The other thread got too long ............ Continuing with a new one.

Please use this thread to discuss everything and anything MJ.

Any created threads will automatically get the and be directed to this sticky.

NOTE: DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS, REPORT THEM - Trolling will NOT be tolerated on the org http://prince.org/msg/3/257367

Take note folks --- requests for copies for songs in any variation of asking/hinting etc. Temp bans will be handed out generously, I shit you not.

Absolutely no illegal file sharing (via yousendit or any other site). Please be aware that the moderators here strictly enforce this.

Frank Dileo's quote on how Michael saved the record business with the Thriller album

[Edited 10/13/14 5:09am]

Michael Jackson's music is being used to help prevent & manage diabetes through dance

Event: Totally Michael Jackson with DJ Charis
WHEN: Saturday 11/8/14 from 1-3 pm (Show up at 1:15 if you do not want the screening.)
WHERE: The African American Art ...re Complex
(762 Fulton Street, S.F., CA 94102 between Buchanan & Webster). Free parking.
WHO: Everyone, with and without diabetes, all ages and abilities.
WHAT: Join DJ Charis in an exciting afternoon of dancing to all Michael Jackson music!
HOW & WHY: Dance Out Diabetes is a local non-profit that prevents and manages diabetes through dance. Because of volunteers, individual donors and corporate sponsorships, participants get a $277 value health check-up. This includes blood pressure, height, weight, A1C test (3-month glucose average), glucose, and access to certified diabetes educators. And we pay you to go dancing for the health of it!
HEALTHY REWARDS INCENTIVE PROGRAM: Participants who attend the event and get their health screenings will receive a $10 gift card. Diabetes is expensive and can be a burden, so this is our way to inspire you.
MORE INFORMATION: www.danceoutdiabetes.org or call Theresa at 1-877-765-4386. Wear comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes and bring water.
COST: $10, but if you can’t afford it, just show up.


http://vallieegirl67.com/...dj-charis/

The Biblical Meaning Of Dangerous Album Art

As we all know Michael Jackson spoken through his art in the past 45 years.
I am one of the admirer of his symbolic art . I am also amazed by how much story can he tell us in a piece of art. One of my all time favorite art is the Dangerous album ART . It took me 3 days to solve the mystery. This beautiful symbolic art took 6 months of an artist time to reconnect all the basic ideas of symbolism .




Since Michael said “ that the design should be mysterious, that people will interpret in their own way” I interpret it as Biblical scriptures. Remember how spiritual Michael is and he is into a Bible . Michael said he read Bible every day and gain so much wisdom from The teaching of The holy Bible .

First lets start from The King Dog.




As we all know a Dog is a mans best friend , also Dog is the most faithful animal. The ancient Israelites know by shepherds and have a very special relationship with a dog. In farms Dogs have a responsibility to protect their owner flock . So why is the dog king have an initial MJ on his head ? Clearly he been serving man kind and the children.

Also there is an evil creature on his right hand. It symbolized Paparazzi and the media who try to defame him in the past.
The King has a rod on his right hand if you see closely you see a Queen bird with an evil red eye . It symbolizes satan overshadowed Michaels humanitarian work by using media . The media try to defame and make him look like an evil man. If you see to the left the evil bird uses his royal road. Showing that 70 AD The Romans controlled the Holy Land and control the Israelites kingdom. So he is fighting her from sipping his blood from his foot with his glowing gloves. Symbolized The holocaust of the natural branches since 70 A.D until now.



If you look closer the gloves are two doves.


Michael Is A prehistoric man, perhaps a warrior tribe . Lets see who is a warrior tribe in The Bible.


Genesis 49:8


8 “Judah,[b] your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e]



Since Michael is Royalty and from the warrior tribe Is he representing the future
Kingdom?




Christ said on Revelation 2:26-28


26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.



Could this man be Michael? Was he trying to tell us something?



Isaiah 11


The Branch From Jesse


1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD



Michael dressed as royalty most of the time . he always have ER sign in his outfits and also his neverland ranch door is the crest of the Royal family . Because The moors were ruling Europe for a 1000 years until they fail and their kingdom taken by Edomites /seed of Esau/. Example King James who rule 5 countries at ones. he also was a black man from The tribe of Judah. And he also translates the Holy Bible please check 1611 KJV Bible.



You can see under the eyes there are many different kind of animals together and a child with a number 7 on his hat is leading them . hmm where did we read it before


Isaiah 11:6


6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them


It is exactly like the scripture . Next a child is playing with a viper’s nest .


Isaiah 11


7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.


And a map of the earth on Michael's palm. In The new Kingdom Judah will rise as a king of The Earth , the king will be Christ Him self. It shows the new Earth and Heaven which is coming soon.





Next


Look to his eyes carefully to your right side is a woman , the left is a man Michael.





"our eyes are the windows to the world"MJ




If you see the king dog half of him is a female the left side of him . And she has a rod on her hand . And The golden hand shape rod with 11 sign . 11 is a spiritual messenger sign. And the hand has a bracelet if you look closer its a face of a woman .Michaels eternal companions who who will help him to complete His purpose.
Also to the right there is a statue if you see closer she is a woman and half a man at the same time . It symbolized The two who are one and their purpose is help building the kingdom of heaven.

ow to our right we can see a Queen bird dressed in purple dress .

Look carefully she trapped many people in her breast . she has a golden object on her left hand . also she had a rod with a king dog on her right. It look like she took the rod from the king dog because he has a bird queen in his hand. / could be every thing he is done is changed it to evil/ Also there are demons coming out of her head to stop the two birds /angles/ one of the birds has a letter M in red color. They try to revel her true identity when they uncover her dress she is nothing but a machine attached to an umbilical cord connected to a huge ball . if you look inside the ball Adam and Eve and the apple. Represents SIN



Rev 17


4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:


BABYLON THE GREAT


THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES


AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.


6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.


How Ironic another scripture





“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’[a]
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”





Under the Queen Bird we see an eye illuminati sign . check out your back dollar bill you will see the pyramid and an eye. On Book of Daniel 8 you will see the horn who has an eye controlled the earth .





Those are who watching all over the earth are DANGEROUS.
If you see in the middle of the art you can see the Planet Earth upside down . and its almost destroyed and there is DANGEROUS letter over it . Man kind destroyed the planet with War, Racism, and injustice. We can see a man look like a banker something high class politician could be behind all the weapons in the way to the middle .

http://thedreamcontinues-...aning.html

Hey all! Could someone help me out, I'm trying to compile a list of all fully leaked concerts (In good Quality) I'm mainly looking for things pre HIStory tour, as there is TONS of full HIStory shows in circulation. So far I have

Victory Tour Dallas

Victory Tour Toronto

Bad Tour Yokohoma

Bad Tour Brisbane

Bad Tour Wembley

Bad Tour Japan

Dangerous Tour Bucharest

Dangerous Tour Buenos Aires

Dangerous Tour Monza

Royal Brunei

Any others you know of ?

Is Michael dead? People have been asking thid online. There's even a DVD with elegid proof that Michael is living. WHat do you really think? DId Michael fake his death and this is one big hoax? Or did he really..........

