Militant said:

Y'all hear Birchey's "reimagining" remix of "Hollywood Tonight"?

Blown.the.fuck.away. This shit is HEAT!!!!!!! THIS is how the song should have sounded!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/...7b6a4monj7

It's decent.

JACKIE JACKSON, MANDALAY BAY HEAD DISCUSS MICHAEL JACKSON PLANS

Michael Jackson’s older brother Jackie Jackson is convinced that the late King of Pop is fully supportive of all the Cirque du Soleil show developments and the two productions set for Mandalay Bay starting in December. “He’s definitely watching over this. He’s going to be alive in everybody’s minds for all the years to come now. He lives on,” Jackie said.

“Michael would have loved what’s going on now for his legacy. He always loved the business and the entertainment all his life. He loved the flash. He loved Las Vegas. He loved Cirque and saw every Cirque show they produced.

“I still remember the very first Cirque that came out. He called and told me, ‘Jackie, you’ve got to see this show.’ And he flew me out, and we saw the show together and from then on he saw every show. He loved Guy (Laliberte), the Cirque founder, and the whole Cirque show family. He loved them, so he really wanted to be a part of them. … He’s a part of it right now with these shows. It all fulfills his own dreams, and I believe he knows all about this and would be very proud and happy with it.”

Jackie told me that the first Michael Jackson: Immortal show that arrives at Mandalay Bay on Dec. 3 is a traveling rock concert spectacular. “The second show will be permanently housed at Mandalay Bay. They will be completely different in the way they look and feel, even though Michael’s songs will be the same.

Photo: Darrin Bush/Las Vegas News Bureau

Daniel Lamarre, president and CEO of Cirque du Soleil; Chuck Bowling, president and COO of Mandalay Bay; Jackie Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson; John Branca, co-executor of The Michael Jackson Estate; and Jamie King, writer and director of Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, at Mandalay Bay on April 27, 2011.

“Obviously, because people want the hits in both. I can’t get into the other show right now because there’s going to be surprises about it, and I don’t want to give anything away. All kinds of things will be going on with the permanent show and the memorabilia zone.”

His line of leather jackets from Michael’s own designs will be launched in about five weeks on Amazon and will be among items for sale in the Michael Jackson Zone to be opened at Mandalay Bay.

Mandalay Bay President Chuck Bowling is the executive who has to reconfigure his hotel gaming floor for the Michael Jackson invasion.

“We have a reputation around the world for providing the best in dining, the best in nightlife and for many, many years have provided the highest quality of entertainment. Our sister MGM resort hotels are homes to the most successful entertainment brands in the world largely due to our partnership with the creative geniuses at Cirque De Soleil. We are ready for this. We are confident of its success, and we know Michael Jackson will be at Mandalay forever.

“Simply put, there’s a Cirque show for every kind of fan. In recent years, Cirque has partnered with such powerful bands as The Beatles and Elvis Presley, and that left only one other … who could join this extraordinary group -- Michael Jackson!

“We’re honored that the relationship here at Mandalay Bay will ensure it is home for all things Michael Jackson. … Michael stood in a category all his own. Over his lifetime, he achieved and sustained a level of success that transcended any one genre or any one audience. Michael is an international icon renowned for his music, his dance, his mystique and his style.

“The world lost an extraordinary entertainer, but through the eyes of the creative geniuses at Cirque De Soleil, Michael will now live on in many new ways, for new audiences for years to come. That’s a wonderful gift to us all. We look forward to welcoming the world here in the coming months and years to enjoy experiences unlike anything Las Vegas has seen before.”

And the incredible logistics involved? Cirque will keep the 1,800-seat Lion King Theater when they move in Dec. 31, but everything else changes. “We’ve begun thinking about the process of putting all three elements together: theater, interactive space, the MJ Zone with the ultra lounge and retail. The logistics of it are still in design. … We’ll clearly create an amazing experience inside of the showroom that we’re starting to define now.

