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Landing in London, England

“Right On!” magazine (March 1973), From Chris Cadman’s “Michael Jackson the Maestro” (article summary/quotes)

The brothers were still on a high from the success of their European tour when they spoke for an issue for Right On magazine in March 1973. In fact they all agreed the response they got was as big as any they had received in their own country of America.

Jackie was amazed by the turn out at Heathrow Airport in the UK when they landed at 6am in the morning to be greeted by over 5,000 screaming fans. Michael told how he lost his shoe as he ran for the limousine and how the fans had surged towards them.

“They’re not afraid to clap and sing along and they really get in to your music, and that make us get in to our thing even more.”

The brothers often invited fans to their hotel to talk and sign memorabilia.

“We do that sometimes. We let the girls come in group by group and we just sign autographs and sit around and talk to them.”

Michael particularly noticed that the weather was far colder in Europe than at home in California.

Jermaine was impressed with the special jet they had to get around Europe:

“The trip was very exciting because we had our own Lear jet with the name “Jackson Five” printed on it.”

During the interview Michael denied he was in a relationship with Maureen McCormick from the Brady Bunch:

“She’s a good friend of mine, but she’s not my girlfriend. I have a lot of friends who are girls, but not girlfriends that I’m going steady with.”

Joseph Jackson, father, “Disc” magazine (November 11, 1972) (article summary/quotes from Chris Cadman’s “Michael Jackson the Maestro”)

“Michael is very talented, he can play drums, he can dance very well. Jermaine can play bass and sing very well. He wants to learn a little something about classical music.”

Michael sat in on part of the interview and said that his father promised them they could make it to Hollywood if they were all prepared to put the time and effort in. Joe said the boys were all excited about being in London.

“Michael stayed awake all the way over on the plane. And before we came over we did a TV special and Michael recorded a tune for the Billie Holiday Story movie. I know when they’re tired, I can feel it; I can see it in the performance.”

“Osmonds and J5 Explode Europe!” article

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Best--because the J5 and Os were received with so much love that it buoyed their spirits tremendously!

Reporters wrote that even in the

heyday of the Beatles, no fans had

been so numerous (over 3000) and

enthusiastic as were those J5 and

Os-maniacs who waited all night at England's Heathrow Airport to greet their favs. Of course, it was an unprecedented, unimaginable "dream" situation that the two top young U.S. family rock groups should both arrive in England on the very same magical day--Oct. 29--and not only that! They also stayed at the some hotel on the very same floor--more on that in a minute!

But it was also the worst of times cos there was fear and danger and illness involved. FEAR--'cos when the J5 arrived some fans broke through the barriers and grabbed at the boys. Michael and little Randy were in tears from fright and excitement. DANGER--the J5's three limousines used to transport them from hotel to rehearsal and concert sessions were attacked by fans and over $1000 worth of damage was done. At one point, the J5 were being transported by a specially-obtained armored truck! Guards at some of their concerts were punched, kicked, and bitten by over-excited fans. The Osmonds used three decoy limos one day just to get out of the hotel garage!

And hundreds of screaming "weeny-bopper" fans mobbed the streets around the Churchill Hotel where both groups were staying, stopping traffic and causing all sorts of disturbances. Once some of the youngsters threatened doormen and guards with knives, and there were rumors of boys brandishing sledgehammers and breaking down a hotel front door with an axe! Other dangers: the Osmonds had to cancel a personal appearance at Swan and Edgar, a department store in the heart of London because the police feared further riots and hysteria.

Donny told one funny story about the mob scene. "In our hotel, some girls came screaming down the corridor and a poor guy leaped out of bed and ran off down the corridor in his dressing gown. He thought they were screaming because there was a fire!"

One girl fan at a concert even jumped from the balcony to get near the stage and broke both legs! Donny said in England, "It can get pretty scary at times, especially when you get caught in the middle of a mob--then it's time to duck low and run hard." It's not just their own safety that the Osmonds and the J5 worry about, either. It's your safety, and that of all your friends--whenever there are such large crowds, dangerous things can happen. This is why the two groups often have to sneak about rather than appear informally in the street as they might like to do. As a result, they often had to shake hands through wire fences or wave from rooftops in London.