I want to ask "Come and get it the rare pearls for christmas. Does anyone here have that album ? Is it worthwhile?

Michael's dance steps come from an obscure 1974 musical called The Little Prince

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUTEhEPONgc#t=64

Such an artist.

Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson’s Magnum Opus by Joseph Vogel (Blake Vision, 2011) - A Book Review by Elizabeth Amisu

This article was first published on the Michael Jackson Academic Studies Journal, 15 August 2014.

[img]https://michaeljacksonstudies.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/img_3805-e1407952438155.jpg[/img]

The cover of ‘Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson’s Magnum Opus’

'Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson' (Sterling 2011) was a huge and well-researched text, which will doubtless become a staple in schools, universities and colleges the world over when the level of Jackson's genius is finally accepted on the international academic stage and given the respect and study it deserves. Vogel's other book on Jackson, 'Featuring Michael Jackson: Collected Writings on the King of Pop' is targeted more towards lay-readers, giving a simple but effective series of published articles from publications like 'The Atlantic'. 'Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus' completes the triumvirate of groundbreaking studies in Michael Jackson's art by academic, Dr. Joseph Vogel.

One of the most evident reasons that Michael Jackson’s art was so poorly reviewed by critics in the last decades of his career was because he often went ‘over their heads’ in terms of complexity, artistic influences, self-expression and sincerity while simultaneously reaching the “uneducated” masses, who in the eyes of many rock critics must have been in a shared delusion to buy into ‘Jacksonmania’.

Academic study of Michael Jackson’s art is always a fresh wind which blows away old prejudices and re-appreciates the artist. Vogel comes to ‘Earth Song’, possibly the single-most important and effective song of Jackson’s career, through the prism of intense research and study.

When Vogel writes about Jackson, one would do very well to listen. If there were a Professorship in Michael Jackson Studies, he would have been the first recipient. He is a veritable scientist, tackling Jackson study with the same focused tenacity as a Shakespeare scholar.

Several of Vogel’s sources are primary and ‘Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson’s Magnum Opus’, at a short and easily readable 112 pages features first-hand interviews with Bill Bottrell, Matt Forger, and Brad Buxer, as well as secondary contextual sources that range from the King James Bible (1611) and Wordsworth to Bjork and Emmerson.

Even with the author’s wider knowledge in Jacksonism, Vogel uses the artist himself as his primary source: Jackson’s interviews, words, lyrics, harmonies, and personal convictions lie at the heart of this short but incisive book and this is where its key strength lies.

In 112 pages, the author takes the reader from the 1988 to 2009, charting with startling accuracy Jackson’s creative process, inspiration and visual representation of a single song, ‘Earth Song’ from his 1995 album, ‘HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1’. The various guises ‘Earth Song’ took, its varied reception throughout the world, its lack of an American release and its anachronistic nature are presented alongside Jackson’s own intentions.

Throughout the book, ‘Earth Song’ is also placed into the context of contemporary music as well as timeless artistic expression, placed in the context of prejudices against the artist and the artist’s struggle to present a new view to his listeners and truly change the world.

'Earth Song' is Michael Jackson and Michael Jackson, in many ways was 'Earth Song'. It is widely known that this song was his last performance in 2009 and this fact gives it an ethereality which only adds to its urgency:

The messenger has gone but the message remains.

I really do hope that Dr. Vogel goes on to write a series of books like this on a range of songs that epitomise Jackson’s art and life. Songs that are only given a “light touch” in ‘Man in the Music’ could do with an entire book each. This would make such a great series to collect and own. Some of my particular favourites would be ‘Man in the Mirror’, ‘Morphine’ and ‘History’. It would be quite something to read how those songs metamorphosed and grew over the years into the tracks we know and love.

Whether you’re an academic, a fan or spectator this book will captivate and teach you things you never knew.

Elizabeth Amisu is a postgraduate scholar of Early Modern English Literature at King’s College London. It is her goal to bring wider attention to Michael Jackson as artist by creating an academic model for the study of his art. Find out more here.

http://elizabethamisu.com/post/100193640625/earth-song-inside-michael-jacksons-magnum-opus-by

[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0HrrStCYAA5aK2.jpg[/img]

"A mark of respect for a fellow human being is silence. Michael Jackson will never get it. There will be no silence for him as his body is laid to rest and hundreds huddle around remembering his warmth.

We have advanced much. With great pride, we continue to innovate new ways of creating commotion. Updates by the millisecond are at hand. Shared experiences are at the peak of their imagined potential. Michael Jackson has previously stopped the traffic in Times Square, but set another new precedent today by slowing down traffic and crashing many websites on the internet. The empirical potential of his absence is no doubt computed by interested experts. By dying, Michael Jackson has given rise to more money-making ventures for those in the business of not being silent. It will not be atypical if he is blamed for any fleecing of the grieved. The internet, the radio, the television and print media will be booming loud with new business. The air is already saturated by carrying the words announcing his death closely followed by reactions, expressions, speculations, opinions and of course the jokes.

I join the clamour now with my clattering keyboard because somewhere in the commotion, I read something which reminded me of a long-gone thought of mine.. “I hope they tell his story right”. He told his story enough but it never was given due attention. MJ’s Creator knows his story and that’s the comfort.

There’s something that surprises me, and something that does not surprise me. What does not surprise me is all the different expert theories on the tragedy of his life. What still surprises me is that this man’s life is seen by so many as a tragedy. That, to me is poignant. The tragic failing of the human spirit in so many of this world - the inability to celebrate the gifted among us. Michael Jackson never disappointed me, but it seems from most reports, that he disappointed many others who, to forgive their own hasty conclusions of his character, shamefully acknowledge his “talent” or rather - acknowledge his 13 minutes of talent - since ‘Thriller’ is the only thing that is ever mentioned from the fifty years of his life.

Been an unfazed fan since the days when rumours about the skin-bleaching and hormone-altered voice ruled the news after the liberalization of the Indian economy. (fan moment)”go down the liss oprah, go down the liss” (/fan moment). Went through the 1993 allegations hooked on the soulful Will You Be There while catching up with the bunny in Speed Demon. Of course I was there HIStory was my triumph and I loved how it started with a Scream to end with a Smile.

I tried fighting the usual suspects through the ‘Vince Era’ and it was clearly not about the music anymore as I could tell sadly, from listening to the album itself. Finally, as a result of the 2003 raid on Neverland and the - as MJ would say - ‘ignorant’ three million dollar bail amount, I produced an untitled 48 minute experimental documentary for my Master’s Project that earned me less credit, respect and understanding than any other piece I have ever created. Months later, I took the opportunity to personally thank his lawyer and give him a copy of ‘The Hindu’, India’s national newspaper with the acquittal news hogging the frontpage.

