Ok, so it beats Invincible for sure.

I always am hesitant to call "Dangerous" my fave MJ album. It would be, and yet, I can't STAND to sit through the following tracks during any given spin:

"Heal the World"

"Black or White" (least fave of all his signature hits)

"Will You Be There"

"Gone Too Soon"

"Keep The Faith"

I wish this album had been released at the length of "Bad" or "Thriller" or "OTW" (Bad and OTW being my other 2 candidates for fave MJ LP).

9-10 cuts would have been so slammin, banging, all killer no filler, non stop hump-bump-and grind party! Cuts 1-6 are UNTOUCHABLE! My favorite sequence of any MJ release. Had the whole album been in that vein, cutting straight to "Who Is It" and "Give Into Me" and "Dangerous" (which we have to wait too long for) this would undoubtedly be his best.

Agree?

I agree with you on the songs you listed. I always skip over them - - way too cloying.

The rest of the album is stone-cold funky pop that I love.

Hard to say what is really a bad track on this album. I guess he coulda trimmed the filler. "Can't Let Her Get Away" and "She Drives Me Wild" always seemed to be just kinda there to take up space. Additionally, I love "Give In To Me" and "Who Is It" but they are out of place on this album. Either strip it of all the crazyhappy upbeat tracks and give Dangerous a real dangerous vibe, or take off the uberserious tracks and keep it fun from front to back.

i dont like keep the faith, gone too soon and heal the world. The rest of its decent/good/great.

It seems to have been tracked still with the vinyl and tape formats in mind. It was a double album on vinyl and the tape was a pretty long one, but it's divided into two different halves in any case. The first half is the new jack swing side and the second the more rock / pop side (although there was quite a lot of gospel-influenced stuff on it too).

The only track that doesn't quite fit on the first half is "Heal The World" and the only track that sounds a bit out of place on the second half is "Dangerous". If you switch them around, I think the "logic" of the record becomes more apparent. I'd like to lull myself into believing they were that way around originally.

(side note: despite its length the record doesn't have a love ballad on it!)

I hated Dangerous at the time of its release and thought Michael's and Teddy Riley's styles didn't mesh...but oddly enough, the album is one of his better aged.

Spinlight said:

Hard to say what is really a bad track on this album. I guess he coulda trimmed the filler. "Can't Let Her Get Away" and "She Drives Me Wild" always seemed to be just kinda there to take up space. Additionally, I love "Give In To Me" and "Who Is It" but they are out of place on this album. Either strip it of all the crazyhappy upbeat tracks and give Dangerous a real dangerous vibe, or take off the uberserious tracks and keep it fun from front to back.

That track is one of my all time favourites.

I love Dangerous. And I think Gone Too Soon is so beautiful, but since certain time I can't listen to it.

Who Is It, Give Into Me - great tracks.

I also don't like Black or White, but I gotta say that when I was at his concert I enjoyed it the most. Weird.

dag said:

Spinlight said:

Hard to say what is really a bad track on this album. I guess he coulda trimmed the filler. "Can't Let Her Get Away" and "She Drives Me Wild" always seemed to be just kinda there to take up space. Additionally, I love "Give In To Me" and "Who Is It" but they are out of place on this album. Either strip it of all the crazyhappy upbeat tracks and give Dangerous a real dangerous vibe, or take off the uberserious tracks and keep it fun from front to back.

That track is one of my all time favourites.

I love Dangerous. And I think Gone Too Soon is so beautiful, but since certain time I can't listen to it.

Who Is It, Give Into Me - great tracks.

I also don't like Black or White, but I gotta say that when I was at his concert I enjoyed it the most. Weird.

Oh, I like it too! I do. I can't really think of a song on the album I don't like. The ballads don't do much for me in that I can't always listen to them (they're pretty heavy/emotional), but I dig those too. I just think the album would benefit from an editor. lol.

Spinlight said:

dag said:

That track is one of my all time favourites.

I love Dangerous. And I think Gone Too Soon is so beautiful, but since certain time I can't listen to it.

