Unholyalliance said:

thesexofit said:

And in Sony's defence again, they did promorte "invincible" at first so that doesn't seem to be the case to me at least.

I don't know think money has anything to do with racism, personally. As long as you make money, you are a commodity and you get your ass kissed so you continue to make money. When you don't make money anymore you are thrown off the side and no one has to kiss your ass anymore. As they say "You're only as good as your last record."

I'm not defending his or Sony's actions by the way. I'm just saying that in the end, it all comes down to one color: green.

In the end, Tommy Mattola was fired so I assume that there was a reason behind that. I doubt he just up and quit.

thesexofit said:

If Mike was pissed at Sony for them not releasing him from his contract until more albums (and thus not getting his masters back from them), then again like Prince and WB, Mike should of read his contract way back in 1990. Mike's contract, like Prince's is vastly complicated.

I think that's why Michael had those lawyers, which were revealed to have been, working with Sony no? That's the impression I was under.

I do agree that reading your contract in full is really important, but considering how Michael was determined not to repeat all of his father's mistakes I can't imagine why he would let that huge one slip unless something was amiss I think.

[Edited 12/2/10 22:59pm]

I seem to remember the bosses of Sony (beng Japanese of course) were not happy with how Mottola was treating Jackson so yeah maybe Tommy did get the boot because of Jackson? Who knows? And yes I agree, record and film companies will always love you when your making them money. But I know Sony said "invincible" had sold 5 million or whatever by December/years end, so something big must of happened around just after that proud announcment?

On a general point about the album "Invincible", Mike should of released a record around 1998/1999 (rumours always stated he was recording back then- a duets album like Tom Jones' "reloaded" was on the cards at one point, hence rumoured tracks with Sisco, Will Smith, Ray Charles and Puff Daddy), but for whatever reason, lots of tracks got scrapped and "Invincible" was just too little too late for music fans in general I feel. I think the expected hype and hope this record was going to be brilliant just messed with the album even more. It's a fine album, but one that people think took 6 years to make when it probably only took 18 months after loads of false starts. Again Mike is to blame for this and Sony did have to wait and wait and wait LOL.

I had very low expections for "Invincible" when I bought it, but whilst it's not as deep as say "dangerous" or "HIStory", I did and still do like some of the uptempo's (Iam about the only one), so I was relieved at what Rodney Jerkins had done with Mike at the time. They worked well together. Rodney got Mike I think. And that Rodney helped Mike on "We've had enough" shows he had range outside of rnb/pop.

And I swear the official tracklisting originally had "shout" and no "You are my life" LOL.

thesexofit said:

Unholyalliance said:

I think that's why Michael had those lawyers, which were revealed to have been, working with Sony no? That's the impression I was under.

I do agree that reading your contract in full is really important, but considering how Michael was determined not to repeat all of his father's mistakes I can't imagine why he would let that huge one slip unless something was amiss I think.

[Edited 12/2/10 22:59pm]

I seem to remember the bosses of Sony (beng Japanese of course) were not happy with how Mottola was treating Jackson so yeah maybe Tommy did get the boot because of Jackson? Who knows? And yes I agree, record and film companies will always love you when your making them money. But I know Sony said "invincible" had sold 5 million or whatever by December/years end, so something big must of happened around just after that proud announcment?

On a general point about the album "Invincible", Mike should of released a record around 1998/1999 (rumours always stated he was recording back then- a duets album like Tom Jones' "reloaded" was on the cards at one point, hence rumoured tracks with Sisco, Will Smith, Ray Charles and Puff Daddy), but for whatever reason, lots of tracks got scrapped and "Invincible" was just too little too late for music fans in general I feel. I think the expected hype and hope this record was going to be brilliant just messed with the album even more. It's a fine album, but one that people think took 6 years to make when it probably only took 18 months after loads of false starts. Again Mike is to blame for this and Sony did have to wait and wait and wait LOL.

