Namesakes #186: Michael Jackson

There's a Michael Jackson movie coming out. (It might even be out now. I wrote this post a while back and release dates change.) You may have heard about it. If not, here's the trailer...

Michael | Official Trailer

Produced by Sony / Universal, who were also his record company, in co-operation with the Michael Jackson estate, with Jermaine's son in the leading role. 

It strikes me that this is an effort to polish a tarnished legacy - make us all forget that MJ might have been a little Off The Wall... possibly a Smooth Criminal... maybe even Bad? With that back catalogue, Sony should be making far more money out of Michael Jackson's songs than they probably are... so will a movie Heal The World and make us all start listening to Thriller again? You know what they say, Sony... Don't Stop Till You Get Enough! 

Stranger things have happened...

That, however, is not the business of the day. Instead, we are gathered here to listen to music by lots of different people called Michael Jackson. Because if that's your name... You Are Not Alone.

MICHAEL JACKSON #1

Who’s bad? Back in 1926, the answer to that question would be Kentucky jazz and blues pianist Mike Jackson, performing here with Mabel Richardson on vocals. I really wanted to find the flip side, which was apparently called I’m Gonna Kill Myself. But the tube of you always gets upset when I type that into my search engine.

Mike Jackson & Mabel Richardson – Just Too Bad

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #2

Next - another Mike Jackson, this one the drummer and songwriter with US garage band The Fugitives in 1966…

The Fugitives – No Tease

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #3

Bradford-born Mick Jackson was the bassist with The Love Affair (see Namesakes #157) from 1967-71. Which gives us another excuse to listen to this…

The Love Affair – Everlasting Love

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #4

Which brings us to the oh-so-controversial King of Pop… though, as Swiss Adam pointed out in a past edition of Cancel Culture Club, despite his sins, radio still plays his songs. Hopefully they focus on the stuff up to and including Thriller , because after that it’s all a bit ropey. Bad has dated Badly, and the only good thing about Earth Song is Jarvis Cocker’s bum-wiggling interruption at the BRITS.

Go further back though, and his achievements are still worthy of note – not least for becoming the (joint-) lead singer of the Jackson Five when he was only six years old.

Michael Jackson – Beat It

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #5

Connecticut-born jazzman Michael Gregory Jackson released his first records in the late 70s,  but dropped his surname from the record sleeves in the mid-80s, to be known only as Michael Gregory after that.

Michael Gregory Jackson – Steel Your Heart

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #6

Pick up a copy of the 1979 hit Blame It On The Boogie by The Jacksons and you’ll notice it was written by one M. Jackson. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was Michael sharing a hit with his brothers to balance out his blossoming solo career, but not so. Boogie was actually the brainchild of English singer-songwriter Michael George Jackson, his brother David Jackson and one Elmar Krohn – no relation. Mick’s version battled it out in the charts with the Jacksons – Capital only played his version, while Radio 1 favoured The Jacksons. The NME and the Melody Maker also took sides. Ultimately, Mick lost out, only getting to #15, while The Jacksons crashed the top ten. Mick's follow-up single, Weekend, also made the Top 40, and he got to appear on the same edition of Top Of The Pops as his more famous namesake.

Mick Jackson – Blame It On The Boogie

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #7

OK, I’m ready for the accusations of barrel-scraping now, but when I discovered that one Michael Thorpe Jackson was involved in the production of the second best single from the 80s called Atmosphere, I knew he deserved a place here. Joy Division fans can rest easy – they’re not second best to anyone. But Russ Abbot’s Atmosphere…? ‘Nuff said.

Sadly, it turns out that MTJ had nothing to do with the A-side and only arranged the B-side, a woeful Russ Abbott composition (of course Russ didn’t write Atmosphere!) which I’m sharing here today purely because I’m a sadist.

Russ Abbott – Thoughts Of A Child

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #8

Next up to Rock With You - the keyboard player with Seattle-based prog-metal band Heir Apparent, but only between 1987 and 1989, when this was recorded…

Heir Apparent – Just Imagine

 

MICHAEL J. JACKSON #9

Lead singer with British metal band Satan, proud NWOBHM-heads that they were, from 1986 till… well, it seems like they’re still going. 

Who’d have thought that one of our MJs might have had any direct links to Satan?

Satan – Key To Oblivion

MICHAEL JACKSON #10

Here’s Buffalo-born Michael Lee Jackson rocking out in 2006, with Ian Gillan on backing vocals. He also takes a nice photo – we should get him to join John Medd’s Photo Challenge.