The Jacksons even gave an impromptu concert from the roof of the hotel in an effort to calm the shoving, excited mob in the streets.

...There were many highlights, too. to the Osmond-J5 visit abroad. One at the most memorable was during the several days the Osmonds and J5 shared the seventh floor at the Churchill Hotel. They were all literally "prisoners of love" since their loyal fans had so well bombarded the hotel that the only place the groups were safe were in their rooms! Even though they don't live far from each other in California, they had only met once before in Toronto, Canada several summers ago. But now--here they were over 8000 miles from home, with so much in common, both on the same floor of the same hotel at the same time! Danny and Michael, especially, became great pals and often discussed all their interests, experiences, and problems. One night, when the fans outside were especially noisy, Mike called Donny at 2 AM, to jokingly say, "Hey, man, I can't sleep. All your fans are making too much noise!" It is also reported that there were lots of paper airplanes sailing through the corridors of the hotel on the seventh floor, and at least some Osmonds and Jacksons were passing a football around!

DeeDee Jackson, Tito's wife, came along on the trip to Europe--her first time traveling with the J5. She was thrilled by all the excitement, although a little bit frightened, too. She kept close watch over little Randy, and of course, over hubby Tito!

There was so much love in the London air that it was refreshing to everyone in spite of the hazards of over-excitement. The crowds outside the hotel often chanted--some singing "Too Young" in tribute to Donny, others spelling out "M-I-C-H-A-E-L!"

The Osmonds and the J5 were there not only for adulation though--they did lots of work! the J5 initially came to England for a Royal Command Performance, which was subsequently televised in Britain. Then they did concerts all over England, and also in Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, Frankfurt. They even found time to visit a London hospital and bring the patients some gifts and records. They were so well received that they're already thinking of returning to Europe in the spring!

Now, both of your fav-rave groups are back in California, busy with their schedules here--making more great records for you. They returned home safe and sound, if a bit weary, to grand welcomes and cheers. It showed them that their American fans still love the the very most and are thrilled to have them home!

New Musical Express (November 11, 1972) (archived)

While the big scream scene was predictable for the Osmond Brothers' British tour, it's encouraging to see the Jackson Five coming in for a large slice of the teenyweeny market. The Jacksons, after all, didn't publicize their flight arrival as widely as the Osmonds; didn't tell everyone which hotel they were booked into.

They also didn't arrange a special drive past Queen's Building at Heathrow Airport, with photographers out on the tarmac; and they haven't been promising T-shirts to all and sundry.

Even the screamers outside London's Churchill hotel, yelling for Donny Osmond, leapt round the corner to look at the seventh floor when Michael Jackson poked his head out the window.

"Well, I prefer Donny of course", one of them told me, "but the Jackson Five are better musically."

And that's the main difference. Musically the J5 have the rest of the teenyweeny bands licked. Even on a starchy Royal Variety programme, they stood out. There was ten-year-old Randy, all three foot or whatever he is, thumping the hell out of the bongos--and Michael holding the audience transfixed with his vocal and dancing ability.

When the Jacksons arrived at Heathrow at an ungodly hour on a Sunday morning, the scenes and screams from [illegible] boppers were pretty terrifying. There are usually pretty wild scenes in America, but even so the group were somewhat taken aback by the attention the British boppers have paid them.

"We didn't expect anything like that. We came in very early, so we didn't think it would be so crowded. We just figured there would be a few fans."

The Jackson 5 are in fact the Jackson 6 or even [7]. The front line consists of of brothers Michael, Marlon, Tito, Sigmund, and Jermaine--and there's ten-year-old Randy on congas (he also helps out on vocals) and two cousins on drums and organ.

"We've got three sisters too", they tell me, and when I inquire what they do, they reply, "They don't do anything--but eat."

Musically, we have their parents to thank for their ability. Mom and Dad Jackson are both accomplished musicians.

"Mom used to play clarinet, and our father used to play guitar and sing a lot--they sang in a group called the Falcons. Almost from the time we were born we were introduced to music. When we were young kids we used to go in for talent shows--and we always wanted to do what our father did, so we sang and played together."

Comparisons are always being drawn between the J5 and the Osmonds--after all, while the Osmonds have Donny, the J5 have their hit of glamor in Michael. And when Donny and Michael get past it (at say around 16 years?) both have younger brothers Donny in the case of the Osmonds and Randy for the Jacksons) ready to take the limelight.

