ViintageJunkiie said:

Am I the only one that can't stand Billie Jean now? I cringe when I hear the song play. I guess it's because everyone played it out once MJ passed

I kind of know what you mean. Its one of those songs thats played too much. I liken it to P's purple rain(both these songs i'm not very keen on but I love them when they're both done live).

Claire73 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

Am I the only one that can't stand Billie Jean now? I cringe when I hear the song play. I guess it's because everyone played it out once MJ passed

I kind of know what you mean. Its one of those songs thats played too much. I liken it to P's purple rain(both these songs i'm not very keen on but I love them when they're both done live).

I still love "Billie Jean" It's one of those classic songs that will never sound old or dated.I never get tired of hearing it.

That's the one song I'll NEVER get over. "Billie Jean" remains the song I HAVE to play. Fuck it. As long of a fan I've been of Michael, I'll never get tired of it. NEVER FUCKING EVER!

Timmy84 said:

That's the one song I'll NEVER get over. "Billie Jean" remains the song I HAVE to play. Fuck it. As long of a fan I've been of Michael, I'll never get tired of it. NEVER FUCKING EVER!

AMEN! I'll never get over that song.Everything about it is perfect.The haunting mood and synthesizers...Michael's awesome vocal delivery....that memorable,intoxicating bassline.It really is Michael's signature tune.I was hooked on in 1983 and I'm still hooked on it all these years later.

Pro Audio from Tokyo 1988

Tired of Billie Jean?

Never.

It's one of the songs that still feels fresh when played today.

Billie Jean is genius! Never get tired of that one!

What do you guys think of the Kenye West remix?

bboy87 said:

Pro Audio from Tokyo 1988

Wow that must be directly from the soundboard. No crowd noise at all until the silent parts where it bleeds into the mics a little. Would love to hear the whole show in this manner.

WildStyle said:

bboy87 said:

Pro Audio from Tokyo 1988

Wow that must be directly from the soundboard. No crowd noise at all until the silent parts where it bleeds into the mics a little. Would love to hear the whole show in this manner.

Someone got their hands on the concert and although they're not sharing the video, they let some of the audio out

Hopefully they'll change their mind and leak the video

SoulAlive said:

Claire73 said:

I kind of know what you mean. Its one of those songs thats played too much. I liken it to P's purple rain(both these songs i'm not very keen on but I love them when they're both done live).

I still love "Billie Jean" It's one of those classic songs that will never sound old or dated.I never get tired of hearing it.

I feel the same way. Sure "Billie Jean" has been overplayed to death, but it is an absolute classic. I've never heard anything like it. It still sounds as fresh as ever. I really think it's one of the best pop songs i've ever heard. I mean from the haunting bassline to the lyrics to MJ's vocals. It's perfection. I could never hate that song.

I'm sure in a few weeks, i'll be over my "Billie Jean is played out" phase, but I just can't tolerate the song right now. lol

(Video footage) NeYo sings "Thriller" and "DSTYGE" at 4:42. He even admits that he DOESN'T KNOW THE WORDS! How on earth do you NOT know the lyrics?!

[Edited 7/19/10 23:02pm]

[Edited 7/19/10 23:02pm]

Ne-Yo, go back to the drawing board sucka.

As for "Billie Jean", saying you're tired of that song is like saying you're tired of breathing. No offense but that's how it sounds to me.

It´s not that I don´t like Billie Jean, but I also hardly ever listen to it.

Timmy84 said:

Ne-Yo, go back to the drawing board sucka.

As for "Billie Jean", saying you're tired of that song is like saying you're tired of breathing. No offense but that's how it sounds to me.

OFFENSE TAKEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ME!

