The Jackson 5 - ABC [Clear Blue Japan Import]

ABC is the Jackson 5 at their most irresistible, a 1970 Motown album bursting with youthful energy, pressed here on clear blue vinyl as a Japan import.

Released just months after their debut, this second album confirmed the brothers from Gary, Indiana as the hottest act in pop. Much of it was crafted by The Corporation, Motown's in-house team of Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Fonce Mizell and Deke Richards, with Hal Davis and Bobby Taylor also producing. At the centre was an eleven-year-old Michael Jackson, already singing with the poise of a seasoned star.

The title track "ABC" topped the US charts, a sugar rush of handclaps, bright guitars and playground rhymes. "The Love You Save" did the same, its stop-start energy and call-and-response vocals pure joy. "I Found That Girl" gives Jermaine a rare turn on lead, while "I'll Bet You" adds a grittier, funkier edge to the bright Motown sound.

Between the hits are ballads and soul workouts that showcase the brothers' tight harmonies and the snap of Motown's session players. It blends bubblegum, R&B and early funk into something that still sounds fresh.

It is the sound of a family band on top of the world, captured at exactly the right moment.