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"Billboard" Magazine Interview

Publish date of November 18, 1978 confirmed on side border of magazine page

"Billboard" magazine (November 18, 1978) (archived)

"We've been writing all along", Tito points out, "songs that we kept in our own personal bank. The first time we introduced our material to the public was when we went to CBS and did our first album. Then there were two on the second one, and now it's all of them."

Marlon adds, "We had a lot of material, more than we could use on this album. We'll use that won the next one." And Jackie breaks in confidently, "But we might do something to top that. We did on this album, just kept topping ourselves."

With five contributors to each song, the process could be a confusing one. Not so, claims Michael, "It's much easier to write that way. Everybody has a different point of view, and something different to add."

"Also, you have to have a certain mood", adds Tito. "You can't just say 'I'm going to write a song', and sit down and write it. So, say maybe Jackie and Marlon don't have their heads into what we're trying to get, so Michael and I, or Randy will work on it at first."

The same sense of five-way cooperation carries over to their production style. Marlon explains: "When we were mixing the album, a lot of people thought each one of us would have a knob on the board. But we out-slicked all of them. We'd send maybe Tito and Michael in to mix it down, and the rest of us would sit out and wait until they'd get the mix. Then fresh ears would come in and listen to it, because once you keep hearing the song over and over, you lose something. The next song, somebody else will mox it down."

The results, all agree, are solid. Michael is most assured in his assessment: "I like it, and if I like it, I know they (the public) will. I keep up with the songs and the times. I feel we know what's happening."

MICHAEL

"Doing 'The Wiz' was an incredible experience. It was always something I wanted to do, because I had always loved the movie, and always fell in love with the scarecrow. I saw the play six times. I'll do other parts if I like the script as I did with this.

"We worked outside on the movie a lot, and it was cold, the coldest ever in New York. There were 600 dancers at the World Trade Center, all wearing costumes like swim outfits, and it was so cold a lot of them quit. It took me three hours a day to get the makeup on, and then after I took it off, I'd look like a drug addict, with my eyes all watery and red."

"I sing up front and more people know my name because I'm up front and they want to know who that person is. Motown decided to take a chance on me, with the solo albums. It's up to the public, it's like a vote, they decide to pick you. We've traveled the world, and if we don't sing 'Ben', they all go crazy. I could never believe how big that song was. I haven't done a solo album in a long time, but I will be doing some more.

"I'd like the group to get into films, maybe direct a movie someday, because I always have a lot of ideas. I would love to write a lot of songs for other people as well."