Seriously, when I hear Billie Jean, I be like "UGH!" lol. It just needs to rest from me .. A lot of these so called "MJ Fans" only play the "popular" songs like Billie Jean and Bad .. and Billie Jean was the song that I just kept hearing over and over during the 1 year anniversary, especially since that was pretty much the ONLY song my neighbor kept playing lol

When I play my MJ songs (All 201 of them, including demos and NOT including music with the Jacksons), I put it on shuffle, but my neighbor (who was NEVER playing MJ until he passed) seems to have about 8 MJ songs that he plays

1. Billie Jean

2. Beat It

3. Man In The Mirror

4. Smooth Criminal

5. You Rock My World

6. One More Chance

7. Bad

8. Thriller

Somehow Billie Jean is the most frequently played song.

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

Ne-Yo, go back to the drawing board sucka.

As for "Billie Jean", saying you're tired of that song is like saying you're tired of breathing. No offense but that's how it sounds to me.

OFFENSE TAKEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ME!

Seriously, when I hear Billie Jean, I be like "UGH!" lol. It just needs to rest from me .. A lot of these so called "MJ Fans" only play the "popular" songs like Billie Jean and Bad .. and Billie Jean was the song that I just kept hearing over and over during the 1 year anniversary, especially since that was pretty much the ONLY song my neighbor kept playing lol

When I play my MJ songs (All 201 of them, including demos and NOT including music with the Jacksons), I put it on shuffle, but my neighbor (who was NEVER playing MJ until he passed) seems to have about 8 MJ songs that he plays

1. Billie Jean

2. Beat It

3. Man In The Mirror

4. Smooth Criminal

5. You Rock My World

6. One More Chance

7. Bad

8. Thriller

Somehow Billie Jean is the most frequently played song.

I knew that was coming.

Most part I've played his Motown material and his Jacksons material and post-Thriller and pre-Thriller (Off the Wall) stuff and more songs like "Human Nature" and "Lady in My Life" rather than the obvious hits from "Thriller".

That's why in retrospect I don't grow tired of it. Plus it's easy to grow tired of a song when you hear it on the radio.

That's why I don't have it on lol

Timmy84 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

OFFENSE TAKEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ME!

Seriously, when I hear Billie Jean, I be like "UGH!" lol. It just needs to rest from me .. A lot of these so called "MJ Fans" only play the "popular" songs like Billie Jean and Bad .. and Billie Jean was the song that I just kept hearing over and over during the 1 year anniversary, especially since that was pretty much the ONLY song my neighbor kept playing lol

When I play my MJ songs (All 201 of them, including demos and NOT including music with the Jacksons), I put it on shuffle, but my neighbor (who was NEVER playing MJ until he passed) seems to have about 8 MJ songs that he plays

1. Billie Jean

2. Beat It

3. Man In The Mirror

4. Smooth Criminal

5. You Rock My World

6. One More Chance

7. Bad

8. Thriller

Somehow Billie Jean is the most frequently played song.

I knew that was coming.

Most part I've played his Motown material and his Jacksons material and post-Thriller and pre-Thriller (Off the Wall) stuff and more songs like "Human Nature" and "Lady in My Life" rather than the obvious hits from "Thriller".

That's why in retrospect I don't grow tired of it. Plus it's easy to grow tired of a song when you hear it on the radio.

That's why I don't have it on lol

That's the thing, the obvious hits is what bothers me because i can pretty much expect people to play them. I've NEVER in my life pulled up next to a car playing something like "Someone Put Your Hand Out" or something like "DS". everything is so predictable

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

I knew that was coming.

Most part I've played his Motown material and his Jacksons material and post-Thriller and pre-Thriller (Off the Wall) stuff and more songs like "Human Nature" and "Lady in My Life" rather than the obvious hits from "Thriller".

That's why in retrospect I don't grow tired of it. Plus it's easy to grow tired of a song when you hear it on the radio.

That's why I don't have it on lol

That's the thing, the obvious hits is what bothers me because i can pretty much expect people to play them. I've NEVER in my life pulled up next to a car playing something like "Someone Put Your Hand Out" or something like "DS". everything is so predictable

I think it's up to us to bring to life the OTHER MJ songs people don't play.

