There's just something in his voice that can't be described. That is one tremendous asset Michael's work has. As for the lyrics I focused in on those not just because Prince is so clearly Michael's superior in that department. .

Yall took this thread and ran with it. Rodya24, the comment about MJs voice, that's what got me. There's something about his voice that resonates deeply with me. Unfortunately, I've noticed over the years that the quality of his voice isn't what it once was (when he's truly singing) and this bugs me.

While Whatever Happens is one of his best songs, his voice to me on that track sounds different than every other song on that album. At first I thought it was just me until someone here on the Org mentioned it awhile back. Maybe he had a cold that day but he should have waited to record until he was 100%.

With Prince, sometimes his voice gets me, sometimes he doesn't but his music, dayum. Sometimes I love, sometimes I don't, sometimes it's over my head and I have to come back but I love the layers he brings lyrically and musically. I love that sometimes I have to work a little bit to get that groove or that message depending on the song. I love the grit, dirt, sex, spirit, arrogance, romance, rock, funk, jazz and all that his music brings. Then he performs live and it's even better!

Sometimes I think Michael is just paralyzed with fear. He sees his peers still throwing down. The kids are stealing from him like thieves. Record sales are low, hip hop has taken over, Janet is struggling and the producers he's passed over have had success with other artists.

Why did he never reschedule One Night Only? Even if he and HBO couldn't work things out you telling me he couldn't schedule that show in a small venue some where? He's had over 10 years to do that show. All that hard work and production just went out the window? WTF?

Why must everything be the biggest, the brightest, the most expensive, etc. If you've got art, you're going to put it out regardless because you have to. You're an artist. You crave the stage or you miss the audience, you go to the House of Blues and grab the mic. You show up at the blah blah concert in the park and sing a song. He doesn't do any of this which is why I think he doesn't care and/or is scared.

Put out an album in a cardboard jewel box with no multiple covers, no secret prize, no statues and robots, no greatest hits disc or DVD included... while that's nice, don't give a gimmick to buy your album. Stream a few tracks on a decent up to date website. If the music is good, I'll buy it.

I wish MJ was desperate or hungry, but he's not.

Well, Madonna is still reaching number one all over the world, selling out concerts everyewhere.

MJ could only dream of her success now.

Out of the big 80s 4, MJ, Prince, Madonna and Bruce. Madonna won,

The others did their own thing, but she was the only one to remain on top for 20 years.

JackieBlue said:

See, that's simple to say it but when you're Michael Jackson, the stakes are aggravatingly higher. Michael thinks he ALWAYS has to live up to people's expectations of him and that drains his artistry out. People often do take Michael for granted when he did do simple shows back in the '70s but apparently bigger was better in his one-track mind. Unfortunately, the music industry has changed drastically and dramatically since he ruled it, I don't see how he can think one big show would bring them back. It sure didn't when he did the MSG shows so I say it doesn't hurt to get on a smaller stage and showcase your talent, then it wouldn't be rumor after rumor after rumor.

tyrone25 said:

To put things in perspective,let's look at where they are both at,right now:

***Madonna---getting ready to release a new CD in mid-November and launch another world tour next June....is considering a new record deal with LiveNation that will be worth $160 million....Warners has recently said that they will fight to keep her,which means that they too will offer her a generous deal to re-sign....getting ready to celebrate her 25th anniversary in the biz with a multi-disc box set next spring....MTV is planning a 2-hour Madonna special that celebrates her career,to air this fall...her last tour was the most successful tour ever,by a female artist.

***Michael Jackson---currently has no record deal....there is no release date for the new album....no tour plans....hasn't done a big tour in at least ten years....


When you think about it,Madonna really has nothing to prove.Her career is in great shape,considering how long she's been around.She doesn't have to "comeback" from a damaging scandal,or prove that she can still sellout arenas.

Yall took this thread and ran with it. Rodya24, the comment about MJs voice, that's what got me. There's something about his voice that resonates deeply with me. Unfortunately, I've noticed over the years that the quality of his voice isn't what it once was (when he's truly singing) and this bugs me.

While Whatever Happens is one of his best songs, his voice to me on that track sounds different than every other song on that album. At first I thought it was just me until someone here on the Org mentioned it awhile back. Maybe he had a cold that day but he should have waited to record until he was 100%.

With Prince, sometimes his voice gets me, sometimes he doesn't but his music, dayum. Sometimes I love, sometimes I don't, sometimes it's over my head and I have to come back but I love the layers he brings lyrically and musically. I love that sometimes I have to work a little bit to get that groove or that message depending on the song. I love the grit, dirt, sex, spirit, arrogance, romance, rock, funk, jazz and all that his music brings. Then he performs live and it's even better!

