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Destiny
Studio album by the Jacksons
Released	November 1978 (1978-11)
Recorded	1977–1978
Studio	Total Experience (Hollywood) Record Plant (Los Angeles) Cherokee (Hollywood) Dawnbreaker (San Fernando)
Genre	Progressive soul pop-soul disco
Length	41:00
Label	Epic CBS
Producer	The Jacksons
The Jacksons chronology
Goin' Places (1977) Destiny (1978) Boogie (1979)
Singles from Destiny
"Blame It on the Boogie" Released: September 8, 1978 "Destiny" Released: December 29, 1978 (UK) "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" Released: February 12, 1979

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record Guide	B+
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Uncut
New York Daily News	(favourable)
American Songwriter

Destiny is the thirteenth studio album released by American band the Jacksons, recorded in part at Dawnbreaker Studios in San Fernando, California. It was released in November 1978 on Epic Records and CBS Records. The album marked the first time in the band's career in which they had complete artistic control, producing it themselves after previously working under the supervision of Philadelphia soul architects Gamble and Huff.

Including the international hits "Blame It on the Boogie" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", the album would eventually sell over four million copies worldwide, two million in America during its initial run and another two million worldwide. It was promoted with a year-long world tour.

History

Overview

The band had left their longtime label Motown in 1975 (except for brother Jermaine Jackson who had stayed with Motown after he married Berry Gordy's daughter, Hazel Gordy), and after a few years of being with Philly International, the Jacksons set their sights on one of Columbia Records' most popular labels, Epic. After having their previous albums spearheaded by legendary producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Epic allowed the Jackson brothers to write and produce their own material for the first time in their career, something that Motown did not permit. Composing much of the album in their home-made recording studio in their gated Hayvenhurst mansion, the group finished recording the album within two months.

This album was the first album to include primarily songs written by the Jacksons themselves. Every song was credited to the Jacksons as a band or individually to Michael and Randy, with the exception of the lead single, "Blame It on the Boogie". That song was co-written (coincidentally) by British singer-songwriter Mick Jackson, who was not related to the members of the Jacksons.

Like many of the acts that had left Motown, the Jacksons had to accept the possibility that they would no longer enjoy the same level of success they had while they were associated with the label—something Motown themselves reiterated upon hearing that longtime front man Michael Jackson had moved on to a full-fledged solo career following Destiny's release.

Release and reaction

Released in November 1978, Destiny re-established them as a top-selling group. The single, "Blame It on the Boogie", was released on September 8, 1978, as the advance single from the album. Although "Blame It on the Boogie" returned the Jacksons to the Hot 100 it was not the single to effect a major comeback for the Jacksons peaking at No. 54. However, "Blame It on the Boogie" did reach No. 3 R&B and would be coupled with "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" on an extended club play single which would reach No. 20 on the dance charts in 1979. "Blame It on the Boogie" rose to number 8 in the UK.

The album's success was largely based on the second single released from the album, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", which became a Top 10 single in the spring of 1979. The album eventually peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and number three on the Billboard Black Albums chart and went on to Platinum status-cementing it as the first RIAA-certified platinum seller by the Jacksons as most of their Motown recordings were uncertifiable despite their huge success on the charts, and over four million copies worldwide. The accompanying tour was a huge success running on many legs and also toured overseas.

Album cover

The album's artwork, painted by Gary Meyer, has Jackie, Tito, Michael, Randy, and Marlon on top of the word "DESTINY" (the album's title) carved in stone during a thunderstorm containing a whirlwind and stormy waters splashing against the "DESTINY" monolith. A peacock is shown on the back cover fanning his tail and has a message provided by Michael and Jackie for Peacock Productions: "Through the ages, the peacock has been honored and praised for its attractive, illustrious beauty. Of all the bird family, the peacock is the only bird that integrates all colors into one, and displays this radiance of fire only when in love. We, like the peacock, try to integrate all races into one through the love of music."