MJ got me listening to Gandhi, Beatles and Tchaikovsky. I learnt new words like ‘paraphernalia’ and ‘catatonic’ from hearing him talk. I celebrated his irreverant fashion sense and I really admired his way with the English language. He inspired me overnight to stop biting my nails. I learned his accent, ‘Jacksonese’- a severely underrated dialect of American and I discovered a new strength in my falsetto while singing endlessly along with his songs. Of course I can Moonwalk. All MJ represented to me was creativity, simple joy and good values that I was raised with. Yet, I have received both curious acceptance and sharp rejection within different cultures because of my open appreciation for him and his lifework. A fact I find surprising to this day. Its possible I made an early bad judgement in choosing him as a source of inspiration, but I further chose to rather find inspiration in MJ than sweat justifying my decision to the inquisitive.

Before his 2005 trial, I saw MJ as someone who handled pain very well and shared that strength with many others. After his trial, actually since the day of the ‘not guilty’ verdict on all ten counts, I started to see him as someone who could not handle pain very well and needed strength. I never thought this was a tragic fact about him, I mistakenly believed this was part of the general human experience and wished him well in his endeavours to overcome his troubles since, which were definitely many and mostly related to his money. I didn’t realize that common human vulnerability looked like a tragic failing to some.

It is not the death of MJ that is disturbing, its the fact that he candidly shared the rawest emotions in public and yet died leaving an undying curiosity in most who care more for information on his private matters such as the mother of his children, his health, his finances, the shape of his nose, the texture of his hair and let’s not forget, the colour of his skin. There is no one recognized person whose story will be believed. The clamour now will be to claim that spot as the person closest to MJ with the most intimate details to share.

I am sad for the little boy from Gary, Indiana whose dreams about making movies were thwarted. I think about the children MJ leaves behind who will forever live in the shadow of their father’s presence as sadly many children in this world do. I am speechless for all the fans, who still look to MJ for needs ranging from a daily gossip fix to a remote parent to a messiah. I mostly grieve for the people who could never get themselves to see any beauty in his being here with us. How anyone could dismiss the good in Michael Jackson is and always has been a curiosity of mine.

I will not miss MJ, he is not a part of my life in that sense but I will remember him when I see any performance stage. As a student of art, I can continue to learn from a genius who, through shared thoughts or demonstrated action provided enough lessons on, and access to, the most ready and refined appreciation for life and art. I regret that there is no photograph of the First African American President shaking hands with the Permanent President of Showbiz. MJ is deeply revered in the African American community and has shaken hands with many political leaders, including the beloved Madiba, and four American Presidents: Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton.

MJ is always high-level. If his expressed level of compassion did not hit the mark, distinguished intellectuals could probably attest to this by reducing him to a Mathematical formula - taking into consideration the worth of the staggering statistics related to his various seminal works as artist and philanthropist. There is something to be explored for the sheer recurrence of majority numbers and disproved probabilities in any impact measurement study. This, despite his place in society representing that of one who was marginalized even within a perceived minority group.
Throughout his criminal trial, MJ was never put on the stand, he never had to speak a word in his own defense. I’m thankful to Mr.Mesereau for his efforts towards this. I don’t believe Truth abandoned MJ, not then, nor will it now. Through all the noise around his existence, MJ maintained a dignified silence for the dreaming, record-making, record-shattering force of nature that he IS.

If he was once called a one-man rescue team for showbiz it is no credit to the title-giver, for such is the sustaining power of sincerity in his art and charity. A stage is the worshipped ground of performers all over the world. Now, with the key light gone, no stage anywhere in the world will ever sparkle as much as it could with MJ being around. The corner of darkness will always be present despite advances in technology, the talents of performers and skills of lighting experts in the times to come. And all he needed was one spotlight.

There is no need for clamour around a man’s struggles. Yet there is no end to the ready discourses on the ‘tragic life’ of this man. MJ would have never had his say because what’s to be said can only be understood in silence. Michael Jackson will never have this undisputed moment of silence. Not from this world. Not in this lifetime. This much has been proved so far, only time can tell otherwise and I suspect he knew this very well .. “Lies run sprints. Truth runs marathons” - Michael Jackson.

Being a fan of MJ, I have very low tolerance for cynicism. Yet, my prayers in this world have been for strength not peace - it’s because I always thought MJ’s prayers for peace had already reached the ear of God.

Satyameva Jayathey (Truth alone Triumphs)
A comment in response to an article now archived athttp://sepiamutiny.com/blog/
Pic added

motownlover said:

New York Times:

Moonwalk a Mile in His Shoes

Examining Michael Jackson Impersonators and ‘Dangerous’

[img:$uid]http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/10/20/arts/20BOOKTURNER-COMBO/20BOOKTURNER-master675.jpg[/img:$uid]
OCT. 19, 2014By JON CARAMANICA
Think of what it took to be Michael Jackson, pop star chameleon forever mutating in the spotlight: the outrageous level of talent, the unbearable amount of scrutiny, to say nothing of the constant revising around race and gender and more.
“This prosthetic idea of the human,” is how Susan Fast describes it in “Michael Jackson’s Dangerous,” her new book about the 1991 album that announced Jackson’s break from his polished pop mega-idol past into a more polyvalent present.
“Dangerous” is, for many, the beginning of the end for Jackson, even though it sold many millions of copies and generated several hits. It followed “Thriller” and “Bad,” two of the most important and widely loved albums in pop history, and ones that, comparatively, barely courted controversy.
But Ms. Fast, a professor in the English and cultural studies department at McMaster University in Ontario, thinks “Dangerous” is important, too, and sets out to rehabilitate it both as an album and as a site of Jackson’s engagement with cultural politics.
hat task can’t be done without touching on his body, which Ms. Fast calls “a work in progress, fully open to and trusting in limitless experimentation.” For someone so squarely at the center of pop culture, Jackson was far ahead of his time in terms of how he negotiated and altered his identity on the fly — a subverter in the pop spotlight.
Virtually all of his creative moments were moments of transition, and Ms. Fast makes a strong argument that “Dangerous” was among his most disruptive. In this book, the 100th entry in Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series, each one devoted to a single album, Ms. Fast employs close readings of lyrics, musical production choices and video presentations to underscore little discussed aspects of Jackson’s creative output.
Ms. Fast contends that, at around this time, lurid media interest in Jackson’s perceived oddity began to eclipse formal appreciation of his work. So she breaks “Dangerous” into thematically rich sections: Jackson breaking with his old self, then switching to familiar modes to make bold political statements and then coming full circle. She praises his use of nonmusical sounds as narrative devices, and contends that Jackson, often painted as resisting the cutting edge, was in fact borrowing some of hip-hop’s angst and reformatting it on his terms.
She’s also interested in the normative aspects of Jackson’s masculinity, an area of his identity that she says is often outright ignored, noting that Jackson’s “sexualized performances” were, for many, “too stylized to be believed.” But talking about the video for “In the Closet,” in which he cavorts — somewhat awkwardly — with the model Naomi Campbell, Ms. Fast notes: “It seems, perhaps too oddly for some to contemplate, that he knows his way around a woman. Failure? I don’t think so. Threatening? Probably.”
There are brief pocket-history digressions into postmodernism, art history and other subjects in this taut book, but mainly Ms. Fast — an academic writing for a general audience — sticks close to what Jackson did on record, stage and screen, making himself up as he went.
Ms. Fast’s book has an unwitting partner in “The Michael Jacksons,” a photo and essay collection by Lorena Turner devoted to those who make impersonating Jackson their job.
This is an eclectic, centerless group — Ms. Turner found her subjects on the street and through online solicitations — leading perhaps to unavoidably to imprecise ethnography. With someone as fluid as Jackson, the avenues for interpretation are wide open. Ms. Turner’s subjects are men and women, black and white and beyond; heavily made up or merely playing dress-up, capable dance mimics or those who prefer just to whisper sweetly.
The photos are striking. How could they not be? No two Jacksons look quite the same. Many are in thrift-store finery. Some use makeup to lighten their skin, some to accentuate or de-emphasize certain features. One man’s hands are about a dozen shades darker than his face.
This is a photo book that should be a movie, or at minimum a YouTube series. The detail in the photos is revealing, but the motivations behind each person’s choices would most likely be even more so. It would have been especially revealing to pair each of the photos with interview excerpts or detailed narratives. Ms. Turner did extensive interviews with her subjects, but apart from a few case studies at the end of the book, she does not include them, hampered perhaps by the varying degrees of self-awareness among her study group.
She does develop a loose taxonomy, breaking her subjects down into categories — look-alikes, impersonators, tribute artists — but doesn’t drill deeper to unpack affinities within and across categories. And she notes that most of the subjects choose the lighter-skinned Jackson of the late 1980s and early 1990s as their visual guide, but doesn’t explore why. (One scene in which an observer spits at the feet of one of the darker-skinned impersonators is striking but underexplored.)
For most of these performers, she writes, Jackson’s “skin color does not suggest a failed allegiance to blackness, as it did for many people of earlier generations, and his altered features do not signal self-hatred. In fact, many performers celebrate those transformations in their representations of Michael. They are not race, or gender-obsessed; their Michael Jackson is neither black nor white, male nor female, but a hybrid, uniracial person like themselves.”
In some of the interviews it’s clear that the subjects see themselves as custodians of Jackson’s legacy, responsible for upholding his image among everyday fans. Jackson is, to them, a costume, a set of rules for performance, a way to collect tips. But he is not a divisive figure — only a departed hero who needs new flesh. So they put on the outfit, the makeup, the dance moves, and give his complexity a breather.
THE MICHAEL JACKSONSBy Lorena TurnerIllustrated. 167 pages. Little Moth. $34.95.MICHAEL JACKSON’S DANGEROUSBy Susan Fast151 pages. Bloomsbury. $14.95.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/arts/examining-michael-jackson-impersonators-and-dangerous.html?_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Books&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article

