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Reply #390 posted 06/12/09 10:30am

BoOTyLiCioUs

whatsgoingon said:

BoOTyLiCioUs said:



He still is, you just don't hear about it because they don't report it. I wish I could see more natual people around now adays but i guess everyone wants to be fake now adays.
[Edited 6/12/09 9:07am]


michael is many things now, but he ain't natural. I mean this guy in this pic depicts how MJ use to fit in so easily with the brothas, now he doesn't even fit in with his own blood brothers.

oh you know how i love to argue with you. lol
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Reply #391 posted 06/12/09 10:58am

cdcgold

whatsgoingon said:

BoOTyLiCioUs said:



He still is, you just don't hear about it because they don't report it. I wish I could see more natual people around now adays but i guess everyone wants to be fake now adays.
[Edited 6/12/09 9:07am]


michael is many things now, but he ain't natural. I mean this guy in this pic depicts how MJ use to fit in so easily with the brothas, now he doesn't even fit in with his own blood brothers.



we know this. GET OVER IT you talk to people like their stupid or something
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Reply #392 posted 06/12/09 11:36am

BoOTyLiCioUs

cdcgold said:

whatsgoingon said:



michael is many things now, but he ain't natural. I mean this guy in this pic depicts how MJ use to fit in so easily with the brothas, now he doesn't even fit in with his own blood brothers.



we know this. GET OVER IT you talk to people like their stupid or something

lol angry lady
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Reply #393 posted 06/12/09 2:07pm

seeingvoices12

avatar

whatsgoingon said:

BoOTyLiCioUs said:



He still is, you just don't hear about it because they don't report it. I wish I could see more natual people around now adays but i guess everyone wants to be fake now adays.
[Edited 6/12/09 9:07am]


michael is many things now, but he ain't natural. I mean this guy in this pic depicts how MJ use to fit in so easily with the brothas, now he doesn't even fit in with his own blood brothers.


Whatsgoingon, I know you are a respectable poster because you always deliver your point without attacking others however you have been repeating this point more than 983478504895738573434834857349857439857347895734 times ...I really got your point.
MICHAEL JACKSON
R.I.P
مايكل جاكسون للأبد
1958
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Reply #394 posted 06/12/09 2:28pm

bboy87

avatar

http://www.hip-oselect.co...4A1BEB29E2

Disc 1
1. Ain't No Sunshine
2. I Wanna Be Where You Are
3. Girl Dont Take Your Love From Me
4. In Our Small Way
5. Got To Be There
6. Rockin' Robin
7. Wings Of My Love
8. Maria (You Were The Only One)
9. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone
10. You've Got A Friend
11. Ben
12. Greatest Show On Earth
13. People Make The World Go Round
14. We've Got A Good Thing Going
15. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
16. My Girl
17. What Goes Around Comes Around
18. In Our Small Way
19. Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day
20. You Can Cry On My Shoulder
21. Don't Let It Get You Down (original mix)
22. You've Really Got A Hold on Me (original mix)
23. Melodie (original mix)
24. Touch The One You Love (original mix)

Disc 2
1. With A Child's Heart
2. Up Again
3. All The Things You Are
4. Happy (Love Theme From Lady Sings The Blues)
5. Too Young
6. Doggin' Around
7. Euphoria
8. Morning Glow
9. Johnny Raven
10. Music And Me
11. Were Almost There
12. Take Me Back
13. One Day In Your Life
14. Cinderella Stay Awhile
15. We've Got Forever
16. Just A Little Bit Of You
17. You Are There
18. Dapper-Dan
19. Dear Michael
20. I'll Come Home To You
21. Girl You're So Together (original mix)
22. Farewell My Summer Love (original mix)
23. Call On Me (original mix)

Disc 3
1. When I Come Of Age
2. Teenage Symphony
3. I Hear A Symphony
4. Give Me Half A Chance
5. Love's Gone Bad
6. Lonely Teardrops
7. You're Good For Me
8. That's What Love Is Made Of
9. I Like You The Way You Are (Don't Change Your Love On Me)
10. Who's Lookin' For A Lover
11. I Was Made To Love Her
12. If 'N I Was God
13. To Make My Father Proud (original mix)
14. Here I Am (Come And Take Me) (original mix)
15. Twenty-Five Miles (original mix)
16. Don't Let It Get You Down
17. You've Really Got A Hold on Me
18. Melodie
19. Touch The One You Love
20. Girl You're So Together
21. Farewell My Summer Love
22. Call On Me
23. Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
24. To Make My Father Proud


“Michael Jackson could make you forget he was so young.”
So writes Suzee Ikeda, a Motown A&R assistant who was a creative confidante of a teenage Michael, in her introductory essay to Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection, a new 3-CD set that features every MJ recording released from 1971 to 1975, plus the Motown-era songs that were released after he left the company.
At the height of Jacksonmania in 1970-71, when everyone in the world, it seemed, was focusing on the hot kids’ group from Gary, Indiana, a solo career for Michael was not necessarily a given. But when 13-year-old Donny Osmond went solo while staying in the Osmonds family group, so did Michael, then turning 14, who was given material that made him sound even wiser and more mature as an artist. “Got To Be There” was his first solo hit, which featured a stunning, declamatory phrase that provided the name of this collection.
The LP Got To Be There, released in January 1972, also included the hits “Rockin’ Robin” and “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” It was followed by Ben, after the hit title song from a film about a pet rat—a song that became an unlikely No.1 smash for Michael. The album was first issued with a cover featuring lurid artwork from the film, which was quickly replaced by a simpler image of MJ; our package reproduces both covers in the 48 page booklet.
Music And Me was next, an experiment in softening Michael’s sound—the album featured a few Adult Contemporary covers—followed by Forever, Michael. That LP had a harder dance age, and included the now-classic, sample-favorites “We’re Almost There” and “Just A Little Bit Of You.”
Those four albums might have been the end of the story for Michael and Motown, as the J5 left in 1975 to go to Epic Records. In the aftermath of the huge success of MJ’s solo Off The Wall, however, came the compilation One Day In Your Life, whose title song—lifted from Forever, Michael—turned into a No. 1 hit in the U.K. and top 40 AC in the U.S. Following the crazy ride of Thriller, Motown released Farewell My Summer Love, a batch of songs from the vault with contemporary overdubs; the title song went top 10 R&B.
There’s more: in 1986 Motown issued Looking Back To Yesterday, a collection of more vault masters—some with the J5—that contained further unexpected gems.
Hello World has all of that and these extra gems: all nine songs from Farewell My Summer Love are included in their original, undubbed mixes. Plus, we unearthed the original mix of “Twenty-Five Miles”—Michael’s cover of the Edwin Starr hit that has previously been available only in a 1987 vault collection. It’s all in a splendid 8” x 5.5” package with Ms. Ikeda’s intro, a main essay by Mark Anthony Neal, pages of annotations, rare photos and repros of the LP jackets. It’s deserving of the one of the greatest performers the world has ever known, at any age.
"We may deify or demonize them but not ignore them. And we call them genius, because they are the people who change the world."
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Reply #395 posted 06/12/09 2:35pm

whatsgoingon

avatar

seeingvoices12 said:

whatsgoingon said:



michael is many things now, but he ain't natural. I mean this guy in this pic depicts how MJ use to fit in so easily with the brothas, now he doesn't even fit in with his own blood brothers.