Michael Lee Jackson – Clean And Dirty

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #11

Imagine the pop potential of Michael Jackson and George Michael! Put them together and you get George Michael Jackson: the man on guitar, vocals, harp and songwriting duties on this 2014 tune by The Naked Heroes. How could it fail?

The Naked Heroes – Sheila

 

MICHAEL JACKSON #12

And finally, from 2018, the man who now promotes himself as “The Living MJ”: musical theatre composer, lyricist, writer and trash talker, Michael R. Jackson. “Honesty is his brand.”

Michael R. Jackson – Dirty Laundry

Which Michael Jackson has Got To Be There on your playlist - and which MJ makes you cry: Leave Me Alone!?

My Top Ten 2018 Songs That Wouldn't Fit Into Any of the Other 2018 Top Tens I Did

A final ten songs which wouldn't fit / I didn't have room for in either My Top Ten Country / Americana Songs, My Top Ten Scottish Songs, My Top Ten Trump Songs or My Top Ten Indie/Alt Guitar Songs from 2018...


10. Jonathan Wilson - There's A Light

Laurel Canyon producer who's worked with Conor Oberst, Father John Misty, Bonnie 'Prince' Billie, Roy Harper, Dawes and Glen Campbell... among others... also makes a decent racket on his own.

9. The Hold Steady - Eureka

The Hold Steady got back together at the end of last year but have been pretty slow in releasing new material. Still, I'm a huge fan and every track is to be treasured. Hoping for much more in 2019.

8. Charlie Dore - A Dog Out Looking For His Day

Remember when Sting did that song from the perspective of a dog? No? Consider yourself lucky.

Anyway, here's the concept done right by the lady who brought us Pilot of the Airwaves way back in the 70s. Yep, she's still going strong.

7. David Byrne - A Dog's Mind

And here's another dog song, from David Byrne's best record in a while. Wish I'd got to catch him live.

6. Mark Kozelek - My Love For You Is Undying

Mark Kozelek probably released another twenty albums this year that I haven't yet heard... he's probably released another one while I was typing this sentence... but his eponymous solo album produced more glorious autobiographical ramblings that you'll either dig or want to bury. The word "art" is much misused in the contemporary music industry, but I would argue that Kozelek is the closest thing we have to a true artist working in the field today, putting himself 100% into his music, warts and all, and making a truly individual noise that will touch and speak to only a tiny minority... I consider myself fortunate to "get him" where millions won't.

5. Luke Haines - Subbuteo Lads

And then we have Britain's answer to Mark Kozelek, another "artist" whose work becomes more eccentric and individual with every release. His latest album, I Sometimes Dream Of Glue, is a collection of songs about Airfix, Hornby, sex and Subbuteo that ploughs deeper into the unique 70s/80s nostalgia groove that has become his stock-in-trade. Although Subbuteo Lads isn't the best song musically on the album, it does have the best opening line.

4. Tom Odell ft. Alice Merton - Half As Good As You

From two artists who've swam about as far from the mainstream as it's possible to get... I give you the best pure pop song of the year, from an artist following very well in the footsteps of Elton John & Billy Joel (he's even supported Billy and covered Piano Man for Children In Need). This particular track starts out as a straightforward piano duet then morphs into and 80s power ballad - wait till the drums hammer in around the 2 minute mark and we're suddenly into Diana Ross / Lionel Ritchie or Roberta Flack / Peabo Bryson territory.

My Top Ten: proud to have been irking the musos since 21012.

3. Bruce Springsteen - Growin' Up (Live On Broadway)

I only got the album for Christmas and haven't watched the Netflix performance yet... but if this is anything to go by, I'll have a lot more to say about this record soon.

2. The Fugitives - No Words

A tribute to Leonard Cohen from his fellow Canadians. Powerful stuff.

1. Okkervil River - Famous Tracheotomies

Will Sheff's parents tried for a long time to have a child, with miscarriages and more making it a very traumatic time for them. After Will was finally born, he became very ill as a young boy. The operation that saved his life involved fitting him with a tracheotomy tube which he then had for a long period throughout his childhood.

This song is about Sheff's gratitude for that little tube that allowed him to still be here today... and many other famous names whose lives have been saved by tracheotomies, including Dylan Thomas, Mary Wells, Gary Coleman (Arnold from Diff'rent Strokes) and Ray Davies, who wrote Waterloo Sunset in memory of the time he himself had been recovering from such an operation.