Who Is It, Give Into Me - great tracks.

I also don't like Black or White, but I gotta say that when I was at his concert I enjoyed it the most. Weird.

Oh, I like it too! I do. I can't really think of a song on the album I don't like. The ballads don't do much for me in that I can't always listen to them (they're pretty heavy/emotional), but I dig those too. I just think the album would benefit from an editor. lol.

Yeah, it is heavy and I don't often listen to this album because you really need to be in a mood for it, but once you are, the songs are absolutely brilliant to listen to.

His worst album?? Never!

I like all the tracks, except "Gone to soon" (too boring, even though I appreciate the meaning) and "Can't let her get away" (too repetitive).

I also don't like Black or White, but I gotta say that when I was at his concert I enjoyed it the most. Weird.

Well, it's not like that I don't like "Black or White"... I really liked it, when it first was released... I just grew tired of it pretty quick, even during the concerts!

I think my main problem with some of the tracks on dangerous are the intro's, they are just too long. If tracks like Will you be there and Black and White take ages to start. Without the intro, i like them more.

That said, the only track i skip is "Heal the world"...i really can't stand that one....including the way too long intro.

By the way, after all these years, i think the best track is "Dangerous" itself.

robertlove said:

I think my main problem with some of the tracks on dangerous are the intro's, they are just too long. If tracks like Will you be there and Black and White take ages to start. Without the intro, i like them more.

I think the biggest problem of the record is the excessive repetition of the choruses at the end of many songs. They've obviously tried to make the record longer that way. It just gets a bit boring when you notice that MJ's vocals are just copy pasted around and the choruses are identical throughout the songs. The adlibs introduce some variation, but not quite enough.

The intros may be long, but there are also some of MJ's best intros on that record. You see, Michael Jackson wasn't just the king of pop, he was also the king of pop song intros.

badujunkie said:

Ok, so it beats Invincible for sure.

I always am hesitant to call "Dangerous" my fave MJ album. It would be, and yet, I can't STAND to sit through the following tracks during any given spin:

"Heal the World"

"Black or White" (least fave of all his signature hits)

"Will You Be There"

"Gone Too Soon"

"Keep The Faith"

I wish this album had been released at the length of "Bad" or "Thriller" or "OTW" (Bad and OTW being my other 2 candidates for fave MJ LP).

9-10 cuts would have been so slammin, banging, all killer no filler, non stop hump-bump-and grind party! Cuts 1-6 are UNTOUCHABLE! My favorite sequence of any MJ release. Had the whole album been in that vein, cutting straight to "Who Is It" and "Give Into Me" and "Dangerous" (which we have to wait too long for) this would undoubtedly be his best.

Agree?

i love all the musshy slow songs they even make me cry. Keep the faith is so special to me. I feel it in my heart.

Heal the world just makes me feel good listening to

I honestly haven't listen to this stuff since his death, but his songs always touched me. I love this album its beautiful to me.

Could Black or White be his worse song ever? There's something about it that's so damn annoying yet catchy.

Good thread.

Replace Keep The Faith with Earth Song and it's pretty close to perfection.

Still wondering what Men In Black sounds like.

sosgemini said:

Could Black or White be his worse song ever? There's something about it that's so damn annoying yet catchy.

Good thread.

Yeah

The thing that makes Dangerous a compelling release for 20 years is that it is quite possibly, MJ's most rhythmically agressive and ambitious album. It was a well-produced and well-sung masterwork that brought Mike firmly into the 90's, where he took a chance by not sticking to the formula that had made his previous albums so successful and it worked. The Teddy Riley productions were fresh for the time, although by '91-'92, new jack swing was beginning to fade out. Mike breathed life into those songs and it was unlike anything he had done.

Another thing that makes it compelling is that it showcased the versatility and different sides of Michael's musical identity. The best way I like to look at Dangerous is as a yin-yang album that displayed the urban, hard-core street sensibilities and the more pop-induced, sensitive and serious aspects of Mike's musical personality. I don't really think any of his albums were able to achieve the effect that Dangerous did. I mean, if you listen to this album as a whole, it is virtually split up as a two-part album. I think that brought a smart and viable identity to the album.

