Finally those knuckleheads at rival record companies Universal (in charge of Motown's vaults) and Sony (who runs the Epic label) finally broke the bread on this old chestnut. At long last there is a complete review of the careers of the Jackson family from their early days at Motown when they were known as the Jackson 5 to when they jumped ship to Epic minus brother Jermaine (great career move pally) and dropped the numeral from their name. It was here that the boys discovered Philly Disco and Michael discovered he could do this on his own.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. The year was 1969 and Berry Gordy unleashed his new creation to the music world: a bunch of brothers from Indiana with the youngest and most exciting being only 11 years of age. Their first single was the classic 'I Want You Back', a scorching track that clocked in at a jot under three minutes. Disregard the fact that a song of this sort of subject matter shouldn't be sung by kids barely out of short pants (I was blind to let you go, but now that I see you in his arms I want you back), the brothers put every last drop of blood and sweat into this and every other tune they delivered for Motown that age wasn't really a factor in the end. Something their father Joe is more than responsible for.

Hit after hit followed from the cheesy but equally large smash 'ABC' to the now often covered ballad 'I'll Be There' to the funky 'Dancing Machine' which was a sign of things to come during their years at Epic. As was often the case with Motown artists, cover versions of songs by white artists were used as either B-Sides or album filler. A faithful rendition of Jackson Browne's 'Doctor My Eyes' (actually released as a single in the U.K.) is included in this collection along with the boys' take on soul legend Bill Withers' classic 'Ain't No Sunshine'. Rounding out the first disc is a selection of Michael's early solo work including his version of Bobby Day's hit song 'Rockin' Robin' and that tune about rats 'Ben'.

The second disc (which throws out any sense of chronological order, bang up job Sony) covers their tenure at Epic where they were buoyed by the help of Philly songwriters Gamble and Huff who steered the Jackson's in a more adult direction. A highlight from their first album is 'Show You The Way To Go' with its string laden backing and unmistakable Philly sound. By the time their third album came around, Michael was taking control, co-writing the dance floor smashes 'Blame It On The Boogie' and 'Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)' right at the peak of the Disco period.

It is with their 1980 album Triumph that the wheels start looking a little wobbly. Even though 'Can You Feel It' was a big hit, it was a tad too much and couldn't hold a torch to anything on Michael's solo album from the previous year. The less said about their next album Victory the better for all concerned yet Mick Jagger should have had the foresight not to sign up to duet on 'State Of Shock'. But I guess that is the 80s for you.

By the time The Jackson's released their final album 2300 Jackson Street in 1989, Michael had well and truly left the group as a permanent member. As well as that, the new kids in co-writers Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid and Babyface, showed it was time for the brothers to pass on the baton to the next generation. Though it must be said that, despite all the sentimentality, the title track makes for a fitting epitaph for their career. Too bad the masterminds at Sony made it the third last track.

Many things have been said about Michael's impact on the music industry, yet it must be noted that the brothers as a whole are the reason why N'Sync and Take That have been so popular. They were the blueprint for how a Boy Band should be marketed and how a Boy Band, given the right smarts can achieve critical success.