Third Album

Third Album
Third Album
Studio album by the Jackson 5
Released	September 8, 1970
Recorded	April–July 1970
Genre	Bubblegum; rock and roll; soul;
Length	37:23
Label	Motown
Producer	The Corporation; Hal Davis;
The Jackson 5 chronology
Singles from Third Album
	"I'll Be There"; Released: August 28, 1970; "Mama's Pearl"; Released: January 7, 1971; "Goin' Back to Indiana"; Released: February 1971 (international release);

Third Album is the third studio album released by the Jackson 5 on the Motown label, and the group's second LP released in 1970, on September 8.

Third Album featured the group's fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the US pop charts, "I'll Be There", the Top 5 single "Mama's Pearl", and album tracks such as the semi-autobiographical "Goin' Back to Indiana" and "Darling Dear". The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and No. 1 on both the US R&B Albums chart and on Cashbox.^[1] The release is considered one of the group's best efforts. It sold over 6 million copies worldwide.^[2]^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−^[5]

AllMusic’s Lindsay Planer rated Third Album four out of five stars. She stated that the album contains "the unmistakable Motown sound, expanding just enough to incorporate other significant influences as well." She also stated that a few of the tracks "are [...] worthwhile spins."^[4]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"I'll Be There"	Berry Gordy Jr. Bob West Hal Davis Willie Hutch	Michael Jackson and Jermaine Jackson	3:59
2.	"Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" (The Delfonics cover)	Thom Bell William Hart	Michael Jackson	2:34
3.	"Oh How Happy" (The Shades of Blue cover)	Edwin Starr	Jermaine Jackson	2:16
4.	"Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon & Garfunkel cover)	Paul Simon	Jermaine Jackson	5:52
5.	"Can I See You in the Morning"	Deke Richards	Michael Jackson	3:09

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"Goin' Back to Indiana"	The Corporation	Michael Jackson (spoken vocals by each member)	3:32
7.	"How Funky Is Your Chicken"	Lester Lee Carr Richard Hutch W. Hutch	Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, and Jackie Jackson	2:41
8.	"Mama's Pearl"	The Corporation	Michael Jackson	3:09
9.	"Reach In"	Beatrice Verdi	Jermaine Jackson and Michael Jackson	3:28
10.	"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" (the Miracles cover)	Smokey Robinson Marv Tarplin	Michael Jackson	4:22
11.	"Darling Dear" (The Miracles cover)	George Horgay Gordy Robert Gordy Allen Story	Michael Jackson	2:40
Total length:				37:23

Re-release

In 2001, Motown remastered all Jackson 5 albums in a "Two Classic Albums/One CD" series (much like they did in the late 1980s). This album was paired up with Maybe Tomorrow. The bonus tracks were "Sugar Daddy", the only new track on their 1971 greatest hits set, and "I'm So Happy", the B-side of that single.

Charts

Chart (1970)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (RPM)^[6]	9
US Top LPs (Billboard)^[7]	4
US Best Selling Soul LP's^[8]	1

Certifications

Certifications for *Third Album*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[10]	Gold	1,000,000^[9]
Summaries
Worldwide	—	6,000,000^[3]

References

^ "楽天が運営するポータルサイト：【インフォシーク】Infoseek". Msdb.hp.infoseek.co.jp. January 1, 2000. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
^ Chery, Carl: XXL: Michael Jackson Special Collecters Edition, page 99.
^ ^a ^b Bestselling Motown Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b Planer, Lindsay. Third Album - The Jackson 5 at AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
^ 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.
^ "RPM: The Jackson 5 (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
^ "The Jackson 5 US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
^ "The Jackson 5". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
^ "Third Album Motown Records Gold Award For The Sale Of 1 Million Copies Of The Album In USA". MJJCollectors. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
^ "American album certifications – The Jacksons – Third Album". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

Third Album at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] "楽天が運営するポータルサイト：【インフォシーク】Infoseek". Msdb.hp.infoseek.co.jp. January 1, 2000. Retrieved March 12, 2012.

[2] Chery, Carl: XXL: Michael Jackson Special Collecters Edition, page 99.

[BestSellingMotown-3] Bestselling Motown Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine

[AMG-4] Planer, Lindsay. Third Album - The Jackson 5 at AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.

[5] 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.

[Canadian_album_positions-6] "RPM: The Jackson 5 (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.

[VPb-7] "The Jackson 5 US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2017.

[8] "The Jackson 5". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2025.

[9] "Third Album Motown Records Gold Award For The Sale Of 1 Million Copies Of The Album In USA". MJJCollectors. Retrieved November 23, 2025.

[United_StatesThe_JacksonsThird_AlbumalbumCertRef-10] "American album certifications – The Jacksons – Third Album". Recording Industry Association of America.

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