Ever the savvy multimedia imprint, Motown Records prepared this long-player to coincide with the
Jackson 5's hour-long Goin' Back to Indiana prime-time ABC-TV special in September of 1971. With the exception of a few skits -- featuring the likes of
Bobby Darin as a used car salesman and
Diana Ross, who is credited simply as "the Pregnant Lady" -- the album includes some of the less visually dependent material. The first half of the program was a buildup to the "homecoming" concert. That Gary, IN, performance was held on May 29, 1971, and highlights were excerpted in the final portion of the television show. The long-player replicates that concept, with side one boasting guest shots from
Bill Cosby as roving reporter Scoop Newsworthy, and Tommy Smothers as "the Crimson Ghost," an adversary for
Tito Jackson's race-car fantasy sequence. Perhaps most impressive is the all-star basketball "dream team" with Elgin Baylor, Ben Davison, Elvin Hayes, and Bill Russell. The latter can be heard during the recitation of "The Day Basketball Was Saved" as the NBA legends go head to head with the
Jacksons. Although not documented in front of an audience, the "rehearsal" versions of "I Want You Back" and "Maybe Tomorrow" sport fresh lead vocals over the top of the familiar instrumental backing. Every one of the live cuts crackles with practically palpable energy, especially the covers of
Sly & the Family Stone's "Stand!," the reworking of
Dave Mason's "Feelin' Alright," and the pile-driving title track, "Goin' Back to Indiana." When issued on a two-fer CD with
the Jackson 5's subsequent LP, 1972's
Lookin' Through the Windows (and when the album was reissued in 2010), "Who's Lovin' You" -- from the Gary set -- was tacked on as one of the supplementary selections. ~ Lindsay Planer