Whatsgoingon, I know you are a respectable poster because you always deliver your point without attacking others however you have been repeating this point more than 983478504895738573434834857349857439857347895734 times ...I really got your point.

That's because MJ fans come up with the most inept, diabolical stuff & they try to rationalize everything all the time.
[Edited 6/12/09 14:36pm]
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Reply #396 posted 06/12/09 4:16pm

BoOTyLiCioUs

whatsgoingon said:

seeingvoices12 said:



Whatsgoingon, I know you are a respectable poster because you always deliver your point without attacking others however you have been repeating this point more than 983478504895738573434834857349857439857347895734 times ...I really got your point.

That's because MJ fans come up with the most inept, diabolical stuff & they try to rationalize everything all the time.
[Edited 6/12/09 14:36pm]


hmm nice one lol a lot of us get our information from factual and credible sources, not tabloids. But you keep on believing what you wanna believe and generalizing a huge group of people. lol
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Reply #397 posted 06/12/09 4:46pm

cdcgold

whatsgoingon said:

seeingvoices12 said:



Whatsgoingon, I know you are a respectable poster because you always deliver your point without attacking others however you have been repeating this point more than 983478504895738573434834857349857439857347895734 times ...I really got your point.

That's because MJ fans come up with the most inept, diabolical stuff & they try to rationalize everything all the time.
[Edited 6/12/09 14:36pm]


let me ask you this if you're not an mj fan than why are you always on here. I'm they would not keep keep making these stickys if they did not want people who like michael to post on them, why don't you just go away
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Reply #398 posted 06/12/09 5:32pm

whatsgoingon

avatar

cdcgold said:

whatsgoingon said:


That's because MJ fans come up with the most inept, diabolical stuff & they try to rationalize everything all the time.
[Edited 6/12/09 14:36pm]


let me ask you this if you're not an mj fan than why are you always on here. I'm they would not keep keep making these stickys if they did not want people who like michael to post on them, why don't you just go away


Why don't you go back to the KOP or MJJc or whatever they call his forums where everyone believes in lots of coincidences and have excuses upon excuses about MJ descent into complete weirdness. If you don't want people criticising MJ then it's a little stupid posting controversial things on another artist website, even if it is in the NoN-prince forum.
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Reply #399 posted 06/12/09 6:24pm

BoOTyLiCioUs

whatsgoingon said:

cdcgold said:



let me ask you this if you're not an mj fan than why are you always on here. I'm they would not keep keep making these stickys if they did not want people who like michael to post on them, why don't you just go away


Why don't you go back to the KOP or MJJc or whatever they call his forums where everyone believes in lots of coincidences and have excuses upon excuses about MJ descent into complete weirdness. If you don't want people criticising MJ then it's a little stupid posting controversial things on another artist website, even if it is in the NoN-prince forum.


umm hello, we are not the ones posting tabloids. That's Unique and Naughty Kitty. Oh and let's add midnight mover to insulting anyone and calling them loons if they disagree with him on anything. We are here to discuss his music but people keep on coming in and start posting essays (unique) about his personal life. or stupid jokes. A lot of mj fans have researched factual and credible sources while SOME people on here believe tabloids as they are the gospel when in all actuality, many things written in those tabloids are unfounded and untrue.
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Reply #400 posted 06/12/09 7:56pm

midnightmover

BoOTyLiCioUs said:

whatsgoingon said:



Why don't you go back to the KOP or MJJc or whatever they call his forums where everyone believes in lots of coincidences and have excuses upon excuses about MJ descent into complete weirdness. If you don't want people criticising MJ then it's a little stupid posting controversial things on another artist website, even if it is in the NoN-prince forum.


umm hello, we are not the ones posting tabloids. That's Unique and Naughty Kitty. Oh and let's add midnight mover to insulting anyone and calling them loons if they disagree with him on anything. We are here to discuss his music but people keep on coming in and start posting essays (unique) about his personal life. or stupid jokes. A lot of mj fans have researched factual and credible sources while SOME people on here believe tabloids as they are the gospel when in all actuality, many things written in those tabloids are unfounded and untrue.

I don't call people loons if they disagree with me. I call them loons if they post deranged nonsense. It just so happens many MJ fans do that an awful lot. I'm a fan of logic. It's only natural I wouldn't get on too well with you guys.
“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson
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Reply #401 posted 06/12/09 10:14pm

majic

bboy87 said:

http://www.hip-oselect.com/scr.public.product.asp?product_id=75530308-9F18-460D-9988-724A1BEB29E2

Disc 1
1. Ain't No Sunshine
2. I Wanna Be Where You Are
3. Girl Dont Take Your Love From Me
4. In Our Small Way
5. Got To Be There
6. Rockin' Robin
7. Wings Of My Love
8. Maria (You Were The Only One)
9. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone
10. You've Got A Friend
11. Ben
12. Greatest Show On Earth
13. People Make The World Go Round
14. We've Got A Good Thing Going
15. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
16. My Girl
17. What Goes Around Comes Around
18. In Our Small Way
19. Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day
20. You Can Cry On My Shoulder
21. Don't Let It Get You Down (original mix)
22. You've Really Got A Hold on Me (original mix)
23. Melodie (original mix)
24. Touch The One You Love (original mix)

Disc 2
1. With A Child's Heart
2. Up Again
3. All The Things You Are
4. Happy (Love Theme From Lady Sings The Blues)
5. Too Young
6. Doggin' Around
7. Euphoria
8. Morning Glow
9. Johnny Raven
10. Music And Me
11. Were Almost There
12. Take Me Back
13. One Day In Your Life
14. Cinderella Stay Awhile
15. We've Got Forever
16. Just A Little Bit Of You
17. You Are There
18. Dapper-Dan
19. Dear Michael
20. I'll Come Home To You
21. Girl You're So Together (original mix)
22. Farewell My Summer Love (original mix)
23. Call On Me (original mix)

