CoronaVinyl Day 329 (J): Third Album by Jackson 5

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "J," this is one of the several letters in the alphabet where all the albums I have remaining are by groups or artists that I have already featured.  I went with the Jackson 5's third studio album, 1970's descriptively titled Third Album.

Third Album was not only the group's third album overall, but their third album in nine months.  They released their first album (Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5) in December 1969, their second album (ABC) in May 1970, and Third Album in September 1970 -- 51 years ago yesterday, to be exact.

Apparently, it was a good formula because Third Album was their third consecutive Top 5 album on the Billboard album chart, reaching #4.  It also went to #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart.  The two singles released from the album were both massive hits.  "I'll Be There" was their fourth consecutive #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (though it would be their last) -- topping the chart for five weeks -- which made the Jackson 5 the first group ever to have their first four singles go to #1.  As a single, it also sold over 6 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful Motown single during the labels "Detroit Era," which lasted from its founding in 1959 until it primarily moved to L.A. in 1972.  The song ended as the #7 song on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1970 and the #170 song on Billboard's All-Time Hot 100 chart.

On top of that, "Mama's Pearl" went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their lowest-charting single up to that point.  The album also has a few covers, like The Delfonics' "Ready or Not (Here I Come)," The Shades of Blue's "Oh How Happy," Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and Motown label mates The Miracles' "The Love I Saw In You Was Just a Mirage," which is a bit of a cumbersome title.

Unfortunately, my record has a few scratches, so it skips in a couple spots.  But god dammit, I enjoyed listening to it anyway.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Can I See You in the Morning"
It's kind of weird hearing a then-11-year-old Michael Jackson singing a song that is essentially telling an older woman he wants to shack with her, but this song has a trippy, psychedelic funk feel to it.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Goin' Back to Indiana"
As someone who attended college and grad school in Indiana, I would sing this song a lot when I would go back to school after visiting home.  Of course, the Jacksons were from Gary, which I would avoid at all costs on my drive back to Bloomington.