I had very low expections for "Invincible" when I bought it, but whilst it's not as deep as say "dangerous" or "HIStory", I did and still do like some of the uptempo's (Iam about the only one), so I was relieved at what Rodney Jerkins had done with Mike at the time. They worked well together. Rodney got Mike I think. And that Rodney helped Mike on "We've had enough" shows he had range outside of rnb/pop.

And I swear the official tracklisting originally had "shout" and no "You are my life" LOL.

It did! I remember reading on MJ Web (Who remembers that site? ) that they had changed the tracklist at the very last minute

bboy87 said:

thesexofit said:

Baring in mind MTV was only launched in europe around 1987 and UK only got satalite tv around 1989/1990, it got a huge premiere on top of the pops on BBC1. Only 4 channels for the vast majority of the nation, so top of the pops was big news back then. Doesn't sound like much, but as I mentioned, the media outlets UK had back then were very minor compared to the US. Infact I bet if europe had MTV during "Thriller" it might of sold even more copies but who knows?

Other then that? Freddie Mercury died around the albums launch I definately remember that. That must of overshadowed it somewhat (as sad as that was). I know we got "who is it" as a proper single release with David Fincher video in 1992, whilt Sony USA released it in 1993 only due to the "Oprah" thing, DESPITE premiering the new "give in to me" video (which was quite a big hit in the UK). A bit strange from Sony USA I thought, abandoning "give in to me" for a belated release of "who is it" (with wrong video to boot). Who knows how well "give in to me" would of done in the states? The slightly grungy look (for a Jackson video) probably would of been in his favour back in 1993.

Of course I remember taping "Dangerous diaries" around my mates house (too poor for MTV LOL). I use to watch that all the time. Did MTV USA show "dangerous diaries"? Thats where I learned Greg Phillingaines is a funny bloke Iam sure you have seen it, and he's the only one who seems to have a sense of humour LOL. Surprise surprise no Jackson interview. Very much of it's time but it's a great period piece for Jackson fans. All those fans in different countries tearing at him LOL. Prefer it to the "bad" tour documentary. Iam sure it's still on youtube. Good times......

the UK only had 4 channels? when did cable launch over there?

We got the Dangerous Diaries. I think my brothers and I taped it (I had soooo much stuff on VHS from 1991 to 1999 )

Satalite around the late 80's some time (after mainland Europe) and cable probably early 90's?Rough estimation.... thats what was odd about "do the bartman" being such a big hit in the UK (no. 1), as "the simpsons" was only shown on satalite tv, which not many people had and yet it was still a massive hit LOL.

Anyway, I'd would of assumed "who is it" would of done better singles wise in both the US and UK. I dig the video (and the remixes). It's one of Mike's least seen videos and is one of his most adult. It's grown on me as I admire Fincher in general. Stylish director.

I think Mike sometimes missed out chart wise with b sides he could of released. Album tracks that everyone already had are useless to everybody LOL. Only b side worth noting was "come together" from "remember the time" 7 inch (longer then the pointless "HIStory edit) and "shout" from the euro only "cry" single. Both more then worthwhile.

Artists could make more money with exclusive b sides as diehards would buy them just for that. I was shocked when I causually walked into HMV when "cry" was released, expecting nothing more then a lame instrumental but instead getting a brand new track LOL.

Baring in mind I bought the CD (in blue) the first day it came out, I notice that my "invincible" album sticker says

"including "You rock my world" "cry (you can chance the world)" and "unbreakble".

Maybe the album sticker is done long in advance as "unbreakable" and "cry" had not been released yet (and the wrong title for "cry" lol. ) Or more likely perhaps that Sony had assumed a future release for "Unbreakable"?....

