Thursday, August 26, 2010

Feelin' Alright

One of the rarest Jackson 5 45s is a promo-only live version of "Feelin Alright," as they performed it on Diana Ross's first solo television special Diana!, which aired on April 18, 1971. Miss Ross joined them at the end of the song, so it is billed as a duet, even though the Jackson 5 sing 3/4 of the song without her. Oh, and because it's Miss Ross's show, she gets top billing on the 45 itself.


The flip side features Diana singing a novelty song with Bill Cosby, and it's more of a true duet. But "Feelin' Alright" was a complete musical performance, a cover version of a Dave Mason song that the Jackson 5 performed live in concert from 1971 on.

The 45 also came with a picture sleeve that shows it was released to promote the soundtrack album.

In the spring of 1971, the Diana! soundtrack is as close as most fans ever got to a live Jackson 5 performance and many of us wore the threads down on all the J5 tracks here -- in addition to "Feelin' Alright," we got "I'll Be There," "Mama's Pearl/Walk On/The Love You Save." The medley was a bit longer on the soundtrack album than it was in the televised appearance where "Walk On" was considerably edited.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of the soundtrack years ago when it was reissued on cd, and it sounds as fresh today as it did back in the spring of '71 when I had it in heavy rotation on my turntable.

10 comments:

  1. I only have a tape of this album, I did saw the vinyl (LP) once at a flee market but it was too expensive for me to buy it at the time. I always dream about it sometimes (lol). This is one of my favorite album actually and not only for the Five, unfortunately I don't have a tape player anymore so I can't listen to it anymore. Maybe its time I hunt down a cd version or something.

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  2. Their performance of "Mamas Pearl" on this show is my fav J5 TV performance!

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  3. ER, I always marvel that Michael could move around in those pants during Mama's Pearl. They look like they were made out of a really heavy, inflexible, metallic material.

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  4. I remember the Goin Back To Indiana Special too. The guys sang the song on that show.. oh what memories!!

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  5. Goin Back To Indiana,man i'd do anything for that whole concert!

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  6. Yeah yeah yeah! To find that whole Indiana concert would be puuuuuuuuuuuuuuure gold

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  7. Anyone expect for Hip-o-Select to release anymore live performances??

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  8. And remember, Miss Ross called them "the world's most fabulous group"!!!!! Yeah Michael's pants look like he's Iron Man from the waist down. I feel a little sorry for the boys when, after the first medley, Mike puts the mike down and walks off alone to have a big skit with Diana.

    I enjoyed your recolections coz I never gave this album much thought till I read your post. But I can't understand why anyone would consider that version of Feelin' Alright for a SINGLE-- but then again I've never heard this longer version. I like J5ive songs where all the brothers have parts, and Feelin' Alright's even got little Marlon croonin' "but someone locked the door, and took the key"!!
    Thanks for the fun, and: Twwweeeeeee, Tweedle de de tweedle di di dee.

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  9. Good memories of this album

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