“So far, we have not developed a firm budget -- not even really a tentative budget. We’ve got ideas in the background, but it wouldn’t be accurate to quote you anything, but we’re working on that. Certainly multi-, multi-million dollars. We’re only going to do the right thing, like Cirque and MGM resorts have always done: always first class. Add the Michael Jackson element, it can only be one thing, which is top-of-the-line first class.

“We are very excited about all the Michael Jackson elements that will elevate the total brand of Mandalay Bay. We know it will further our entertainment footprint not only in Las Vegas but also all over the world. This is an important message that Las Vegas is more than alive and well. … This will bring hope.”

Vegas DeLuxe tomorrow continues the interviews with the Cirque and MGM executives planning the two shows with a sit-down with writer, director and choreographer Jamie King and his status with the touring Immortal. On Thursday, it’s a wrap with Cirque President Daniel Lamarre.

DIRECTOR JAMIE KING REVEALS SECRETS OFMICHAEL JACKSON: IMMORTAL

One-time Michael Jackson tour dancer Jamie King is the man now entrusted with writing, directing and choreographing the upcoming 5-year run of Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. The premiere is in October in Cirque du Soleil’s hometown of Montreal, and then 33 performances follow on the Strip starting Dec. 3 at Mandalay Bay.

An interview with Michael Jackson Estate co...ohn Branca was posted Monday, talks with older brother Jackie Jackson and Mandal...ck Bowling were posted yesterday, and it’s a wrap tomorrow with Cirque du Soleil head honcho Daniel Lamarre.

Jamie said there’s no doubt that the Immortal show will be “the biggest in the world.” He explained: “We’re embarking on a hugely massive show. About 9 months ago, Cirque asked me to devise, scheme, put together a show that would be the biggest show in the world as only Michael Jackson would do it. That has now all become the Immortal tour, and I told Guy (Laliberte, Cirque’s founder), ‘absolutely, I’d love the opportunity.’

“I was chosen by Michael Jackson to be a dancer on the Dangerous Tour. So for me it has all come full circle, not only perform with and for him but now to actually immortalize Michael in a showcase. It blows my mind and keeps blowing my mind every day. In about 6 months, the show will open: Oct. 2. My heart just skipped a beat when I said 6 months, although we’ve been working on it for 9 months putting it together creatively with an amazing all-star team.

“We have acrobats , performers, dancers and musicians from everywhere around the world -- many of the musicians actually worked with Michael on previous tours. It’s an all-star A-Team of people who have worked with Michael, been around Michael, experienced Michael. We have found the people that Michael would love.

“Over the next 6 months, we’ll be putting the show together in Montreal. I will move there from Los Angeles to Montreal and begin the production phase so the show really comes to life. That’s all the props, costumes and full music design. For me, it’s like a kid in a candy store. I may be the director and writer of the show, but I’m not doing it alone. Michael is my co-director the whole way, as if he’s kind of watching and leading me and guiding me in what story to tell.

“I was taken on a trip to Neverland with Cirque, and it really blew my mind. In that moment being at Neverland and really seeing this kind of place that Michael called home and really didn’t share with the rest of the world, we decided to make our environment for the Michael Jackson: Immortal Tour and show set in Neverland. How cool is that right? Now when you go to the show, you’ll actually be able to experience Neverland. It will come to life before your eyes in the arena. That’s the setting, that’s the environment, and that’s what we’re making happen as rehearsals begin in three weeks.

“Even though Michael is not there physically, his spirit will be there completely in the show, with his essence and his music. His lyrical content of those songs become our narrator for the show. In the entire show, you are hearing Michael lead us on this journey through Neverland understanding the mystery, the magic, the innocence of Neverland, but also of him, too. We get to uncover, discover and sometimes rediscover everything we knew about Michael and wanted to know about Michael.

“There’s lots of surprises -- I didn’t know Michael was a poet. I knew he was a great songwriter. But in researching and learning everything I could about Michael in this short time, I did learn that he was a great poet, also a great artist. He made great drawings throughout his life. So the show will reflect that he was a great artist, a great performer, a great showman, a great human being. When he was my boss, he treated us dancers like gold and wanted us to be the best. Now I get to show Michael’s talents and humanity in Cirque’sImmortal Tour.”

