Monday, June 15, 2009

Michael Gregory Jackson, Heart & Center (Arista 1979)


A personal favorite, Heart & Center was seen by many as a commercial sell-out. Compared to Michael Gregory Jackson's ealier avant-garde efforts, it is slick and commercial, but in an inspired Stevie Wonder way. It's aged very well in my opinion, and sounds funky, off-beat and original. If you like Michael Gregory Jackson, Gifts is up at allthissteam.blogspot.com.

10 comments:

  1. http://rapidshare.com/files/244953447/Heart___Center.zip

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  2. Thanks to the poster at soulseek, there's a nice rip of Michael Gregory Jackson's Clarity from 1976 here:
    http://rapidshare.com/files/389805861/Clarity.zip

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  3. Yes! Thanks!

    Nice to see very special Record in blogland! A Favourite of mine too.

    I think it lacks any trait of a 'sell-out', and also of music that I consider 'commercial':

    It is gifted, inspired, honest and original - 'smooth', maybe, in its own way, but without any of the problems that 'smooth jazz' so often suffers (try cliché-testing!). Lots of Heart, but zero sentimentality. 'Easy', but not superficial. Strong without tough, Soft without weak...

    Claus

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  4. Thank you for this! I bought this and Gifts on vinyl back in the day and wore them out. I would have bought both on CD in a flash if they'd been available. This is intelligent, beautiful music that isn't quite like anything I know. I wonder if it would have fit in better today than it did back then?

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  5. Hi,
    I had this LP and still remember it. Unfortunately it went away when I sold all LP's in '93. How to get hold of a CD-version?

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  6. Hi Fabrice,
    To the best of my knowledge, this album (and most of the Arista catalog) were never released on CD.

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  7. looking for Karmonic Suite or Cowboys, Cartoons & Assorted Candy. anyone have them?

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  8. The track "Cowboys, Cartoons & Assorted Candy" is here:
    http://rapidshare.com/files/391628221/01_Cowboys__Cartoons_And_Assorted_Ca.mp3

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  9. https://soundcloud.com/michaelgregoryjackson

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