Ben (album)
| Ben | ||||
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| Studio album by Michael Jackson | ||||
| Released | August 4, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | November 1971 – May 1972 | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul | |||
| Length | 31:31 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | Hal Davis, The Corporation, Byhal Davis, Berry Gordy, Jr., Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, Bobby Taylor | |||
| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
Alternative cover for Ben.
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| Singles from Ben | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Rolling Stone | |
Ben is the second studio album by Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson's previous studio album, having charted within the top ten on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at number twelve in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France.
Worldwide, Ben has sold a reported 5 million units. The album released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success on music charts, topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian ARIA charts, giving Jackson his first number-one single, domestically and internationally. "Ben" also charted within the top ten in other territories worldwide. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but canceled for unspecified reasons. Two of the album's songs were "stripped" in 2009 as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.
In January 1972, while still a member of the band, Jackson released his first studio album, entitled Got to Be There, under Motown Records. The album received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. The album was not commercially successful worldwide as well as not having a good chart performance on music charts. The album's three singles had a good chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100, with all charting within the top twenty positions on the chart, two peaking within the top five.Got to Be There was more successful in the U.S. than internationally, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard 200 while peaking at number 37 in the UK and 121 in France.
Recording sessions for Ben began in November 1971, concluding by February 1972 before Jackson's voice began to deepen. It was produced by six people, and executively produced by Berry Gordy, Jr.. Songwriters for the eleven tracks Ben has include, Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, Thom Bell, Linda Creed, The Corporation, Smokey Robinson, and Ronald White, among others.Ben has R&B, contemporary pop rock and soul musical styles. The album's songs have a tempo ranging from 69 beats per minute on "Ben", to 130 on "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day".
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