Jamie continued during the lengthy, one-on-one chat: “We had castings in New York, Los Angeles, Canada and video auditions from around the world. We have the full cast and crew in place. The stages are already being built.” He’s directed tours for Madonna, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears and in fact sends Britney’s new Femme Fatale Tour off on the road next month.

“I don’t know how many trucks will go out for Immortal, but it will be more than the 24 that went out for Madonna and Britney. They’ve taken the most so far. I haven’t had to concentrate on the traveling logistics. I was just told to build the best show that could be built, and they’ll figure out a way to make it work for the road and the arenas.”

After some persuading, Jamie revealed where the show begins and ends in Michael’s life. “To sum it up, this is the Michael Jackson show. It’s everything Michael in the way of Thriller and Off the Wall. Michael the icon. There are nods back to the Jackson Five, his beginnings, when he was with his brothers and his family. Those nods will be there, but this is really based on Michael’s catalog and less about the Jackson Five catalog. Michael’s children and his family have all been really supportive to this point.

“It will be a 90-minute spectacular with 30 songs. The only way I can do that is by mashing up certain songs, remixing certain songs with others so you feel like you’re getting the Michael song. … I’m planning to use some video footage from This Is It that we didn’t get to see all the way in the theatrical concert film. I have access to that, and I’ve kind of re-jigged it. Also, there’s some choreography that wasn’t really seen realized in This Is It, and I’m going to use that in the show, as well. But let’s be clear: There are no This Is It tour dancers and no musicians. We have members of The Bad Tour and The Victory Tour, the older Michael Jackson shows.

“It will come off looking and feeling as if it’s Michael on tour. We’ll have that element for sure -- that’s what my cache is -- I put on rock spectacles, pop spectacles, and Michael was the best at that, so that element is 100 percent there. What’s cool is now we add in the theatricality that Cirque du Soleil provides. So it’s really going to be a hybrid that no one’s really seen before. It’s like rock meets Cirque.

“The only thing I can tell you until you see it for yourself is that we find our way transported into Neverland as part of the opening. The arena becomes Neverland, so the audience gets transported into this world of Neverland. In my heart, I know what needs to be told is that purity, that humanity of Michael Jackson, that vulnerable side that a lot of people really didn’t get to see, that childlike heart that was so beautiful and so pure. That’s what I really want the audience to feel and leave with.

“We all know what the showmanship of him, what that looks like, the artistry, the great performer … and we’ll get all that for sure. But his heart and his purity and his humanity are definitely something I’m allowed to touch on. We want it to look like a great collaboration of the Cirque world and the Michael Jackson rock and roll world.

“This is a really big show because there are so many entities. It’s bigger than big, if you know what I mean. It’ll be the biggest show in the world.”

Cirque CEO Daniel Lamarre talks Las Vegas, MGM and Michael Jackson

By Robin Leach

Oleksandra and Phil Ruffin and Daniel Lamarre with Mystere cast members at Treasure Island.

Photo: Fred Morledge/FMPhoto.com

The Michael Jackson: Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil four-part interview series began Monday withJohn Branca, co-executor of The Estate of Michael Jackson, followed by Jackie Jackson, older bro...f Michael, and Mandalay Bay President Chuck Bowling on Tuesday and writer, director and chor... yesterday.

The interviews wrap up today with Cirque CEO Daniel Lamarre’s overview of Immortal, which arrives at Mandalay Bay on Dec. 3 for a now-33-performance engagement.

Here is Daniel’s overview in his own words.

Michael Jackson has been very, very generous to Cirque du Soleil. He saw all of our shows, and he would always say good things about Cirque du Soleil. Having the credibility of an amazing artist like that certainly has contributed to our success. But I will never forget the one day that Michael came to our studios in Montreal. Our 5,000 employees were thrilled to host him, and today I have the feeling that all of Cirque du Soleil wants to pay tribute to Michael as Mandalay Bay becomes the home of Michael Jackson in many, many ways.

