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Third Album

1970 studio album by the Jackson 5

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Third Album is the third studio album released by the Jackson 5 on the Motown label, and the group's second LP released in 1970, on September 8.

Third Album featured the group's fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the US pop charts, "I'll Be There", the Top 5 single "Mama's Pearl", and album tracks such as the semi-autobiographical "Goin' Back to Indiana" and "Darling Dear". The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and No. 1 on both the US R&B Albums chart and on Cashbox. The release is considered one of the group's best efforts. It sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

01Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record GuideB−

AllMusic’s Lindsay Planer rated Third Album four out of five stars. She stated that the album contains "the unmistakable Motown sound, expanding just enough to incorporate other significant influences as well." She also stated that a few of the tracks "are [...] worthwhile spins."

02Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."I'll Be There" Michael Jackson and Jermaine Jackson3:59
2."Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" (The Delfonics cover) Michael Jackson2:34
3."Oh How Happy" (The Shades of Blue cover)Edwin StarrJermaine Jackson2:16
4."Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon & Garfunkel cover)Paul SimonJermaine Jackson5:52
5."Can I See You in the Morning"Deke RichardsMichael Jackson3:09
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Goin' Back to Indiana"The CorporationMichael Jackson
(spoken vocals by each member)
3:32
7."How Funky Is Your Chicken"
  • Lester Lee Carr
  • Richard Hutch
  • W. Hutch
Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, and Jackie Jackson2:41
8."Mama's Pearl"The CorporationMichael Jackson3:09
9."Reach In"Beatrice VerdiJermaine Jackson and Michael Jackson3:28
10."The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" (the Miracles cover) Michael Jackson4:22
11."Darling Dear" (The Miracles cover) Michael Jackson2:40
Total length:37:23

Re-release

In 2001, Motown remastered all Jackson 5 albums in a "Two Classic Albums/One CD" series (much like they did in the late 1980s). This album was paired up with Maybe Tomorrow. The bonus tracks were "Sugar Daddy", the only new track on their 1971 greatest hits set, and "I'm So Happy", the B-side of that single.

03Charts

Chart (1970) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (RPM) 9
US Top LPs (Billboard) 4
US Best Selling Soul LP's 1

04Certifications

Certifications for Third Album
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA) Gold 1,000,000
Summaries
Worldwide , 6,000,000
Watch videos about Third AlbumExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Third Album, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

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