ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

Oh shit...

HAHAHA! We were talking about Freddie Jackson, and then Jay said THAT! hahaha

Ohhhh I see.

SherryJackson said:

Timmy84 said:

If it's any consolation Timmy...I didn't listen to it....it's just in my iTunes. Haven't had the chance to all day

A little.

WHO THE HELL is talking in this "Hollywood Tonight" song? Was that Teddy?

ViintageJunkiie said:

WHO THE HELL is talking in this "Hollywood Tonight" song? Was that Teddy?

I ain't listened but that's reportedly Tarryl Jackson.

Timmy84 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

WHO THE HELL is talking in this "Hollywood Tonight" song? Was that Teddy?

I ain't listened but that's reportedly Tarryl Jackson.

It just took me a minute to figure out who Tarryl is lol .. I'm listening to Keep Your Head up...Sounds like MJ on this one

Keep Your Head Up is using these damn copy and paste "WHOOO!"s from the climax of Earth Song

[Edited 12/6/10 13:14pm]

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

I ain't listened but that's reportedly Tarryl Jackson.

It just took me a minute to figure out who Tarryl is lol .. I'm listening to Keep Your Head up...Sounds like MJ on this one

Keep Your Head Up is using these damn copy and paste "WHOOO!"s from the climax of Earth Song

[Edited 12/6/10 13:14pm]

That was one of the "Cascio songs" that I was like "this COULD be Michael..." I didn't rule it out completely.

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

I ain't listened but that's reportedly Tarryl Jackson.

It just took me a minute to figure out who Tarryl is lol .. I'm listening to Keep Your Head up...Sounds like MJ on this one

Keep Your Head Up is using these damn copy and paste "WHOOO!"s from the climax of Earth Song

[Edited 12/6/10 13:14pm]

You didn't hear the earlier leak of "Keep Your Head Up"? It had even more Earth Song adlibs, the whole "WHATTTTT ABOUT APATHY" parts. I'm happy they took them out, it sounded ridiculous.

Militant said:

EmeraldSkies said:

how are you guys hearing it already?

because it leaked to the interneterwebz. thousands of people are sharing the whole album on torrent trackers already.... and I've seen it on a whole buncha blogs and download sites too.

regarding "Behind The Mask", I love the music on the Greg Phillinganes version too, but I like this new version just as much. It's pretty faithful to the original music but modernised.

A leak of the original version would be cool, though. I wonder if it's possible to make a mashup of the two.

What's going on with that fake crowd noise, though?! So awkward.

Militant said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

It just took me a minute to figure out who Tarryl is lol .. I'm listening to Keep Your Head up...Sounds like MJ on this one

Keep Your Head Up is using these damn copy and paste "WHOOO!"s from the climax of Earth Song

[Edited 12/6/10 13:14pm]

You didn't hear the earlier leak of "Keep Your Head Up"? It had even more Earth Song adlibs, the whole "WHATTTTT ABOUT APATHY" parts. I'm happy they took them out, it sounded ridiculous.

Oh yeah I remember the early leak with that part, but THIS one seems to mesh a little better than randomly asking about elephants ..

piepie1976 said:

Militant said:

because it leaked to the interneterwebz. thousands of people are sharing the whole album on torrent trackers already.... and I've seen it on a whole buncha blogs and download sites too.

regarding "Behind The Mask", I love the music on the Greg Phillinganes version too, but I like this new version just as much. It's pretty faithful to the original music but modernised.

A leak of the original version would be cool, though. I wonder if it's possible to make a mashup of the two.

What's going on with that fake crowd noise, though?! So awkward.

I love Behind The Mask, but I think they added too much to it. I know the original 1982 version MJ did didn't have that much production to it

Young Mike workin' in the studio :

Timmy84 said:

I ain't about to cave under pressure. I'm waiting to get it!

Me too - I'm dying - but will wait til Friday and get the official version so I can sit and soak it up while looking at the liner notes, the artwork, etc. I want the full experience.

silverchild said:

Young Mike workin' in the studio :

Awwww what a cutie.

silverchild said:

Young Mike workin' in the studio :

Swa said:

Timmy84 said:

I ain't about to cave under pressure. I'm waiting to get it!

Me too - I'm dying - but will wait til Friday and get the official version so I can sit and soak it up while looking at the liner notes, the artwork, etc. I want the full experience.

I made up my mind to buy the album after hearing the snippets of "Best of Joy" and "Behind the Mask".

silverchild said:

Young Mike workin' in the studio :

Woah hold up! Widescreen screencaps. But from what exactly?

I've never seen this before. the quality looks interesting as did that Hollywood palace footage from 1969 that turned up the other week. Is there a J5 DVD on it's way?

So question to those who have the leaked tracks - are you still going to buy the album?