Re-release

In honor of its 30th anniversary, Destiny, including two bonus tracks of rare 12-inch disco mixes previously unavailable on CD, was released on January 27, 2009, on Epic/Legacy, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Both unreleased tracks were mixed by John Luongo. It was re-released again in digital format on February 12, 2021 in a release including The Jacksons and Goin' Places.

Track listing

Personnel

The Jacksons

• Michael Jackson – lead vocals, vocal arrangements
• Jackie Jackson – lead vocals (track 6), backing vocals, vocal arrangements
• Marlon Jackson – backing vocals, vocal arrangements
• Tito Jackson – guitars, backing vocals, vocal arrangements
• Randy Jackson – congas (3, 5–8), vocal arrangements, percussion (3), backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Roland Bautista – guitar (1, 2)
• Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar (3, 5, 7, 8), guitar solo (6)
• Michael Sembello – guitar (1, 2, 5–8), bass (2)
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizers (4)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards, synthesizers (4, 8), rhythm arrangements
• Gary King – bass (1)
• Nathan Watts – bass (1, 3, 5–8)
• Ed Greene – drums (4–8)
• Ricky Lawson – drums (3)
• Rick Marotta – drums (1, 2), percussion (1)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (3, 4)
• Laudir de Oliveira – congas (1)
• Claudio Slon – congas (1)
• Seawind Horns – trumpet, saxophone, flute

Production

• Produced by The Jacksons
• Bobby Colomby, Mike Atkinson – executive producers
• Don Murray, Peter Granet – engineer
• Clare Fischer – string arrangement (2)
• Tom Tom 84 – horn arrangements (3–8), string arrangements (4–6, 8)
• Jerry Hey – horn arrangements (1, 2)

Technical

• Graphic coordinator: Tony Lane
• Cover artwork by Gary Meyer
• Photography by Jeffrey Scales

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "Record Mirror" (PDF).
2. ^ Coleman, Mark; Edmonds, Ben (2004). "The Jackson 5". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 409–411. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
3. Horton, Matthew (2015). "The Jacksons - "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 413.
4. "BPI certifications for The Jacksons".
5. "UK promo disc". Discogs.
6. The Jacksons: Legacy. Running Press. October 24, 2017. ISBN 9780316473743.
7. Kellman, Andy. "The Jacksons: Destiny". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
8. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
9. Stubbs, David (October 1, 1997). "REISSUES: Freak beats". Uncut. No. 5. p. 92. ProQuest 1771210800.
10. Smith, Bruce (May 7, 1979). "Jacksons cut loose". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 106.
11. G. Gaar, Gillian (October 27, 2008). "THE JACKSONS > Destiny & Triumph". americansongwriter.com. American Songwriter.
12. Chery, Carl: XXL: Michael Jackson Special Collectors Edition, page 100. American Press.
13. Stevenson, Richard W. (November 10, 1991). "POP MUSIC; 'Thriller,' Can Michael Jackson Beat It?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
14. "Chart results matching: blame It On The Boogie". officialcharts.com.
15. Stevenson, Richard W. (November 10, 1991). "POP MUSIC; 'Thriller,' Can Michael Jackson Beat It?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
16. LegacyRecordings.com » News Archived 2008-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
17. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, NSW. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
18. "RPM: The Jacksons (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
19. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Jacksons – Destiny" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
20. "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
21. "Charts.nz – The Jacksons – Destiny". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
22. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
23. "The Jacksons Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
24. "The Jacksons Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
25. "Top Albums of the Year – 1979". Billboard. December 22, 1979. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
26. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
27. "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". Kent Music Report. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Imgur.com.
28. "Canadian album certifications – The Jacksons – Destiny". Music Canada.
29. "Dutch album certifications – The Jacksons – Destiny" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved March 16, 2019. Enter Destiny in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1989 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
30. "American album certifications – The Jacksons – Destiny". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• Destiny at Discogs (list of releases)

• 1978 albums
• The Jackson 5 albums
• Epic Records albums
• Albums produced by Michael Jackson
• Albums produced by Bobby Colomby
• Albums arranged by Clare Fischer
• Albums recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles)
• Albums recorded at Total Experience Recording Studios