:11)

“What really makes this album such a classic is the super loud bass guitar. People today may not appreciate what a breakthrough this album was at the time. With most rock albums from the 1960s, the bass guitar was practically inaudible. On this the bass guitar is given equal prominence to the lead guitar. And the bass is so thick and distorted that it practically rattles the windows.”

“This record is what defined the Grand Funk Railroad power sound. It gave early heavy metal fans what they wanted. It gave people into funk and soul what they wanted. It satisfies the nihilists. There were elements the bubblegum squad could latch on to.”

“This album is a hidden gem, highly underrated; this Grand Funk is the perfect mixture of blues and rock. The highest peak of Grand Funk, without any doubt.”

“There was a point at which the blues met up with rock & roll; Grand Funk took it for a spin and 'electrified' it, and at times spiced it with funk.”

“Critics lambasted Grand Funk for their adolescent lyrics calling them merely a 'garage band'. Well, as a rock and roll aficionado, Grand Funk Railroad stand 'handsdown' as the greatest rock garage band in rock and roll history. This album is a true gem. If you don't tap your foot and start playing air guitar to this blues/soul based trio’s music, you’d better check your pulse, because you’re probably dead.”

“Maybe the world’s heaviest and fuzziest power trio workout of all times. No expert playing just sheer power.”

“This is a good example of classic rock radio. Fuzzed-out blues and sometimes unnecessary jamming. They would become more polished in the hunt for radio hits, but this is a good example of early Funk. If you're looking for something more prog, folk, psychedelic etc you won't find it here. This is for when you just want to rock out.”

Rare Bird – RARE BIRD***

Iceberg/Times/You Went Away/Melanie/Beautiful Scarlet/Sympathy/Nature’s Fruit/Bird On A Wing/God Of War

Self titled debut album from the British progressive group Rare Bird who were more popular abroad than on home territory. Their idealistic single Sympathy received considerable airplay as the decade came to a close. (US:117)

“Though it rocks in parts, the anti-war Sympathy is representative of the album: melodic, occasionally melancholic, pastoral progressive with a pop undertow. Eschewing guitars for a twin keyboard attack.”

“Rare Bird made it into the charts with Sympathy, which is a good one, but not their best song. Their early albums are underrated cornerstones of progressive and acid rock - miles ahead of more successful peers on both sides of Atlantic.”

“An unbelievably great album from the late 60s band Rare Bird, it is positively loaded with great songwriting. Lots of beautiful vocal melodies on this album.”

“One of the most underrated and underappreciated prog/rock bands of all time. The music is great, unbelievable drive combined with beautiful melodies, dominated by the organ and the electric piano (no guitar). And of course there's the singer's smashing voice, one of the best front men who would make all heavy metal 'singers' sound so small.”

“The end of the sixties of the last century was revolutionary time. There was a cardinal shift in the human consciousness so all the arts, literature, cinema and music were lifted on a new high plane. So, even now, much rock music created in that period, stands tall and remains a beacon for modern rock musicians. Rare Bird’s debut belongs among such great albums. The main power of the band lay in their ability to create splendid compositions.”

“Rare Bird's debut is an extremely promising album with some dynamite tracks like Iceberg and God Of War, but it's badly let down by the filler material cooked up in a rush to get the thing finished - particularly on the first side.”

“This is somewhat typical late 60s/early 70s sounding British prog, emphasizing keyboards far more than guitar. I may be their only fan who doesn't care for their hit.”