First our new arena tour starts in December. It will be on tour in North America for two years, and as it goes off on the global leg, we will open the permanent show at Mandalay Bay in early 2013.

We are going to put a lot of effort to bring to life a tribute to Michael Jackson with a lot of new technologies that will be involved in the new theater. But that alone is not good enough.

We thought that people would want to see more of Michael, and we are developing an event that is going to be called The Michael Jackson All Access. We are right now exploring all of that with Ubisoft. Their creation of the Michael Jackson interactive dance game has had an amazing success, selling millions and millions. They’re going to be our interactive partner in this new experience.

Photo: Darrin Bush/Las Vegas News Bureau

Daniel Lamarre, president and CEO of Cirque du Soleil; Chuck Bowling, president and COO of Mandalay Bay; Jackie Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson; John Branca, co-executor of The Michael Jackson Estate; and Jamie King, writer and director of Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, at Mandalay Bay on April 27, 2011.

We’re also going to have in December at Mandalay Bay a Michael Jackson Fan Festival in conjunction with the Immortal Tour. It will allow the fan to really have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the show itself. We’re also going to have a Michael Jackson Lounge. So all those elements of content will ensure that his presence is very well recognized. He is the No. 1 personality, so we don’t want to disappoint all those fans who are going to come from all over the world to see the Michael Jackson experience.

We have been blessed during all these years to have this amazing Las Vegas partnership with MGM, and now again Cirque De Soleil has the opportunity to realize a new dream. To have the privilege to work with the Michael Jackson Estate is also amazing. This project would have not been possible without the great collaboration of MGM, particularly Chuck Bowling and his Mandalay Bay team -- a very dynamic organization. The co-executors of the Michael Jackson Estate have allowed us to develop in a very short period of time a lot of partnerships on all fronts in order not only to pay tribute to this great, great artist but also to meet the expectations of all Michael’s fans.

The touring show will be the closest you can get to a rock concert. The permanent show will be much more intimate, with a lot of new technologies and effects to immerse people in his world. We will also have the interactive zone, where we would like to re-create the spirit of Neverland there.

A fan in the interactive experience could actually dance to “Thriller” with Michael in the same video.

We’re experimenting with everything possible interactive and 3D. Ubisoft has sold millions of videos of Michael, and we know that people want to dance to his music. That’s what we will deliver in the dream Michael Jackson environment. Our ultimate goal is to give you the full sense and feel of what Neverland was.

Photo: Luxor

Criss Angel and Daniel Lamarre at the Luxor in 2008.

We don’t know quite yet know where the M.J. Zone will be located in Mandalay Bay, but the show itself will definitely go into The Lion King theater with an early 2013 premiere. We’re going to refurbish the theater quite a bit. MGM and ourselves are going to invest in that, which will take some time. We are designing right now.

The Lion King will end Dec. 30, and then we just walk in the theater the next day and start. Our experience is that it always takes 18 to 24 months to make it happen, and later when the designs are completed, we can set the premiere date. But it will still have 1,800 seats and two shows nightly.

We won’t be able to bring the touring show back to Mandalay Bay, as we have requests from promoters all over the world, and we want to give fans around the world the opportunity to see that show. In North America, I think two years will be the ultimate run because when the permanent show opens, I want the permanent show to become the exclusive show in North America.

The arena show will go off to Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and beyond and will probably run five years! The logistics of it are crazy. We have to hire engineers to make sure the roof of all the arenas can sustain the weight of the equipment we’re shipping in 25 amazing trucks. The cast will fly from city to city while the trucks move by road and ship.

It is by far the largest traveling show Cirque has ever undertaken. It’s almost like if you have three casts. Normally we have the acrobats. Now we have the acrobats, the dancers, the musicians and all the video team behind the amazing production. There will be a huge component of video in that show, and that comes with a lot of equipment, a lot of technicians, and that’s why it’s going to be so big. It’s the most exciting project ever for Cirque.

