I know this might be a controversial opinion because James Brown is the Original, but does anyone think that Michael Jackson might have been a tad bit of a better dancer than he was in their prime? Don't chop my head off please..

For example...

MJ did more choreography than James, which is why it comes off that way. I want to say mj is better, but it's silly to have to pick and choose. It would be like me saying Chris Brown is better than mj, cause he does flip flops and hip hop moves combined with mj moves, but we know that's rubbish
[Edited 3/20/08 22:49pm]

Here is a quote{s} from the late Bobby Byrd:


"Bobby Byrd, one of the original Famous Flames (which became James Brown and the Famous Flames), says that Mr. Brown used to do back flips off a piano into a split when he was in his early twenties around 1956-5"


"In a booklet that accompanied the CD collection, ''James Brown - Star Time,'' long-time friend and performer Bobby Byrd said: ''The dancing y'all seen later on ain't nothing to what he used to do back then. James could stand flat-footed and flip over into a split. He'd tumble, too, over and over like in gymnastics. We'd say, 'What's wrong with you? When it's time to record, you'll be done killed yourself.''"


The world didn't really see James Brown the dance until late 1964 (JB was already 31 years old and already in his 9th year in the business.)

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I'm not surprised to hear that

POST THAT ISH!! I want to seeeee.

in the mean time..

Sorry, as much of a BIG fan I am of Mike, James was the better dancer to me.

You muthafuckas ain't gonna make me choose between 2 of my heroes

bboy87 said:

Wtf is that.

I always thought MJ surpassed James dance-wise, but that clip you posted comparing them is a joke. Not only does it show much more MJ footage than James, taken from a lot more different sources, but it deliberately shows the weakest James Brown footage. Talk about a set-up. MJ fans can't even be trusted to make fair videos.
[Edited 3/21/08 5:49am]

One thing's for sure though. James held onto his ability much longer than MJ. Here he is aged 43, breaking down some moves. Check how he drops on his knees and comes right back up in like half a second. The robot's pretty cool too.

NO FAIR!

papaaisaway said:

I find that clip both exciting and embarrassing at the same time. Michael's dancing like a middle aged white man at the office party, and seems in a world of his own, walking off while Bobby Byrd is trying to put the cape on him.
[Edited 3/21/08 7:26am]

midnightmover said:

If I could find it, there's videos of James dancing to "There Was a Time" in 1968 and he was TEARIN' IT UP! Plus, if ANYBODY has NEVER seen his performance on the 1964 T.A.M.I. Awards show? Then how can anyone compare the two? I just don't see how people can miss that, the guy shuffled his feet like a boxer, then like a ballet dancer and then he did splits least twice or three times or four before getting up! The Rolling Stones couldn't even compete, they were embarrassed because they were supposed to be THE STARS, lol! Michael is one of the greats, don't get me wrong, but after all of that adulation, he still couldn't lick James' feet...neither could Prince, as hard as HE tried, lol.

Timmy84 said:

I know how great James was, and it's devious the way that MJ fan only showed the weakest footage of James against the best footage of Mike, but I still rank Mike higher. As great as James was, his dancing was all in his feet. The variations he had on that were incredible, but it was still 95% just foot shuffling, whereas Michael used his entire body.

They are the two best dancers in musical history. Third place goes to MC Hammer. It's a close thing but Mike at his peak was number one. Look at Smooth Criminal or the Grammys '88. He was incredible. The TAMI show had a lot of energy, but I actually think James's dancing got better afterwards. That "There Was A Time" performance from a few years later is a great example. Those multiple splits in the TAMI show looked messy to me. Energy is one thing. Finesse is another. He got more finesse as he got older.

midnightmover said:

True dat. I'm not trying to belittle Mike at all. I think he's got no peers when it comes to HIS dancing alone, but compare it to James is like comparing steak to chicken or some shit! And yeah he definitely had more finesse in his later years. You saw his performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981? Utterly divine.

AMIGO..

I ain't ever seen no middle aged white dude shuffle shoe like that. Anyway, looking at that clip it seems all MJ wanted to do was throw the cape on James, blow some kisses, and stage left. But James asked him to get busy.

midnightmover said:

That Audition performance is un.be.liev.able.!

Shit, leave it to a MJ fan to compare James Brown and Michael Jackson in terms of dancing and performing. That really pisses me off, it's like trying to compare Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. Here is the only fair answer to this, James was the teacher, Michael was the student, plan and simple.

2blax2proud said:

THANK YOU!

dag said:

Unbelievable in the fact he wasn't even ten yet when he did it.

A B S O L U T E L Y NOT. James was the man.....

Timmy84 said:

Yeah, Mike wasn't even ten, but performers used to think he was a grown midget. As many know (or may not know) before the J5 were even signed to Motown, they were seasoned vets, opening for the likes of the Tempts, O'Jays, Jerry Butler, Marshall & the Chi-Lites, Jackie Wilson and the man himself James Brown among others.


Well, at one show (either the Apollo or the Regal) one of the main performers didn't want to follow the J5 because he thought MJ was a grown midget.


Also, around June or July of '68, JB turned down the J5 as opening acts for his show.
[Edited 3/21/08 14:57pm]

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Yeah, ironically the time JB turned them down, the J5 performed at the Regal and Bobby Taylor took them to Detroit for the Motown audition.

Timmy84 said:

Since this is an JB/MJ discussion, could you imagine if James did take the J5 on the road and he started producing them?

James' band (IMO) was at it's best in 1968. Could you imagine Clyde, Jabo, Pee Wee, Fred, Maceo, Cheech, and the boys working with the Jacksons.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I honestly think if that did happen, the Jackson family would have had a VERY different experience albeit a very exciting one.

Timmy84 said:

How do you think it would have turned out, them under JB instead of Motown. Are they more popular/less popular, would they start off with 4 straight number ones?

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Obviously without Motown, they wouldn't have the crossover push that was given to them in Motown meaning much likely they would be one of the most talented groups but very underrated like the Stairsteps.

BOTH ARE/WERE PHENOMENAL DANCERS

And James was still busting moves well into his senior years...

Other notable dancers include Usher and Chris Brown -- good, but have a helluva way to go before they reach the level JB & MJ achieved. As for Timberlake, the less said about him the better...

Here's a video of MJs last public performance back in 2002. He performs Dangerous and even sings in tune half way through.

papaaisaway said:

Dude, where do you put your ears? In your ass? That performance is totally mimed apart from six seconds from 4.27 to 4.33, and those six seconds sound dreadful. He can't even finish that last "Baby" because his voice is so knackered.

I repeat for any others. He starts singing along at 4.27 and starts miming again six seconds later. Anyone with ears can clearly hear the difference in quality.

I could talk about the dancing, but I'm too speechless that you're impressed with that six seconds of horror.
[Edited 3/22/08 8:35am]

midnightmover said:

I don't think floecist did that intentionally.

IMO James never really had a weak moment. Then again, JB's one of my idols so I'm a little biased


[Edited 3/22/08 9:18am]