Now of course, people will say that this album is on the overlong side, with nearly every song clocking in at 5-6 minutes. But, I think it would've been weaker and less effective if certain songs were edited. I will admit, Dangerous does get a little on the sappy side near the end with ballads like "Keep The Faith" and "Gone Too Soon," but there is never a weak moment on the disc.

[Edited 5/19/11 14:00pm]

I love Will You Be There. "But they told me a man should be faithful, walk when not able, and fight till the end but I'm only human...." Simply beautiful lyrics and melody. Same goes with Heal the World. One of my favorite Michael songs...It's like We Are The World. Easy for children to remember the lyrics and sing along...I know Michael did that intentionally for these songs.

I wish "Someone Put Your Hand Out" had made the cut. That's another beautiful song I love in Ultimate Collection. And I wish he had done Who Is It (with the beatbox intro!) live during Dangerous Tour.

[Edited 5/19/11 14:10pm]

To be perfectly honest, I could take or leave this album. Some folks say that it was an upgrade from "Bad", I say its the other way around

One thing for damn sure though, "Monkey Business" & "If You Don't Love Me" shouldn't have never hit the vault

novabrkr said:

The intros may be long, but there are also some of MJ's best intros on that record. You see, Michael Jackson wasn't just the king of pop, he was also the king of pop song intros.

That would be the Temptations. Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Masterpiece, Zoom, Power, etc.

MickyDolenz said:

novabrkr said:

The intros may be long, but there are also some of MJ's best intros on that record. You see, Michael Jackson wasn't just the king of pop, he was also the king of pop song intros.

That would be the Temptations. Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Masterpiece, Zoom, Power, etc.

Better yet, Isaac Hayes!

badujunkie said:

Ok, so it beats Invincible for sure.

I always am hesitant to call "Dangerous" my fave MJ album. It would be, and yet, I can't STAND to sit through the following tracks during any given spin:

"Heal the World"

"Black or White" (least fave of all his signature hits)

"Will You Be There"

"Gone Too Soon"

"Keep The Faith"

I wish this album had been released at the length of "Bad" or "Thriller" or "OTW" (Bad and OTW being my other 2 candidates for fave MJ LP).

9-10 cuts would have been so slammin, banging, all killer no filler, non stop hump-bump-and grind party! Cuts 1-6 are UNTOUCHABLE! My favorite sequence of any MJ release. Had the whole album been in that vein, cutting straight to "Who Is It" and "Give Into Me" and "Dangerous" (which we have to wait too long for) this would undoubtedly be his best.

Agree?

Dangerous is one of his best cds imo, not best AND worst, simply because the songs that are good on there, are so good they kind of overrule the weak links.

Having said that, I used to skip Heal the World because I thought it was corny; Black or White because I'd heard it too much and was sick of it; "Will You Be There" I skipped alot because it was sad as hell to me, the same with "Gone Too Soon"; "Keep the Faith" I played a little more often than the others ones you listed, and I always dug the song, but I could only take it in small doses.

I also used to skip "Jam" on a regular basis just to get to "Why You Wanna Trip on Me" - for me, the second track is one of the best and always where the album really started.

badujunkie said:

Ok, so it beats Invincible for sure.

I always am hesitant to call "Dangerous" my fave MJ album. It would be, and yet, I can't STAND to sit through the following tracks during any given spin:

"Heal the World"

"Black or White" (least fave of all his signature hits)

"Will You Be There"

"Gone Too Soon"

"Keep The Faith"

I wish this album had been released at the length of "Bad" or "Thriller" or "OTW" (Bad and OTW being my other 2 candidates for fave MJ LP).

