E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an audiobook and soundtrack companion album for the 1982 film directed by Steven Spielberg. Composed by John Williams, the album was narrated by recording artist Michael Jackson, produced by composer Quincy Jones and distributed by MCA Records. The audiobook was produced by John Williams and Michael Jackson working with Rod Temperton, Freddy DeMann, and Bruce Swedien.
This article is about the soundtrack companion album. For the soundtrack album, see E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (soundtrack).E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial audiobook was released by MCA on November 15, 1982 – the same month as Michael Jackson's acclaimed sixth studio album Thriller despite conditions given by Epic Records, Jackson's record label, that it should not be released until after Thriller. As a result, Epic took legal action against MCA which forced the album's withdrawal. During its curtailed release, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reached number 37 on the Billboard 200 and number 82 on the UK Albums Chart. It was well-received critically and won Jackson a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children.
Content[edit]
The E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album package contains a storybook, which allows listeners to read along with Jackson as he narrates the tale of E.T. and the alien's visit to planet Earth. The book contains a photograph of E.T. placing his hands on Jackson's shoulders, while one of the extraterrestrial's fingers glows. This picture is included in the album package as a 22 inches (56 cm) × 22 inches (56 cm) full-color poster.[2][3][4] The 20-page storybook include stills from the movie and the lyrics to the song "Someone in the Dark" (written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman), which Jackson sings on the audiobook. The recording, on a 12-inch vinyl LP, features original music by John Williams, integrated sound effects from the movie, as well as the voice of E.T. in the background.[4][5]
Background[edit]
Prior to the recording of the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album, Jackson released four solo studio albums with Motown Records between 1972 and 1975 (Got to Be There, Ben, Music & Me and Forever, Michael), and several with his brothers as part of The Jackson 5/Jacksons between 1969 and 1981. In 1975, he and his brothers (except Jermaine) moved to Epic Records and in 1979, Michael released his fifth solo album, Off the Wall, to critical and commercial success.[6][7][8][9]
In June 1982 the Steven Spielberg-directed science fiction feature film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released to cinemas.[10] Created by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures (then a subsidiary of MCA Inc.),[11] it starred Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore and Peter Coyote. The film tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends a good-natured extraterrestrial he calls E.T., who is stranded on Earth. Upon its release, the film became a blockbuster and surpassed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film released to that point.[12] Critics lauded it as a timeless story of friendship,[13] and the American Film Institute ranks it as the third greatest science fiction film ever produced in the United States.[14]
Reception[edit]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reached number 82 on the UK Albums Chart,[27] which was considered high for a storybook album.[28] The audiobook won Jackson a Grammy Award in 1984[n 1] for Best Recording for Children.[30][31][32] Upon collecting the award and taking home a record eight Grammys from an unprecedented twelve nominations, the singer said that of all the awards he had received that night, he was "most proud of this one".[33][34][35]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was also well-received critically. Charles L. Sanders of Ebony magazine described it as an "extraordinary album".[36] Mark Bego of the Toledo Blade asserted that the song "Someone in the Dark" was "one of the most beautiful ballads" Jackson had ever recorded.[2] He further commented that the amalgamation of Jones's production, dialogue from the film, Jackson's "effective and emotional" reading of the narrative and the audiobook's "grand soaring orchestration" made the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album "[elicit] as many tears as the movie does".[2] A writer for Billboard described the audiobook as being "lavishly packaged, lovingly produced" and worth its high asking price.[37] A journalist for the Lexington Herald-Leader concluded that it was a "delightful" storybook album.[38]