The brother got a lot of great shit, we should promote it too lol

Timmy84 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

That's the thing, the obvious hits is what bothers me because i can pretty much expect people to play them. I've NEVER in my life pulled up next to a car playing something like "Someone Put Your Hand Out" or something like "DS". everything is so predictable

I think it's up to us to bring to life the OTHER MJ songs people don't play.

The brother got a lot of great shit, we should promote it too lol

Thats what I be trying to do .. I had a friend of mine come over, and "Starlight" was playing .. he said "WTF IS THIS?!!" I said "oh, just the ORIGINAL VERSION OF THRILLER" he was in shock because he didn't know anything about the demos .. I sat there and played all the demos from MJ's different album sessions .. he was like "damn you got songs ive never even heard of" .. exposing people to new/old music, one song at a time

*Superhero pose with the wind blowing through my cape*

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

I think it's up to us to bring to life the OTHER MJ songs people don't play.

The brother got a lot of great shit, we should promote it too lol

Thats what I be trying to do .. I had a friend of mine come over, and "Starlight" was playing .. he said "WTF IS THIS?!!" I said "oh, just the ORIGINAL VERSION OF THRILLER" he was in shock because he didn't know anything about the demos .. I sat there and played all the demos from MJ's different album sessions .. he was like "damn you got songs ive never even heard of" .. exposing people to new/old music, one song at a time

*Superhero pose with the wind blowing through my cape*

Cool.

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

Ne-Yo, go back to the drawing board sucka.

As for "Billie Jean", saying you're tired of that song is like saying you're tired of breathing. No offense but that's how it sounds to me.

OFFENSE TAKEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ME!

Seriously, when I hear Billie Jean, I be like "UGH!" lol. It just needs to rest from me .. A lot of these so called "MJ Fans" only play the "popular" songs like Billie Jean and Bad .. and Billie Jean was the song that I just kept hearing over and over during the 1 year anniversary, especially since that was pretty much the ONLY song my neighbor kept playing lol

When I play my MJ songs (All 201 of them, including demos and NOT including music with the Jacksons), I put it on shuffle, but my neighbor (who was NEVER playing MJ until he passed) seems to have about 8 MJ songs that he plays

1. Billie Jean

2. Beat It

3. Man In The Mirror

4. Smooth Criminal

5. You Rock My World

6. One More Chance

7. Bad

8. Thriller

Somehow Billie Jean is the most frequently played song.

That reminds me of the This Is It premiere and how when they'd the celebrities what was their favorite song, it would usually be "Oh.....um.....Billie Jean" or Beat It or Rock With You or Thriller

That whole event was a fuckin' sham to me (I was surprised Quincy Jones wasn't there but the Kardashians were )

I would've been like "Oh, my favorite? I've been listening to Morphine and Get On The Floor right now but my all time favorite is Another Part Of Me although Take Me Back is the jam...."

bboy87 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

OFFENSE TAKEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ME!

Seriously, when I hear Billie Jean, I be like "UGH!" lol. It just needs to rest from me .. A lot of these so called "MJ Fans" only play the "popular" songs like Billie Jean and Bad .. and Billie Jean was the song that I just kept hearing over and over during the 1 year anniversary, especially since that was pretty much the ONLY song my neighbor kept playing lol

When I play my MJ songs (All 201 of them, including demos and NOT including music with the Jacksons), I put it on shuffle, but my neighbor (who was NEVER playing MJ until he passed) seems to have about 8 MJ songs that he plays

1. Billie Jean

2. Beat It

3. Man In The Mirror

4. Smooth Criminal

5. You Rock My World

6. One More Chance

7. Bad

8. Thriller

Somehow Billie Jean is the most frequently played song.

That reminds me of the This Is It premiere and how when they'd the celebrities what was their favorite song, it would usually be "Oh.....um.....Billie Jean" or Beat It or Rock With You or Thriller

That whole event was a fuckin' sham to me (I was surprised Quincy Jones wasn't there but the Kardashians were )

I would've been like "Oh, my favorite? I've been listening to Morphine and Get On The Floor right now but my all time favorite is Another Part Of Me although Take Me Back is the jam...."