Michael Jackson's Unparalleled Influence

>

Epic

Michael Jackson was the most influential artist of the 20th century. That might sound shocking to sophisticated ears. Jackson, after all, was only a pop star. What about the century's great writers like Fitzgerald and Faulkner? What about visual artists, like Picasso and Dali, or the masters of cinema from Chaplin to Kubrick? Even among influential musicians, did Michael really matter more than the Beatles? What about Louis Armstrong, who invented jazz, or Frank Sinatra, who reinvented it for white people? Or Elvis Presley, who did the same with blues and gospel, founding rock in the process? Michael Jackson is bigger than Elvis? By a country mile.

First, there is no question that musicians in the 20th century had far more cultural impact than any other sort of artist. There is no such thing, for instance, as a 20th-century painter that is more famous than an entertainer like Sinatra. There are no filmmakers or movie stars that had more cultural sway than The Beatles, and no 20th-century writers who touched more lives than Elvis. Consider that thousands of human beings, from Bangkok to Brazil, make their living by pretending to be Elvis Presley. When was the last time you saw a good impression of Picasso? Even Elvis, though, is overshadowed by Jackson's career.

First, with the possible exception of Prince and Sammy Davis Jr., Michael Jackson simply had more raw talent as a performer than any of his peers. But the King of Pop reigns as the century's signature artist not just because of his exceptional talent, but because he was able to package that talent in a whole new way. In both form and content, Jackson simply did what no one had done before.

Louis Armstrong, for instance, learned music as a live performer and adapted his art for records and radio. Sinatra and Elvis were also basically live acts who made records, ultimately expanding that on-stage persona into other media through sheer force of charisma. The Beatles were a hybrid; a once-great live band made popular by radio and TV, forced by their own fame to become rock's first great studio artists.

Jackson, though, was something else entirely. Something new. Obviously he made great records, usually with the help of Quincy Jones. Jackson's musical influence on subsequent artists is simply unavoidable, from his immediate followers like Madonna and Bobby Brown, to later stars like Usher and Justin Timberlake.

Certainly, Jackson could also electrify a live audience. His true canvas, though, was always the video screen. Above all, he was the first great televisual entertainer. From his Jackson 5 childhood, to his adult crossover on the Motown 25th anniversary special, to the last sad tabloid fodder, Jackson lived and died for on TV. He was born in 1958, part of the first generation of Americans who never knew a world without TV. And Jackson didn't just grow up with TV. He grew up on it. Child stardom, the great blessing and curse of his life, let him to internalize the medium's conventions and see its potential in a way that no earlier performer possibly could.

The result, as typified by the videos for "Thriller," "Billie Jean," and "Beat It," was more than just great art. It was a new art form. Jackson turned the low-budget, promotional clips record companies would make to promote a hit single into high art, a whole new genre that combined every form of 20th century mass media: the music video. It was cinematic, but not a movie. There were elements of live performance, but it was nothing like a concert. A seamless mix of song and dance that wasn't cheesy like Broadway, it was on TV but wildly different from anything people had ever seen on a screen.

The oft-repeated conventional wisdom—that Jackson's videos made MTV and so "changed the music industry" is only half true. It's more like the music industry ballooned to encompass Jackson's talent and shrunk down again without him. Videos didn't matter before Michael, and they ceased to matter at almost the precise cultural moment he stopped producing great work. His last relevant clip, "Black or White," was essentially the genre's swan song. Led by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the next wave of pop stars hated making videos, seeing the entire format, and the channel they aired on, as tools of corporate rock.

The greatest impact of the music video wasn't on music, but video. That is, on film and television. The generation that grew up watching '80s videos started making movies and TV shows in the '90s, using MTV's once-daring stylistic elements like quick cuts, vérité-style hand-helds, nonlinear narrative and heavy visual effects and turning them into mainstream TV and film movie conventions.

If Jackson had only been a great musician who also invented music video, he still wouldn't have mattered as much. Madonna, his only worthy heir, was almost as gifted at communicating an aesthetic on-screen. The aesthetic Jackson communicated, however, was much more powerful, liberating and globally resonant than hers. It was more powerful than what Elvis and Sinatra communicated, too. Hence, that whole "Most Influential Artist" thing.

American popular music has always been about challenging stereotypes and breaking down barriers. Throughout the century, be it in Jazz, Rock or Hip-Hop, black and white artists mixed styles, implicitly, and often explicitly, advocating racial equality. Popular music has always challenged sex roles, too. Top 40 artists especially, from Little Richard and proto-feminist Leslie Gore, to David Bowie, Madonna and Lady Gaga have pushed social progress by bending and breaking gender rules.