Guy (Laliberte, Cirque’s founder) and I were shaking our heads the other night when you realize that the three most iconic music stars in the history of music, The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson, have all selected Cirque du Soleil to do a show. This is the ultimate thrill for us. When Michael came to visit our studios in Montreal, as I said at the beginning, he wanted to do a show with us. Now that will finally come true, but much bigger than we ever envisioned when we first talked with him.

I don't give a shit about this Cirque De Soleil bollocks.

Really no interest here at all.

babybugz said:

Militant said:

Y'all hear Birchey's "reimagining" remix of "Hollywood Tonight"?

Blown.the.fuck.away. This shit is HEAT!!!!!!! THIS is how the song should have sounded!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/...7b6a4monj7

It's decent.

True.

Gotta love Miltant's enthusiasm though.

My personal preference lies with the 'official' accapella. I'm still reeling from the whole ineptitude of the 'Michael' project in general. Fakery and poor production are unforgiveable.

Militant said:

Y'all hear Birchey's "reimagining" remix of "Hollywood Tonight"?

Blown.the.fuck.away. This shit is HEAT!!!!!!! THIS is how the song should have sounded!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/...7b6a4monj7

For a second there I thought you said 'Britney's "reimagining" remix...'

Will check this out though lol

Marrk said:

I don't give a shit about this Cirque De Soleil bollocks.

Really no interest here at all.

Fair enough. But having seen how brilliant the LOVE show they did for the Beatles I am excited (yet a little anxious) about how they put the Immortal show together. I've got my tickets for 2 shows in Vancouver so just sharing the news.

Swa said:

Fair enough. But having seen how brilliant the LOVE show they did for the Beatles I am excited (yet a little anxious) about how they put the Immortal show together. I've got my tickets for 2 shows in Vancouver so just sharing the news.

I can't wait for this. I have tickets for the DC show.

I expect these shows to be huge for MJ's estate.

I was reading this old Quincy Jones article and they asked Q what were the possibilities of us hearing the music he and MJ did together and Q said "Never! The music is unreleased for a reason" and it made me feel some type of way. Like, we all wanna hear this music but would MJ even want us to hear these songs? I don't know. It just made me feel guilty in a way...

ViintageJunkiie said:

I was reading this old Quincy Jones article and they asked Q what were the possibilities of us hearing the music he and MJ did together and Q said "Never! The music is unreleased for a reason" and it made me feel some type of way. Like, we all wanna hear this music but would MJ even want us to hear these songs? I don't know. It just made me feel guilty in a way...

Quincy acting like he Stevie or some shit. But to play devil's advocate, maybe most of the stuff they did were first draft stuff that never got pass the first verse.

Timmy84 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

I was reading this old Quincy Jones article and they asked Q what were the possibilities of us hearing the music he and MJ did together and Q said "Never! The music is unreleased for a reason" and it made me feel some type of way. Like, we all wanna hear this music but would MJ even want us to hear these songs? I don't know. It just made me feel guilty in a way...

Quincy acting like he Stevie or some shit. But to play devil's advocate, maybe most of the stuff they did were first draft stuff that never got pass the first verse.

Theres over 20 songs thats most likely mixed AND mastered during the Bad session and I'm guessing maybe about 10-15 records mixed and mastered during Thriller that COULD be released, but I can't help but think how MJ would feel if he were alive and the songs were leaked ..

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

Quincy acting like he Stevie or some shit. But to play devil's advocate, maybe most of the stuff they did were first draft stuff that never got pass the first verse.

Theres over 20 songs thats most likely mixed AND mastered during the Bad session and I'm guessing maybe about 10-15 records mixed and mastered during Thriller that COULD be released, but I can't help but think how MJ would feel if he were alive and the songs were leaked ..

Probably not happy.

I have mixed feelings around hearing Thriller outtakes.

To me Thriller is as near perfect an album as you can get. Hearing songs that didn't make it like Carousel, Nightline, etc - make me start to think wow this could have been a really ordinary to weak album. The songs they chose obviously were the strongest of the bunch, hearing weaker tracks be even considered ultimately waters down the perfection of Thriller for me.