9-10 cuts would have been so slammin, banging, all killer no filler, non stop hump-bump-and grind party! Cuts 1-6 are UNTOUCHABLE! My favorite sequence of any MJ release. Had the whole album been in that vein, cutting straight to "Who Is It" and "Give Into Me" and "Dangerous" (which we have to wait too long for) this would undoubtedly be his best.

Agree?

The Teddy Riley tracks are definitely untouchable. That's without a doubt!

i love the whole Dangerous album to bits.

Dangerous

In the years since BAD was released Michael’s start both shone bright and was also tarnished by the slew of Wacko Jacko stories. For a while it seemed the tabloid persona was overshadowing the music. And despite Bad’s record setting 5 consecutive #1 singles, many critics labelled the album a failure due to not outselling Thriller.

So when Dangerous was released the critics were ready to write it off as the music of a has-been who was no longer relevant. But as soon as you pressed play on the CD player you knew it was a return to form.

With a smashing of glass (as if to smash all built up expectation) the album kicks of with the thumping Jam. The beats, crisp and sharp underpin a song that is layered with a global message of concern in some of Michael’s most well crafted lyrics. The arrangement, whilst sparse and void of a bass line for the most part, allows for Michael’s vocals to come to the fore accentuated with occasional horn stabs here and there. The rap by Heavy D was a case of keeping it in the family as he role call’s his previous cameo’s on tracks by Janet and Teddy Riley’s band Guy. This song still has a hard edge with its sudden attacks and is still as funky as it felt back in 92. Of note, this was the first time Michael had incorporated scratching into the musical landscape, and it plays nicely against the old skool funk guitar and horn lines in the final minutes.

Without letting the listener catch a breath, Why You Wanna Trip On Me comes bursting through the speakers. Its soaring guitar intro first makes you think you are about to go head first into a rock track only to have it twist into a funk rhythm and classic funk riff. The stop start feel of the song made it instantly appealing. With a new jack swing touch the beat lays the foundation for Michael to spit out the insanity of being a target for the press when there are bigger issues in the world that need attention. And in classic Michael arrangement, the verses are hard hitting while the verses float in blissful harmonies. Destined to be a fan favourite hearing a snippet of the song in the This Is It movie gave those of us that had always wanted to hear it live a moment of joy.

In The Closet (with its Mystery Girl duet – read Princess Stephanie of Monaco) remains one of Michael’s most sexually suggestive songs – maybe as a challenge to his first choice of vocal partner, Madonna. Once again the beats are sharp but this time have a bit of seduction to them as Michael teases his way through the verses and once again shows why he was unbeatable in the harmony stakes when his vocals are layered against each other in the chorus. Throughout the song Michael uses his voice as a key instrument punctuation the verses with almost doo-wop deliveries and whispered “come ons”. Whilst at times Michael’s lead vocals have a touch of roughness to them, the backing vocal harmonies are as smooth as the finest silk. With a classic MJ touch, the song is laden with melody and vocal hooks from the false start chorus of “she was it give it, ahhh she want’s to give it” to the officially ordained chorus with its falsetto “there’s something about you baby that makes me want to give it to you”. Michael’s spoken word segments also feel more natural than his soft-spoken intro to Don’t Stop or I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. Musically the song has many phrases and it’s not surprise that this track alone spawned over a dozen remixes. Still seductive and still infectious this is one of Michael’s often forgotten about musical gems despite it being a single.

Whereas the first three songs of the album played with and expanded the new jack swing formula, She Drives Me Wild doesn’t mess with it and presents all the key elements of a new jack song. A moment of inventiveness is present in the way that various car sounds are incorporated into the musical landscape from car horns, to tyre skids, to slamming doors, to revving motors. One of the album’s clear-cut dance songs, She Drives Me Wild doesn’t offer lyrics you will find deep meaning but instead provides a fun infectious love song that was guaranteed to be pumped out of speakers all through clubland.

