On Michael

I hadn't really missed Michael Jackson in many years. There had been a time when I had, beginning right around "Thriller". I was always ready to congratulate him on the monster success of that record. However, I didn't get "Billie Jean", and I still don't. It was the work of The Jackson 5 that had stamped me. In my experience, that project had come perfectly in trail of black American music threads like Jackie Wilson and Stax/Volt: this was a clean and logical extension of R&B into more electric domains, stroked-up with the sparks flying off of work like that from James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone. "The Love You Save" was seminal to me: after that, I was ready for Rare Earth; by the time "Celebrate" and "Big Brother" came along, I knew what I was listening to.

In my ear, Michael and The 5 preceded Stevie Wonder, and that's saying a lot. When Graham Parker and The Rumour covered "I Want You Back" (late 70's), I cheered: "It's about time someone paid attention to that again."

I never really paid attention to the fact that Michael had slowly gone right off his rocker. I simply hated to see it. What mattered to me is that he threw down some of the finest pop music in the time of my life. It's lasted me this long, on its own, and I think it will go the distance.

Michael, Don't Hurt 'Em! -- "I Want You Back", from their 1971 "Goin' Back To Indiana" TV special. This is just murder, to me. Goose-bump city. Bill Cosby opens this clip with 1:20 of his "Scoop Newsworthy" skit, trying to break into the J5 rehearsal. The piano glissando downbeat cracks a whip and the stars fall into order. Wotta rhythm track Tito is throwing down on that ES-345. He first did that in 1969, the year I first started playing, and I really wanted to be able to play that, with that kind of bang on it. It took me a long time to understand it, and I just have to say that the general lapse of that quality of melody and harmony in electric pop music -- especially guitar tracks -- is heartbreaking to me. This is a world the way it should have been.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Laterer: it might be a revelation to some to realize that these guys were a real live rock band. Go dig the bottom end of "Rockin' Robin" from TV in 1972. Jermaine is every bit as phat as McCartney was in his early days. Tito comes on with guitar parts straight down from Chuck Berry. (ES-335 in Burgundy Mist, with the trapeze tailpiece.) Don't let the flutey bits in the arrangement fool you. This is a rock song and they know the groove.