Disc 3
1. When I Come Of Age
2. Teenage Symphony
3. I Hear A Symphony
4. Give Me Half A Chance
5. Love's Gone Bad
6. Lonely Teardrops
7. You're Good For Me
8. That's What Love Is Made Of
9. I Like You The Way You Are (Don't Change Your Love On Me)
10. Who's Lookin' For A Lover
11. I Was Made To Love Her
12. If 'N I Was God
13. To Make My Father Proud (original mix)
14. Here I Am (Come And Take Me) (original mix)
15. Twenty-Five Miles (original mix)
16. Don't Let It Get You Down
17. You've Really Got A Hold on Me
18. Melodie
19. Touch The One You Love
20. Girl You're So Together
21. Farewell My Summer Love
22. Call On Me
23. Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
24. To Make My Father Proud


“Michael Jackson could make you forget he was so young.”
So writes Suzee Ikeda, a Motown A&R assistant who was a creative confidante of a teenage Michael, in her introductory essay to Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection, a new 3-CD set that features every MJ recording released from 1971 to 1975, plus the Motown-era songs that were released after he left the company.
At the height of Jacksonmania in 1970-71, when everyone in the world, it seemed, was focusing on the hot kids’ group from Gary, Indiana, a solo career for Michael was not necessarily a given. But when 13-year-old Donny Osmond went solo while staying in the Osmonds family group, so did Michael, then turning 14, who was given material that made him sound even wiser and more mature as an artist. “Got To Be There” was his first solo hit, which featured a stunning, declamatory phrase that provided the name of this collection.
The LP Got To Be There, released in January 1972, also included the hits “Rockin’ Robin” and “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” It was followed by Ben, after the hit title song from a film about a pet rat—a song that became an unlikely No.1 smash for Michael. The album was first issued with a cover featuring lurid artwork from the film, which was quickly replaced by a simpler image of MJ; our package reproduces both covers in the 48 page booklet.
Music And Me was next, an experiment in softening Michael’s sound—the album featured a few Adult Contemporary covers—followed by Forever, Michael. That LP had a harder dance age, and included the now-classic, sample-favorites “We’re Almost There” and “Just A Little Bit Of You.”
Those four albums might have been the end of the story for Michael and Motown, as the J5 left in 1975 to go to Epic Records. In the aftermath of the huge success of MJ’s solo Off The Wall, however, came the compilation One Day In Your Life, whose title song—lifted from Forever, Michael—turned into a No. 1 hit in the U.K. and top 40 AC in the U.S. Following the crazy ride of Thriller, Motown released Farewell My Summer Love, a batch of songs from the vault with contemporary overdubs; the title song went top 10 R&B.
There’s more: in 1986 Motown issued Looking Back To Yesterday, a collection of more vault masters—some with the J5—that contained further unexpected gems.
Hello World has all of that and these extra gems: all nine songs from Farewell My Summer Love are included in their original, undubbed mixes. Plus, we unearthed the original mix of “Twenty-Five Miles”—Michael’s cover of the Edwin Starr hit that has previously been available only in a 1987 vault collection. It’s all in a splendid 8” x 5.5” package with Ms. Ikeda’s intro, a main essay by Mark Anthony Neal, pages of annotations, rare photos and repros of the LP jackets. It’s deserving of the one of the greatest performers the world has ever known, at any age.


damn u beat me 2 the punch now. i suppose we're even
How will we fill our empty room?

Long Live The Funk

Housequake
1997-2009
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Reply #402 posted 06/12/09 11:29pm

unique

avatar

BoOTyLiCioUs said:

whatsgoingon said:



Why don't you go back to the KOP or MJJc or whatever they call his forums where everyone believes in lots of coincidences and have excuses upon excuses about MJ descent into complete weirdness. If you don't want people criticising MJ then it's a little stupid posting controversial things on another artist website, even if it is in the NoN-prince forum.


umm hello, we are not the ones posting tabloids. That's Unique and Naughty Kitty. Oh and let's add midnight mover to insulting anyone and calling them loons if they disagree with him on anything. We are here to discuss his music but people keep on coming in and start posting essays (unique) about his personal life. or stupid jokes. A lot of mj fans have researched factual and credible sources while SOME people on here believe tabloids as they are the gospel when in all actuality, many things written in those tabloids are unfounded and untrue.


there's hardly any talk about the music from anyone here, from the MJ lovers perspective there seems to be more posts of photos than anything else, with a few youtubes posted. there's hardly anything posted that actually discusses the music. i'm one of the few that posts anything of value to this thread. the thread is to discuss MJ, not specifically the music, but MJ in general. it's called "let's talk all things michael jackson", not "michael jackson picture thread" or "michael jackson music discussion only". some poeple are fascinated by his personal life as it's extremely bizarre. those that some fans refer to as haters are likely people who were fans of MJ's music when he was popular in the 80s, and perhaps still enjoy that music, and some of the stuff that came afterwards, but nowadays are more interested in the three ring circus that surrounds him. add to that the denial and bizarre behavoir of many of his most hardcore fans, particularly the refusal to believe anything negative about him, regardless of the truth, and it makes for particularly entertaining reading

regarding the news stories, i don't think some people believe them as much as others refuse to disbelieve anything about them. clearly some of them have an element of truth about them, in fact perhaps most of them do. it's fairly easy to tell what are the least likely as they aren't usually repeated elsewhere and don't get formal acknowledgement, but they are posted so people can read them and discuss and comment on them. it's clear from the stories that there is genuine concern regarding his upcoming shows, whether it's for health reasons or legal reasons, shows have already been postponed, and i'd bet more shows will be postponed or cancelled, and i wouldn't be surprised if the whole lot were cancelled, it wouldn't be the first major event to be cancelled, and wouldn't be the last

one last thing about the tabloid stories, fans say they are speculative, unfounded and untrue. the exact same is true about the comments from fans who say that about those posts, they are simply speculating that they aren't true and have no evidence to confirm otherwise. that's not to say all stories are true or false, but there is no smoke without a fire, and there is usually some element of truth behind them

i'm all up for more discussion of music or MJ in general, but posting photos or videos isn't discussing music, and comments along the lines of "i love that" or "that's rubbish" aren't exactly discussions. with the new box set, there's been little to no discussion about it, only comments to say it's cool. that's not discussion. i started a thread to discussion chronologing his solo music from off the wall, including outtakes and collabs, but whilst one or two thought it was a good idea, only one person seemed interested in discussing the topic further, so it doesn't seem that the majority of posters are interested in discussing the music after all. you only have to look at who posts here and what they have actually posted, as evidence of that. when i make the effort to provide some input, some of my posts are referred to as essays and simply rubbished or ignored as no-one can disagree with most of what i say, you might not agree with it, but it happens to be true, otherwise someone would point it out

