I guess I'm confused. Is this a re-release or a remake? If it's a re-lease, why take MJ out at all? If it's a remake, why digitally insert Janet instead of just recording her like all the other vocalists?

ZZZZZzzzzz

New Artists Re-record 'We Are The World'
25 Years After Original, New Version For Haitian Earthquake Victims
http://www.allaccess.com/...ref=search

Producer QUINCY JONES and singer/songwriter LIONEL RICHIE, the producer and co-writer of the iconic 1985 philanthropic anthem "We Are The World," have confirmed that they have teamed with producer/musician WYCLEF JEAN and Grammy-winning producer REDONE and producer/musical director RICKY MINOR in association with AEG Pres./CEO, AEG LIVE RANDY PHILLIPS, to record a contemporary version of the song to benefit the Haitian earthquake relief.

The world premiere of "We Are The World -- 25 For HAITI" will air during NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the VANCOUVER WINTER OLYMPICS on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12th.

What an unbelievable group of people who have come together to give their voices, for a cause to start the healing of a people who have experienced a devastation of such magnitude.

Commented JONES, "25 years ago, the entertainment industry showed the power of community to help our fellow man when we recorded 'We Are The World' to bring relief to those suffering from famine in ETHIOPIA. And while the need to assistant AFRICA continues, today the country of HAITI is suffering immeasurably from the destruction due to the recent earthquake and is in immediate need of relief that will last long after the television cameras have left. As artists, we have joined together on this 25th anniversary and in the spirit of 'We Are The World' to help meet that need."

"What an unbelievable group of people who have come together to give their voices, for a cause to start the healing of a people who have experienced a devastation of such magnitude," said RICHIE. "We believe 'We Are The World - 25 for HAITI' can be the start of the healing process."

"On January 12th, the people of HAITI were faced with a tragedy unlike anything the country has ever experienced," said WYCLEF JEAN. "Today, I am proud to be joined by so many members of the artistic community that want to support the region and have donated their time and talents to providing an effective way for the global community to get involved with helping the Haitian population."

Upon its original release, "We Are the World" quickly became the fastest selling single in history and in the years that have followed, USA FOR AFRICA has raised and distributed more than $63 million in revenue from the sales of more than 7 million units of the album, single and cassettes, plus nearly 2 million digital sales and related merchandise.

"We Are The World" -- 25th Anniversary Recording For Haitian Earthquake Relief Artists Roster

QUINCY JONES: Executive Producer
LIONEL RICHIE: Executive Producer
WYCLEF JEAN: Executive Producer
RICKEY MINOR: Producer
CARLOS SANTANA
ORIANTHI
JENNIFER HUDSON
JAMIE FOXX
SUGARLAND
ADAM LEVINE
JASON MRAZ
EARTH WIND & FIRE
NATALIE COLE
THE JONAS BROTHERS
T PAIN
BRIAN WILSON
JUSTIN BIEBER
NICOLE SCHERZINGER
INDIA.ARIE
JULIANNE HOUGH
MARY MARY
MELANIE FIONA
BEBE WINANS
MYA
TYRESE GIBSON
ANTHONY HAMILTON
RAPHAEL SAADIQ
GLADYS KNIGHT
KERI HILSON
JOEL & BENJI MADDEN
HEART
BRANDY
PINK
MUSIQ SOULCHILD
MILEY CYRUS
AKON
JORDIN SPARKS
CELINE DION
ROB THOMAS
KATHARINE McPHEE
JEFF BRIDGES
RANDY JACKSON
PATTI AUSTIN
KID CUDI
USHER
WILL.I.AM
KANYE WEST
LL COOL J
ISAAC SLADE (aka The Fray)
SNOOP DOGG
NICOLE RICHIE
TREY SONGZ
ETHAN BORTNICK
TARYLL JACKSON
TAJ JACKSON
TJ JACKSON
VINCE VAUGHN
DRAKE
FREDA PAYNE
FAITH EVANS
ROBIN THICKE
RASHIDA JONES
BARBRA STREISAND
JIMMY JEAN LOUIS
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
ZAC BROWN
LIL WAYNE
TONY BENNETT
JOSH GROBAN
SEAN GARRETT
HARRY CONNICK, JR.
AL JARDINE
BONE THUGS AND HARMONY (BIZZY BONES)
AR RAHMEN

Before this gets locked:

I'm glad Janet is going to showcase her amazing vocals

YaY!

Lammastide said:

I posted a article in the We Are The World thread stating that Janet wasn't there because she was out of town ( She's actually in ATL filming a hour long )
special for the new Tyler Perry movie..

This idea is just played.....

banks said:

True she wasn't there. But they still are digitally adding her voice in place of Michael's lead part in an individual recording session.....

She's going to be in the video too.

