Marrk said:

Yes I know all about Mijac Music - and do u know anything about masters??? MJ could re-record Billie Jean and release it but until 2007 Sony own the original recordings and will continue to re-hash compliations without having to veto it with MJ !

VinnyM27 said:

Yeah. Give In To Me, Scream, They Don't Care About Us, Stranger In Moscow, Blood On The Dance Floor and Butterflies should have all been included.

Remove the pre Off The Wall stuff, Leave Me Alone, Dangerous and Heal The World, replace them with the songs above and you'd have a winner on your hands.

How many damn compilations are they going to make? This is rediculous.

vainandy said:

It is especially ridiculous that they choose to issue LP versions, when it is his LPs that are already very easy to purchase (EVEN REMASTERED RECENTLY).

CinisterCee said:

So it's confirmed that they will be using the LP versions that we already have a bajillion copies of instead of the 45 edits/remixes that are difficult to find on CD?

Yeah, I confirmed it.

Cloudbuster said:

They just lost my $, then.

I think I'll have to go hunt down those Japanese 3'' CD's from the Thriller era.

VoicesCarry said:

cheeses crust, those exist?

CinisterCee said:

The only place to find the single mixes of Thriller and Human Nature on CD, too.

CinisterCee said:

The Japanese have tons of cool collectable shit.

VoicesCarry said:

The single mix of "Human Nature" is the perfect example of the kinda shit that should be on a new MJ compilation.


What about the edits on Number Ones, VC? I thought that was the "Thriller" edit.

VoicesCarry said:

I was actually joking.

CinisterCee said:

Ok, here's everything I know about his single versions. Taken from a collector's board:

The original pressings of Off the Wall (which I still have never heard -- hint, hint to someone) contained different mixes of "Rock With You" and "Get on the Floor." When the "Rock With You" single was released, which was backed with "On the Floor," those songs were remixed, and future LP pressings were replaced with the remixed versions, which "disappeared" and have never been issued on CD. Jackson did the same thing with some of the songs from "Bad," such as "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," which omitted the spoken intro after the early US pressings.

The "Rock With You" 45 was an edit of the remixed version, cutting the middle instrumental break in half. It's only been issued on CD on an out-of-print Japanese CD3, coupled with "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough." But that would be very easy to recreate yourself.

I have the 45 of "Don't Stop," but I haven't really checked it out yet. I'll let you know. I know it is not the short radio edit that has been issued on some CDs.

the single version of "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" is the same as the CD. The timing on the label is wrong, as far as I remember. I do have the 45.

"Rock With You", as on the original 1979 LP, cassette, and 8-track, is different than anything you find now on CD. After the first run of the album, MJ ordered all future releases of the album contain the single mix, starting with the half-speed version. This is why all CDs contain the single mix. BTW, the actual 45 is edited too. The difference between the original mix and the single mix is that the guitar track is different and there are no handclaps on the original. Also, the hi-hat was boosted on the remix.

The song "Get On The Floor" has more radical differences between the original mix and the remixes found on all CDs.

The version of "Thriller" on "Number Ones" is NOT the US 45 edit -- it's the DJ edit. The 45 version completely omitted the Vincent Price rap -- it's just music where the first two lines of the rap would have been, then it cuts to the section after the first portion of the rap, and fades out before the second part of the rap. It also omits the sound effects and "build" at the beginning of the song. The actual running time of the single is 4:09, not 3:56 as labeled.

I recently ordered a Japanese CD3 (from the same series I mentioned above) which allegedly contains the US single edit of "Thriller." The seller told me the running time is 4:09, so we'll see. If so, it's the only place in the world it's ever been issued on CD. It ought to be, for what I paid for it.

And, Bob, interesting info about "Human Nature," because "Thriller" is coupled with "Human Nature" on the CD I just ordered... and the seller told me "Human Nature" runs 3:47, some 15 seconds shorter than the LP version. The 45 lists the running time as 4:05, but I don't have it, so I can't verify.

Okay, today I finally I got the Japanese CD3 single with Thriller and Human Nature.

And yee-haw! Thriller IS the US 45 version, running about 4:08.

Human Nature is a slightly different mix. I only had time for one listen before I had to leave for work, but the only obvious difference on first listen was at the brief instrumental break in the middle of the song -- clearly a different instrument playing. More of an "organ" sound.

It also cuts about 15 seconds out towards the end of the song, running only 3:47. Now I'm going to have to buy the 45, because that lists the running time as 4:05. I'm gonna be mad if it's the single mix but the wrong edit. So close and yet so far...

The 45 of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was actually a 4:15 edit of the extended dance mix, which is very slightly different from the LP version. The dance mix has been issued on a couple import CDs, but the 45 mix is M.I.A. on CD... and it's not quite possible to create the 45 version from the dance mix, I tried... there's one edit point that doesn't match up. The 45 was actually its own mix.

"The Way You Make Me Feel" was a remix, which is the same mix that appeared on the "HiStory" CD, but the 45 version was a good 30 seconds shorter, cutting out one chorus. It was issued as a 3-inch CD single in the US. "Dirty Diana" was a remix with a lot more punch than the LP version, also faded out about 10 seconds earlier. It also was issued as a US CD3. (I understand that has also been swapped on newer pressings of the "Bad" CD.) "Another Part of Me" and "Smooth Criminal" were both edits of the Extended Dance Remixes, which were slightly speeded up from the original LP versions. The single versions were issued on CD3 in Japan, and on the US promo CD singles. "Man in the Mirror" was slightly edited, though it sounds to my ears like it could be a remix. Again, it was released as a CD3 in the US.

