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The Jacksons: Legacy

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The first and only visual history of the Jacksons, told in their own words and through never-before-seen photographs from the family's archives.

Created with unprecedented contributions from Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine, and Michael's esate, The Jacksons is an uplifting, feel-good scrapbook from one of the most-famous musical families in the world.

This rare publishing event combines exclusive interviews, anecdotes, and quotations from the brothers and their inner circle with a mind-blowing selection of never-before-seen visual material from the family collections. The Jacksons contains personal family pictures; ephemera shots of the first guitars the boys ever held; top photographer Harrison Funk's exclusive coverage of their professional lives, including their stellar Victory tour; photos of Michael Jackson on tour with his brothers at the time of the release of Off The Wall (1979) and during 1982, when Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was first released; editions of teen and black culture magazines featuring the family; and piles of mass-market merchandise, including a Jacksons-branded cereal boxes with 7" records attached.

Visually reminiscent of their hit cartoon show, The Jacksons will provide legions of fans with a rare look at their favorite family.

320 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2017

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Kym Moore.
Author 4 books39 followers
February 1, 2021
I was an instant Jackson 5 fan when they first burst out on the scene. Michael was my fantasy husband, just like millions of other girls around the world. Yet I also had a thing for Jackie, the oldest of them all. Wink-Wink! 😜

This book is a collector's piece, and a coffee-table conversational piece of behind the scenes and in front of the scenes journies in the life and times of the Jacksons. This is a great and highly recommended addition to your entertainment library. The compilation of some fantastic archives of great pictures and words from the Jackson brothers is so genuine and heartwarming.

This 50th Anniversary book contains a treasure trove of family history, illustrating the transformations those of us who grew up with the Jackson 5 remember and love for their iconic global musical contributions. Thank you for the memories! 🤗
Profile Image for This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books.
1,079 reviews245 followers
November 8, 2017
Call me a Michael Jackson stan, if you must. I'm not ashamed. But, my love for his voice started somewhere.

His family. His band of brothers: The Jackson Five

This book offers pictures, quotes, and memories any Jackson Five fan, casual or stannish (me) would consider vital. Even if you're not a fan, this coffee table book would make a fine addition to your library.
Profile Image for NON.
558 reviews182 followers
November 19, 2017
Check out my complete review here
It was so intense this fan worship. You have to understand, that all the kids who were responding to the Jackson 5 hadn't had a Mickey Mouse Club with kids like them on camera. They represented the first youth group of our contemporary times for all these kids to identify with. And initially, they were all the black kids. -Suzanne de Passe (Executive in Charge of The Jackson 5)

The Jacksons: Legacy is photo-documentary that charts the making of the royalty group, and strictly concentrates on their marvelous career and achievements. It's a celebratory piece of history with plethora of photographs (+1,000) from the family archives accompanied by interviews, and quotation from the brothers themselves, and Michael Jackson's Moonwalk is used as a source to present his own account of some of the events.

I'm mostly impressed by it's large size, and the abundance of fantastic illustrations because I was prepared to be given the bare minimum but that's not the case at all. It's a top quality content. Legacy is quite generous with everything related to the Jacksons–with numerous rare and never-seen-before photographs–which makes every page a treasure, and fascinating to the reader.

Prepare whatever you own from their discography because you're going to get the urge to re-embrace their glorious days, and wonderful music.

As a Michael Jackson's long-time fan, I found this illustrative collection to be a marvelous account on how he managed to grow from a poor black kid from Gary, Indiana into a revolutionary artist and a warrior that broke barriers, fought the system, and became the King of music. Legacy harks the reader back to the very beginning when he was still the front-man of the iconic Jackson 5 into his teens in what became The Jacksons, and the start of his maturing both as an artist and a man. He never ceases to fascinate me with how he was able to evolve from a miraculous child-star into a genius of a man that did not stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and made his visions a reality. Legacy is another testimony of his excellence. If you wish to start learning about Michael Jackson, Legacy could serve as your guide as it'll take you in a journey to get you started with a brief history about his roots, his family, and his brilliance.

My only complaint is the lack of (never-known) anecdotes which would've added more significant to the textual content but this doesn't effect the book in general, it's just something I personally would've liked.

Note that Legacy focuses solely on their career and hardly mention anything about the members' personal lives.

All in all, Legacy is a true collector's item especially if you're a fan of either the musical family as a whole or just Michael Jackson. It features impressive facts and exclusive interviews with Jackie, Marlon, and Tito including various brief accounts from Jermaine's memoir, Michael's autobiography, entertainment professionals, some Motown artists, and from their own parents, Joseph & Katherine Jackson. However, the greatest and focal point of this first and only official photo-book is the photographs which makes Legacy among my most precious possessions like owning a piece of (visual) history.