Jackson was clearly a tragic figure, and his well-documented childhood trauma didn't help. But his fatal flaw, and simultaneously the source of his immense power, was a truly revolutionary Romantic vision. Not Romantic in the sappy way greeting card companies and florists use the word, but in its older, Byronic sense of someone who commits their entire life to pursing a creative ideal in defiance of social order and even natural law. Jackson's Romantic ideal, learned as a child at Motown founder Berry Gordy's feet, was an Age of Aquarius-inspired vision using of pop music to build racial, sexual, generational and religious harmony. His twist, though, was a doozy.

He not only made art promoting pop's egalitarian ethos, but literally tried embody it. When that vision became an obsession, a standard showbiz plastic surgery addiction became something infinitely more ambitious—and infinitely darker. Jackson consciously tried to turn himself into an indeterminate mix of human types, into a sort of ageless arch-person, blending black and white, male and female, adult and child. He was, however, not an arch-person. He was just a regular person, albeit a supremely talented one, and time makes dust of every person, no matter how well they sing. Decades of throwing himself against this irrefutable wall of fact ravaged him, body then soul, and eventually destroyed him.

At his creative peak, though, it almost seemed possible. Michael could be absolutely anything he wanted; Diana Ross one day, Peter Pan and the next. Every breathtaking high note, every impossible dance-step and crazy costume projected the same message. There are no more barriers of race, sex, class or age, he told his audience. You, too, can be and do whatever you want. We are limited only by our power to dream. A performer who can make you believe that, to feel it, even for a moment, comes along once in a lifetime. Maybe. If you're lucky.

As years pass and history sanitizes his memory, Jackson's legend will only grow. One day, in addition to being the most influential artist of the 20th century, he may well topple Elvis become the most-impersonated as well. Jackson, after all, only died a year ago. Elvis has been gone since 1977. Another two or three decades and Michael might have the most impersonators from Bangkok and Brazil. Let's just hope that they don't take it too far.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2010/06/michael-jacksons-unparalleled-influence/58616/2/

*Orignally posted on Lipstickalley. Very interesting comments.*

When was Michael at his peak commercially, artistically/creatively speaking?

Commercially? "Thriller" of course was when he was at his most successful. He had critical acclaim, incredible commercial success and had people wanting to be like him and just going crazy over him. I don't think we'll ever see an artist dominate completely the way MJ during "Thriller mania".

Artistically? Commercially MJ peaked in the 80's(tho he was still huge in the 90's) but artistically he was at his best in the 90's. Musically he took more risks and dabbled more with different genres of music. He even grew as a songwriter as well if you ask me. I mean let's look at a song like "Stranger in Moscow". He wrote and produced it himself and it was and is genius on all levels. Totally autobiographical too. He took risks also on songs like "They Don't Care About Us" where he sang about police brutality,racism and injustice.

It's unfortunate some dismiss this time in his career or claim he had "lost it" at this time. He didn't lose anything. He went through a lot of hardships during this period, the world changed and he just grew as both an artist and a man.

His music reflected that.

Anyway, when would you say Mike was at his peak commercially and/or artistically?

Commercially-Late 80's early 90's before shit hit the fan.

Artistically- who knows.

Commercially - Thriller

Artistically - Off the Wall ...with a temporary bright-spot during the HIStory area (with Stranger in Moscow), and a little blip before that with "Who Is It" (Dangerous era).

Commercially: Basically the entire 80s

Artistically: Late 70s-Mid 90s

The HISTORY era was when he seemed IMO to be at his peak. That's the enduring memory I have of him- I think Bucharest was a particular highlight.

Commercially and artistically the Dangerous era. It was his biggest selling album in new emerging markets in South America, Asia, and Africa his global impact was much bigger than Thriller IMO. Michael was known in every crevice of the world. Dangerous is his best adult solo album in my opinion.

Commercially-Thriller

Artistically-It is hard to say.Kathrine talked a lot about during how much he would write and all of his ideas during the Off the Wall era.I myself has always consider OTW my fav MJ album. My favorite era is Bad Era and I think music video/choreography/performance wise he was absolutely at his peak during that era.

Invincible though should get honorable mention for his artisticness. Many different types of songs and different song for MJ on that album but it got screwed over.

It's hard to choose just one but I agree that "Bad" was definitely a creative time for him. I think especially when it came to his music videos, the ones from "Bad" were probably his best and most creative overall. Dance wise as well, we were introduced to "The Lean" in the video for "Smooth Criminal" for example . It was a great time.

"Bad" was awesome.

Commercially would go to Thriller. Artistically/creatively belongs to Bad. That's where he showed more growth musically and his videos were at it's peak.

Bad truly was bad ass overall. Michael was clearly on another level with his creativity. The full version video of Bad doesnt really get the love and credit it should. The themes, look, and sound of the album is more advanced and progressive than even Thriller. Really musically the only thing that went against the album is that is came after Thriller.

Off the Wall, creatively. It was the first time he was able to truly branch out from his brothers, and create the type of music he wanted.

Michael would've had more creative peaks but the problem was he was more interested in trying to break records and be a mega-star than anything else; which means a lot of his product he was creating with "how well will this sell" in mind and not so much of it was really about creativity.

To me after the few bright spots I mentioned the last time he seemed to really do anything creative was on "Invincible" and I feel like that was only because it appeared that by that point he was starting not to give a fuck about trying to dominate the charts anymore and was just trying to make music that sounded good and maybe, tell a story.

You have to give this man credit. His peak was a long time like 20 years

Well, we all know Thriller was his peak commercially. As far as artistically, I can't really pin that down. He had peaks throughout his career. I consider everything he did during his solo career to be a peak. His impact never really died, and with each album he brought something new. I like to think of each album as a different aspect of MJ's personality that he was letting shine through. All of them have their place and are equally iconic and important.

And why is that opinion wrong? You're the only one in here acting like MJ's music just hit the wall after Thriller, like everything was only about breaking records. Give me a break. If you really think MJ wrote songs like TDRCAU, Earth Song, Morphine, etc. just so he could break some records then you don't really understand his later music and what he meant by it.

People who claim this never explain how his later music was more commercial than his earlier music. They simply base this opinion on the fact that MJ talked about liking records in interviews but they ignore the actual musical and thematic directions he went to.

Explain to me how songs like Scream, TDCAU, Stranger in Moscow, Morphine, Money, Earth Song, Little Susie, 2Bad, Who Is It, Will You Be There etc. were created just to achieve commercial success? Explain to me how those songs are more commercial than songs like Thriller, Rock with You, Don't Stop, She's Out of My Life.

If anything a fun, dance album like OTW is a lot more commercial than the albums he did in the 90s. Just saying.