"Black or White" -- almost any of the worldwide CD singles contains the single version, which cut out the long intro on the LP and extended slightly the weird sound effects at the beginning. "Remember the Time" was the LP version. "In the Closet" was a remix, which was slightly speeded up, heavily edited, cut out the spoken intro, and changed the intrumental intro. It's called the 7" Mix and it ran 4:47. It was issued on most non-US CD Singles at the time. "Jam" and "Who Is It" were both the LP edits.

"Earth Song" was not issued as a commercial single in the US, so I don't know about that one. It was a #1 hit in England, but a promo CD was released to US radio and it didn't do well, so the single was canceled. The US 45rpm (yes, vinyl 45 -- even had a picture sleeve) of "You Rock My World" was the full LP version with spoken intro, but no commercial CD single was released in the US.

The E.T. Storybook song was called "Someone in the Dark," and it was issued as a bonus track on the recent "Thriller Special Edition," but as I recall there is some talking over the intro to the song.

He did a B-side called "Can't Get Outta the Rain," which backed both Thriller and Billie Jean, I think, which has never been issued on CD. It was scheduled to be released last year in Australia, as Sony Australia was issuing a 7-CD single set of the Thriller singles, but the whole thing was canceled for some reason. It was even up for pre-order on HMV and Amazon, but it was scrubbed just a few weeks before release. I have no idea why.

He did two songs for Captain Eo, one of which was "Another Part of Me," which later wound up on the "Bad" album, and the other was "We are Here to Change the World," which I believe remains unreleased outside the film, unless it's on some Disneyland CD or something.

I'm not sure what happened with "What More Can I Give," why it wasn't released when it was recorded. I THINK it was eventually available as a downloadable single, but the website (www.whatmorecanigive.com) has nothing past the home page. I don't know if it was ever released or not.

Jackson records tons of songs he never uses for every album. I think he said he recorded 40 or 50 songs for "Thriller." On his last album I think it was at least that many. There's a snippet of an unreleased song called "Carousel" from the Thriller sessions on the Thriller Special Edition, but just a snippet.

I believe the song was originally going to be a part of the album -- according to Quincy Jones, a song was omitted after he and Jackson heard the original test pressing and decided the mix was awful, mainly because it had to be so compressed to fit on a vinyl LP (it was originally a full 50-minute album). So they remixed the whole album more sparsely, cut out one song, and shortened some of the other songs. I'm not sure if Carousel is that song or not.

The new Thriller disc also has as a bonus track an extra verse of the Vincent Price rap that was not included in the final mix.

There are in fact at least 4 different edits of "Thriller":

US 45 version - 4:08 (no rap -- label says 3:56)
UK single version - 3:37 (with first verse of rap only)
Radio Edit - 5:11 (different than what's on #1s???)
"Q" Quincy Jones Autobiography edit - 5:19
[Edited 6/20/05 9:29am]

Cloudbuster said:

Well so was I.

VC? You still have never heard the "original" LP version of Rock With You or Get On The Floor? or was that copied off the message board.

the US 45 edit of "Thriller" would sound awesome if it removed the sound effects. Like, the intro without the howling?

CinisterCee said:

Copied off a message board.

CinisterCee said:

I've never much liked the song. It works better with the vid.


ed edit
.
[Edited 6/20/05 9:47am]

Cloudbuster said:

I think I would like a version that started with the snare hit on the intro, with no howling sound effects.

I have heard different versions before with Vincent Price removed.

I got Smooth Criminal vinyl single. It is on fire, faster and some extra snares

I've got all the Bad and Dangerous singles on vinyl and they aint worth getting except for SC. I hear those Japan imports are expensive

LightOfArt said:

Yeah, I've seen the early 3'' CD's go for $120 sometimes. I sure as hell ain't paying that much for 'em.

CinisterCee said:

I thought the single edit started like that.

Cloudbuster said:

Well they said no sound effects building up to the intro, so I am assuming that could also mean it simply begins with the snare hit with all the howling afterward.

I'm just sayin, I haven't heard the US 45 Edit, but would probably like to.

Now I'm wondering how Smooth Criminal remix sounds.

Just thinking outloud here:
My CD of Bad does not contain the intro to "Just Can't Stop Loving You" so it is definitely a later pressing... wonder if "Smooth Criminal" had been altered on my copy...

VoicesCarry said:

The Smooth Criminal on 45 vinyl is really nasty. I've been searching for an mp3 of it for ages for better quality. I've got a Smooth Criminal dance remix if you want.

And I've got a False Fade mix of Bad. which is boring compared to dance remix on 45 single edition.

And I've got the 12" mix of Billie Jean and Wanne Be Startin Somethin on some CDr. I'll see if I can find them.

I suspect lilgish is some sirious collector

I see these 45s around too... I'm just discovering now they might be versions worth checking out.

LightOfArt said:

I chose to be a Janet fan because her shit is cheaper.

VoicesCarry said:

riiiiight

Man, voices ur a real geek

"we are here to change the world" is on the ultimate collection bytheway.

"come together" off the single of "remember the time" is the longer "moonwalker" version. Which is better then the edited "history" version.

"bad" 45 has a different organ breakdown, which is cool, and as already said "black or white" cuts out the intro and has that toy guitar put on on the intro (hard to exlplain, it only lasts about 2 seconds.


"what more can I give" is an MP3 I have lost. There was a longer illegal MP3 version about a few years back (I got mine from a mariah website), then they offically released it internet only but it was criminally shorter (if better sounding), with different mixes on certain vocalists. The orginal version which is over 5 minute one is way better. But I have lost both now. Can someone help me out? The orignal 5 minute one is great if only for the ending, which is what the offical one cut out, the twats