anyways if you want to discuss the music, how about some input on the chrono topic? once i've got something together for that i have a bunch more topics relating to the music. i can seperate the personal life from the music and discuss both seperately, but i'm interested in discussing many aspects, not just the music, and not just the weird behavoir. i have a pretty comprehensive collection of jacksons music and videos, but the only thing that makes me different from most other fans is my personal views regarding them. i like to view the work objectively, as i do with the work of other artists like prince. as much as i'm a prince fan, i'll be clear if he releases something that's shit or i don't like. like most fans, we know his music hasn't been of the same quality for a number of years, and aren't afraid to say it, although he still comes up with some really genuinely good albums from time to time, such as lotusflower, but MJ's music has declined since his prime, and he hasn't had any real standout tracks like prince with lotusflower or rainbow children, that make you think he still has it in him to come up with his best album yet. whilst you may like MJ, you can't discuss the music seriously if you can't be open an honest about the subject matter. that's the reason that some people have suggested some posters discuss the subject on MJ forums instead, where people can share the same biased viewpoint and post with the belief that the sun shines out of MJ's ass and he has done no wrong and is the king of pop for evermore. but this is a prince site where people discuss prince without bias or holding back, and aren't afraid to post all sorts of crap, tabloid stories or anything negative about him, thus consider it's only appropriate and fair game to discuss any other subject matter the same way. if people want to post funny photos or jokes about MJ there's no need to get your knickers in a twist about it. if you get upset about something like that, then i think you need to have a think about yourself, as that's not healthy. MJ is a prime candidate for jokes, he's put himself in that position, so bring on the humour. there's plenty of time and space to discuss things both seriously and humorously. i inserted some humorous photos into some ridiculous news stories to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation and some people acted like i drew mohammed with a bomb in his turban. if you have a sense of humour you don't need to hide it, how about some MJ humour from the fans perspective? plus some of the discussion about music that everyone seems to want, but doesn't seem to post?
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Reply #403 posted 06/12/09 11:57pm

bboy87

avatar

majic said:

bboy87 said:

http://www.hip-oselect.com/scr.public.product.asp?product_id=75530308-9F18-460D-9988-724A1BEB29E2

Disc 1
1. Ain't No Sunshine
2. I Wanna Be Where You Are
3. Girl Dont Take Your Love From Me
4. In Our Small Way
5. Got To Be There
6. Rockin' Robin
7. Wings Of My Love
8. Maria (You Were The Only One)
9. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone
10. You've Got A Friend
11. Ben
12. Greatest Show On Earth
13. People Make The World Go Round
14. We've Got A Good Thing Going
15. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
16. My Girl
17. What Goes Around Comes Around
18. In Our Small Way
19. Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day
20. You Can Cry On My Shoulder
21. Don't Let It Get You Down (original mix)
22. You've Really Got A Hold on Me (original mix)
23. Melodie (original mix)
24. Touch The One You Love (original mix)

Disc 2
1. With A Child's Heart
2. Up Again
3. All The Things You Are
4. Happy (Love Theme From Lady Sings The Blues)
5. Too Young
6. Doggin' Around
7. Euphoria
8. Morning Glow
9. Johnny Raven
10. Music And Me
11. Were Almost There
12. Take Me Back
13. One Day In Your Life
14. Cinderella Stay Awhile
15. We've Got Forever
16. Just A Little Bit Of You
17. You Are There
18. Dapper-Dan
19. Dear Michael
20. I'll Come Home To You
21. Girl You're So Together (original mix)
22. Farewell My Summer Love (original mix)
23. Call On Me (original mix)

Disc 3
1. When I Come Of Age
2. Teenage Symphony
3. I Hear A Symphony
4. Give Me Half A Chance
5. Love's Gone Bad
6. Lonely Teardrops
7. You're Good For Me
8. That's What Love Is Made Of
9. I Like You The Way You Are (Don't Change Your Love On Me)
10. Who's Lookin' For A Lover
11. I Was Made To Love Her
12. If 'N I Was God
13. To Make My Father Proud (original mix)
14. Here I Am (Come And Take Me) (original mix)
15. Twenty-Five Miles (original mix)
16. Don't Let It Get You Down
17. You've Really Got A Hold on Me
18. Melodie
19. Touch The One You Love
20. Girl You're So Together
21. Farewell My Summer Love
22. Call On Me
23. Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
24. To Make My Father Proud


“Michael Jackson could make you forget he was so young.”
So writes Suzee Ikeda, a Motown A&R assistant who was a creative confidante of a teenage Michael, in her introductory essay to Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection, a new 3-CD set that features every MJ recording released from 1971 to 1975, plus the Motown-era songs that were released after he left the company.
At the height of Jacksonmania in 1970-71, when everyone in the world, it seemed, was focusing on the hot kids’ group from Gary, Indiana, a solo career for Michael was not necessarily a given. But when 13-year-old Donny Osmond went solo while staying in the Osmonds family group, so did Michael, then turning 14, who was given material that made him sound even wiser and more mature as an artist. “Got To Be There” was his first solo hit, which featured a stunning, declamatory phrase that provided the name of this collection.
The LP Got To Be There, released in January 1972, also included the hits “Rockin’ Robin” and “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” It was followed by Ben, after the hit title song from a film about a pet rat—a song that became an unlikely No.1 smash for Michael. The album was first issued with a cover featuring lurid artwork from the film, which was quickly replaced by a simpler image of MJ; our package reproduces both covers in the 48 page booklet.
Music And Me was next, an experiment in softening Michael’s sound—the album featured a few Adult Contemporary covers—followed by Forever, Michael. That LP had a harder dance age, and included the now-classic, sample-favorites “We’re Almost There” and “Just A Little Bit Of You.”
Those four albums might have been the end of the story for Michael and Motown, as the J5 left in 1975 to go to Epic Records. In the aftermath of the huge success of MJ’s solo Off The Wall, however, came the compilation One Day In Your Life, whose title song—lifted from Forever, Michael—turned into a No. 1 hit in the U.K. and top 40 AC in the U.S. Following the crazy ride of Thriller, Motown released Farewell My Summer Love, a batch of songs from the vault with contemporary overdubs; the title song went top 10 R&B.
There’s more: in 1986 Motown issued Looking Back To Yesterday, a collection of more vault masters—some with the J5—that contained further unexpected gems.
Hello World has all of that and these extra gems: all nine songs from Farewell My Summer Love are included in their original, undubbed mixes. Plus, we unearthed the original mix of “Twenty-Five Miles”—Michael’s cover of the Edwin Starr hit that has previously been available only in a 1987 vault collection. It’s all in a splendid 8” x 5.5” package with Ms. Ikeda’s intro, a main essay by Mark Anthony Neal, pages of annotations, rare photos and repros of the LP jackets. It’s deserving of the one of the greatest performers the world has ever known, at any age.


damn u beat me 2 the punch now. i suppose we're even


It would've been great if they had included the songs from the Wonderlove sessions but Stevie has a tight grip on any unreleased material
mad

They also could've included the single version of Take Me Back and the movie version of Ben.