...Abit strange that one as album stickers never promote album tracks......I understand "cry" as they must of had an idea that was going to be second single, but why "unbreakable"? Maybe that might of been a later single after all? Is that strange to anyone but me LOL

bboy87 said:

thesexofit said:

I seem to remember the bosses of Sony (beng Japanese of course) were not happy with how Mottola was treating Jackson so yeah maybe Tommy did get the boot because of Jackson? Who knows? And yes I agree, record and film companies will always love you when your making them money. But I know Sony said "invincible" had sold 5 million or whatever by December/years end, so something big must of happened around just after that proud announcment?

On a general point about the album "Invincible", Mike should of released a record around 1998/1999 (rumours always stated he was recording back then- a duets album like Tom Jones' "reloaded" was on the cards at one point, hence rumoured tracks with Sisco, Will Smith, Ray Charles and Puff Daddy), but for whatever reason, lots of tracks got scrapped and "Invincible" was just too little too late for music fans in general I feel. I think the expected hype and hope this record was going to be brilliant just messed with the album even more. It's a fine album, but one that people think took 6 years to make when it probably only took 18 months after loads of false starts. Again Mike is to blame for this and Sony did have to wait and wait and wait LOL.

I had very low expections for "Invincible" when I bought it, but whilst it's not as deep as say "dangerous" or "HIStory", I did and still do like some of the uptempo's (Iam about the only one), so I was relieved at what Rodney Jerkins had done with Mike at the time. They worked well together. Rodney got Mike I think. And that Rodney helped Mike on "We've had enough" shows he had range outside of rnb/pop.

And I swear the official tracklisting originally had "shout" and no "You are my life" LOL.

It did! I remember reading on MJ Web (Who remembers that site? ) that they had changed the tracklist at the very last minute

Iam pretty sure "whatever happens" was missing aswell, and the track order was different (no biggie there).

I swear that another track called "Ekam Satyam" (duet with someone called A. R. Rahman) was also planned but was scrapped aswell. I know I remember hearing about it but when we got the official tracklisting, that was definately missing. Of course that track has not surfaced yet. I remember rumours about "Ekam Satyam" because of the funny name LOL. Shame that got scrapped, but at least we got "whatever happens", as I swear that was definately not on the list sony first gave us!

thesexofit said:

bboy87 said:

the UK only had 4 channels? when did cable launch over there?

We got the Dangerous Diaries. I think my brothers and I taped it (I had soooo much stuff on VHS from 1991 to 1999 )

Satalite around the late 80's some time (after mainland Europe) and cable probably early 90's?Rough estimation.... thats what was odd about "do the bartman" being such a big hit in the UK (no. 1), as "the simpsons" was only shown on satalite tv, which not many people had and yet it was still a massive hit LOL.

Anyway, I'd would of assumed "who is it" would of done better singles wise in both the US and UK. I dig the video (and the remixes). It's one of Mike's least seen videos and is one of his most adult. It's grown on me as I admire Fincher in general. Stylish director.

I think Mike sometimes missed out chart wise with b sides he could of released. Album tracks that everyone already had are useless to everybody LOL. Only b side worth noting was "come together" from "remember the time" 7 inch (longer then the pointless "HIStory edit) and "shout" from the euro only "cry" single. Both more then worthwhile.

Artists could make more money with exclusive b sides as diehards would buy them just for that. I was shocked when I causually walked into HMV when "cry" was released, expecting nothing more then a lame instrumental but instead getting a brand new track LOL.

Baring in mind I bought the CD (in blue) the first day it came out, I notice that my "invincible" album sticker says

"including "You rock my world" "cry (you can chance the world)" and "unbreakble".

Maybe the album sticker is done long in advance as "unbreakable" and "cry" had not been released yet (and the wrong title for "cry" lol. ) Or more likely perhaps that Sony had assumed a future release for "Unbreakable"?....

...Abit strange that one as album stickers never promote album tracks......I understand "cry" as they must of had an idea that was going to be second single, but why "unbreakable"? Maybe that might of been a later single after all? Is that strange to anyone but me LOL

What were the channels if you don't mind me asking? I know about BBC and 4....which ones am I forgetting......