And BTW, Michael did not start to think about records after Thriller. It's a common misconception that somehow Thriller's success made him commercial minded. He was always commercial minded. The guy grew up with Motown, for God's sake, the epitome of commercially created music. Then around the release of OTW (not Thriller, not Bad, not Dangerous - but during OTW) he wrote a manifesto declaring how great he was aiming to become. Commercial success was always important to him, let's not try to act like it came in his mind only later. This however does not mean anything about the quality and artistic genuinity of his music. Just because he liked to be commercially successful it does not mean he sacrificed his music because of that. And in fact, especially later he did not. I mean in which Universe an album like HIStory is very radio friendly and commercial? If he had truly been aiming at only commercial success and if he had sacrificed his music for commercial success he would have done some dumbed down shit that ruled the charts at the time (like the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Hanson etc.) or would have joined the generic 90s R&B flow. That's what commercial music is. Not HIStory. Not Dangerous. Not Blood on the Dance Floor.

As for his later albums "not being about creativity". Are you aware that he wrote and produced a lot more songs on his later albums than on OTW? So how are they not about creativity?

As to the question.

Commercially of course Thriller.

Artistically he had many peaks but Dangerous and HIStory is IMO where it's not just about entertainment any more but about expressing himself as an artist and a person. And I will make a honorable mention of the Jackson's 1978 Destiny album in that regard.

Commercially - Thriller

Artistically/ Creatively - The 1990's, Dangerous and HIStory/ BOTDF were his peak eras IMO.

It is hard to say where micheal peaked. The Jackson 5 had there era the wiz etc. While thriller blew the doors off in every way. The consensus was the off the wall album was his masterpiece. Michael hit that sweet spot where he was universally loved from Russia to copetipeck.

motownlover said:

I want to ask "Come and get it the rare pearls for christmas. Does anyone here have that album ? Is it worthwhile?

Got it when it first came out. Solid collection, for sure. The packaging was great, with a nice vinyl single and booklet. The music itself is solid. Some strong songs that could've easily benn singles (If The Shoe Don't Fit, their cover of You Can't Hurry Love).

To be honest, while Xscape was a step in the right direction, Motown has released far better material. I guess given the era/age of the material it wouldn't make sense to update it, but still. Between Unreleased Masters, Live At The Forum and Rare Pearls, Motown has had some quality releases.

Now we just need whoever's in charge to get on board with some Jacksons material.

Superstition said:

motownlover said:

I want to ask "Come and get it the rare pearls for christmas. Does anyone here have that album ? Is it worthwhile?

Got it when it first came out. Solid collection, for sure. The packaging was great, with a nice vinyl single and booklet. The music itself is solid. Some strong songs that could've easily benn singles (If The Shoe Don't Fit, their cover of You Can't Hurry Love).

To be honest, while Xscape was a step in the right direction, Motown has released far better material. I guess given the era/age of the material it wouldn't make sense to update it, but still. Between Unreleased Masters, Live At The Forum and Rare Pearls, Motown has had some quality releases.

Now we just need whoever's in charge to get on board with some Jacksons material.

I do have "the unreleased masters . I liked it and i was just curious because this has more material and i was curious about the quality. Xscape could have been better if they used other mixes, EG the mix for SHe was loving me and i like the leak of "do yo know where your children are better

[Edited 10/21/14 0:50am]

‘Crack Music’: Michael Jackson’s ‘Invincible’ - Dangerous Philosophies 4/12

‘Crack Music’: Michael Jackson’s Invincible

By Elizabeth Amisu

Inspired by the chapter, ‘Invincible, The Denouement Album’ from The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson by Elizabeth Amisu (Praeger, 2016).

Abstract:

Little academic writing has been devoted to Michael Jackson’s final studio album, Invincible. This article explores Invincible through Kanye West’s metaphor of Crack Music from the 2005 album, Late Registration and places it in the context of black aspiration as a threat to dominant Western ideologies.

‘CRACK MUSIC’: MICHAEL JACKSON’S INVINCIBLE

'Sometimes I feel the music is the only medicine
So we cook it, cut it, measure it, bag it, sell it.’[i]

Listen to the track, Crack Music from Kanye West’s 2005 album, Late Registration. The political, ‘Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer’ is intertwined with the historical, ‘we’ve been hanging from the same tree ever since’ and religious, ‘God, how could you let this happen?’ West’s gospel harmonies soar, as if reaching for impossible dreams while his lyrics remain entrenched in the gutter. A similar bittersweet-ness is found in the rising choruses of Whatever Happens and Heaven Can Wait from Invincible. Both songs deal with existential themes and death is at the centre. There is a heavenwards reach, ‘tell the angels no’ tempered with an earthbound fear, ‘if the Lord should come for me before I wake’.[ii]

The curious dichotomy between what nourishes us and what kills us is the stage on which all Jackson’s songs were performed. Like Jackson did years before him, ‘black man, blackmail, throw the brother in jail’, West continually questions how blacks can forge identity in a predominantly white Western world, ‘they wanna pack us all in a box like styrofoam’. While Jackson encodes his sentiments in metaphor, ‘I’m not a ghost from Hell, but I’ve got a spell on you’, West laces them with taboo lexis, ‘that’s that crack music nigga’.[iii]

Some critics may disparage rap music as in binary opposition to art, and ‘one can readily find aesthetic reasons which seem to discredit it as a legitimate art form’ but West’s career was made by using the form to engage in tough racial discourse. It is unsurprising then that both were soon deemed eccentric and ridiculous, ‘West is an idiot, so mired in a fog of narcissism and self-delusion that he doesn’t realise the full implications of what he’s saying’. [iv]

But what exactly is ‘crack music’ and what does it have to do with Michael Jackson’s final studio album?Well, although Invincible is the least known of all Michael Jackson’s solo albums, (much like his book of poetry, Dancing the Dream), it was undoubtedly ‘explosive’, ‘intoxicating’ and an example of a black man selling “black” music to a predominantly white (Western) world. Invincible was also a ‘crack’ in Jackson’s career.[v]

Invincible marked the beginning of a new phase, a change of artistic and musical direction and unsurprisingly, it jarred with contemporary music critics, ‘he does need to leave Michael Jacksonland, that place where every sign points back to the spectacle of himself’. This particular critic simply ignores the fact that many of us were born (musically, metaphorically and artistically) in “Michael Jacksonland” and will continue to live there as long as his unparalleled influence pervades.[vi]

Performance poet Malik Yusef, who speaks on West’s Crack Music iterates the eponym as the way ‘former slaves trade hooks for Grammys’. However, that exchange is mired because respect cannot be bought. Still, the black artist has no choice but to own all of it: the otherness and fragmentation. It is the dynamic repossessing of these difficulties which transforms poison into power, ‘this dark diction has become America’s addiction’.[vii]

By 2001 and Invincible’s release, the world of popular music had changed radically. Jackson was no stranger to leaping across the decades but this time things were (as in the Thriller short film) different. He was simultaneously a living legend, a caricature and a has-been.Jackson’s dream of beating Thriller’s phenomenal record sales was distant. Even if he ever stood a chance of accomplishing it, he could never have done so without the fair wind of public opinion. The shadow of suspicion raised by extortion decimated his reputation and by proxy, his sales.[viii]

