197: Triumph Roundtable

Scorpeze, Samar Habib, Matthew Allen, and Jay Leggett join host Shawn Shackelford for a celebration and deep-dive chat around The Jacksons’ iconic album, Triumph.

Released in 1980, Triumph built on the creative freedom The Jacksons had earned with Destiny. With Michael’s Off the Wall already a major success, the brothers returned with an album that brought together their individual talents and shared ambition. Written and produced by the group, Triumph paired dance-floor energy with lush ballads, soaring harmonies, and songs about love, isolation, and music’s power.

How did Triumph shape the next chapter of The Jacksons’ story?

In this Roundtable episode, the team explores the music, the album’s making, and its place in the brothers’ remarkable career. The panel considers how The Jacksons developed their sound after Destiny while balancing the group’s identity with Michael’s growing success as a solo artist.

From the opening fanfare of “Can You Feel It” to the driving groove of “Walk Right Now”, the guys work through the album track-by-track. Along the way, they discuss the romantic warmth of “Lovely One” and “Give It Up”, the vulnerability of “Time Waits for No One”, and the storytelling of “Heartbreak Hotel”. They also explore the brothers’ contributions as writers, producers, and performers, and the musical connections between Triumph, Off the Wall, and the work that followed.

Join Shawn and this group of super-fan panelists for a closer look at an album that deserves a prominent place in the story of The Jacksons and their lasting contribution to pop, soul, and dance music.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Participants
• Shawn Shackelford
• Scorpeze
• Samar Habib
• Jay Leggett
• Matthew Allen

Additional Links
• ‘A Kid On The Edge’ – Michael Jackson’s last NME interview, April 1981
• Assistant engineer Ross Pallone on the making of Triumph, September 2017
• Engineer Tom Perry on the making of the Jacksons
• Truth & Soul Podcast- Episode 3-Beige Music; Episode 4-Beige Music: The Finale
• Questlove Supreme: The Jacksons

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