Sometimes I think Michael is just paralyzed with fear. He sees his peers still throwing down. The kids are stealing from him like thieves. Record sales are low, hip hop has taken over, Janet is struggling and the producers he's passed over have had success with other artists.

Why did he never reschedule One Night Only? Even if he and HBO couldn't work things out you telling me he couldn't schedule that show in a small venue some where? He's had over 10 years to do that show. All that hard work and production just went out the window? WTF?

Why must everything be the biggest, the brightest, the most expensive, etc. If you've got art, you're going to put it out regardless because you have to. You're an artist. You crave the stage or you miss the audience, you go to the House of Blues and grab the mic. You show up at the blah blah concert in the park and sing a song. He doesn't do any of this which is why I think he doesn't care and/or is scared.

I agree with all of this. Good to see I'm not pising in the wind here. Some of you get it. I'm not so interested in this "bigger is better" issue though, because I think it's gone beyond that now. It's like whatsgoingon endlessly going on about Michael leaving his roots. The problem is far bigger than that now. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Michael's voice is not there anymore. In the studio he can disguise it to some extent with overdubs and the like, but even there you can hear the decline. Your point about Whatever Happens is a perfect example. It's that blocked-up-nose quality which you can hear as far back as Moonwalker. Listen to Man In The Mirror at the start of the film. When he starts singing live you can hear that same pinched quality coming into play. It was never there before the Bad tour.

I don't think all MJ fans are insane but I notice that many of his fans always point to how many records he sold in the past...as if this can erase all the bad memories of what he has become [i]todayLet's be honest here...Michael hasn't really achieved very much in the past several years.

I don't think all MJ fans are insane

Timmy84 said:

But that's the thing, he wouldn't be trying to bring anybody back. His core audience is going to be there regardless. He would be doing it for his die-hard fans and ultimately because he has a desire to be out there and perform and/or connect with his fans. If he were to do such a thing with the intent of being on top, making a lot of noise or a comeback, then he's kidding himself.

Ultimately, all of this talk, as it usually is when it comes to MJ is neither here nor there. We don't know where his mindset is at and it's really fine for him never to do anything again. I just wish that the rumors would stop, the fans would at least bring it down a notch, and maybe he could say hey, I'm on hiatus or I'm retired or I'm taking time off. He doesn't say anything. I don't want to hear about him working with producers unless there's a release season, not even a date. Try to keep stuff under wraps until things are solidified. With Michael there's constant rumors for years until the actual single and album comes out. After a decade and a half of that, I'm over it.

SoulAlive said:

LOL, he doesn't have anything out CURRENTLY. We have to talk about the past, LOL. And those PAST records are still outselling some of his contemporaries present records. Billie Jean, among others, were in Spain's top 10 this year! LOL.

"....erase bad memories of what he has become..?" LOL. Mike still gets mobbed wherever he appears and he's still being celebrated. Stop being jealous of his unparallel fame,LOL, because NO ONE can impede that. And we all know they've tried. LOL.

SoulAlive said:

They're no different than they've EVER been. They screamed, cried, even fainted in the 80s. Why weren't the MEDIA & haters calling them insane then? hmmm? You see it aggravates them that he still evokes this reaction after 20 something yrs. LOL. Cause no one else has been able to. So they(the media) and other haters call his fans 'CRAZY'. LOL. Jealousy is a biatch, huh. LOL.

MsLegs? This is what I confused you with. Need I say more?

JackieBlue said:

That's why I'm so tired of hearing about Michael supposedly working on an album, least tell us what's going on with the making of the album. We hear big announcements but nothing truly comes to fruition. That's the frustrating part of waiting for an album, you have to accept it but it's hard to. Maybe it was different when none of us didn't have computers and we were all shocked when that artist came back but in the case of Michael, you hear more stuff being talked about rather than played around (like a brand-new song for example). I know being Michael Jackson has to be difficult since you're living one life while some others think they KNOW what you're doing. If you want me to be honest, I think Michael's just chilling.

