http://www.normantranscri...pstoryview


Michael Jackson's Katrina Song Said Ready

By LINDA DEUTSCH
The Associated Press


LOS ANGELES —

Eight days after Hurricane Katrina hit, Michael Jackson announced he would release an all-star charity single within two weeks.

Nearly six months later, after questions about exactly who would be participating, the prince who has been hosting Jackson during his self-imposed exile in Bahrain says the song will come out by the end of this month.

In a telephone interview from Dubai last week, Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the son of Bahrain's king, told The Associated Press, "The record is coming along great. We've been taking our time to perfect it and mix it."

The song is currently titled "I Have This Dream," and it includes Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Ciara, Keyisha Cole, James Ingram, Jackson's brother Jermaine, Shanice, the Rev. Shirley Caesar and the O'Jays, the prince said.

Missing are James Brown, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz, who Jackson spokeswoman Raymone Bain said in September had agreed to participate.

At the height of his fame, in 1985, Jackson and producer Quincy Jones brought dozens of superstars together to fight famine with his "We Are the World" anthem.

But while there are some platinum-selling stars on this record _ Ciara, R. Kelly and Snoop Dogg _ it's a far cry from the luminaries and legends who made 'We Are The World" a classic. The release of the song also had been repeatedly delayed.

"We were wondering whether or not it was ever coming out," Andy Gibson, co-manager of the O'Jays, told the AP this week. "They recorded their part of it two or three months ago."

The prince said the release has been delayed because additional artists wanted to contribute. But he declined to name those artists _ "I'd like to keep that as a surprise" _ or to name the company he claimed to have secured to sell the song via CDs and the Internet.

Prince Abdullah, 30, plans to release the song on his own 2 Seas label. "Michael did a wonderful track," he said. "His voice was phenomenal."

He said the song, which Jackson wrote, "is a message of peace and help and caring. It's a song of total oneness."

Jackson has been living in Bahrain since his acquittal in a harrowing molestation trial last year, and now has a house there, the prince said. He didn't know if Jackson plans to settle in the country permanently.

Several of the participating artists recorded their portions of the song Nov. 1, gathering at a Los Angeles studio, Bain said.

"James Ingram, Ciara, Snoop Dogg and Shirley Caesar were all there," said Eddie Levert, lead singer for The O'Jays. "Michael produced it on the phone from Bahrain. He talked to Shirley Caesar, he talked to James Ingram. He talked to everyone except me."

"Overall, it came out very well," Levert said. "It had a strong gospel feel. I think it's really a great song. If radio plays it, it could do very well."

"To work with him on this project was such a privilege and a blessing," Caesar said. "Michael is a true humanitarian."

Asked if the song's release was a harbinger of a new Jackson album, Prince Abdullah laughed and said, "I will just say we've been very busy."

"This is a raindrop before the thunderstorm,' he said. "He's getting ready to come out with a lot of bells and whistles. He's so energized. It's explosive."

OMG!!!!! I CAN"T WAIT !!!!!

...on 2 Seas Records.

Itr's getting to the point where it's like, who cares. Katrina happened the better half of a year ago. Who cares.

CinisterCee said:

but yeah...by now the brotha simply coulda just, y'know, gave a billion dollars to the red cross or whatever to help out as opposed to doing this long-assed, drawn-out deal. didn't they say "it's ready" a couple months back or something?

kdj997 said:

we ALL should care!!! this week alone the administration refused to extend the hotel funding for those left homeless..

there is still work to be done. and i dont care how crazy and wacko jacko is..if it helps one family better their current conditions then I, for one, am A-OKAY with the songs release.

FEMA's response:
"About fuckin' time!"

It really is quite a shamefully rubbish line-up of artists on the song though. I know 'What More Can I Give' had a bunch of big names and it didn't really work as far as the song's quality was concerned (but neither does We Are The World IMO so I can't know what I'm talking about), but you've still gotta have a decent lot to shift the records in the first place.

There you've just got MJ (class of his own), 2 current big hitters (Snoop & Ciara), a rubbish dullard shitester who I wouldn't buy a record from if you paid me (R Kelly), a newcomer barely anyone has heard of (Keisha Cole) and a bunch of quite good people but has-beens nonetheless.
[Edited 2/18/06 1:55am]

foralltime said:

Umm, yeah, I believe that! If he's so energized, why is it taking forever to get a charity single out!?

I had more to say about all this on another thread: http://www.prince.org/msg/8/178218


P.S. Maybe we should have a betting pool: which will come out first, 3121 or this single?
[Edited 2/19/06 1:42am]

CandaceS said:

I wouldn't be saying much. 3121 took a while to come out. Stevie Wonder's new album took 10 years to come out and it's one of the best albums I have heard in a while. So don't speak too soon.

That's two paedophiles for the price of one, then!

DarlingDiana said:

Just because he's taking ages to get something out certainly doesn't mean it will be great, or even good! Is there any evidence, other than these statements by Prince Abdullah, that MJ has been writing/recording music (other than the Katrina single)?

Prince did at least put out a few songs between Musicology's release and now; I think "One More Chance" is the only new song MJ has put out since Invincible (correct me if I'm wrong there). So it's hard for me to imagine he's suddenly become a creative dynamo. But I could be way wrong, time will tell.

I will say that if he does put out anything new I'll be very interested to hear it!

I've been curious why the big-name folks mentioned here (James Brown, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz) decided not to get involved...do you have any insight into that?

Edit: As for your reply on the other thread (now locked), well shame on me for thinking that MJ's official spokesperson would have a handle on the progress of the song and when it might be ready for release!
[Edited 2/19/06 8:00am]

foralltime said:

It will be out within eight days, but this is the first we've heard of it?? If it's being distributed on CD (as the Prince says it is), and it's supposed to actually hit the stores by the 28th, then manufacturing/distribution would already be in progress. If that were true, we would have heard more about it by now. We don't even know what company/companies are involved in distributing it!