I hope Motown and Hip O Select will start releasing unreleased material again

Motown has released a bit over 210 songs from the '69-75 era and since the group and Michael solo recorded around 470, they could do alot

like a "The Jackson 5 Sings Stevie Wonder" or "The Jackson 5 Sings Marvin Gaye" or even "The Jackson 5 Sings Classics of Motown" album
"We may deify or demonize them but not ignore them. And we call them genius, because they are the people who change the world."
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Reply #404 posted 06/12/09 11:59pm

BoOTyLiCioUs

unique said:

BoOTyLiCioUs said:



umm hello, we are not the ones posting tabloids. That's Unique and Naughty Kitty. Oh and let's add midnight mover to insulting anyone and calling them loons if they disagree with him on anything. We are here to discuss his music but people keep on coming in and start posting essays (unique) about his personal life. or stupid jokes. A lot of mj fans have researched factual and credible sources while SOME people on here believe tabloids as they are the gospel when in all actuality, many things written in those tabloids are unfounded and untrue.


there's hardly any talk about the music from anyone here, from the MJ lovers perspective there seems to be more posts of photos than anything else, with a few youtubes posted. there's hardly anything posted that actually discusses the music. i'm one of the few that posts anything of value to this thread. the thread is to discuss MJ, not specifically the music, but MJ in general. it's called "let's talk all things michael jackson", not "michael jackson picture thread" or "michael jackson music discussion only". some poeple are fascinated by his personal life as it's extremely bizarre. those that some fans refer to as haters are likely people who were fans of MJ's music when he was popular in the 80s, and perhaps still enjoy that music, and some of the stuff that came afterwards, but nowadays are more interested in the three ring circus that surrounds him. add to that the denial and bizarre behavoir of many of his most hardcore fans, particularly the refusal to believe anything negative about him, regardless of the truth, and it makes for particularly entertaining reading

regarding the news stories, i don't think some people believe them as much as others refuse to disbelieve anything about them. clearly some of them have an element of truth about them, in fact perhaps most of them do. it's fairly easy to tell what are the least likely as they aren't usually repeated elsewhere and don't get formal acknowledgement, but they are posted so people can read them and discuss and comment on them. it's clear from the stories that there is genuine concern regarding his upcoming shows, whether it's for health reasons or legal reasons, shows have already been postponed, and i'd bet more shows will be postponed or cancelled, and i wouldn't be surprised if the whole lot were cancelled, it wouldn't be the first major event to be cancelled, and wouldn't be the last

one last thing about the tabloid stories, fans say they are speculative, unfounded and untrue. the exact same is true about the comments from fans who say that about those posts, they are simply speculating that they aren't true and have no evidence to confirm otherwise. that's not to say all stories are true or false, but there is no smoke without a fire, and there is usually some element of truth behind them

i'm all up for more discussion of music or MJ in general, but posting photos or videos isn't discussing music, and comments along the lines of "i love that" or "that's rubbish" aren't exactly discussions. with the new box set, there's been little to no discussion about it, only comments to say it's cool. that's not discussion. i started a thread to discussion chronologing his solo music from off the wall, including outtakes and collabs, but whilst one or two thought it was a good idea, only one person seemed interested in discussing the topic further, so it doesn't seem that the majority of posters are interested in discussing the music after all. you only have to look at who posts here and what they have actually posted, as evidence of that. when i make the effort to provide some input, some of my posts are referred to as essays and simply rubbished or ignored as no-one can disagree with most of what i say, you might not agree with it, but it happens to be true, otherwise someone would point it out

anyways if you want to discuss the music, how about some input on the chrono topic? once i've got something together for that i have a bunch more topics relating to the music. i can seperate the personal life from the music and discuss both seperately, but i'm interested in discussing many aspects, not just the music, and not just the weird behavoir. i have a pretty comprehensive collection of jacksons music and videos, but the only thing that makes me different from most other fans is my personal views regarding them. i like to view the work objectively, as i do with the work of other artists like prince. as much as i'm a prince fan, i'll be clear if he releases something that's shit or i don't like. like most fans, we know his music hasn't been of the same quality for a number of years, and aren't afraid to say it, although he still comes up with some really genuinely good albums from time to time, such as lotusflower, but MJ's music has declined since his prime, and he hasn't had any real standout tracks like prince with lotusflower or rainbow children, that make you think he still has it in him to come up with his best album yet. whilst you may like MJ, you can't discuss the music seriously if you can't be open an honest about the subject matter. that's the reason that some people have suggested some posters discuss the subject on MJ forums instead, where people can share the same biased viewpoint and post with the belief that the sun shines out of MJ's ass and he has done no wrong and is the king of pop for evermore. but this is a prince site where people discuss prince without bias or holding back, and aren't afraid to post all sorts of crap, tabloid stories or anything negative about him, thus consider it's only appropriate and fair game to discuss any other subject matter the same way. if people want to post funny photos or jokes about MJ there's no need to get your knickers in a twist about it. if you get upset about something like that, then i think you need to have a think about yourself, as that's not healthy. MJ is a prime candidate for jokes, he's put himself in that position, so bring on the humour. there's plenty of time and space to discuss things both seriously and humorously. i inserted some humorous photos into some ridiculous news stories to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation and some people acted like i drew mohammed with a bomb in his turban. if you have a sense of humour you don't need to hide it, how about some MJ humour from the fans perspective? plus some of the discussion about music that everyone seems to want, but doesn't seem to post?

please don't waste your breath next time
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Reply #405 posted 06/13/09 12:03am

BoOTyLiCioUs

midnightmover said:

BoOTyLiCioUs said:



umm hello, we are not the ones posting tabloids. That's Unique and Naughty Kitty. Oh and let's add midnight mover to insulting anyone and calling them loons if they disagree with him on anything. We are here to discuss his music but people keep on coming in and start posting essays (unique) about his personal life. or stupid jokes. A lot of mj fans have researched factual and credible sources while SOME people on here believe tabloids as they are the gospel when in all actuality, many things written in those tabloids are unfounded and untrue.