From the opening run of bass notes, Remember The Time just grabs you. The groove is more seductive than some of the harder hitting rhythms that had preceded it. Michael’s delivery is on point, and once again the backing harmonies layer so perfectly they almost wash over the listener. From lush choruses to sparse verses that allow for just Michael’s voice to carry the melody the song became one of the instant stand out tracks of the album. It was a love song that was carried with such joy and celebration you couldn’t help but want to sing along. And whilst the songs either side of it suffer from sounding like derivative new jack songs – and thus place them in a moment of musical time – Remember the Time still sounds fresh and inviting over 15 years later.

Like She Drive Me Wild, Can’t Let Her Get Away is a pure new jack dance tune. Whilst not overly a stand out, the song still has elements that make it fun to listen to but does show a little wear all these years later. Closing out the album’s string of floor fillers, Can’t Let Her Get Away gives a clear not to the new jack vibe and satisfies those fans that wanted Michael to release a dance orientated album.

Whilst Dangerous was seen as a CD orientated album, the track listing (and vinyl release) suggests the listener view it more as a double album with the first 6 songs taking up sides A and B and Heal the World closing out the first disc. Whilst Michael’s heart is clearly in the right place on Heal The World, the childlike simplicity of the arrangement and the lush productions sadly has it come off as a light, overly saccharine track that boarders on the pompous, the song just feels like an overblown version of We Are The World and jars with edgier dance funk that preceded it.

Black or White was a great lead single for this album. The way it fused a great rock riff, with pop sensibilities and a touch of rap was a perfect introduction to where this album would go. While the whole “it’s too late” intro overstayed it’s welcome by about the 5^th listen, there is no denying that Black or White is one of Michael’s iconic tracks. Perhaps driven in part by all the speculation around his appearance, this track continues in Michael’s “one world” ideology. Whereas at other points in the album Michael’s voice comes across as raspy and rough, here the verses are sung with such smoothness that the melody sweeps you up and carries you through the track. It’s a song that hooks you from the first beat. The breakdown/rap segment is a particular highlight with Michael’s vocals adding a punch to the rock guitar that grinds underneath, and then flipping it up the guitar effortlessly slides into a funk groove for the rap. With a sense of joy the backing vocals coax you to sing-along with their “yeah yeah yeahs” while Michaels little trumpet vocal trill at 3.26 just always makes me smile.

With an operatic opening Who Is It is built on the same musical credo of other classic tracks like Billie Jean. With its own immediately distinctive bass line, Who Is It delves a little deeper into the darker side of relationships and musically is quite haunting. Lyrically the desperation and paranoia that follows a breakup is present, almost palpable in the way Michael sings with a sense of yearning and pleading. Musically it offers several hooks without straying too far from the firm groove of the beat, but moments of punctuation with strings and synth beds draw the listener deeper and deeper into the track. For me this was one of Michael’s finest moments as a songwriter and also as a singer. And at 6.34 the song never feels like it has overstayed it’s welcome in the slightest, in fact a few more minutes in the hypnotic swing of the track wouldn’t have gone astray.

With the rock cross over blueprint firmly in place Michael unveils Give In To Me and produces another intriguing rock song. This years Eddie Van Halen is Slash and the rock is pushed a little harder to the point of near distortion. But with the roughness comes moments of sweetness like the vocal break down of “but it’s ok, it’s ok” before Slash delivers a melodically soaring solo that doesn’t try too hard to show off tricks but rather sits in the pocket and lets the flow of the solo build organically, the tricks are saved for the solo reprise at the 3.30 minute mark. Give In To Me slinks along and proves that no matter what genre Michael enters he can hold his own.

Picking up where Man In The Mirror left off, Will You Be There sees Michael pen his own gospel and choral inspired song with what are, to this point in his career, the most personal of lyrics and ones that would carry extra weight in the years that came after it. Steeped in deep harmonies that swell around him, Michael sings with a sense of honesty that both inspires and attracts. The stripped back arrangement, whilst sparse, lets the vocals truly shine and you can hear the pressures cracking in Michael’s delivery of “but I’m only human” (a fact lost on many a journalist and fan alike). The midpoint of the song is like a gentle climb up a summit, each step carried by the choir and Michael’s call and response. Each bar pushing higher and higher, and sweeping the listener up in the process until the soft landing of the final two minutes that allow Michael to speak about his life from his point of view, in words that would become strangely prophetic for the years that would unfold before him.