Was a little nostalgic tonight and went on Youtube and watched the old mj interviews and home videos.

And I hate to go into it.

But did anyone notice a drastic change in MJ's demeanor after 1993...

He was kinda fidgety. Especially when I watch the Walters interview. He really did start to deteriorate from there...

It's odd cause when he was with Lisa, he seemed ok, but afterwards he just started to deteriorate.

i think it's sad to say that 1993, was the catalyst of his eventual demise.

Leads me to think if it never happened, Mj would still be here...

A little less then two decades afterwards and both parties are gone...

Kinda weird...

the same year no less...

Leads me to suspect that interconnected theory in quantum mechanics isn't so farfetched.

Everything in the universe is interwoven, and the narrative of life stems from one single, sometimes tragic moment.

And regarding MJ,

it was all a chain of events that led to another.

EmbattledWarrior said:

Was a little nostalgic tonight and went on Youtube and watched the old mj interviews and home videos.

And I hate to go into it.

But did anyone notice a drastic change in MJ's demeanor after 1993...

He was kinda fidgety. Especially when I watch the Walters interview. He really did start to deteriorate from there...

It's odd cause when he was with Lisa, he seemed ok, but afterwards he just started to deteriorate.

i think it's sad to say that 1993, was the catalyst of his eventual demise.

Leads me to think if it never happened, Mj would still be here...

A little less then two decades afterwards and both parties are gone...

Kinda weird...

the same year no less...

Leads me to suspect that interconnected theory in quantum mechanics isn't so farfetched.

Everything in the universe is interwoven, and the narrative of life stems from one single, sometimes tragic moment.

And regarding MJ,

it was all a chain of events that led to another.

I agree

He changed after that. He didn't really seem the same....

EmbattledWarrior said:

Was a little nostalgic tonight and went on Youtube and watched the old mj interviews and home videos.

And I hate to go into it.

But did anyone notice a drastic change in MJ's demeanor after 1993...

He was kinda fidgety. Especially when I watch the Walters interview. He really did start to deteriorate from there...

It's odd cause when he was with Lisa, he seemed ok, but afterwards he just started to deteriorate.

i think it's sad to say that 1993, was the catalyst of his eventual demise.

Leads me to think if it never happened, Mj would still be here...

A little less then two decades afterwards and both parties are gone...

Kinda weird...

the same year no less...

Leads me to suspect that interconnected theory in quantum mechanics isn't so farfetched.

Everything in the universe is interwoven, and the narrative of life stems from one single, sometimes tragic moment.

And regarding MJ,

it was all a chain of events that led to another.

Yeah I noticed it too.

EmbattledWarrior said:

But did anyone notice a drastic change in MJ's demeanor after 1993...

i think it's sad to say that 1993, was the catalyst of his eventual demise.

Agreed.

It was also the time when I started losing interest in him. Add to that the fact that his public performances (remember the BRIT Awards 1996) started to always take a turn towards "perform a massive ballad with a children's choir with some bizarre pretend-Jesus imagery" really turned me off. The megalomania (remember the HIStory statue in Europe...) didn't help either.

And I'm sure you haven't forgotten he played the racist card with Sony?

I actually only re-discovered Invincible about a few years ago. When it came out, I just couldn't help but think what a disappointment it was...and the fact how his appearance in the "You Rock My World" video was just painfully awkward, because of his face. Even his dance moves seemed to be like they were performed in slow motion.

And actually...I had to go back to HIStory too in recent years, just to discover how great CD2 sounds with all its bangin' New Jack Swing sounds and samples.

bboy87 said:

EmbattledWarrior said:

Was a little nostalgic tonight and went on Youtube and watched the old mj interviews and home videos.

And I hate to go into it.

But did anyone notice a drastic change in MJ's demeanor after 1993...

He was kinda fidgety. Especially when I watch the Walters interview. He really did start to deteriorate from there...