If it was me:

"My favorite, I have been listening to "Someone Put Your Hand Out" daily and "Blues Away" but "We're Almost There" is almost delicious to me."

Reporter:

bboy87 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

OFFENSE TAKEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ME!

Seriously, when I hear Billie Jean, I be like "UGH!" lol. It just needs to rest from me .. A lot of these so called "MJ Fans" only play the "popular" songs like Billie Jean and Bad .. and Billie Jean was the song that I just kept hearing over and over during the 1 year anniversary, especially since that was pretty much the ONLY song my neighbor kept playing lol

When I play my MJ songs (All 201 of them, including demos and NOT including music with the Jacksons), I put it on shuffle, but my neighbor (who was NEVER playing MJ until he passed) seems to have about 8 MJ songs that he plays

1. Billie Jean

2. Beat It

3. Man In The Mirror

4. Smooth Criminal

5. You Rock My World

6. One More Chance

7. Bad

8. Thriller

Somehow Billie Jean is the most frequently played song.

That reminds me of the This Is It premiere and how when they'd the celebrities what was their favorite song, it would usually be "Oh.....um.....Billie Jean" or Beat It or Rock With You or Thriller

That whole event was a fuckin' sham to me (I was surprised Quincy Jones wasn't there but the Kardashians were )

I would've been like "Oh, my favorite? I've been listening to Morphine and Get On The Floor right now but my all time favorite is Another Part Of Me although Take Me Back is the jam...."

RIGHT! That's how I would be

*This Is It world premiere*

Reporter: I love Michael Jackson's music like everyone else. What's your favorite Michael song?

Me: You know, lately I've been jamming to "2Bad" and "Monkey Business", but "Another Part of Me" will always be my favorite

Reporter: What is "2Bad" and "Monkey Business"?

Me: *walks away shaking my head*

Timmy84 said:

I adore this song. I also don´t listen to Mike´s hits. I play either the old Jacksons jams like this, or Mike´s rare stuff like "Someone put your hand out" etc.

Just giving this a bump incase it was a victim of the "last post on page 18 curse". Would love to hear all your thoughts on this classic album.

Swa said:

- LETS TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC -

So I was thinking about over the next several weeks we look at and discuss an album of Michaels (one a week) so as to focus our collective energies on the thing that made us a fan in the first part; the music.

So I was thinking starting each Sunday we work our way through Michael's solo work starting with Off The Wall (and yes I know he released solo work on Motown, but OTW was where he was his own artist).

So to kick things off here are my thoughts. I know BBoy and Timmie and others all have similar pieces and would love to read them as well as reading your thoughts (yes YOU) on the album.

~ Off The Wall ~

In 1979 as the disco years were winding to a close, Michael Jackson made his mark as a solo artist. With greater confidence in his writing and production, (evident with his brother’s on Destiny) Jackson embarked on an album that would see him present himself as a serious (adult) male performer. 

A lot has been said and written about the impact of Off The Wall, and listening to it today it’s easy to gloss over just how fresh and innovative this album was for the times. Not only was it reflective of the funk, soul and disco vibe that was building in his work but it also offered hope for an artist on the cusp of a new decade of growth.

With its percussive and bass intro, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough beckons the listener in as Michael delivers his spoken intro. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this 15 second intro is that you don’t know where the song is going to go. Then with what would become a trademark scream the music comes to life with a driving beat, lush strings, and teasing guitar. Michael’s falsetto is flawless on this track. Dripping and smooth the lead and background vocals draw out phrases and add accents in a way that is immediately catchy. With each passing verse and chorus the intensity of the song builds to the bridge, and the song steps up to another level. Much love and dedication is given to the delivery and arrangement of this song, with strings countering each other, and that non-stop wall of percussion that just shuffles the song along.

The more traditional disco groove of Rock With You allows Michael’s voice to float through the verses in anticipation of a driving chorus. Again the production and arrangement sees Quincy Jones bring his ability to sew together hints of jazz with a funk groove, all topped with Jackson singing with a sense of joy and excitement.

