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Early June 1977 - "Blues and Soul" Interview

Date range assessed by the fact that Tito says that they had “just literally finished [the] second album for Columbia--it's due to be released in June or July, I think”, so this was just after they arrived back from their European tour in early June (May 30, 1977 they appeared on French TV show “Numero 1”)

“Blues & Soul” magazine (June 21 - July 4, 1977) (archived)

It's been four and a half years since the Jackson family were last in Britain and a great deal of water has passed under the proverbial bridge. Perhaps the most significant change for The Jacksons has been their switch from Motown to the CBS conglomerate. in the switchover, they left Jermaine behind and were forced to drop the name Jackson 5 in favor of the more simple The Jacksons. But it's been a successful move for them because their first CBS release, "Enjoy Yourself", has given them their first Gold record in three years and, hot on the heels of the British trip, they have burst forth again on the British charts with "Show You the Way to Go".

Much of The Jacksons' earlier fame was built on their teeny bopper image that was created at the same time as the Osmond family and David Cassidy. For both Cassidy and The Osmonds, it was short lived acclaim, and that's the way it could have looked to a pessimist for the Jacksons, too. The basic reason for their temporary spell in the shadows though was far more sinister. They made the cardinal sin of announcing their intention to switch from Motown--the company that discovered and created them--to CBS a full year before their contract expired with the former. "But it's been the best move we have ever made", Tito stresses. "With CBS, we have sold both singles and albums because they have the force to sell right across the board. The biggest danger is that we could get lost in the shuffle with so many other similar groups with CBS--but it's our intention to be one of the company's four major acts and as long as we can achieve that, we'll stay out front."

Of course, one of the more shrewd CBS decisions was to put The Jacksons in with Gamble and Huff for their first CBS album. "And it was a completely different outlook from what we had come to expect from Motown", Tito explains. "At Motown, we were always told what to sing and exactly how to sing it. But with Gamble and Huff, we had a certain amount of freedom. In fact, we have just literally finished our second album for Columbia--it's due to be released in June or July, I think. As with the previous one, we do two of our own songs. On the 'Enjoy Yourself' album, both 'Style of Life' and 'Blues Away' were our own songs and they were the 'B' side to our two singles. On the new album, we have "Different Kind of Lady" and "Do What You Want to Do". The actual album doesn't have a running title yet but the company may have given it one by now."

Of course, a certain amount of The Jacksons' Motown success was built upon the solo careers of the various brothers. "Yes, that's something that we'll be doing again, but first of all, we have to re-establish The Jacksons as a group". Tito points out, "Michael will be first, of course, but we do actually intend to each do at least one solo album this year. Mine would probably be more instrumental than vocal. And, of course, with Michael making a movie in the fall ("The Wiz" with Diana Ross, Ben Vereen, Bill Cosby, and Richard Pryor), we will have more time to concentrate on different projects. Michael plays the part of the Scarecrow and we are all so excited about it because it represents something new and different for us to expand into. And he's also writing some songs for the movie, by the way."

In their enforced absence, The Jacksons were superceded in the States by a very similarly slanted family group, The Sylvers. "We're happy for them", Tito says with an air of frankness. "We're especially happy to see them making it because they are friends of ours. When they were on MGM, they were not given the kind of push they deserved and the fact that they may be aimed at our traditional market is really a compliment to us. It's the same with The Osmonds."

Perhaps one of the mild surprises of The Jacksons' recent U.K. and European tour is the fact that after four and a half years, they still appeal to the massive teeny bopper market. It was this appeal that actually prevented them making a trip over here two years ago. "It was that time when a fan was killed at the David Cassidy concert over here. We were frightened that the same kind of thing could have happened to us but we were not ready to take that kind of responsibility. But it's comforting that our fans should remember us so fondly. It's good to know they still care. It's funny, you know--some entertainers hate signing autographs but that's not the way with us. We feel that the time to worry is when nobody wants our autograph, right? And it's a really nice feeling to be wanted by people." One of the prime reasons for this trip, of course, was to appear before H.R.H, The Queen at the Royal Show in Glasgow. "We got to meet the Queen", Michael weighed in. "And she seemed to be genuinely interested in us and asked where we came from and how we got started. The Duke asked us whether our family was in show business before us, and whether we played instruments. It was really nice. But you know we did the Royal Show a few years ago and met the Queen Mother that time. No, we weren't nervous because we knew in advance that we would be able to meet her and that relaxed us."

"It was certainly one of our ten happiest moments, meeting the Queen", Tito adds. "The others? Well, certainly getting out very first hit record, "I Want You Back". Moving to California is another of the really big decisions we've had to make. And selling out twice at the Houston Astrodome. And now we are looking forward to more hit records, more sell-out concerts. In fact, we'd love to play the football stadium at Wembley--that is one of our really big ambitions. And to get the kind of Grammy acceptance that Stevie Wonder got this year--hmmm, that would be really great. You know, "Enjoy Yourself" is our 65th Gold Award. And we were also the first group ever to have our first four records all hit No. 1--they were "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There". Perhaps the change of companies will prove to be our biggest break, though."

The next few months will see the family hard at work on their various projects. Although they are infinitely happy working at Philly's Sigma Sound Studio with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they are very well aware that they cannot record all of their solo excursions under the exact same recipe and it is with this in mind that they are currently building their own 16-track studio, Ja-Fi Studio, in Los Angeles. "We already have a studio in the house", Tito smiles, "but this one will be able to be used for actual recording. And we shall also be able to make use of our own publishing companies, Peacock Music and Stone Gold Music, because we are all writing songs now, too."

All of which explains just how far this so-called teeny bopper group have graduated. And with the added impetus of having the vast CBS empire behind them, no sane person would bet odds against them scaling new and even greater heights.