In this day of illegal downloads and album sales in decline - do you even care about the physical product once it is loaded in your itunes?

And with the album leaking a full week before it's release - will album sales suffer as a result?

Marrk said:

silverchild said:

Young Mike workin' in the studio :

Woah hold up! Widescreen screencaps. But from what exactly?

I've never seen this before. the quality looks interesting as did that Hollywood palace footage from 1969 that turned up the other week. Is there a J5 DVD on it's way?

These pics do look great.

I don't know about a J5 DVD, but I do know that there is a documentary coming out about the J5's 1974 visit to Africa, which looks promising. They should get the DVD treatment just like The Temptations, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and Rick James got. Wonder what's taking them so long????

Just incase this suffered from "I post at night while you all sleep".

------

A few things that jumped out of me from the Joe Vogel review.

>> Hollywood Tonight

Definitely an album highlight. The song begins with a haunting Gothic church choir, before transforming into an energetic dance stomper. I'm not too keen on the spoken parts (performed by nephew, Taryll Jackson), but clearly there were places in the song Michael hadn't filled yet. The track features Michael in a notably deeper voice, and concludes with military-style whistling. As Ellen displayed on her show last week, the song will get people up and moving.

^^ Could it be a case of sour grapes that he didn't get to sing on the other tracks that prompted the whole "it's not Michael" debate?

>> Keep Your Head Up

Narrates the life of an ordinary woman "looking for the hope in the empty promises." The song is well-suited to the current economic climate and will likely resonate with many listeners. The back half of the song offers a classic MJ crescendo, with the gospel choir providing the lift and communal strength the woman needs to keep going. (Fans will be happy to know the "Earth Song" ad libs heard on a leaked version of the track were removed.)

^^ I'm glad I didn't listen to the leaked version as it turned out to be what I expected - a potential fan concoction with some cut and paste.

Monster

A blistering rhythm track that probably hits harder than any song on the album. Features a rap solo by 50 Cent, guitar work by Orianthi, and excellent production by Teddy Riley. As Jackson holds a mirror up to society, asking us to observe the distorted reflection, I couldn't help but picture the horrifying scene of paparazzi shoving their cameras up against the ambulance carrying him to the hospital. "Everywhere you seem to turn there's a monster," he sings. "Paparazzi got you scared like a monster." Some reviewers continue to dismiss songs like this as petty "ranting" and "paranoia," but this is some deft social criticism for those who look beyond the surface. It has all the makings of a hit single.

^^ Most pleased to see her get a chance to play on record with MJ even if it is this way.

(I Can't Make It) Another Day

Originally recorded by Jackson and Lenny Kravitz in 1999 at the legendary Marvin's Room Studio, the track has Michael summoning a cosmic power over a rugged, industrial funk beat and a soaring chorus. This is an example, however, of the new version sounding more like a Kravitz tribute to Jackson, rather than a Jackson track. In the original, Jackson's vocals are less overwhelmed by the drums and guitar, allowing him to convey the full mystery and wonder of the lyrics. Kravitz's update isn't too different, but enough to change the feel of the song. It still rocks, but in a different way than the original.

^^ Ok NOW I want the original as well.

If for no other reason than documenting history, then, it would seem worthwhile to release the originals/demos as well (perhaps as bonus tracks or a supplementary album), even if they aren't perfectly polished or updated.

^^ Now that would be a stroke of genius - I can hear Sony thinking about releasing a deluxe edition soon enough.

The album is a mess.

BabyBeMine said:

The parts on "Hollywood Tonight" that MJ didnt finish and instead was replaced by the talking, i think would have sounded better just using a rapper and continued the flow of the song.

The talking slows the song down when it was rolling. Should have put 50 cents on Hollywood Tonight

I rebuke this!

silverchild said:

Young Mike workin' in the studio :

How precious.... Ya, I second the wish for a new J5 DVD. I WANT A TOUR DVD though... Is that even possible?

I'm gonna say this and I refuse to this

Teddy throwin' shade at John McCain and his production is BS. John PUT HIS FOOT.....

ya hear me....HIS FOOT ALL UP IN "Behind The Mask" and he did a great job with Much Too Soon

with that said.....I've been 50/50 when it comes to his estate. I applaud for what they've done on the financial front....

but when it comes to releasing material....it's been a disappointment since This Is It

Branca said they have Off The Wall Deluxe coming and then at least one more album of unreleased material

WHAT?! These muthafuckers have at least 100 songs unreleased. Them bitches better stop fuckin' around and release a boxset of material

They'd probably do it after the contract's up.

It's a shame. Even Motown released great deluxe edition issues of Marvin's albums, which IMHO, bolstered Marvin's profile even more than before. It reminded folks how deeply gifted and talented Marvin was and is.

