Michael Jackson's 1975 single: WE'RE ALMOST THERE: thoughts?

[Boogiedown]

I've just become familiar with this single recorded by Michael Jackson when he was barely sixteen. I'm rather gobsmacked, but before I elaborate ....any one else have any thoughts regarding this single by him....one way or another??

[mowsville]

I love it… always thought it kinda had a Van McCoy vibe about it.

[stupidactingsmart]

It's one of my favourites and has been since I got it on a bootleg cassette on a foreign holiday when I was a kid. It has a brilliant vocal performance and I love the vaguely spacey sounding guitar（?) or keyboard effects.

I could easily see this, and songs like 'Just A Little Bit of You' being big hits, but for whatever reason they weren't and lesser songs were.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I love it, Boogie, and have since the first time I heard it back in 1975. To me, it's pure HDH. Same can be said for the other two singles from the "Forever, Michael" album:

"TAKE ME BACK"
https://youtu.be/qgkud5rCzhQ?si=GhJaSC_WfSMtaFXZ

"JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOU"
https://youtu.be/dr76v3jSA38?si=8jl96AoZ12cn3Ik9

Strangely enough, when Brian Holland returned to Motown in the '70s for some production work, he had very few.chart successes. It's a shame, as I liked a lot of it.

[BayouMotownMan]

Always loved this track, it's one of the first done by Brian Holland when he and his brother returned to Motown when Invictus folded.

The song is rich in instrumentation and Michael sounds more adult. It didn't sell well possibly because it sounded a little too sixties. Just A Little Bit Of You was slow being issued as the second single off of Forever, Michael. It had been a big disco favorite and wound up being a successful single for Michael. It was deliciously juvenile.

The whole Forever Michael lp is great, mid 70s Motown soul. This one track, One Day In Your Life had a long shelf life and was huge hit in the UK. One of his best ballads at Motown

[mjdestiny]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ihq0R6VnQE

I prefer the single mix , especially near the end with a side-vocal not heard on the album version .

[Boogiedown]

I was expecting to find indifference to this tune ... surprises me that the consensus thus far is one of such awareness and of particular fondness.
Especially as it didn't do that well.

I can understand the Van McCoy association ...full bodied with a strong flute line. I'm moreso hearing the sweeping Barry White sound in it myself.

My thoughts were it seems very similar in its content to Johnny Bristol's HANG ON IN THERE BABY, and I'm wondering if perhaps Johnny wasn't approached to do something with Michael, [they were using multiple producers on this LP] but Johnny now fancying himself a new superstar in his own right ... had moved on and declined.

Perhaps this is where the Hollands came in instead ...this is all perhaps .... and maybe it was thrown their way to come up with something similar to the Bristol hit. There seems to be an influence there to my thinking.



Maybe, perhaps, who knows....

[BayouMotownMan]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ihq0R6VnQE

I prefer the single mix , especially near the end with a side-vocal not heard on the album version .

Thanks for pointing this out, I had never recognized that side vocal before. Now I'm gonna have to go on ebay and find that single

[mjdestiny]

Thanks for pointing this out, I had never recognized that side vocal before. Now I'm gonna have to go on ebay and find that single

The B-side "Take Me Back" is also different from the album version :

[mysterysinger]

Yes I like "We're Almost There". It does have a classic maybe late 60s HDH sound and picks up where "I'm In A Different World" left off I think [[co-incidentally a song also recorded by brother Jermaine). .

[Boogiedown]

still to go from having last charted with this:





to HANG ON IN THERE BABY: WE'RE ALMOST THERE

is kind of jarring.

[Thatkliqkid]

Thanks for pointing this out, I had never recognized that side vocal before. Now I'm gonna have to go on ebay and find that single

The single mix is also available on the following MJ/J5 compilations

Michael Jackson - Motown's Greatest Hits [[1992)
The Best Of Michael Jackson / Jackson 5ive [[2001)

[mysterysinger]

Alicia Keys version . . . .

[BayouMotownMan]

The single mix is also available on the following MJ/J5 compilations

Michael Jackson - Motown's Greatest Hits [[1992)
The Best Of Michael Jackson / Jackson 5ive [[2001)

I have so many compilations, I'll have to look and see if I have it.

Is the single mix of Take Me Back available on CD as well?

[mjdestiny]

Is the single mix of Take Me Back available on CD as well?

Sadly it's still unavailable on cd .

[144man]

These Holland Brothers' songs sound much stronger now than I remember. I thought at the time that Lamont Dozier's influence was missing melodically.

[Boogiedown]

TAKE ME BACK is so close to being really well written! Worthy as an A side.

Great build up throughout the final half, is Michael really singing "hit me" , "beat me "??
That can't be ....I'll have to listen again .....

[Thatkliqkid]

TAKE ME BACK is so close to being really well written! Worthy as an A side.

Great build up throughout the final half, is Michael really singing "hit me" , "beat me "??
That can't be ....I'll have to listen again .....

Are you talking about the adlibs at about 2:40-2:45? He sings "I just want you to take me, take me, take me, take me, take me back, forgive me."

[Boogiedown]

I'm pretty sure he says "I just want you to hit me" .... , take me, beat me, take me, beat me, etc ....


hee haw!! I 'll listen more closely you're likely right ....