It's just this sort of groove orientated music that a lot of his fans adore. That's why amongst his die-hard fans, Dangerous usually seems to be the all round favourite album.

The funny thing with MJ is that he appeals across the globe, or he has. Take Invincible for example. I read LOADS of reviews of the album, and every critic seemed dead certain which tracks were the great ones and which were the stinkers. However, they ALL had different opinions. The US critics tended to like the ballads. European ones tended to dismiss them and go for the uptempo tracks, and elsewhere opinions varied even more.

The guy can't win. It's rare that an artist can say that almost everybody who's ever heard of you has been a fan of you or your songs at any point in time. Everyone wants something different to bring back whatever it was that made them a fan in the first place, for however short or long a time that lasted. The only thing he can do is continue making what HE likes, and if the public likes it too then good for them.

Exactly, it has nothing to do with expecting a new "Off The Wall"; instead, it's that many of us are waiting for MJ to get out of the musical rut he's been stuck in since after Dangerous. While Mike has never really been a musical innovator, he's grown completely stuck in the past. I'm sick of the man singing through gritted teeth, I'm tired of the "Oh poor me" tone of his lyrics... yeah Mike, the ENTIRE world is out to get you. You have nowhere to turn. Dom Sneddon is a cold man (etc...)... Besides, whereas the beats on Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous were different from each other (relatively), EVERY new fast song out of the Jackson camp is cut from the same "Jam" mould...


If this is all he has left, then maybe his musical legacy is truly over... Face it, Xscapce (and nothing on Invincible) has been worthy of the MJ name.. Anyone can call up Rodney Jerkins and get him to lay down a layer of stacotto percussion... anyoe can giggle "Darkchild" in the intro of the song.. When MJ realizes that many of us aren't after an album in the Britney Spears/N' Sync pop/R&B vibe, is probably when his album sales will pick up again.

BTW, I'm not looking for a new Dangerous. Dangerous was good in 1991, I don't want a note-for note repeat in 2003. Imagine if Prince would've churned album after album in the Purple Rain vibe. Madonna took TONS of crap on the MJ boards because "Die Another Day" was called Music part II. Hell, if Mike can repeat Dangerous ad.nauseum, then Madonna can put out ONE single in the vibe from her last album

Well I completely disagree. Musical rutt? HIStory is probably the greatest achievement of his musical career IMO. Who the hell wouldn't write "oh poor me" lyrics as you put it after the shit he went through? Invincible was a departure from that bar a few unnecessary inclusions (e.g. shit like Privacy). There are PLENTY of other artists who are in more need of progression than MJ.

And I freakin LOVE the man's voice. Gritty or not, who else can sing like that? Luther Vandross doing Man In The Mirror on stage at MSG was LAUGHABLE. MJ's voice has changed a great deal over the years, and I personally think it's for the better. There's no way he could have handled some of the vocals on his last 3 albums back when he was 21 years old. What can I say> He interests me no end, while a lot of other artists with a fraction of his vocal capabilities seem to sing in the same tone all the time and I'm bored of them by half an album.

Well, I can understand the HIStory album being angry, but I think musically, it's mediocre. I think the man got lazy and stopped writing choruses ("Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me, stop pressuring me..." "Don Sneddon is a cold man, Don Sneddon is a cold man..." ) started writing absolutely BIZARRE lyrics ("what about elephants, have we lost their trust" "everybody dog food") and don't even get me started on the trite garbage that starts past Come Together (save for the 2 or 3 fast songs).. Childhood is just flat out mush, HIStory has the stupidest chorus and the opening line is laughable... etc...


Invincible is just Dangerous with more ballads and Darkchild doing most of the production...

And I'm sorry, but after all of the publicity stunts MJ pulled in the mid-late '80's, people were gonna talk about him. He WANTED people to talk about him... So why then turn around and make a video and song about it ("Leave Me Alone"). After that, it was all downhill for MJ, now he's obsessed with his "Privacy" and takling about "Tabloid Junkies"...

Musically, the Jackson family is very reluctant to break away from what has proven to be successful and try new things. He's not as bad as Janet (who needs to let go of JJ & TL already), but he definately needs to just try something new... Can you imagine Mike over a techno beat? Can you hear some FRESH R&B sounds behind him? He can't have lost the plot this spectacularly...

I just don't think I can handle the "hee-hee"s in the ending of his songs anymore... I'm trying not to get completely turned off by MJ, but the little quirks that many people love have started really putting me off.


BTW, I had to stop watching him perform because I can't handle his constant fondling of his crotch, etc. I'm far from a prude, I jsut find it very disturbing watching this effeminite person in red lipstick not being able to keep his hands off his dick

Leave Me Alone? He'd sacked Frank Dileo by then after he found out his own freakin manager was authorising dodgy tabloid stories to be leaked without his own knowledge.

