This is a new video I have created for the 1971 song, It’s Great to Be Here, by the Jackson 5.

The visual material has been recycled from episodes of the early ‘70’s cartoon TV series “The Jackson 5ive”.

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It’s Great to Be Here is a track from the fifth studio album by the Jackson 5, Maybe Tomorrow. The album was released on April 12, 1971 by Motown Records. Released after the success of the hit ballad "I'll Be There", most of the tracks on the album are ballads, with few dance numbers. The album includes the hit singles "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Maybe Tomorrow". While not as financially successful as the Jackson 5's first three outings, Maybe Tomorrow contains some of the most often-sampled and covered material in the group's catalogue. The album spent six weeks at No. 1 on the US Soul Albums chart.

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In 1987 I was a big fan of the new American hip hop sounds. I was working at a Virgin Records store in London at the time, buying records by the likes of Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, EPMD etc from the import vans that would regularly visit the store. Anything on Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons label Def Jam was favoured.

I remember a customer coming to the store asking about a big tune on Def Jam called Can U Feel It? by Original Concept, a Rick Rubin produced sample-led track. The customer wanted to know the source of, as he put it, “that break that kinda sounds like bells” in Can You Feel It? He said he thought it was from an old Jackson’s record. We both knew the “Can you feel it?” vocal sample was from a Jackson’s record, but I couldn’t help him identify where the “bells” break was sampled from.

Shortly after that, a series of import albums called Ultimate Beats and Breaks (UBB) started appearing. Released by Street Beat Records, the UBB series was edited by DJ and crate digger "BreakBeat Lou" Flores. It featured the original tracks of the drum breaks popularized by the new hip hop records. In turn, a new UBB release in the series usually led to many new hip hop records featuring samples of the breaks.

On UBB Volume 7, along with tracks by James Brown, Esther Williams, Dexter Wansel and others, was a funky uplifting mid tempo pop soul track called It’s Great to Be Here. This song was the source of my customers “bells” break. But not only that, it was a brilliant joyous track that I quickly fell in love with.

The song was simply credited to The Corporation, which I later discovered was a group of songwriters and record producers assembled in 1969 by Motown label head Berry Gordy to create hit records for the label's new act, The Jackson 5.

Back then of course there was no internet, let alone a song identifying app like Shazam. The lead vocal was pretty obviously a young Michael Jackson, but beyond that, I didn’t know any other details. Not that it really mattered, It’s Great to Be Here was a wonderful little tune that I started dropping into my amateur DJ sets in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I used it as a bit of light relief from the contemporary house / techno / breakbeat material that predominated in my sets.

I’ve never stopped loving It’s Great to Be Here. A couple of years ago, I decided there needed to be a worthy video for it. After much head scratching and faffing around, I skim-watched the entire Jackson 5ive cartoon series, and found some suitable material to recycle, including from an episode that actually featured my tune. And so, finally here’s my video for It’s Great to Be Here.

Thanks for watching, hope you dig it!

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Credits

The Jackson 5
Jackie Jackson | lead vocals, tambourine, percussion
Tito Jackson | vocals, lead guitar, synthesizer
Marlon Jackson | vocals, conga, tambourine, percussion
Michael Jackson | lead vocals, conga, percussion
Jermaine Jackson | lead vocals, bass guitar

Audio Source:
Jackson 5 | It’s Great to Be Here | From the album Maybe Tomorrow | Produced by The Corporation & Hal Davis | Composer Lyricist Freddie Perren, Berry Gordy Jr., Deke Richards, Alphonso Mizell | Arranged by Gene Page, James Anthony Carmichael | Recorded June 1970 – February 1971 | Released 12 April 1971 | ℗ 1971 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

Video Source:
The Jackson 5ive | ABC TV Series | Season 1 Episode 5 “Bongo, Baby, Bongo” | Season 1 Episode 17 “A Rare Pearl” | Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass | Produced by Rankin/Bass & Motown Productions | 1971 - 1972

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Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe!

I don't own the rights, and I'm not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans.

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