I don't call people loons if they disagree with me. I call them loons if they post deranged nonsense. It just so happens many MJ fans do that an awful lot. I'm a fan of logic. It's only natural I wouldn't get on too well with you guys.


yeah you do. nice try though about explaining yourself. might want to try harder next time. Don't be so self rightous.
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Reply #406 posted 06/13/09 12:50am

Ellie

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Oh fucking hell @ unique's last post. I haven't even read it. I don't need to. Just the sheer length of it shows the MJ obsession. Even I'm not that obsessed with him. I fucking hate Britney Spears, her fans and everything she stands for. I occasionally stumble into threads on her on another forum I go to and laugh at how shit she is. I don't however start dissertations on why that is lol
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Reply #407 posted 06/13/09 12:54am

unique

avatar

Ellie said:

Oh fucking hell @ unique's last post. I haven't even read it. I don't need to. Just the sheer length of it shows the MJ obsession. Even I'm not that obsessed with him. I fucking hate Britney Spears, her fans and everything she stands for. I occasionally stumble into threads on her on another forum I go to and laugh at how shit she is. I don't however start dissertations on why that is lol


i think the last two posts show how ignorant some people can be, not to mention ignoring the facts and the truth, and ironically these are the people complaining about other posters, whilst they don't contribute anything of value to the thread
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Reply #408 posted 06/13/09 12:59am

Ellie

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I'm only ignoring the big long essays. Internet forums are fun. You know, surf in your leisure time. It's Saturday morning here for me. I wanna relax biggrin

For the record, I stopped even caring one iota about MJ's many boring lawsuits, his skin, his surgery etc. 5 years ago to this day (anniversary of the trial verdict). It's just so BORING.

Personally for me, I'm just grateful I'll get to see him on stage again in about a month. Expecting the worst of course, but it won't be the end of the world and if I'm pessimistic about it, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
[Edited 6/13/09 1:00am]
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Reply #409 posted 06/13/09 1:03am

Annika

avatar

unique said:

Ellie said:

Oh fucking hell @ unique's last post. I haven't even read it. I don't need to. Just the sheer length of it shows the MJ obsession. Even I'm not that obsessed with him. I fucking hate Britney Spears, her fans and everything she stands for. I occasionally stumble into threads on her on another forum I go to and laugh at how shit she is. I don't however start dissertations on why that is lol


i think the last two posts show how ignorant some people can be, not to mention ignoring the facts and the truth, and ironically these are the people complaining about other posters, whilst they don't contribute anything of value to the thread

That's pretty rich coming from someone who makes a point of posting every possible tabloid fiction in this thread and then behaving as though it were gospel. I believe you're the person who, back when that particular rumour was circulating, wrote post upon post about how even the idea that MJ might adopt a UK child would make the UK turn against him. You can use as many words as you like to state your opinions, time has shown that they are usually every bit as laughable as they appeared at first glance.

Edit: And I forgot, your constant use of the most ridiculous, sometimes vile edited photos to accompany your clearly laughable articles doesn't exactly enhance your credibility. You come across as an increasingly desperate troll, with nothing of any value to say.
[Edited 6/13/09 1:08am]
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Reply #410 posted 06/13/09 1:07am

Ellie

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lol Crap like all the ridiculous rumours about elephants on stage at the concerts and adopting children aren't even worth believing. Why not just wait it out to see if it's even true before analysing the effects it could have?

It's always fun to look back on those stories that were complete fiction from years ago and wonder where the hell they even came from.
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Reply #411 posted 06/13/09 1:24am

unique

avatar

Annika said:

unique said:



i think the last two posts show how ignorant some people can be, not to mention ignoring the facts and the truth, and ironically these are the people complaining about other posters, whilst they don't contribute anything of value to the thread

That's pretty rich coming from someone who makes a point of posting every possible tabloid fiction in this thread and then behaving as though it were gospel. I believe you're the person who, back when that particular rumour was circulating, wrote post upon post about how even the idea that MJ might adopt a UK child would make the UK turn against him. You can use as many words as you like to state your opinions, time has shown that they are usually every bit as laughable as they appeared at first glance.

Edit: And I forgot, your constant use of the most ridiculous, sometimes vile edited photos to accompany your clearly laughable articles doesn't exactly enhance your credibility. You come across as an increasingly desperate troll, with nothing of any value to say.
[Edited 6/13/09 1:08am]



i don't believe the articles are gospel or post anything to make anyone think that. people can make up their own minds what they think about it, if you want to laugh about it, fair enough, i find most of it hilarious myself, the photos hilight the hilarity of the situation. most of the photos accompanied the articles, such as the perez hilton posts, i think i only changed the photos on 3 of them for fun as people were suggesting i changed the previous ones myself when i just copied the articles verbatim

as ellie says, it's fun to look at these articles and laugh at them. the newspapers and websites wouldn't publish them if people didn't find them entertaining. it's ironic that the fans don't like reading articles about their idol. i find it funny when people post daft stories about prince and don't get upset about it, they can say what they want. it only seems to be MJ fans that get up in arms about stuff like that
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Reply #412 posted 06/13/09 1:45am

Annika

avatar

unique said:

Annika said:


That's pretty rich coming from someone who makes a point of posting every possible tabloid fiction in this thread and then behaving as though it were gospel. I believe you're the person who, back when that particular rumour was circulating, wrote post upon post about how even the idea that MJ might adopt a UK child would make the UK turn against him. You can use as many words as you like to state your opinions, time has shown that they are usually every bit as laughable as they appeared at first glance.

Edit: And I forgot, your constant use of the most ridiculous, sometimes vile edited photos to accompany your clearly laughable articles doesn't exactly enhance your credibility. You come across as an increasingly desperate troll, with nothing of any value to say.
[Edited 6/13/09 1:08am]



i don't believe the articles are gospel or post anything to make anyone think that. people can make up their own minds what they think about it, if you want to laugh about it, fair enough, i find most of it hilarious myself, the photos hilight the hilarity of the situation. most of the photos accompanied the articles, such as the perez hilton posts, i think i only changed the photos on 3 of them for fun as people were suggesting i changed the previous ones myself when i just copied the articles verbatim

as ellie says, it's fun to look at these articles and laugh at them. the newspapers and websites wouldn't publish them if people didn't find them entertaining. it's ironic that the fans don't like reading articles about their idol. i find it funny when people post daft stories about prince and don't get upset about it, they can say what they want. it only seems to be MJ fans that get up in arms about stuff like that


You want to cater to the lowest common denominator, be my guest.
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Reply #413 posted 06/13/09 10:27am

midnightmover

BoOTyLiCioUs said:

midnightmover said:


I don't call people loons if they disagree with me. I call them loons if they post deranged nonsense. It just so happens many MJ fans do that an awful lot. I'm a fan of logic. It's only natural I wouldn't get on too well with you guys.


yeah you do. nice try though about explaining yourself. might want to try harder next time. Don't be so self rightous.