With the gear shifted to funk Jackson delivers the frenetic and hurried Workin’ Day and Night. And his falsetto delivers the vocal with ease as he expresses frustration at not getting the good loving he craves. With blasting horns and piano stabs the track is a dizzy hypnotic journey that is too good to sit still to.

The bass work on Get On The Floor is second to none as Louis Johnson (co-writer on the track) runs his hands all over the fret board in a flurry of funk. With a sparse arrangement of just bass, strings and vocals (later embellished with overdubs of guitars and horns in subsequent pressings) the song is just pure energy. Mixing his upper and mid voice, Michael delivers the vocals with a sense of abandon and teases out the lines. At the breakdown Jackson uses his voice as percussion, whispering and grunting as the section builds and builds to its climax. The joy of this album is evident completely in this track especially at the 3:38 mark where Jackson laughs caught in the moment. A spontaneous moment that in later years would have been removed and sacrificed for a more polished take.

The groove doesn’t let up as another party jam springs to life in the shape of Off The Wall. Layered with musical and vocal hooks, Michael’s own harmonies leave his brothers in their dust. Rich and velvety the vocal performance just oozes off the record.

Girlfriend, penned by Paul McCartney, has Michael taking on Paul’s trademark arrangements and “woo hoos” and making them his own. With its pop sensibilities on full display the track sounds terribly dated now.

Heartbreak hasn’t been captured on record quite like it is on She’s Out Of My Life. From the melodramatic string intro, to the crying guitar licks the song goes for the heartstrings from the first beat. Showing maturity in his vocals Michael delivers an impassioned performance complete with real tears and a break in the voice – sincere in the recording, more showman on stage SOOML became a staple ballad for many tours.

With its jazz feel I Can’t Help It has Jackson taking a Stevie Wonder penned track and making you forget who wrote it from the first refrain. With such ease Jackson’s voice trails up and down his register, scats here and there and then soars the closing minute before floating back down to earth. If anyone ever questions Michael’s ability to sing – this is the track to leave them awestruck.

It’s The Falling in Love is pop at its best. Dueting with Patti Austin, Michael blends the soul of R&B with a pop sensibility. And employing a technique he would use time and time again with his duets, Jackson puts his vocals on par with Patti to the point where the casual listener may forget the song is actually a duet.

Closing the record with Burn This Disco Out not only signalled an end of an era but also hinted to the future. Thankfully because it is infused more with funk than disco the song holds up fairly well to this day. Again Jackson sings with a sense of joy and energy that makes the whole album such a fan favourite.

Held by many as his shining moment as an R&B artist, Off The Wall sounds just as vibrant 30 years later as it did the first time it was played.

Swa

THIS is my jam

ViintageJunkiie said:

bboy87 said:

That reminds me of the This Is It premiere and how when they'd the celebrities what was their favorite song, it would usually be "Oh.....um.....Billie Jean" or Beat It or Rock With You or Thriller

That whole event was a fuckin' sham to me (I was surprised Quincy Jones wasn't there but the Kardashians were )

I would've been like "Oh, my favorite? I've been listening to Morphine and Get On The Floor right now but my all time favorite is Another Part Of Me although Take Me Back is the jam...."

RIGHT! That's how I would be

*This Is It world premiere*

Reporter: I love Michael Jackson's music like everyone else. What's your favorite Michael song?

Me: You know, lately I've been jamming to "2Bad" and "Monkey Business", but "Another Part of Me" will always be my favorite

Reporter: What is "2Bad" and "Monkey Business"?

Me: *walks away shaking my head*

That's my #2.

I understand how you feel about Billie Jean. Even before last year, you'd rarely ever hear me blast anything from Thriller except Human Nature, Baby Be Mine, Startin' Somethin', PYT, and Lady In My Life. I've always been the opposite of everyone else: The well-known MJ songs that were most people's favorites have been the tracks I usually skip past to listen to my favorites, lol.

^ Like I said earlier, the brother had like 100 songs before and after "Billie Jean". It's real easy for me to ignore that one lol