Seems Epic and 'em can't do that for Michael.

bboy87 said:

BabyBeMine said:

The parts on "Hollywood Tonight" that MJ didnt finish and instead was replaced by the talking, i think would have sounded better just using a rapper and continued the flow of the song.

The talking slows the song down when it was rolling. Should have put 50 cents on Hollywood Tonight

I rebuke this!

So you like the talking. Im just picturing a club playing this and ppl on the floor are grooving and all of a sudden the talking ruins it. I guess they could play it in a mix and switch to a different song before it gets to that part.

It doesnt have to be 50 cents. Just a rapper who keeps it flowing without the song slowing down

Swa said:

So question to those who have the leaked tracks - are you still going to buy the album?

In this day of illegal downloads and album sales in decline - do you even care about the physical product once it is loaded in your itunes?

And with the album leaking a full week before it's release - will album sales suffer as a result?

Yes. I pre-ordered it a few weeks back and I'm not cancelling my pre-order. That's why I don't feel bad about downloading the leak.

The physical disc will most likely never get played, I don't remember the last time I played an actual audio CD. But, I want the liner notes, booklet, etc.

However, I am waiting for an uncompressed FLAC rip to load into my MediaMonkey audio library (fuck itunes)...... most likely this will hit the net in the next few days on the private audiophile torrent trackers like What.CD (of which I thankfully am a member, it's damn hard to get an invite lol).

Yeah, sales will be hurt by the leak, but no more than anyone else. It's a fairly late leak compared to most albums actually.

Illegal downloading as a whole is actually on a slump, due to the rise in amazing legal stream services like Spotify, and YouTube partnerships with labels. The benefit of this is that it's free for the end user, but the artist still gets paid (not as much as a purchase of music, but obviously more than an illegal download lol) and the artist and label have access to all the statistics which is a good thing.

Taryll just tweeted:

I've always admired the talent of Teddy Riley, but after hearing him lie on Oprah I am terribly disappointed.

bboy87 said:

John McCain PUT HIS FOOT ALL UP IN "Behind The Mask" and he did a great job with Much Too Soon.

Would be interesting to hear what McCain did with Breaking News - but guess we never will.

Also as far as another unreleased album - I think one more is doable - and then the rest will be either "duets", or expanded editions of previous releases.

It's a balancing act between preserving the legacy already in the existing releases and showcasing what else was explored.

Eventually a master box set should be released but it will be a die-hard fan offering much like The Ultimate Collection and not something most will get into. Thus they will focus on what releases have broader appeal before doing niche offerings like that.

BabyBeMine said:

bboy87 said:

I rebuke this!

So you like the talking. Im just picturing a club playing this and ppl on the floor are grooving and all of a sudden the talking ruins it. I guess they could play it in a mix and switch to a different song before it gets to that part.

It doesnt have to be 50 cents. Just a rapper who keeps it flowing without the song slowing down

1. They can always do a radio edit/single mix

2. I actually do like the talking, it gives a certain atmosphere to the song

3. I don't think a rapper is needed on the track

There's more than enough material to do a few more albums without having to resort to doing a "duets" album.

The following all need an official release, perhaps with some minor tasteful remixing in certain cases:

Blue Gangster

Slave To The Rhythm

Do You Know

Strawberry Fields Forever

Al Capone

A Pretty Face Is (Duet with Stevie Wonder recorded for Stevie's "Characters" album)

Angel (recorded in 1988, written by Babyface, it has to be a finished song since it was scheduled for a compilation at one stage)

Bassouille (was considered for HIStory but didn't make the cut)

Belong 2 (was scheduled to be on Invincible but didn't make the final cut)

Bottle Of Smoke (recorded for Dangerous)

Do You Love Me (known to have been finished by MJ and Babyface)

Love Never Felt So Good

Eaten Alive (MJ vocal demo of the song later released by Diana Ross)

Get Around (finished for Invincible, didn't make the cut)

Groove Of Midnight

Hot Street

If You Don't Love Me

Serious Effect

Xscape

Maybe We Can Do It (recorded with P.Diddy for the Invincible album)

Men In Black

Michael McKellar

Nightline

On My Anger (recorded for Invincible)

Pressure

Rolling The Dice

Secret Passage

Seduction

Seven Digits

She's Trouble

There Must Be More To Life Than This (with Freddie Mercury)

This Is Our Time

Satisfy You

Victory

What You Do To Me

Work That Body

Innocent Man

Neverland Landing

and these are just SOME of the ones that we know about - there are undoubtedly many others that we don't know about including the ones done with RedOne and Will.I.Am (Will probably won't ever consent to releasing his stuff but RedOne might).

If we assume 10 songs per album, that's already 4 full albums right there, most of which are full completed songs or ones that could be finished in the same way that "Hollywood Tonight" and "Much Too Soon" were finished.