The Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine/Moving Violation (CD)

All Music Guide

Although Dancing Machine contained a few more choice predisco leanings, such as "She's a Rhythm Child" and "Life of the Party," the emphasis began to shift to album (read: longer) tracks rather than singles. That certainly isn't to imply that the hits had dried up. In fact, it was the persistent success of "Dancing Machine" from Get It Together that determined the direction of the album. The centerpiece of Dancing Machine is the opening track a sevenplus minute epic titled "I Am Love." The stunning use of counterpoint and a melange of pop music styles ranging from soul ballad to album rock are a tribute to the enormous flexibility of the Jackson 5. The album was so skewed toward a pop music audience that it failed to chart on the RB charts, although it reached a most respectable number 16 on the Billboard album chart. Moving Violations is a more assured return to what was happening in popular soul music and the burgeoning disco scene of the mid to late '70s. In fact, with only a few... exceptions most notably "All I Do Is Think of You" and "Breezy" the tracks on this final Jackson 5 album were created specifically for the dancefloor. This in turn heralded the return of the quintet to the RB album charts. Although this would be the final longplayer credited to the Jackson Five, the band would continue as a quintet with youngest brother Randy Jackson replacing Jermaine on their next chapter as simply the Jacksons. As with all five in this series of the remastered Jackson 5 twofer discs, there are a few pertinent "bonus tracks" on this disc both of which are circa Moving Violation. "Through Thick and Thin" first appeared on the Joyful Jukebox Music compilation. "Forever Came Today" originally by Diana Ross the Supremes is indeed a rarity, as the last half of the track is a dancefriendly instrumental and was originally issued on Motown's DiscOTech 3 variousartist longplayer. - Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide Read more Less