The Jacksons for Friday Lunchroom – recorded live at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis on November 25, 1979.
It’s a shame not more Soul/R&B concerts have been recorded for posterity or even a matter-of-record – the ones that are, are usually the big acts with wide appeal – lesser knowns are profound rarities. There have been pockets here and there, such as the NET program Soul! – but by and large that’s one aspect of Musical heritage that seems to have fallen off the radar. Unless . . .
The Jacksons are certainly no small group. Their string of hits spreads across decades. And of course, Michael Jackson who went on to become an icon (and cautionary tale) was one of the founding members until leaving shortly after this concert (in 1980). As The Jackson Five they were the essential Motown act until they left and signed with Epic, and which point The Jackson Five became The Jacksons because of the legal rats nest that ensued while switching labels…