ABC

Michael Jackson was only 11 when he and his brothers released this album-length highlight of their Motown years, and it’s still a thrill to hear. “ABC” is a happy frenzy of handclaps, stride piano and popcorn rhythms, and the multi-voice chorus on “2-4-6-8” feels like a warm, soulful breeze. Peppered with Jermaine’s well-timed ad-libs, the album is all filtered through Michael, who recalls James Brown with excited yelps and rough-voiced bellowing on “The Love You Save” and belies his years with smooth, assured crooning on “True Love Can Be Beautiful.”