It's odd cause when he was with Lisa, he seemed ok, but afterwards he just started to deteriorate.

i think it's sad to say that 1993, was the catalyst of his eventual demise.

Leads me to think if it never happened, Mj would still be here...

A little less then two decades afterwards and both parties are gone...

Kinda weird...

the same year no less...

Leads me to suspect that interconnected theory in quantum mechanics isn't so farfetched.

Everything in the universe is interwoven, and the narrative of life stems from one single, sometimes tragic moment.

And regarding MJ,

it was all a chain of events that led to another.

I agree

He changed after that. He didn't really seem the same....

I think simply he became aware of the bias against him. His good deeds went mostly unreported and he was forever having to defend his position in life, it's as if most of the world wanted him to be guilty of the things he was accused of and that had to have messed with his head somewhat.

What the media should have done was presented the facts and allowed people to decide for themselves the truth of the situation, instead they went all out to destroy him ignoring all evidence in his favour.

The fact that Jordy Chandler legally divorced both his parents and refused to speak to them because of what they made him do is known by so few people that Michael never really had the chance to recover.

He knew what many in the world thought of him, therefore his life was never going to be easy from that moment on. In the end becoming a father was probably the only thing that gave him a reason for living.

It's sad but i believe another reason why Sony stopped promotion was MJ's appearance. I think they were like WTH has he done since the History era where he still looked cool. The MTV awards with NSYNC and the Madison Square Garden concerts he couldn't even open his mouth and just looked strange. The part when MJ and Liz Taylor are on the red carper, they both look like they must have got drunk in the limousine on the way to his 2001 concerts. The YRMW video they had to cover him up in close shots.

After MJ performed with NSYNC on the MTV video music awards Jamie Fox who was the host make a comment about we"re watching the recovery channel which wasnt a compliment.

As for Invincible, Sony did everything to help the album fail from the start. Mike got pissed when the decision was made not to release You Rock My World to US retail, hampering its chart performance. It was suggested by many people that the track could have easily topped the chart had it been available for people to purchase at the height of its popularity. The same was true for Butterflies, no US retail release.

Also Mike wanted Unbreakable as the first single but Sony pushed for You Rock My World which also pissed him off, as well as Sony failing to advertise the album through commercials during his 30th anniversary concerts.

Rumour has it that Sony were deliberatly sinking the album so that Mike wouldn't make a decent return on the advance, making him suffer financially and therfore forcing him into handing over more shares of the ATV catalogue as compensation for the money spent on the advance.

Unbreakable was listed as a forthcoming single in the UK in both March and April of 2002 before vanishing from the release schedule. All further singles (Whatever Happens, Speechless, 2000 Watts, Break Of Dawn and Invincible) were cancelled and that's when Mike went on his anti-Sony/Mottola warpath. Invincible was the last studio album that Mike was contracted to deliver to Sony and they weren't happy that a man with many successful business ties to the label was ready to take business elsewhere.

And keep in mind that Sony did very little to push both History and Blood On The Dance Floor in the US. It appears that he was never a priority for the label again after the 1993 allegations.

.

[Edited 12/3/10 6:58am]

The rush release of You Rock My World to radio a month before it was available for retail purchase (at least here in Australia) was a terrible mistake. When a single is hot people want it straight away, not a month after they've heard enough times not to worry and will wait til the album comes out.

And as far as the obligations went I believe The Ultimate Collection was the final product delivered under that contract.

BTW the stickers to the release of History promoted the hits Scream, You Are Not Alone and Money.

PYTDee said:

Now this is cool!

Michael Jackson's brothers are to reunite for their first performances since the singer's death, with a Japanese-American pop star filling in for the late King of Pop. Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Jermaine will appear together in Tokyo on 14-15 October 2011, headlining two tribute concerts with R&B star AI. If successful, the shows could be spun into a world tour.