Swa said:

I have mixed feelings around hearing Thriller outtakes.

To me Thriller is as near perfect an album as you can get. Hearing songs that didn't make it like Carousel, Nightline, etc - make me start to think wow this could have been a really ordinary to weak album. The songs they chose obviously were the strongest of the bunch, hearing weaker tracks be even considered ultimately waters down the perfection of Thriller for me.

Behind The Mask and Got The Hots are by far the best outtakes from the session .. the other outtakes sound basic to me

Militant said:

Y'all hear Birchey's "reimagining" remix of "Hollywood Tonight"?

Blown.the.fuck.away. This shit is HEAT!!!!!!! THIS is how the song should have sounded!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/...7b6a4monj7

O...M......G.......

Boy, you right! Shit...if they put this in that stupid video they made...it woulda been a lot better than that stupid mix they did.

*downloaded*

Thanks for sharing, Militant. You always have great taste.

ViintageJunkiie said:

Swa said:

I have mixed feelings around hearing Thriller outtakes.

To me Thriller is as near perfect an album as you can get. Hearing songs that didn't make it like Carousel, Nightline, etc - make me start to think wow this could have been a really ordinary to weak album. The songs they chose obviously were the strongest of the bunch, hearing weaker tracks be even considered ultimately waters down the perfection of Thriller for me.

Behind The Mask and Got The Hots are by far the best outtakes from the session .. the other outtakes sound basic to me

*ahem* Add Hot Street and I'm with ya.

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

Behind The Mask and Got The Hots are by far the best outtakes from the session .. the other outtakes sound basic to me

*ahem* Add Hot Street and I'm with ya.

Agree with Behind The Mask. Got The Hots sounds too OTW for me.

I'm always torn about tracks that didn't make it - they always seem to be a mix bag. Some are pure genius and others... well just not - let's say that.

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

Behind The Mask and Got The Hots are by far the best outtakes from the session .. the other outtakes sound basic to me

*ahem* Add Hot Street and I'm with ya.

I like Hot Street and although it was also one of MJ's favorite tracks to record, it sounded too much like Thriller as far as the melody goes

Swa said:

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

*ahem* Add Hot Street and I'm with ya.

Agree with Behind The Mask. Got The Hots sounds too OTW for me.

I'm always torn about tracks that didn't make it - they always seem to be a mix bag. Some are pure genius and others... well just not - let's say that.

When you hear the outtakes, it makes you understand why the album turned out the way it was....but it also makes you wonder certain songs still couldn't be released in another way

She's Trouble was pretty much generic early 80s pop, which is why when Michael didn't release it, the writers gave it to Musical Youth AND Scott Baio.

Hot Street is so undeniably 80s pop, it just wouldn't have fit on the album

but then you have songs like Behind The Mask, which had it not been for the royalty dispute, would've probably made the cut, but I need to hear it with the original production before I make a full judgement. Got The Hots, which I think would've made a GREAT b-side to possibly PYT or Thriller, has that 80s deep boogie funk groove that was going on the early 80s in LA, The SF Bay Area, and New York at the time, it would've definitely been a hit in some fashion. It should've even been on Victory instead of "Body" Carousel could've made a great b-side or soundtrack song

I really want to hear the 1981 version of Much Too Soon also

^^ All the above said - I just blasted Monkey Business and have to save I love this non-album cut. Remove the gimmicky monkey sound effects and you've got a deep funk groove.

bboy87 said:

Swa said:

Agree with Behind The Mask. Got The Hots sounds too OTW for me.

I'm always torn about tracks that didn't make it - they always seem to be a mix bag. Some are pure genius and others... well just not - let's say that.

When you hear the outtakes, it makes you understand why the album turned out the way it was....but it also makes you wonder certain songs still couldn't be released in another way

She's Trouble was pretty much generic early 80s pop, which is why when Michael didn't release it, the writers gave it to Musical Youth AND Scott Baio.