Graycap23 said:

I don't see the point in remaking it.
[Edited 2/2/10 9:03am]

Lammastide said:

It's a remake, with none of the original artists on it, but Lionel and Q are heading up the event (which took place yesterday at the same studio where the first one was recorded). Janet was in Atlanta just a day or so ago, so that might be why she wasn't at the taping. She was doing some early promotion of Why Did I Get Married, Too?

It seems "digitally" is a bad word. It's just her recording sent via email to Quincy, isn't it? It's not like they're digitally REcreating her voice and she has nothing to do with it. She sang it. No matter where she did it, she sang it. Whether they put her in via ProTools or Reel to Reel, she's in there.

Remember that folks like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and others did their vocals days after the initial group recording back in 1985. So why wasn't that criticized? "Why couldn't they do it the night of the recording? It's dishonest to think they were there singing that when they weren't." There's a bit of silliness in that argument.

Hell, even Prince wanted to come around later and add a guitar part to the song. Would that have been dishonest too?

Why they have to remove Mj's lead vocals in the first place, Mj wrote and composed the song,If Mj's vocals are not involved in a way or another on the song then it will be a disaster!!!

daPrettyman said:

So there's going to be rapping and auto-tune?

2elijah said:

Hunger and AIDS running rampant here and abroad isn't played.

In a world of self-important 20 year olds, I think it's a great idea. The baton of responsibility needs to be passed along. A charity isn't a P.R. ploy. It is now to people of course, but back then it was a real issue to folks, and a real reason to do something. The idea of taking care of the your fellow manfolk needs to be passed down. Maybe this is one way to do that. It's not the ONLY way, but it's one way. Plus, it's 25 years, so it's a reason to draw attention to it again.

I'm not necessarily looking forward to the new version, but I am curious about it a bit....just to hear if it's really good, or really not.

seeingvoices12 said:

They are RECREATING the song. Why is this so hard to understand?

seeingvoices12 said:

Not true. MJ had a couple of lines in the chorus solo before he was in a duet with Diana Ross, and he took the first line of the bridge before Cyndi and Huey and Kim jumped in.

They are RECREATING the song, covering it, in effect. I would doubt they're taking the original track and adding to it. It needs to be updated for 2010, and that's what Q and Lionel is doing.

midiscover said:

why you are so mad

Mj wrote and composed it, if they don;t include his vocals its ok, Im not interested , Recreating the song ....time of creativity is Gone.....
[Edited 2/2/10 9:13am]

seeingvoices12 said:

I don't think there going to remove MJ's vocals totally. I think they might just add Janet's vocal over Michael's lead vocal. There are ways they can keep both vocals on there. Quincy will figure it out. He is a master recording producer.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Ahhh... ok. Thanks, y'all.

seeingvoices12 said:

I think he's just trying to get it through your thick head as to what they're doing. Ain't no one mad.

You realize that "wrote" and "composed" are pretty much the same thing, they way you're using them. He didn't write it alone either. Lionel Richie had equal share in writing that song. It was a truly collaborative effort. Lionel was just as much in his prime at that point as MJ was, too.

MJ isn't alive. It'd be a little creepy to put his vocals in something he did 25 years ago, just for the sake of having him in there - after his death. It'd be a cheap ploy, and they'd instantly be accused of milking his death for some attention. So the idea of him being in there is moot. This is a NEW version, ergo no MJ.

Creativity gone? Not really. "We Are The World" isn't the first song to be covered, or remade, not by a long shot.

I wonder who they'll get to say "no" in Prince's place this time around.

ernestsewell said:

LOL...Im gonna tell you a secret, Mj nearly wrote and composed the entire song and his demo proves what i'm saying, lionel added and edited few lyrics and guess what? Mj gave him songwriting credits for that.....

I will not get into this subject anymore, its been recreated for a good cause and thats good thing, I wanted an entire new song, but time of creativity is obviously gone.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

That's all conjecture, and there's no basis of truth for any of it.

seeingvoices12 said:

I'm not mad

I just don't find all the bitching necessary. It's a recreation so they're going to add different artists. The end. Get over it

seeingvoices12 said:

You don't tell me anything, son. MJ wasn't the only writer on that. He has a demo of it, but that doesn't mean he is the sole writer of it. Don't fool yourself. I love MJ as much as anyone, but you have to give credit where credit is due, in lieu of being an ass kisser. Those of us who were around, and old enough to remember what the whole story was, still remember it quite well. You have no big unearthed secret to share on that one.

midiscover said:

Bingo.

ernestsewell said:

thick head

when you learn to respect others and musical debates then quote my posts , other than that im not intertested to talk with you, learn to respect other opinions even if they were wrong...

seeingvoices12 said:

When you can talk in plain English, I'm all for it. I do respect you, even as much as you've been wrong in this thread. See?

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Lies.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

An example of great civilized response....thanks for that.
[Edited 2/2/10 9:25am]