"I thought [it] would be great to sing and dance with the people who were around Michael, especially his family," AI explained to CNNgo. The 29-year-old is a huge star in Japan: her latest album features cameos by Snoop Dogg, Boyz II Men and K'Naan. However, AI is not just set to perform with the Jacksons at the tribute show – she is also scheduled to record new songs with them in early 2011. "We haven't talked about the kind of song yet, whether it will be for Michael or about us," AI said, "but we think it will be nice to have one of the producers that Michael used to work with."

This isn't the first time the Jacksons have planned a tribute concert. Shortly after Michael's death, an event was proposed for late August 2009 – around what would have been the singer's 51st birthday. The show, suggested for the O2 arena, never materialised. "We didn't want to rush [it]," sources said at the time. Shortly afterwards, Jermaine Jackson announced a massive concert in Vienna, with scheduled performances by Akon, Mary J Blige and Natalie Cole. This was cancelled less than a month later. Instead, Jermaine claimed, the Jacksons were planning a concert at Wembley stadium in June 2010. This also failed to materialise.

Given this unreliable precedent, it is perhaps unsurprising that further details of the Tokyo concerts have yet to emerge. No venue has been announced, nor has a promoter come forward. The Japanese channel Music On TV is speculated – but not confirmed – to be involved.

Michael's mother is reportedly supporting the concerts, citing her son's fondness for Japan. "[It] was one of Michael's favourite places in the world," Katherine Jackson wrote in a letter. "He loved visiting [this] beautiful country and always felt much love from his millions of fans. By means of having Michael's brothers headlining the Tokyo tribute it would provide his followers with a true and complete perspective of Michael's artistic career and life as a brother."

Although only two dates have been announced, CNNgo reports that the tribute shows featuring AI will tour around the world with special guests. "I feel like all of this happened because I liked Michael," AI said. "He never knew me but maybe he felt me and thought 'somebody really loved me'. I feel like it all happened for a reason."

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk...rs-reunite

Swa said:

Michael Jackson's brothers to reunite with new singer

The Jacksons to perform for the first time since their brother's death, with Japanese-American R&B star AI taking his place

Michael Jackson's brothers are to reunite for their first performances since the singer's death, with a Japanese-American pop star filling in for the late King of Pop. Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Jermaine will appear together in Tokyo on 14-15 October 2011, headlining two tribute concerts with R&B star AI. If successful, the shows could be spun into a world tour.

"I thought [it] would be great to sing and dance with the people who were around Michael, especially his family," AI explained to CNNgo. The 29-year-old is a huge star in Japan: her latest album features cameos by Snoop Dogg, Boyz II Men and K'Naan. However, AI is not just set to perform with the Jacksons at the tribute show – she is also scheduled to record new songs with them in early 2011. "We haven't talked about the kind of song yet, whether it will be for Michael or about us," AI said, "but we think it will be nice to have one of the producers that Michael used to work with."

This isn't the first time the Jacksons have planned a tribute concert. Shortly after Michael's death, an event was proposed for late August 2009 – around what would have been the singer's 51st birthday. The show, suggested for the O2 arena, never materialised. "We didn't want to rush [it]," sources said at the time. Shortly afterwards, Jermaine Jackson announced a massive concert in Vienna, with scheduled performances by Akon, Mary J Blige and Natalie Cole. This was cancelled less than a month later. Instead, Jermaine claimed, the Jacksons were planning a concert at Wembley stadium in June 2010. This also failed to materialise.

Given this unreliable precedent, it is perhaps unsurprising that further details of the Tokyo concerts have yet to emerge. No venue has been announced, nor has a promoter come forward. The Japanese channel Music On TV is speculated – but not confirmed – to be involved.

Michael's mother is reportedly supporting the concerts, citing her son's fondness for Japan. "[It] was one of Michael's favourite places in the world," Katherine Jackson wrote in a letter. "He loved visiting [this] beautiful country and always felt much love from his millions of fans. By means of having Michael's brothers headlining the Tokyo tribute it would provide his followers with a true and complete perspective of Michael's artistic career and life as a brother."