Hot Street is so undeniably 80s pop, it just wouldn't have fit on the album

but then you have songs like Behind The Mask, which had it not been for the royalty dispute, would've probably made the cut, but I need to hear it with the original production before I make a full judgement. Got The Hots, which I think would've made a GREAT b-side to possibly PYT or Thriller, has that 80s deep boogie funk groove that was going on the early 80s in LA, The SF Bay Area, and New York at the time, it would've definitely been a hit in some fashion. It should've even been on Victory instead of "Body" Carousel could've made a great b-side or soundtrack song

I really want to hear the 1981 version of Much Too Soon also

Exactly

Remember, Beat It, Human Nature, Billie Jean and LIML all replaced some of the songs you mentioned. Had the original tracklist been intact (including Starlight Sun and NOT Thriller), the album would have been pretty mediocre. MJ even said that he had songs that he thought were way stronger than the ones that made the cut.

I wanna hear the original Behind The Mask, Learned My Lesson (Much Too Soon) and For All Time also. It sucks because since vinyls were so limited on time, I could about imagine how the album would've been had there been enough room for an hour+ worth of music

ViintageJunkiie said:

bboy87 said:

When you hear the outtakes, it makes you understand why the album turned out the way it was....but it also makes you wonder certain songs still couldn't be released in another way

She's Trouble was pretty much generic early 80s pop, which is why when Michael didn't release it, the writers gave it to Musical Youth AND Scott Baio.

Hot Street is so undeniably 80s pop, it just wouldn't have fit on the album

but then you have songs like Behind The Mask, which had it not been for the royalty dispute, would've probably made the cut, but I need to hear it with the original production before I make a full judgement. Got The Hots, which I think would've made a GREAT b-side to possibly PYT or Thriller, has that 80s deep boogie funk groove that was going on the early 80s in LA, The SF Bay Area, and New York at the time, it would've definitely been a hit in some fashion. It should've even been on Victory instead of "Body" Carousel could've made a great b-side or soundtrack song

I really want to hear the 1981 version of Much Too Soon also

Exactly

Remember, Beat It, Human Nature, Billie Jean and LIML all replaced some of the songs you mentioned. Had the original tracklist been intact (including Starlight Sun and NOT Thriller), the album would have been pretty mediocre. MJ even said that he had songs that he thought were way stronger than the ones that made the cut.

I wanna hear the original Behind The Mask, Learned My Lesson (Much Too Soon) and For All Time also. It sucks because since vinyls were so limited on time, I could about imagine how the album would've been had there been enough room for an hour+ worth of music

I've always thought a reissue should have the full mixes that got edited to fit on the album. The full long intro of Billie Jean, the full version of LIML.

&e

Swa said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

Exactly

Remember, Beat It, Human Nature, Billie Jean and LIML all replaced some of the songs you mentioned. Had the original tracklist been intact (including Starlight Sun and NOT Thriller), the album would have been pretty mediocre. MJ even said that he had songs that he thought were way stronger than the ones that made the cut.

I wanna hear the original Behind The Mask, Learned My Lesson (Much Too Soon) and For All Time also. It sucks because since vinyls were so limited on time, I could about imagine how the album would've been had there been enough room for an hour+ worth of music

I've always thought a reissue should have the full mixes that got edited to fit on the album. The full long intro of Billie Jean, the full version of LIML.

&e

There's a longer version of Billie Jean? I remember them wanting to cut some of the intro out but MJ said the long intro is what makes him wanna dance .. Q said they didnt cut it

ViintageJunkiie said:

Swa said:

I've always thought a reissue should have the full mixes that got edited to fit on the album. The full long intro of Billie Jean, the full version of LIML.

&e

There's a longer version of Billie Jean? I remember them wanting to cut some of the intro out but MJ said the long intro is what makes him wanna dance .. Q said they didnt cut it

Timmy84 said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

There's a longer version of Billie Jean? I remember them wanting to cut some of the intro out but MJ said the long intro is what makes him wanna dance .. Q said they didnt cut it

I thought that was just some sort of extended version .. I can't remember the interview but I remember Q mentioning they left Billie Jean the way MJ wanted it, which was unedited.