The poison which spiked Jackson’s career was ‘thinly veiled racism’ which effectively barred him from the artistic recognition he sought and deserved. Jackson’s delinquency was the outrageous notion that he was both extraordinarily successful and black. Kanye West’s ‘crack music’ is predominantly black music. It ‘oozes through nooks and crannies’ so black women don’t have to remain ‘cooks and nannies’. It changes the status quo, turns poison into power and must be silenced at all costs.[ix]

For many, the Invincible was a drug that did not do what it had promised. As in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, happy thoughts alone cannot give flight. Jackson recognised Tinker Bell as the true hero of her story and was eventually buried with her ‘slinging a stream of the dust he so loved inside the right breast of [his] jacket. It is a combination of fairy dust and ‘happy thoughts’ that convinces the wearer they can fly. Perhaps the problem with ‘crack music’ is the audacity of the aspiration, that black men like Michael Jackson and Kanye West have the gall to attempt such dizzying heights. [x]

One thing is certain, in the case of a man who can fly, ‘it’s all done in the heavens’, awe must eventually turn to resentment, no matter his colour. Invincible was Michael Jackson’s successful attempt to craft his own musical world, while his multiple personas sped ahead of him. Yet, Invincible, though still largely relegated to a “lesser work”, far surpasses much of what was released in the same decade, yet alone the same year. [xi]

Like William Shakespeare’s most dismissive critics and staunchest supporters, all will be long dead by the time Invincible’s fate is decided, and just like Shakespeare’s Tempest, the latter works of a great artist can be overlooked by audiences in their time. People forget that Shakespeare’s plays, now so exalted, were the common entertainment of prostitutes and peasantry in the seamier side of seventeenth century London.

The playhouses were far from the air conditioned theatres of today but plague-filled pits which incubated disease. As our modern actors spout four-hundred year-old lines in Received Pronunciation on brand new stages made of imported wood, ‘we cannot recreate the stenches, the clothes of the audience, their mindset, the surrounding city’. Shakespeare’s Thames teemed with sewage and his lyrical constructions have more to do with ‘crack music’ than most would like to admit. It is easy to forget how working class William Shakespeare actually was and it took several years for Shakespeare to be regarded as a genius. Let us hope it doesn’t take so long for Michael, his blackness notwithstanding, ‘people will not understand this album right now. It’s ahead of its time[…] the album will live on forever’ because ‘music is what lives and lasts’.[xii]

Elizabeth Amisu is a postgraduate scholar of Early Modern English Literature at King’s College London. It is her goal to bring wider attention to Michael Jackson as artist by creating an academic model for the study of his art. Find out more here.

Amisu, Elizabeth, ‘‘Crack Music’: Michael Jackson’s Invincible’, 23 October 2014, ‘elizabethamisu.com’ <http://elizabethamisu.com...invincible>

Here is one of the best reviews I read on MJONE
Michael Jackson ONE’ Is Thrilling Indeed – Plus So Much More!

Sources: Examiner – By Christine Zeiger
[img]https://vallieegirl67.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/maxresdefault-1.jpg?w=665&h=374[/img]
On Oct. 25, 2014 official “Thrill the World” events will take place around the globe, giving Michael Jackson fans the opportunity to gather and dance to the beat of one of pop music’s foremost icons.
The next day, the fun continues, as thousands more are set to join even more flash mobs. Thrilling, indeed. When he was alive, thrilling audience seemed to come naturally to Jackson. And so it is with Cirque de Soleil.

Accordingly, the combination of Jackson’s legendary music and Cirque’s breath-taking fanfare can only equal genius. That genius comes to life in “Michael Jackson ONE”.

In this intimate look at Jackson, the production covers an expanse, complete with soul, splendor, sensation, strife, sex, seeking, sensuousness and satiation. “Thriller” is but a part of the fantastic story, written and directed by Jamie King, that elevates Jackson the artist to a pedestal well deserved. As a tribute to Jackson, the show reminds us why he was–and is–loved so much.Yet beyond his ever-popular music, infused with life on stage through the performances of the 61 Cirque dancers and acrobats, there is the promise of something more…

[img]https://vallieegirl67.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/mj-one_all-artists.jpg?w=665[/img]
In fairytale fashion, “ONE” does have a definitive plot. Four unlikely heroes combat the evil one. Perchance, victory comes through the magic of Michael. Along the way, a repertoire of MJ’s hits is the landscape for all the action, stirring up a gamut of emotions and (for those old enough) unforgettable memories.

The multifaceted Jackson lived a complicated life, no doubt. Choosing what parts to highlight in “ONE” could have been daunting. Yet, the essence of Jackson is clearly communicated through song and dance…and the Cirque cast’s peerless, fearless endeavors.
Remembering Jackson as the ultimate entertainer is easy. So is sitting back and being mesmerized by incredible acrobats and dancers. Those MJ Girls in “The Way You Make Me Feel” show what real girl power can be. Sassiness, plus all those feminine curves (and muscles), are liberating for any female worried about her size!
[img]https://vallieegirl67.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/hi-jackson-cirque-one-852-04028533.jpg?w=665&h=373[/img]
But as true art cannot help but reflect society at large, remembering Jackson as a social activist cannot be overlooked. “They Don’t Care About Us” is a poignant look at the things we often try so hard not to look at—our weaknesses, our failings, our sins.

There are twenty-three “scenes” associated with musical numbers in the production, each vignette helping to move the plot along its course and helping to further reveal something about Jackson. In rearranging Jackson’s hit songs, producers made it a point to maintain the basic essence of the music, so his diehard fans can be glad. Newcomers to Jackson’s music will have a chance to discover and enjoy his far-reaching talents.

Yet, in the true Cirque spirit, there is more. Several of the technical aspects of the production were painstakingly developed to further enhance the entire audience experience. The sound system was designed so that the music and sound effects penetrate the entire theatre through specially angled speakers. Plus, there are actual speakers in the seats—5,412 to be exact. As well, the utilization of a wide variety of video clips shown on non-conventional projection surfaces is key to adding the utmost visual interest and significance.
[img]https://vallieegirl67.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_0297.jpg?w=665&h=498[/img]
By the end of the show, that (earlier mentioned) “promise of something more” is fulfilled. For Jackson appears there on stage, bearing a message of hope and love. In this unraveling of his complexity, comes the celebration of Jackson the man and the elevation of his spirit that promises to live on and on.
(Performances of “Michael Jackson ONE” are ongoing at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89119. Click here for ticket information.)

OldFriends4Sale said:

Great pic!

MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER Collection part one

“THRILLER is timeless. There is not a single pop star today that was not influenced by it. THRILLER changed the entire industry. No one ever thought an album could be a blockbuster event like THRILLER. It was the first time in history an album sold that many copies and fueled a cultural phenomenon.”

Tamara Conniff Billboard Magazine

MTV Awards

Best Video

Best Choreography

Video Vanguard Award

The Greatest Video in the History of the World

The Greatest Video of All Time

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE

Video of the Decade

GRAMMY AWARDS

Best Video Album

AMERICAN VIDEO AWARDS

Best Long Form Video

Best Home Video

GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS

Most Successful Music Video of All Time

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

VH-1 The Greatest Video of All Time

Music Video of the Millennium

Most Influential Music Video of All Time

“Michael Jackson’s THRILLER video is without any doubt the most successful, most revolutionary, most influential, and most popular music video of all time. This short film is the greatest milestone in music video history. Today, the short film for Michael Jackson’s song THRILLER has cult status. It is also considered legendary, and is still the leveling judgment for all music videos to come.