JackieBlue said:

That's why I'm so tired of hearing about Michael supposedly working on an album, least tell us what's going on with the making of the album. We hear big announcements but nothing truly comes to fruition. That's the frustrating part of waiting for an album, you have to accept it but it's hard to. Maybe it was different when none of us didn't have computers and we were all shocked when that artist came back but in the case of Michael, you hear more stuff being talked about rather than played around (like a brand-new song for example). I know being Michael Jackson has to be difficult since you're living one life while some others think they KNOW what you're doing. If you want me to be honest, I think Michael's just chilling.

midnightmover said:

You've been drinking too much purple coolaid or your account has been compromied by a person in desperation if you're on this tip. If you're drunk on the coolaid get over your contact high , remove your blinders, you'll see the light.
[Edited 8/13/07 12:48pm]

This is one of many reasons why Michael's fans are quite an unsophisticated bunch (I'm not talking about you here, it's just a general observation). Because so much of his music is juvenile. Prince just has a lot more depth. He's funkier, dirtier, and also just a much better songwriter. Look at the great songs he wrote for others like Manic Monday, Nothing Compares 2 U, etc, not to mention the hundred or so classics he recorded himself.
[Edited 8/13/07 10:40am]

Timmy84 said:

Then take my advice and stop waiting. You guys are only making your own life harder by entertaining these hopes. I never bother discussing or even devoting head space to the latest rumours because I know the real deal. When (or if) they announce a release date then my attention will be raised slightly (although even then I won't be excited. I didn't even buy Invincible. I taped it off a friend who still entertained false hopes like you guys). Until then I have plenty of other music to be dealing with. Cyndi Lauper's releasing an album this year. Her first all new album in 10 years. I'm WAAAY more excited about that than any corny old MJ album.

I think we have a communication problem since I don't understand a word you just said and I think you totally misunderstood my post. Nevermind.
[Edited 8/13/07 12:52pm]

Timmy84 said:

I agree with you. I think the internet has made it alot worse where we have endless traffic of information whether we seek it out or not and rumors can be started by anyone and spread across the globe in an instant.

I also think he's chilling and living his life. Which is fine. But the fans are everywhere still championing their hero, which I guess is fine too but I stopped going to MJ boards to get away from it and it's funny, I think there are more MJ fans here on the Org than ever and when I was on an MJ board you couldn't even think about Prince the venom was so bad. There was little to no acceptance of his contribution. If the last name wasn't Jackson or Jackson related, they weren't trying to hear it.

You're Busted. Folks as usual, bordeom over the Atlantic causes a man in heels to do desperate things even at the Org even at the account of others.. Carry on mate don't let me stop you.
[Edited 8/13/07 12:59pm]

midnightmover said:

I think a real fear for some MJ fans is that if they branch out from beneath the Thriller-veil, they might discover someone they like just as much or even more. I was quite surprised at how much music they didn't listen to because it was MJ all day, every day.

Timmy84 said:

Then take my advice and stop waiting. You guys are only making your own life harder by entertaining these hopes. I never bother discussing or even devoting head space to the latest rumours because I know the real deal. When (or if) they announce a release date then my attention will be raised slightly (although even then I won't be excited. I didn't even buy Invincible. I taped it off a friend who still entertained false hopes like you guys). Until then I have plenty of other music to be dealing with. Cyndi Lauper's releasing an album this year. Her first all new album in 10 years. I'm WAAAY more excited about that than any corny old MJ album.

DawnD said

Michael doesn't have to come back, nor does he have anything to prove either. He may or may not, if he wants to. But, some of the music buying public is so arrogant allot of them are waiting for him to beg them to give him another chance and buy his music once again. You see, MJ is in no hurry to put shit out. So, by all means enjoy your favorite artists, whoever they may be. It's beyond plain to see that MJ will release music when he's good and damn ready. He'll release on his on time and on his own dime. Too bad, he's not begging no one for forgiveness due to a scandal. He's too busy living his life and apparently enjoying his life. How dare he not beg to be forgiven. Dream on.

whatsgoingon said:

You need to take Bob Dylan off that list. His best work is behind him and he's not as prolific as he used to be, but two of his last three albums have had some brilliant work on them. He still has the power to surprise.

RE: Michael. My issue is that a lot of people here are kidding themselves. Even you are too timid to come out and say "it's over". You talk about "Will he chase Thriller or go back to his roots?" WTF!? I wish that was the issue, but IT'S NOT! Michael ain't doing EITHER!! That's the point you're not getting. He don't have the fire to chase Thriller or go back to his roots. You're fighting an old battle there from an old war. That ship sailed a long time ago. He ain't ever going back to his roots. He doesn't know he ever left them.

You talk about his voice as his most precious asset, but in live situations that voice is shot. Michael doesn't mime for the fun of it, you know. There is no mystery here. Michael will eventually release an album and it won't matter, because he's past it. That's the point. It will generate tons of publicity as the latest instalment in a train wreck, but that's all. The only other option is if he never releases a new album at all, which is also a very real possibility. Recapturing his soul roots is NOT a possibility.
[Edited 8/13/07 11:00am]

mrsnet said:

One thing that is crazy is that some of them are the exact same people from the 80s;