Other books written by the Jackson family:
1- Moonwalk + Dancing the Dream
2- My Family, The Jacksons
3- La Toya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family + Starting Over
4- You are Not Alone: Michael: Through a Brother's Eyes
5- True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself
6- Jackson Family Values: Memories of Madness

Some similar photo-book recommendations:
1- Michael Jackson: Making History
2- Michael Jackson: Style
3- The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson
Profile Image for Amy.
3,735 reviews96 followers
April 25, 2018
This is a fabulous book!

This book has got it all - interviews, color photographs, quotes, reproductions of advertisements, magazine covers, etc. The only thing that would have made this book better would have been a "Best of" compilation of some of their greatest hits.

Some of the things that really touched me as I read / looked through this: Marlon jackson said, "We made music because we enjoyed doing it. We were having fun, not realizing what was going to come after that. But it happened. Also, it was one of the best eras for music, and not because we were part of it."

The interview questions / answers with Charmian Carr (Liesl from the Sound of Music) were fascinating. I had NO idea that Michael Jackson was such a huge Sound of Music fan.

I always wondered how Michael got out on his own. According to this book, between 1972 and 1975, Motown released four solo Michael Jackson albums and a greatest hits collection. When the Jacksons signed with Epic Records (Jermaine left and they changed their name from the Jackson 5 to Jacksons), Michael also signed to the label as a solo artist. His first album for Epic was "Off the Wall," and was produced by Quincy Jones.

Jackie Jackson said, "For me, the musical highlight of our career is, 'I Want You Back'. Because that's the one that put the flag in the ground. When people hear it, they go crazy. That's the one that got us known around the world and it will be with us for life."

The Epilogue and the "announcement" of Michael's death brought tears to my eyes, again. At the end of this news, it says "The World Mourns." I sincerely believe that the world is still mourning.

At the beginning of this book is a timeline providing significant events and dates in the life of the Jackson 5 / Jacksons -- one that made an impact -- If he had lived, Michael Jackson would be turning 60, in 2018.

At the end of the book is a Selected Discography, including Jackson Five Singles, Jacksons Singles, Jacksons Albums, and singles and albums for each member of the Jackson Five.

There is also a list of Tours and Concerts, a list of Picture Credits, an Index, and Acknowledgements from Jackie, Tito, and Marlon Jackson, as well as Fred Bronson, the person who helped the Jacksons put this together.

Phenomenal!
Profile Image for Deidre.
43 reviews7 followers
April 16, 2018
I dragged my feet on buying The Jacksons: Legacy because I felt like it was going to be a money grab. I’ve been duped a couple of times by books claiming to have exclusive pics, etc. I loved this book. The Jackson 5 mania was before my time but it was cool learning about how they got started, touring, solo projects, members leaving the group, meeting celebrities and royalty. This book is thick and full of beautiful photos. I know some people might be hesitant like me to purchase this book but check out my video and hopefully I can change your mind.
Video Link - https://youtu.be/AC2LyHWzWj8
Profile Image for Cydney.
Author 19 books214 followers
December 15, 2017
Loved it. Loved the photos, the interviews with the brothers, the previously unknown info and anecdotes. A must have for Jackson fans.
Profile Image for M.
141 reviews3 followers
April 10, 2023
Beautiful book. The quality of this book is immaculate. I am a big Michael Jackson & The Jacksons fan so this was a must-read for me. The pictures in this book were so vibrant & tons of never-before-seen photos were in this. They had some great interviews as well. Lots of information in this that I haven’t seen before about the groups travels & all the chart history of every song they ever released. I really loved the tributes to the brothers solo music especially Michael & Jermaine who have quite the extensive catalogue.

Really amazing book!

5/5.⭐️
Profile Image for Billie Jean.
41 reviews
February 14, 2019
I got into the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson fairly late in life, but I loved seeing their progression through the music industry and key players in their success through this book. They are truly musical legends to be revered for all time.
Profile Image for marjorie.
253 reviews7 followers
August 21, 2019
so many pictures i’ve never seen before. such a pretty book. this family is so intriguing to me. legends.

i miss michael every damn day and i really don’t care what any of yall say: i would give my life for him any day
Profile Image for Bookish.
882 reviews8 followers
November 21, 2017
Great photos and anecdotes on the Jacksons. From their start in Indiana, through the heyday of their family band, and, for some of the brothers, their solo careers.
Profile Image for Antwan.
18 reviews
July 19, 2019
Awesome book full of pictures. Not information on inside but it has a a lot of he say she say so you will enjoy the pics and the list of the music they ever done and individually music.
Profile Image for Victoria.
174 reviews3 followers
March 4, 2024
a nice overview but thats all it is a overview with picyures and qoutes from 3 of the 5 remaing jackson brothers
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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