Amazingly though, there is no rivalry or jealousy between the two.

Asked to differentiate between the two bands, they replied, "They're doing their thing and we're doing ours, and there's enough room out there for everybody."

This is the Jackson's first visit to Britain. "We wanted to come earlier. We were supposed to come last year, but we had to wait. We've been dying to come--but there were concerts and other things we had to do in America before we came."

In America, as in Britain, they are huge. Consequently, there's a lot of work involved.

"We usually work in the summer and on vacation. Christmas vacation and Easter vacation and sometimes on the weekend, doing schools. But last summer, we worked 62 days on a 62-day tour. And this coming summer we're doing 40 cities."

..."Our show usually lasts about an hour, or an hour and a half, and it's mainly our hits."

In America, as well as touring and playing together, the band also live together. They don't, however, pretend they get on well all the time.

"No one does. Everybody has arguments at one time or another--that's in all families. But we never have any serious arguments. And if there is a row we tease and play with one another."

For the younger members of the family there's a tutor who travels around with the band.

"For three hours a day", says Michael, "we have school and while we're over here we're hoping to visit a lot of things like museums--and see the oldest buildings and the oldest castles."

Musically, their tastes vary. When first asked who they liked, they told me, "All kinds of music." But when pressed, added: "We went to see Sly Stone and he did it real good. He was really good to see. And we went to see the Rolling Stones in Washington."

Stevie Wonder and Temptations are also on their musical list of "likes".

Michael, though only 14, is the recognized leader. "I guess that's because I'm probably out there at the front", he says somewhat modestly.

Are there any more brothers likely to join?

"No, we haven't any more who can join--that's up to Mom and Dad, if they have any more." Many laughs.

“Flip Superstars" magazine (December 1972) (archived)

When I rang Michael Jackson at his home in Beverly Hills to find out what he was planning to do for Christmas, all that he could talk about was the group's sensational trip to England.

You know what", he said. “We still haven't recovered. From the moment we touched down that Sunday morning at six-twenty, it was non-stop from the word go. What really amazed us was just how so many fans were able to get up that early and trail all the way out to London Airport--most of them must have been traveling half the night! Randy and I were so overwhelmed that we just looked at each other and burst into tears--we didn't expect such a welcome."

"What was your first impression of England?", I asked.

TOO TIRED

"To be quite honest", he said, “we were so tired that morning from all the traveling, that we really didn't get much of a chance to take it all in. And, of course, the scenes at the airport just knocked us out completely! I did feel sorry for our chauffeur, though", he said. "The poor guy had to get up at some unearthly hour to make his way to the airport to collect us in his beautiful gleaming Rolls, which he had spent hours cleaning, only to end up with something that looked as though it had just survived World War II!" He paused for a while to accept a cup of coffee from his Mom which gave me a chance to tell him about the battle scars I'd received at the airport that morning.

"Yeh", he said. “I guess everyone has much the same story to tell! But, really, the only chance we had of seeing something of London was on the way in to the Churchill Hotel, where we were staying. That was something else that took us by surprise, 'cos when we got there the fans were ready and waiting once again. We didn't realize that the Osmonds would be staying there too! Just imagine, we both flew into London around the same time and ended up staying at the same hotel! The Churchill people were real brave to agree to let us all stay there, 'cos the fans had the hotel besieged twenty-four hours a day! And then the crowning point mine when we all left on the same day--that's what I call a real coincidence!"

What was the high-spot of your tour here?

“Oh, I really think it has to be the fact that we opened the second half of the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of the Queen the day after we arrived. We were tremendously excited about actually getting to meet members of the Royal Family. Everyone's been bombarding us with questions about the Queen since we got back. The great thing was that Diana Ross and the Supremes had also done the show--so we had lots to talk about when we saw Diana recently. As you know, she's the one who discovered us and made it all possible so you'll understand why she's our favorite lady right now... apart from our Mom, that is!"

How did you find the fans here, are they different from fans in the States?