Although only two dates have been announced, CNNgo reports that the tribute shows featuring AI will tour around the world with special guests. "I feel like all of this happened because I liked Michael," AI said. "He never knew me but maybe he felt me and thought 'somebody really loved me'. I feel like it all happened for a reason."

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk...rs-reunite

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. AND NO.

Swa said:

The rush release of You Rock My World to radio a month before it was available for retail purchase (at least here in Australia) was a terrible mistake. When a single is hot people want it straight away, not a month after they've heard enough times not to worry and will wait til the album comes out.

And as far as the obligations went I believe The Ultimate Collection was the final product delivered under that contract.

BTW the stickers to the release of History promoted the hits Scream, You Are Not Alone and Money.

The Ultimate Collection was indeed the final product that he was expected to deliver, but Invincible was his last album of new material in the Sony contract.

Money was supposed to follow Earth Song. Then it was supposed to follow They Don't Care About Us. And then it was to be released after Stranger In Moscow. And then...

A shame it never got out of the gate, I always thought that Money would have been a hit.

xlad said :

Invincible early track list:


June 14, 2001: Album Tracklist Revealed !!!
The following has been taken from Planet Jackson:

After the premiere of Michael Jackson's new album to Sony Music last Tuesday, several leaks occured and rumors started to appear in the media all over the world.

Although Michael Jackson wished to keep details on his album secret a few more weeks, it has now become impossible to stop the leak of information.

In order to prevent baseless rumors from spreading, Planet Jackson will now release the official information on Michael Jackson's new album.

The title of the album is: INVINCIBLE

Tracklisting:
- Invincible
- Unbreakable
- Heartbreaker
- Break Of Dawn
- Heaven Can Wait
- Rock My World
- Butterflies
- 2000 Watts
- Speechless
- Cry
- Shout
- The Lost Children
- Don't Walk Away
- Privacy
- Threatens

As previously stated, Michael Jackson is still undecided about four songs from this selection which might be replaced.

Stay tuned for more news on the new album.

[source: Planet Jackson]


June 15, 2001: 15 Invincible Tracks
The following has been reported by MTV [06.14.2001 8:10 PM EDT]

15 Invincible Tracks

Though Michael Jackson has kept the world waiting for his new album, executives at his record label got a sneak peek of the nearly finished work this week.

Invincible is the tentative title for the record, sources said, though an Epic Records spokesperson could not confirm any details about the project.

The label did say that the record is planned for release in time for consideration for the next Grammy Awards. That means it would have to be out by September 25.

Jackson recently made his collaborators sign confidentiality agreements about the album, but some details have surfaced.

Until a few weeks ago, Jackson was putting the finishing touches on the album with producer Teddy Riley at Miami's Hit Factory, according to sources at the studio, who said Jackson had been there for three months. The first single is a collaboration with Method Man, those sources said.

Riley and Rodney Jerkins produced the bulk of the album, the studio sources said. Other producers who have been connected with the project include R. Kelly, Swizz Beatz, former Jodeci member DeVante DeGrate, David Foster, Kevin "Shek'spere" Briggs and the Neptunes, though it is not known if their work will appear on the finished LP.

At least 50 tracks were recorded and 15 were previewed for the label this week, sources said. Some of the songs previewed included "Unbreakable," "Speechless," "The Lost Children" and "Privacy," though the track listing remains indefinite.

_____________________________________________

I remember this. I'll be forever grateful that Whatever Happens was included at the last minute.

Swa said:

The snippet of Slave to the Rhythm sounds alright to me but not as mind blowing as I had hoped.

Maybe it's because of the inane callouts over the track to tag the leak.

As someone else pointed out it sounds like MJ vocals, but the music leaves a lot to be desired.

