Boy, I loved this song when it first came out ... and for a variety of reasons.
I loved the opening sound of that Fender Rhodes Piano ... the overall bluesy feel of this track with all those little incidental "fills" worked into the background ... and the soulful vocal ...
And I absolutely LOVED the fact that The Jackson Five had "grown up" ... virtually overnight.
Their trademark teeny-bopper sound was totally missing from this track ...
As was Michael Jackson's usual lead vocal. (In fact, he doesn't come in at all until well into the record ... and then when he does, he commands his moment in the spotlight to punch things up for the climax ... but this time around, it's his older brother Jermaine that gives the Jackson Five a whole new and more sophisticated sound.)
It's a GREAT record ... that most likely failed because it didn't fit the long-established mold that had been working so well for them.
Still, it did manage to climb to #15 in early 1975 ... and became the group's last Top 20 Hit for Motown. (They hit #1 the year before with "Dancing Machine," one of SEVEN #1 Hits The Jackson Five were able to notch for the label between 1969 and 1974.)
Give a listen to "I Am Love (Parts 1 and 2)" ...
'Cause you probably won't hear it on the radio any time soon!!! (kk)