When did MJ last grab his crotch? Ya know, I went to the HIStory tour and was in the front row, I read a review of it in the following days and all they could talk about was crotch grabbing. I have one of the shows on video. I can't see any damn crotch grabbing. THAT was the Bad tour (the mightiest tour EVER might I add). The media are way more stuck in the past than MJ, with their recent "reports" this past year on his snake's name (a 15 year old report) and the tape he wears on his fingers as his "new look" (again, about 15 years ago). If they can't even remember what was happening back then, who are they to say he's "old hat". Yet Justin Lumberjack is embraced when he's a watered down carbon copy done 20 years too late with a strangled cat falsetto.

Apparently another recently completed Jackson track, "Still Got It", has been leaked onto the Internet.

Does anyone have further info on this?

Well the JT thing is all relative... No one expects him to release a masterpiece. For all of the constant MJ comparisons, he is just a watered down Michael. Justin would be NOWHERE without his producers, either. So, it's less that Mr. Timberlake has been embraced because of his incredible skills and more of because he's put an "attractive" face to the Neptunes production.

Fair or not, people expect more from Mike, just like they do from Madonna, and would from Prince if he was still commercially viable. If he releases an album that is of N'sync/JT quality, people are going to be disappointed. Maybe his voice is better, but let's face it... he's never going to win over the 15 year old market like JT will. What Mike needs to do is go after the adult market, or even 20 year old market. People that do know how talented he is, maybe that have just gone off of his juvenile production over the past album or so...

For me, I think that MJ would sound great on a song like Janet's "You Ain't Right" with real dirty beats. I think he would go really well with a Madonna's "Music" style song with the funk/techno combination. He sounds fine on "Heartbreaker" or "Unbreakable", but it's nothing that I couldn't get from Jive records.

Oh good God, I hope this isn't another song in the vein of Unbreakable (ie: incessant bragging about how he's still around)

papaa said:

Ellie said:

I Dug "Dangerous" alot it's my 2nd Favorite Adult Album of His Behind "Off The Wall".

I'd like MJ too truly challenge Himself again.I think that while He has Made good Stuff since "Dangerous" especially a Hall of Fame song with "Stranger in Moscow" He hasn't been able too just let Himself go in that direction.but lets be real about MJ as a Writer"Parinod Material for Better or for worse brings the Best out of Him."Billie Jean","Leave Me Alone","Stranger in Moscow","That's what you get for being Polite". the Cat excels at this.of course Expectations are High for MJ He is one of the last remaing Artists on the Planet along with Prince,Stevie,&Others that truly challenged you&Made you think&Had a "IT" that didn't seem like it would ever end.Mike is a Artist that I'll always dig but I'll always be up-front about Him as well.I think a Hook-up with Rod Temperton&Ditching the tired Cats of Now would be what the doctor ordered.if I was MJ's manager I'd have Him back on the Music front the right way:1)Unplugged Album&No sparklings&Fire-works straight Vocals with Tmborine,Guitars,Bass,Piano&Drums&Horns.2)do that James Brown Album He has too do all Funky&Soulful.3)a Album with his Brothers.4)a Standards Album with Ray Charles.

papaa said:

this is a Smart Move even if it's suspect good too drop tracks because this is what you do too get exposure.the Cat has alot of tracks.

mistermaxxx said:

mike should definitely NOT do an unplugged. not anymore. man, if he'd done it during his 'dangerous' period or maybe at the beginning of the 'history' period it would have been great. now, mike looks like shit! i believe the man is only capable of singing good in the studio now; live he sings like shit! his latest performances are energy-less; not to mention his sloppy routines! he should definitely NOT do an unplugged.

Personally, the number 1 reason why I never brought History because he was complaining about the media. He knows that the bigger you get, the more the media will hate on you. I hate what the media has done with him, but he has to live with it. All those angry songs on it was just bugging me and it was sounding more like noise, not music. And those two songs: Childhood (oh god, don't get me startred on that song) and YANA(that song was the WORST R. Kelly written song EVER!) were so bad, I just cannot even describe it. It had no beat, no groove, it was just two bad songs.

It would be great for the guy do just do a cd with no or one "heal the world" type song, and to have an old school R&B feel to it. I mean, make some fun damn music.

The hell with the media, they have issues, but he and Whitney do not have to write a song about it. I don't see the point, they are going to hate on them anyway.

MJ has to change in general, go back to the basics, the simple things that made him what he is. No more scream-pop songs, it was hot in the 1990's. For 2003, make something(if that ever happens) that would not be groundbreaking, but great. Something that is original, and fresh, not recycled like Janet's recent cd, you know, that one.