Maybe he just means the download will be for sale by the 28th, and pressed CD's will follow?

CinisterCee said:

Seriously, what expertise does this label have in marketing or distributing an artist on such a worldwide scale?

so basically this single will be hard pressed for any attention, let alone airplay.

goat2004 said:

Exactly, 2 Seas' first mistake - TIMING!

DarlingDiana said:

3121 didn't take no while to come out. True that, Prince first started mentioning 3121 last February/March of last year and Satisfied was on the NAACP awards last March, but Prince didn't need to come out with no album in 2005 because the year sucked. If he's like me, the even years or better for me than the odd years. 2004 he toured 96 cities, some of them he came back to and added multiple shows. Toured from March 29 to September of 2004, if he wanted to take a "much deserved break" he of all people deserved it, because he's used to put out an album and a tour EVERY year. And when hurricane Katrina struck. He didn't waste time putting out his songs S.S.T. and Brand New Orleans. The song didn't get national exposure, but he still put them out and tried to raise as much money on them to help. I wouldn't say much. Looks to me like I can say as much as I want and then some. Get on with the Bulls***t.

I feel like I need to clear a few thing up.

Since Invincible, Michael has released 5 new songs, One More Chance (from Number Ones), and In The Back, Beautiful Girl, The Way You Love Me and We've Had Enough (from The Ultimate Collection). There has also been Xscape, which was leaked through the internet and never got a commercial release, but is a hellova great song!!

My understanding of the Katrina single is that they intend to release it to radio and internet before the end of the month. A CD release could take another two weeks, if there will be a CD release at all. I have the suspicion (judging on how he released "What More Can I Give?") that it will only be available for paid download from http://www.2seasrecords.com and maybe a few other sites and maybe even itunes.

I'd also like to make a point (about something that was said in the other thread, which is now closed) that Michael Jackson has been working since he was 5 and last year was very hard on him. IMO, the dude deserves a break. He should be able to take his kids to Italy to watch the Olympics or whatever he wants to do. Imagine in you worked straight for 40 years (and Mike has worked straight because between ever album, includind the Jacksons albums, was a massive world tour), how many sick days you would collect! If it was a regular job, Mike has earned 10 years of sick days, and he's just starting to use them now.

***UPDATE***

All-star Jackson Single To Hit The Market In 2 Weeks


Sunday, 19 February 2006
All-star Jackson Single To Hit The Market In 2 Weeks
Made in Bahrain project to raise funds for Katrina victims

Michael Jackson's all-star charity single that will raise funds for Katrina victims will be ready for distribution in two weeks.

The single,"I Have This Dream," is in the final stages of being perfected and mixed by Bahrain’s Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Two Seas Records. In a telephone interview last week with the AP Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa said," The record is coming along great. We've benn taking our time to perfect it and mix it."

The stars who have contributed their talent include, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Ciara, Keyishia Cole, James Ingram, Jermaine Jackson, Shanice, the Rev. Shirley Caesar and the O'Jays, said the prince.


The record is set for a global release to maximise its fund-raising potential.

Michael Jackson announced that he would pull together a glittering array of music stars to create a music chart-buster for charity barely eight days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

“The time taken reflects the enormous logistics involved in putting together the tracks with the participation of some of the busiest stars in the international music scene as well as the legal fine-tuning involved in tying up with distribution companies,” a source close to Shaikh Abdullah told the Bahrain Tribune, “There are so many legal aspects involved that it often takes close to a year to clear all the issues and begin distributing the music. Luckily, we have been working very hard and our experts have nearly completed formalities in record time so we expect that we shall be ready to announce distribution tie-ups very soon.”

The music single which will aid the Hurricane Katrina victims will see all proceeds go through reputed NGOS instead through government or international agencies. “We believe that NGOs, with their low overheads and well-defined areas of expertise will serve our purposes best,” the source said.

Source: Bahrain Tribune/MJJForum.com

CinisterCee said:

its being distributed by Sony

People should definitely care about the homeless from Katrina, but does anyone really care about MJ's Katrina song? I highly doubt it, although the media will hype it to death and act like it's the second coming or something.

kisscamille said:

Co sign as it will be another healtheworld-earthsong-esque song, so

WHY BOTHER?

kanamit said:

I doubt they'll even hype it up. I think everybody still wants a break from hearing the words Michael Jackson after that nearly 6 month trial. They might hype it, but I doubt it.

TurnItUp said:

The U.S. media will bash it as usual. The rest of the world will embrace Michael as they always have.

JPW said:

cha-ching!

jamgirl said:

Where did you get THAT info from?

DarlingDiana said:

Please! Many of the folks on that list are not exactly the busiest people in show business. And what are all these issues that need to be cleared in order to release the song?? It sure didn't take so long to clear them up in the case of "We Are The World," or "Do They Know it's Christmas," two charity singles involving many of the top names in popular music.

Plus, this talk about how incredibly complex and difficult it is to strike distribution deals...come on, it's not the first time anyone's ever released a record worldwide! Maybe for some reason others are reluctant to get involved with MJ and/or this "2 Seas Records"?



So have they even designated which charity/charities will receive the proceeds?

jamgirl said:

You right.

DarlingDiana said:

If that's the case it should have been release months ago. They could at least have the song in the background on the web site.

Gone are the days of buying any and everything because Michael's name is on it. Most people already contributed to Katrina and if they choose to contribute again they'll probably just donate to the charity of their choice. Buying a .99 or $2 single is going one step too many out of the way.
[Edited 2/22/06 6:06am]