The Jacksons: Victory - 1984

The final Jacksons album, then, four years after 1980's Triumph and including the now Thriller-powered global mega-star Michael, talked back in to doing one last album with his five other brothers. 

It was the only Jacksons album to include all six brothers. It is very much an album of the mid-eighties and suffers accordingly due to all the programmed drums and keyboards. These are not really my thing and I find The Jacksons' seventies albums far more satisfying and authentic-sounding. 

Torture is a strong, mid-pace stomper, with Michael sharing lead vocals with Jermaine over a backing dominated by typically mid-eighties synthesisers. Some searing rock guitar features too, however, rescuing it somewhat from the eighties sound. It is probably the album's best track. 

Wait is a very eighties piece of dance pop, driven by keyboards, but attractively so. It is bassier than some eighties material and once again contains a fine rock guitar enhancement. Jackie, Michael and Jermaine share lead vocals and interact perfectly. It is an enjoyable romp of a number that sounds a bit like The Detroit Spinners' Rubber Band Man. 

The slow, brooding soul of One More Chance was written and sung by Randy. It sounds very Phil Collins-esque and is very representative of mid-eighties programmed soft soul. Be Not Always is a classic Michael walking pace slow romantic ballad. Now, I know many people like this sort of thing, but it not what I listen to The Jacksons or Michael Jackson for. 

State Of Shock originally began life as a collaboration with Queen's Freddie Mercury, but it never really got going, so it was re-done with Mick Jagger. It is a thumping slice of synthesised eighties rock that would have sounded better in the seventies or nineties but within the context of this album is enjoyable enough. 

We Can Change The World isn't bad, actually. It is a vaguely Caribbean-sounding chugger with Tito on lead vocals. He wrote the song too. Lyrically, the title tells its story. I'm sure Michael loved it. The Hurt has a relatively appealing keyboard riff and Randy taking falsetto lead vocals, not very convincingly, I have to say. Michael would have done a better job, let's be honest, but they were probably quarrelling at the time. It still has a bit of appeal, though. 

The Soul Makossa-Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' groove of Body features Marlon on lead trying his best to be Michael, doing the vocal yelping thing. It is catchy, however. As I said at the beginning, it is the seventies material that I go for, this final one is actually pretty ordinary. That must not make us forget, though, that The Jackson5-Jacksons gave us fifteen years of phenomenal pop-soul-disco music. They were deservedly legendary.