Part of me wonders if various sketch vocals by Michael are floating about - and someone/people/fans even are doing their own mixes.

Then again - it might just be past my bedtime, lol.

[Edited 12/2/10 4:12am]

This is just like I had said and assume to be the case. Doesn't sond like an MJ production more like a remix done by a DJ. I still like it for the vocals.

Swa said

Invincible is a funk workout with producer Teddy Riley pumping up Jackson's trademark oohs and aahs.

Invincible (the track) isn't on this album and has nothing to do with Teddy Riley...

Vanilli said:

Thats incredible! Thanks Vanilli!

bboy87 said:

EmbattledWarrior said:

Was a little nostalgic tonight and went on Youtube and watched the old mj interviews and home videos.

And I hate to go into it.

But did anyone notice a drastic change in MJ's demeanor after 1993...

He was kinda fidgety. Especially when I watch the Walters interview. He really did start to deteriorate from there...

It's odd cause when he was with Lisa, he seemed ok, but afterwards he just started to deteriorate.

i think it's sad to say that 1993, was the catalyst of his eventual demise.

Leads me to think if it never happened, Mj would still be here...

A little less then two decades afterwards and both parties are gone...

Kinda weird...

the same year no less...

Leads me to suspect that interconnected theory in quantum mechanics isn't so farfetched.

Everything in the universe is interwoven, and the narrative of life stems from one single, sometimes tragic moment.

And regarding MJ,

it was all a chain of events that led to another.

I agree

He changed after that. He didn't really seem the same....

Who wouldn´t? I am not sure, I´d survive such humiliation myself.

Unholyalliance said:

The USA isn't the only country that exists in the world. Nor is it the center of the world.

What? When did this happen?

scatwoman said:

bboy87 said:

I agree

He changed after that. He didn't really seem the same....

I think simply he became aware of the bias against him. His good deeds went mostly unreported and he was forever having to defend his position in life, it's as if most of the world wanted him to be guilty of the things he was accused of and that had to have messed with his head somewhat.

What the media should have done was presented the facts and allowed people to decide for themselves the truth of the situation, instead they went all out to destroy him ignoring all evidence in his favour.

The fact that Jordy Chandler legally divorced both his parents and refused to speak to them because of what they made him do is known by so few people that Michael never really had the chance to recover.

He knew what many in the world thought of him, therefore his life was never going to be easy from that moment on. In the end becoming a father was probably the only thing that gave him a reason for living.

Amen and Amen!

I miss Michael, everyday but alot today.

thesexofit said:

Iam pretty sure "whatever happens" was missing aswell, and the track order was different (no biggie there).

I swear that another track called "Ekam Satyam" (duet with someone called A. R. Rahman) was also planned but was scrapped aswell. I know I remember hearing about it but when we got the official tracklisting, that was definately missing. Of course that track has not surfaced yet. I remember rumours about "Ekam Satyam" because of the funny name LOL. Shame that got scrapped, but at least we got "whatever happens", as I swear that was definately not on the list sony first gave us!

AR Rahman is a legend, one of the finest composers to ever come from India. My cousin has worked with him before. He's had a lot of press over the past couple of years as he won a Grammy for doing the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack. I believe he sang "Man In The Mirror" on his recent tour as well. Not only was he a big fan of MJ but I understand they were good friends too. Hopefully the Ekam Satyam track surfaces one day.

bboy - the 4 main channels at the time:

BBC 1

BBC 2

ITV

Channel 4

In the late 90's, Channel 5 launched. Around '98. I remember because the Spice Girls did a shitload of promo for it when it launched, so it was around the time when they were hugely popular.

I still have a VHS tape recorded from the episode of "Top Of The Pops" when "Black Or White" premiered. It was the only time the full video was shown on British TV. I also have the Dangerous Diaries from when it was "Michael Jackson Day" on MTV. I didn't have MTV, but my cousins did and they recorded like 6 hours on a long play videotape for me of MJ Day, lol.