Rare Gems- Mick Jackson

Happy Saturday Musicheads! If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, it’s not hard to figure out how much of a “Hard-Core” Jackson fan I am….So much so, that I even have a Marlon Jackson album in my collection…Yeah, one really exists! Good luck finding that in stores...

So imagine my surprise when I found out only a few years ago that The Jacksons’ song “Blame It on the Boogie” from 1978’s Destiny was actually a COVER! I had no idea, and apparently I wasn’t the only one. The song was actually written by a fellow from 'across the pond' by the name of Mick Jackson (no relation); whose real name ironically is Michael George Jackson. He originally recorded the song in 1977 hopes that it would be sold to Stevie Wonder. Instead, the Jacksons’ manager at the time, Peter Kerstin took a recording of the song, and back to the States and had The Jacksons quickly record and release a version of the song as the lead single for their Destiny album. To make matters even more strange, both versions were released within days of one another causing a media frenzy in the UK press. Clearly, The Jacksons’ version fared better, reaching #3 on the R&B charts in 1978. If you ask me, it’s all about the groove and the instrumentation on The Jacksons’ version that makes it far superior…..and well of course, Mike’s vocals. Here are both versions below….Tell me which one you like more….