ViintageJunkiie said:

Timmy84 said:

I thought that was just some sort of extended version .. I can't remember the interview but I remember Q mentioning they left Billie Jean the way MJ wanted it, which was unedited.

I've heard conflicting reports from Q himself. Sometimes he talks about an intro that goes on for days and they had to cut it down - but Michael kept saying that it made him want to dace - so they tried to keep it as long as possible on the album but was still a cut down. Other times he says they left it as is. But I have heard that the 6 minute plus version they eventually released as the extended version was the initially album version.

Swa said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

I thought that was just some sort of extended version .. I can't remember the interview but I remember Q mentioning they left Billie Jean the way MJ wanted it, which was unedited.

I've heard conflicting reports from Q himself. Sometimes he talks about an intro that goes on for days and they had to cut it down - but Michael kept saying that it made him want to dace - so they tried to keep it as long as possible on the album but was still a cut down. Other times he says they left it as is. But I have heard that the 6 minute plus version they eventually released as the extended version was the initially album version.

It was. Quincy lied if he said they kept it. They took an extra two and a half minutes.

The Day I Met My Hero by Christine Dowling

I will never forget the 19th of July 1997. I went to see my hero, Michael Jackson, in concert. It was my second MJ concert and I was so excited and happy that he had come back to Dublin.

During Michael’s show, he has his security people find fans to come up on stage for a particular song. I have Morquio syndrome and security were looking for somebody small. My sister pointed me out and said, “You won’t get anybody smaller!” For once in my life I was so thankful to be small! I will be forever grateful to my sister.

When the security man picked me my whole body started shaking, not because I was going to be in front of 35,000 screaming fans, but because I was about to come face to face with my all-time hero!

While I was waiting just offstage Michael ran past me, and I let out such a scream that I thought he must have heard me. Thankfully, with all of the noise on stage, he didn’t! The music for “Heal the World” came on and I was wheeled onto the stage. Michael held my hand. Normally I wouldn’t feel anything in my right hand as I had lost feeling in it a few years before, but that night I could actually feel Michael’s hand. He turned to me as we headed off of the stage. He told me that he loved me and I knew that he really meant it!

Being so close to him was amazing. The only way to describe it is like a spiritual experience. I felt so much love on that stage; love and happiness. When I got offstage I burst into tears. My friends’ young children who were also at the concert kept asking if I was I ok, and my mother told them, “She is fine.She’s only crying because she is happy.”

The memories of that day will stay with me forever and they help me whenever I am sad or upset.

A few hours after the concert, I could feel a burning sensation up and down my right arm. The next day I had feeling back in my right hand. I truly believe I got my feeling back from simply holding Michael’s hand. My Ma said, “With 35,000 people singing such a positive song as “Heal the World,” you were bound to get a miracle.”

I thought I would share this with you, as only true MJ fans would truly understand what happened to me that night. Even though I am in a wheelchair, that night I felt like I was walking on air. I was 18 then, and now thirteen years later I can still honestly say that meeting Michael was the best day of my life, and I am so blessed and thankful that my dream came true.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: When Michael passed on I felt as though I had lost a member of my family; he had been a major part of my entire life. Way before we had met he had been the biggest influence on me for as long as I can remember, getting me through so many bad experiences that I had as a child.

I took his death badly and I felt so lost and confused that I needed to do something for him. I took it upon myself to organize a tree planting for him. I felt that wasn’t enough though, so on the 8th of August 2009, alongside the tree planting, I organized a Michael Jackson Memorial / Fun day, with all proceeds going to a children’s hospital that I myself had attended throughout my childhood.

I also did the same this June, the day after his first anniversary, and I will continue to do so every single year for as long as I can. It’s my way of giving back and saying “Thank you!” to Michael for all that he has done for me and millions of others worldwide. Michael’s tree stands proudly in a park in Dublin, surrounded by a children’s play-area. I think he would have liked it

Christine Dowling, age 31, Dublin, Ireland