I think any objective person reading my debates with MJ loons in recent months would recognize that I was using logical points and the loons were shamelessly evading the points. People only evade important points when they have no response to them. It's a sign of intellectual bankruptcy and deviousness. What's worse, the MJ loons are completely unaware of their own behaviour. You may criticize me for being rude, but at least I know I'm being rude. You guys don't even realize when you are being brazenly dishonest. That lack of self-awareness is just one reason why you've earned the label "MJ loons".
“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson
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Reply #414 posted 06/13/09 10:42am

midnightmover

Ellie said:

Oh fucking hell @ unique's last post. I haven't even read it. I don't need to. Just the sheer length of it shows the MJ obsession. Even I'm not that obsessed with him. I fucking hate Britney Spears, her fans and everything she stands for. I occasionally stumble into threads on her on another forum I go to and laugh at how shit she is. I don't however start dissertations on why that is lol

Bad analogy. You hate Britney Spears. Unique doesn't hate MJ. He loves much of MJ's work. Same as I do.

I agree that his posts could use a little editing though.
“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson
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Reply #415 posted 06/13/09 4:50pm

Swa

avatar

midnightmover said:

You may criticize me for being rude, but at least I know I'm being rude. You guys don't even realize when you are being brazenly dishonest. That lack of self-awareness is just one reason why you've earned the label "MJ loons".


I think both sides (the fact there are even sides is ridiculous) can take a breath and try in future to post without being rude, disrespectful and going for the personal attacks.

All of us are here to discuss the music, the up coming tour etc. Whilst I may not agree with every point of view expressed, I think when done with sincerity then it should be heard.

We don't need to be deliberately confrontational on here. There is no point.
"I'm not human I'm a dove, I'm ur conscience. I am love"
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Reply #416 posted 06/13/09 4:53pm

Swa

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Concert opener

With the tour kicking off in a month, what do people think will be the opening song for the show?

For me I think Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' is a safe bet.

Does anyone have another song they would love to see MJ start with and why?

(refrain from giving dream setlists as that has been covered here)

Swa
"I'm not human I'm a dove, I'm ur conscience. I am love"
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Reply #417 posted 06/13/09 4:57pm

Swa

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The Return of “Uncle Tookie”

AP
King of Pop
Of all the twists and turns that have inevitably filled Michael Jackson’s latest comeback attempt, the return of Frank DiLeo—aka “Uncle Tookie”—as his manager is among the most surprising.

Jackson is due to play 50 shows at London’s O2 arena starting in July, and may benefit financially if Colony Capital LLC manages to sell Neverland, his ranch in Santa Barbara County, Calif., for more than the $26 million or so it has invested in the property.

Now he’s replaced the manager who lined up those events, a Saudi Arabian business associate of Colony’s named Tohme Tohme, with DiLeo, who served as Jackson’s manager for five years in the ‘80s.

DiLeo was a promotion man at Jackson’s label, Epic Records, responsible for plugging songs to radio stations when “Thriller” came out in 1982. He became Jackson’s manager in 1984. Walter Yetnikoff, then Epic’s president, wrote in a 2004 autobiography that Jackson hired DiLeo because the executive “was a fast talker and a slick operator.”

It didn’t hurt that DiLeo helped land seven singles from “Thriller” in the Top 10. The album went on to become one of the best sellers in history.

“Tookie’s a genius,” Yetnikoff quotes Jackson saying.

“Bad,” Jackson’s 1987 follow up to “Thriller,” went on to sell less than a third as many copies as “Thriller.” The 8 million units “Bad” shipped domestically fell far short of Jackson’s goal of 100 million.

In addition to marking the beginning of Jackson’s demise as a bankable artist, “Bad” also started the singer’s long slide into an increasingly bizarre physical appearance. The album’s cover showed the singer with loads of eyeliner, vastly altered facial features and much paler skin than he’d had circa “Thriller.”

Jackson abruptly fired DiLeo in a miniature Valentine’s Day massacre in February 1989, according to contemporary press accounts that quoted him. He remained active in the music business and, thanks to his cigar-chomping demeanor and fireplug build, Martin Scorsese cast him as a mobster in 1990’s “Goodfellas.”

Now, DiLeo appears to be the beneficiary of turnabout. About a month ago, Jackson stopped speaking to Tohme, according to several business associates, who were informed that DiLeo was back in the saddle.

The normally voluble DiLeo remained nearly silent during a recent call in which the Wall Street Journal sought comment on a series of details for a story on Neverland and Jackson’s finances.

Jackson has already postponed the first four dates of his 50-show run in London. Some close to him have privately questioned whether the notoriously flaky Jackson will have the physical and psychological stamina to pull off so many shows.

If he does, it will be proof positive that Tookie still has the magic touch.

source: http://blogs.wsj.com/spea...tab/print/
"I'm not human I'm a dove, I'm ur conscience. I am love"
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Reply #418 posted 06/13/09 5:01pm

Swa

avatar

Economic Reality Prompts a Makeover at 'Neverland'
Investors Refurbish Michael Jackson's Estate; No More Orangutans

By ETHAN SMITH

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. -- After he was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005, associates say, Michael Jackson vowed he would never return to Neverland.

The 2,600-acre estate, named for a magical place where children never age, has since yielded to reality and time. The amusement-park rides, elephants and orangutans have been hauled away. The two helicopter landing pads are empty. The private railway line stands idle and the ornate "Neverland" gates that framed the driveway are in storage. Bats hang over the doorway to the building that housed Mr. Jackson's private arcade; guano stains the threshold.

But now the ranch is playing a role in an effort to rehabilitate Mr. Jackson's finances. Since January, more than 80 workers have been toiling at the ranch as part of a plan by real-estate investment firm Colony Capital LLC to convert the former money pit into a lucrative asset. The company has spent more than $3 million on landscaping and repairs to the property's electrical and plumbing systems. Soon Colony plans to bring in a small herd of Clydesdales to show visitors some signs of life on the all-but-abandoned estate.