Continuing the gospel feel Keep The Faith sounds more like Man In The Mirror part 2, which isn’t in itself a bad thing, but sadly it comes off as a pale imitation. Whereas Will You Be There feels like, whilst inspired by it, it creates it’s own path and finds it’s own pace. Maybe it was that Keep The Faith follows Will You Be There that has it pale in comparison, almost feeling like Gospel by the numbers and strangely feeling uninspired. That all sad, there are elements that reward you for going with it, especially with a few of the vocal runs Michael throws into the mix.

Gone Too Soon with its dedication to Ryan White sees Michael in ballad mode. Once again the arrangement allows for Michael voice to shine “splendidly bright”. Initially this wasn’t a song that immediately grabs you, but over time you find little moments that reveal themselves to you. It might be the abandon Michael sings, “born to amuse” or the way he holds onto the note in “dying with the rising of the moon”. Sadly now this song is as much about the singer as it was about the subject.

As if closing out the album the way it began, Dangerous provides us with the perfect floor filler bookend. Once again Michael assumes the role of persecuted lover, but this time is drawn into the scene more than in previous explorations. It’s a touch Billie Jean, a touch Dirty Diana blended into solid dance floor filler. And whilst the song does close out the album with an infectious groove, the length of the track does make it begin to tire on the listener. Shaving a few minutes off it wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

With Dangerous, Michael reaffirmed his right to the title King of Pop and delivered an album that mixed genres in a way that was expected, if not demanded, of a Jackson release. Whilst a few low points (Heal The World, Keep The Faith) drag the album and perhaps should have been dropped entirely or substituted for the catchier and richer Someone Put Your Hand out, Dangerous is perhaps Michael’s most consistent album and the last where the listener could easily distance the tabloid persona from the talented creator.

badujunkie said:

...I can't STAND to sit through the following tracks during any given spin:

"Heal the World"

"Black or White" (least fave of all his signature hits)

"Will You Be There"

"Gone Too Soon"

"Keep The Faith"

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/MpPkn.jpg[/img:$uid]

Dangerous is my favorite MJ album. Just love that album!

Unholyalliance said:

badujunkie said:

...I can't STAND to sit through the following tracks during any given spin:

"Heal the World"

"Black or White" (least fave of all his signature hits)

"Will You Be There"

"Gone Too Soon"

"Keep The Faith"

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/MpPkn.jpg[/img:$uid]

except those are his least deep lyrics

"i saw you kicking dirt in my eye"

"doesn't matter if you're black or white"

"you were my friend"

"there are people dying"

riiiighhht...deep shit

Dangerous is my favourite as well.

I agree with you about the ballads. At first, I couldn't stand it especially Keep the faith and Heal the World. (hides)

But reading the lyrics for Keep the faith really made me like the song. Sometimes I listen to it for empowerment. Heal the World.... Erm, it has a nice message and Mike clearly believe and stand for that message so I can deal with it but... my cynical side know that nothing can heal the world.

Mike's songs often romanticize certain aspects of humans. I like that about him. He seems to really believe in it.

Anyways, Dangerous ages well. The more you listen to it, the more interesting it gets. I agree that they should have made the beg of Who is it and other songs shorter. Some songs took forever to play but the beauty of the instrumental are really something.

I LOVE this album, Bad and Dangerous are his best albums IMO, and a lot of people my age seem to hail Dangerous as a classic work of his. However when I listen to it, I tend to skip Heal The World (from making me sad), Black or White (LOVE it but heard it way too much) and Gone Too Soon (depressing) often, although I love every single song. I also believe Who Is It, Give In To Me and Will You Be There are some of the best work of his career....and sometimes side A and side B do sound like two different albums, but Dangerous being the final track wraps it all up nicely.