"Oh, no--they're all just beautiful. We usually find that fans are the same the whole world over if they dig our music. We really love to meet them all--it’s a shame that security prevents us from doing that sometimes, but the safety of the fans is very important to us! The one thing that did surprise us was just how well informed they were about movements around London. I remember one particular incident especially was when we were due to appear at London's Talk of the Town before members of the Britain press. Now, that event wasn't publicized anywhere but sure enough when we got there, the fans had turned out in their hundreds to greet us. I believe that some journalists were physically attacked as they left that day, but luckily enough they didn't seem to mind too much!"

SUPERSTAR!

Michael laughed when I told him that I was, in fact, one of those journalists. "Now you know what it‘s like to be a real live Superstar", he joked. And looking down at the scratches on my hand. I knew exactly what he meant!

“But seriously," he continued. “they really were fantastic. There was just one really frightening experience we had--well, not so much frightening for us, but for the security at the Churchill! It happened on the Wednesday night, just after we’d arrived. Part of the crowd became very restless and started threatening the guards with violence! Anyway, it resulted in us having to go up onto the roof garden and sing an impromptu concert to try and help calm them all down--luckily, it seemed to work, but it sure was very scaring for everyone!"

“I can imagine!”, I said.

“Soul” newspaper (January 18, 1973)

The early-morning arrival at the London Airport proved to be a very frightening experience for the Motown group. As they filed off the plane--nine-year-old Randy Jackson included--the mass of fans became uncontrollable. The security personnel had not counted on their huge impact and frantically worked to rescue the terrified American visitors. Marlon, Tito, Michael, Jackie, Jermaine, and Randy all ran in different directions trying to get to the waiting car.

With only one policeman to guard him against the crowds, Jermaine's healthy bush quickly disappeared by the handfuls. Besides losing a shoe, Michael ran into further misfortune by simply wearing a scarf around his neck. "He should have really been frightened", Jermaine said. "They were pulling on both ends of the scarf--choking him. He put his hand under the scarf so it wouldn't tighten up on his neck!"

Because of his small size, Randy was the only one who had no trouble slipping in and out of the throngs of fans.

After a narrow escape, they were all safely whisked away into the waiting limousine and taken to the Churchill Hotel--where, coincidentally, the Osmond Brothers were also staying. "We checked in first", Michael was quick to explain. "We didn't even know they were there until one of them called up on the phone."

The Jackson Five and the Osmond Brothers are competitors not only in show biz, but in backyard sports, as well. "We have a basketball game scheduled very soon, and we have a game with the Sylvers, too", said Tito.

At the English box offices, the Jackson Five outdid themselves! Papa Jackson boasted that the two performances at the London Stadium as well as the two Liverpool shows had all sold out! This feat previously had been accomplished by no one in England's theater history--not even the Beatles!

High up in the Churchill Hotel, the boys could look down on the London streets to see mobs of young fans--mostly girls--screaming and shouting up to them and singing out the lyrics of Jackson Five hits. Wherever press account, the Jacksons at one point went to the roof and gave an impromptu concert in an effort to calm the screaming, shoving young people.

The hotel attendants turned the hoses on the overzealous crowd obstructing hotel traffic. And so, sopping young girls battled against the powerful force of water with their mouths open wide--all to catch a glimpse of the Jackson Five.

Still, the boys managed to see the sights.

Of the four countries they visited, 19-year-old Tito liked England the best--especially Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards.

"We saw everything", Randy chimed in.

Jermaine gave these more detailed impressions: "We did a lot of shopping and took pictures. The people in Europe, especially in London, dress better than Americans. They're a lot slimmer over there and their clothes are more fashionable--they seem to fit better. Plaids are real popular now."

In Amsterdam, the Jackson Five, along with the rest of the large Motown entourage of photographers, promotion and PR people, picked up a 707 jet--all dolled up with the J-5 logo painted on its side--for their exclusive use while traveling to their European destinations. The Jackson brothers took turns riding in the cockpit with the pilots.

Of course, newly-married Tito was accompanied on the tour by his very pretty wife, Delores Martes. "Married life is fantastic", Tito reported after five months. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii last summer.

Michael, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy, all earned educational credit for their travels through Paris, Munich, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Liverpool. In all six cities, the unrelenting Jackson clan would pile into a big bus and soak up the flavor and famous sights of Europe. Jermaine explained that it was "sort of like a school field trip for us."