The new owners of Michael Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch hope the property will fetch as much as $90 million when it soon hits the market. The site, which has some notoriety, is undergoing re-branding, including a switch back to its original name. Ethan Smith reports from California.
Kyle Forsyth, Colony's project manager, describes the estate's Tudor-style buildings and savannah-like grasslands as "English country manor meets Kenya." Eventually, Colony hopes to sell the ranch, located in Santa Barbara County, in its entirety. Subdividing it, says Mr. Forsyth, "would destroy it."

The state of Neverland is a reminder of the excesses that precipitated Mr. Jackson's financial decline. In his years at the ranch, he stuffed it with items ranging from antique furniture to arcade-style videogames. After he was twice accused of molesting boys on the property, he had to shell out for high-priced legal teams. No criminal charges were brought the first time around, in 1993, and he reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit. In the second case, he was acquitted of criminal charges in 2005.

The 50-year-old singer's debts now stand at around $500 million, according to three people familiar with his finances. The value of Mr. Jackson's biggest assets -- music copyrights that include 251 Beatles songs as well as his own compositions -- probably still exceed his growing debt, according to these people. Mr. Jackson's manager said the singer wasn't available for comment.

Last spring, Mr. Jackson defaulted on a $24.5 million loan backed by the ranch. Los Angeles-based Colony bought the note for $23 million and put the title into a joint venture it formed with the singer.

As Neverland is brought back to life, concert promoter AEG Live is trying to resurrect Mr. Jackson's music career. He is booked to play 50 shows at London's O2 arena over several months starting in July. If all goes according to plan, Mr. Jackson could make as much as $50 million, according to people familiar with financial details of the shows. Adding dates in Europe, Asia and North America could net him $400 million, these people say.

But Mr. Jackson has already delayed the first four shows in London, citing a need for additional dress rehearsals. In April, he pulled out of a plan to auction most of the personal effects and furnishings from Neverland. And he recently parted ways with Tohme Tohme, a Colony Capital business associate who for several months acted as his manager, striking the deals for the Neverland joint venture, the auction and the London concerts. Taking Dr. Tohme's place is Frank DiLeo, Mr. Jackson's manager from 1984 to 1989. Mr. Jackson didn't offer an explanation for the change, according to associates notified about it.

Mr. DiLeo declined to comment. Dr. Tohme said: "I wish [Mr. Jackson] all the best."

As it attempts to turn Neverland into a salable property, Colony is trying to walk a fine line between removing the taint of scandal while preserving enough of Mr. Jackson's quirks to remind potential buyers why the property is so famous in the first place.

Before it puts the estate on the market, Colony plans to change its name and allow local charities to use it to host fund-raisers.

"We think we made a very smart real-estate deal that was to the benefit of Michael and Colony," says the real-estate firm's chief executive, Tom Barrack. He believes the estate could fetch $70 million to $90 million, in which case Mr. Jackson could also realize a tidy profit. "Should Michael Jackson's career be reaccelerated, it will have substantial additional value."

The property now known as Neverland was built in 1981 by real-estate developer William Bone, who named it Sycamore Valley Ranch. The main house's 13,000-square-foot interior is still trimmed in the oak paneling installed by Mr. Bone.

Mr. Jackson paid $19.5 million for the ranch in 1987 and rechristened it Neverland.

Among the $35 million worth of amenities he added were enough amusement-park rides for a state fair, a zoo, a go-kart track and two separate railway lines -- one large enough to accommodate full-sized antique steam engines.

A 50-seat theater features state-of-the-art projection and sound systems, a private viewing balcony, and a stage that includes trap doors for magicians' assistants. Mr. Jackson converted a rustic red barn into a herpetarium with displays for a dozen exotic and venomous snakes, including a Burmese python and a monocled cobra. He created a Neverland Valley Fire Department, with a small fleet of working engines and full-time firefighters who were occasionally dispatched to battle brushfires on neighboring properties.

At its peak, Neverland boasted a staff of 150, and cost $10 million a year to maintain, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Jackson spent more than 15 years living at the ranch. He wrote songs for 1991's "Dangerous" album while sitting in a treehouse overlooking the estate's four-acre pond. His three children were home-schooled on the third floor of the main house.

Mr. Jackson also used the property for guests, ranging from attendees of high-priced fund-raisers to local school kids and children with cancer or other serious illnesses. The property's theater was built with two isolation rooms so that immune-compromised chemotherapy patients could watch movies without being exposed to other children's germs.

After being acquitted of the criminal charges in a 2005 jury trial in nearby Santa Maria, Mr. Jackson left Neverland for destinations that included Dubai, Bahrain and London. People close to the singer say he didn't return to Neverland largely because he felt traumatized by the events surrounding his arrest and trial.

Last fall, Mr. Jackson moved to Los Angeles' high-end Hotel Bel Air from the Las Vegas area. In a bid to save money, he settled into a nearby $100,000-a-month rental property in January, according to Dr. Tohme.

While Colony seeks to remove some reminders of Mr. Jackson's tenure, company executives recognize that the singer's imprint remains. Mr. Forsyth says express-mail delivery drivers stopped taking packages to the property when they were addressed to "Sycamore Valley Ranch," because they didn't recognize the name. For official correspondence, the ranch for now is called "Sycamore Valley/Neverland."

In one corner of the property sits Mr. Jackson's old tour bus: a mustard-yellow recreational vehicle with six-foot-high portraits of the Three Stooges painted on the outside. The Victorian-style "train station" has been restored. A stone-and-flower rendering of Mr. Jackson's logo for the property -- a child's silhouette, seated on a crescent moon -- still adorns a hillside. The company hasn't decided whether to scrap an elaborate fort and a make-believe "Indian village."

"You can't wipe out Neverland entirely," says Mr. Forsyth. "It's part of the history of the place."

Write to Ethan Smith at ethan.smith@wsj.com

source: http://online.wsj.com/art...11019.html
"I'm not human I'm a dove, I'm ur conscience. I am love"
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Reply #419 posted 06/13/09 5:11pm

CandaceS

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Swa said:

...The 50-year-old singer's debts now stand at around $500 million...


eek

Maybe he should apply for a gov't bailout! razz Oh wait, maybe not...

...The value of Mr. Jackson's biggest assets -- music copyrights that include 251 Beatles songs as well as his own compositions -- probably still exceed his growing debt...


Thank goodness! Plus he's set to make some bank from his shows, if all goes well. wink

Mr. Jackson's manager said the singer wasn't available for comment.


Uhh, who IS his manager?!
"I would say that Prince's top thirty percent is great. Of that thirty percent, I'll bet the public has heard twenty percent of it." - Susan Rogers, "Hunting for Prince's Vault", BBC, 2015
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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Let's Talk All Things Michael Jackson - Part 3.1