| The Jackson 5 in Japan | |
| Type: | Live album |
| Artist: | the Jackson 5 |
| Cover: | j5-in-japan.jpg |
| Released: | (Japan only) (5,000 copy limited re-issue) |
| Venue: | Kōsei Nenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan |
| Genre: | Soul, pop |
| Label: | Motown |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | Dancing Machine |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
The Jackson 5 in Japan, also known as In Japan!, is the first live album released by the Jackson 5, culled from a live concert held in Osaka, Japan at the Kōsei Nenkin Hall (now known as the Orix Theatre) on April 30, 1973. It was initially released in Japan on October 31, 1973, and was later released in the United Kingdom in 1988 as Michael Jackson with the Jackson 5 Live.[1] Motown did not release the album in the United States until a limited-edition version was released in 2004, via specialty reissue label Hip-O Select. A quadrophonic mix was released in Japan in 1975, marking an early release of the band's material in surround sound.[2] The album sold over a million copies worldwide.[3]
By 1973, the Jackson 5 were bigger worldwide than they were in America, selling millions of records and giving performances at sold-out concerts. This set features the group performing many of their hit records, as well as three solo hits from Michael Jackson and two from Jermaine Jackson. Michael's voice was changing, struggling to hit the higher notes to songs that he once could sing the years prior. Either the key of the song was changed so Michael would not strain, or he just avoided the higher notes. Early stages of Michael's vocal change can be heard on the second disc of the band's Live at the Forum album (2010), which was recorded on August 26, 1972 (three days before Michael's 14th birthday).[4]
On CD editions, the medley of "I Want You Back"/"ABC"/"The Love You Save" was inserted between "Got to Be There" and "Daddy's Home".