Dangerous is one of my favorite cds. It had it all: pop. R&B, hip hop, rock. real music. I think that was his last great cd. Vince was good, but it wasn't great. What killed Vince, imo, was those damn slow songs. They weren't slow jams, they were slow songs that depressed people listen to. A total turnoff for me.

purpleone said:

you really don't like Michael do you? or you wouldn't say such Bullshit.I saw the Anniversary Show&He did a Helluva take on "I'll be There" with His Voice hitting Falsetto&if He followed that Format that Shit would be tight.you aren't a Fan IMHO.

BeeTellTheTruth said:

show me one Artist that hasn't Bitched&Moan about the Media on there Records or in Public&I'll Show a Artist with no Real Career??

Personally, I thought the slow stuff was what made Invincible a viable album. In fact, I think Mike excells at the slow stuff moreso these days than the uptempo stuff. Just my opinion.

jtgillia said:

I agree.the Cat is missing a Knockout Dance JAM for me.that alone would shut some folks up something funky&straight too the point without too much thinking.

Another Song reached Kazaa! "Still got it" is available.

BlueNote

jtgillia said:

I agree. For some reason,Mike's slow jams are GREAT these days,while much of his uptempo stuff is medicocre at best.My favorite songs from 'Invincible' are the slower tracks ("Heaven Can Wait","Break Of Dawn","Cry","Whatever Happens","Speechless",etc).

mistermaxxx said:

mistermaxxx, believe me, i was a die hard fan for like 6 years. after 'history' i just lost that feeling. i went to see mike in prague at the kickoff of the tour (i live in holland!) and discovered he lipsynched almost the entire show. that and all the divorcing and re-marrying kind of ruined my image of mike. from that point on he lost his coolness in my opinion. i think his face really changed for the worst these last couple of years. and i also think his voice is far from what it used to be (just listen to him singing 'wanna be..' on the 'history' tour and compare it with him singing it on the 'dangerous' tour!). an unplugged would not be a smart idea in my opinion; he should have done that a decade ago..

I think a Michael Jackson "Unplugged" performance is a great idea.He needs to get back to basics,and just get on there and SING.No fancy choreography.No fireworks or glitzy special effects.Just him and a kickass band,putting the emphasis back on THE MUSIC and on his voice.Here is what the setlist should look like...


"Human Nature"
"I Can't Help It"
"Stranger In Moscow"
"Wanna Be Startin Something"
"Billie Jean"
"The Lady In My Life"
"Liberian Girl"
"Butterflies"
"Medley: I'll Be There/Got To Be There/Who's Lovin You"
"Whatever Happens"
"The Man In The Mirror"
"She's Out Of My life"
"Break Of Dawn"
"Smooth Criminal"
***New Song
***New Song

purpleone said:

I disagree with thie statement...the following is a post I issued on 4/26/02...



HOW ABOUT A MJ UNPLUGGED ALBUM!!!

You would be surprised how this could work. As a matter of fact Mike could come up with some nice strip down arrangements of some of his best songs and maybe a new song or two and just get on stage in front of a small audience(No ladies passing out screaming. No MEN passing out screaming). Just a small audience in an intimate environment. Can you imagine him dusting off a gem like "Push Me Away"from the The Jacksons album "Destiny" and peforming a nice acoustic piece of this song with Carlos Santanta playing the acoustic pieces on his acoutic guitar, THIS COULD WORK .As I've stated before, Mike's reputation as a DANCE ARTIST has concealed a secret weapon in his artistry...his vocal skills on a ballad. Then he could take that creativity and attitude to the lab and make that great artistic,introspective album that David was talking about. He can do it he just got to get to it and stop focusing on sales. That's all he seems to care about. Everybody from Quincy Jones to Stevie Wonder have been trying to state to Mike that this is a detriment to his artistry. If he'd only listen.


BRO915
4/26/02

Brother915 said:

I would love to see Michael "dust off" some of his lesser known songs and perform themn in an acoustic setting.Notice that on the setlist that I came up with,I chose songs like "Liberian Girl" and "I Can't Help It".

DavidEye said:

Man, I'll buy something like this from Mike the DAY it comes out in the store!!!

Brother915 said:

okay, an album would be great! an album with a lot of ballads and a couple of uptempo songs like 'don't stop..', 'billie jean' and 'working day and night'. i just don't picture mike pulling that off onstage anymore, even if the arrangements are beautiful. think about mike's anniversary concert; where was the energy? where was his stage presence? trying to cover up his face all the time with his hair, his mic, his hands, etc. and that was on a big stage, 20 feet away from the crowd. now, picture a small set, with only a hundred people, only inches away from the stage. you think mike would appreciate that, if he would even do it?

purpleone said:

To be fair, his face is looking a lot better these days. The man can actually smile again.

Cloudbuster said:

well, okay, but do you think he's comfortable with people just staring at him like that? no more distractions like fireworks or other special effects. just the man and the music.