The THRILLER short film premiered on December 2, 1983, one year after the release of the THRILLER album. Even before that, Michael Jackson had already pioneered the music video genre with his videos for BILLIE JEAN and BEAT IT. The videos were costly and had guest actors, professional directors, different camera angles, an entire storyline, and fascinating dance choreographies showing off Michael’s unique dancing abilities. Michael Jackson’s ideas and visions revolutionized the music industry and the standing of Black artists worldwide.

The video for THRILLER created the genre of short film within the popular entertainment industry. Instead of a standard music video, Michael produced a “Zombie-Epic” that had a price tag of $1,000,000. It became the most aired video in MTV history.”

THRILLER 25

GRAMMY HISTORY

Album of the Year

Record of the Year (BEAT IT)

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (THRILLER)

Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (BEAT IT)

Best Male R&B Performance (BILLIE JEAN)

Best R&B Song (BILLIE JEAN)

Producer of the Year (Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson)

Best Engineered Recording Non-Classical (Bruce Swedien)

Best Children’s Recording (E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial with narration by Michael Jackson)

The Jackson’s Pepsi Commercials are aired during the Grammy Telecast and are amongst the most successful and most popular ads ever, and the FIRST and ONLY set of advertisements ever to be included in the weekly TV Guide listings.

Twenty-eight nominations in eight categories for the 2nd Annual American Video Awards.

Michael’s Thriller spent 37 weeks as Number One

U.S. Presidential Recognition Award

May 14, 1984

To Michael Jackson

With appreciation for the outstanding example you have set for the youth of American and the world. Your historic record-breaking achievements and your preeminence in popular music are a tribute to your creativity, dedication, and great ability.

The generous contribution of your time and talent to the National Campaign Against Teenage Drunk Driving will help millions of young Americans learn that drinking and driving can kill a friendship.

President Ronald Reagan

February 7, 1984

“I’ve always wanted to do great things and achieve many things, but for the first time in my entire career, I feel like I have accomplished something because I’m in the Guinness Book of World Records”

Michael Jackson

The Guinness Book of World Records is the global authority on world-breaking achievements. And, who is more global than Michael Jackson? He is undoubtedly the world’s most famous living human being.” Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief Guinness Book of World Records.

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE 1983

POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR

BLACK ARTIST OF THE YEAR

POP ALBUM: THRILLER

POP ALBUM ARTIST

POP SINGLES ARTIST

POP MALE ALBUM ARTIST

POP MALE SINGLES ARTIST

BLACK SINGLES ARTIST

DANCE/DISCO ARTIST

BEST VIDEO: BEAT IT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ARTIST

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

BEST USE OF VIDEO TO ENHANCE A SONG

BEST USE OF VIDEO TO ENHANCE AN ARTIST’S IMAGE

…a portion of International Honors

Best Artist, Best Male Vocalist, Album of the Year…JAPAN

Album of the Year, Single of the Year…AUSTRALIA

Artist of the Year…ITALY

Record of the Year…GREECE

Album of the Year…HOLLAND

Most Important Foreign Album…SPAIN

International Artist of the Year…BRAZIL

11th AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

Youngest Recipient of the Award of Merit

Favorite Pop Album

Favorite Soul Album

Favorite Pop Single BILLIE JEAN

Favorite Pop Video

Favorite Soul Video

Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist

Favorite Soul Male Vocalist

BLACK GOLD AWARDS

Top Male Vocalist

Best Video Performance BEAT IT

Best Single Record of the Year BILLIE JEAN

Best Album of the Year

CANADIAN BLACK MUSIC AWARDS

Top International Album

Top International Single BILLIE JEAN

Top Male Vocalist

Entertainer of the Year

…the legend goes on

http://michaeljacksonchosenvoices.com/michael-jacksons-thriller-collection-part-one/

No electronic soulnds on Thriller

Michael was always cutting edge. His ablbumms since Bad had electronics sounds on them. Interesting cause syntheseizers were out then. Only songs which really had any were PYT and Baby Be Mine. I guess there was some slight ones in other songs like Thriller. But those were 70s ELectro-Boogie sounds. No 80s synth sounds. Cause MJ loved to experiment and do things weird. Funny he hadn't caught to the electronic sound everyone waqs using.

fluid said:

No electronic soulnds on Thriller

Michael was always cutting edge. His ablbumms since Bad had electronics sounds on them. Interesting cause syntheseizers were out then. Only songs which really had any were PYT and Baby Be Mine. I guess there was some slight ones in other songs like Thriller. But those were 70s ELectro-Boogie sounds. No 80s synth sounds. Cause MJ loved to experiment and do things weird. Funny he hadn't caught to the electronic sound everyone waqs using.

He probably used them for his demos but not the final product. The Billie Jean demo sounds like it was from one.

Hear Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Sung in 20 Different Styles

y Kory Grow | October 27, 2014 More than three decades after Michael Jackson's Thriller became a worldwide smash – thanks to its genre-hopping amalgam of pop, rock and soul – a singer named Anthony Vincent has tested the versatility of the album's ghoulish title track just in time for Halloween. Over the course of nearly five minutes, Vincent, who's known as the voice of the style-bending YouTube channel Ten Second Songs, interprets "Thriller" as a punk, metal, soul, symphony, rap and blues songs. He also does stunning impressions of Jackson and the tune's monologist Vincent Price.

Maximilliam Muhammad: Thriller was Michael Jackson's reward for carrying his family on his back

Someone is retweeting this man's tweets on my timeline but he is speaking the truth.

MJJJusticeProject ‏@MJJJusticePrjct 1h1 hour ago “A one man rescue team for the music business.” New York Times THRILLER RELEASED November, 1982



maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 59m59 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 then you bought another artist,however you were always aware of his pressence and that is Domination period


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 58m58 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he broke down racial walls and also he saved the industry big time. he was to music as the black films of 70s


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 58m58 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 and yet that racist industry will whitewash things and down play the obvious. MJ was a internet before one


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 57m57 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 all over the world and folks were feeling it, he lit it. brother man had bootys all over the world dancing


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 57m57 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 these jive turkeys in the industry trying pimp the mind with lite in the cakes justin timberlake, bieber,etc


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 56m56 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 i was there back then and he got laughed at and told you can't do that as a black artist,but he did it,


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 56m56 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 the man though sadly been used as a ATM machine for a industry who lacks any tact,however he made you feel it


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 56m56 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 and it ain't about selling records because garth brooks done sold a boat load and yet it ain't hit like MJ


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 56m56 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he made a statement that said as a black artist we going for your pop charts, and taken over the world.


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 55m55 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 mj was a brand way before it became fashionable to say. the man had vision and a plan and worked hard period


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 54m54 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 you think beyonce got the door she got now without an MJ? i mean he had that work ethic and he wanted


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 53m53 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 these lame turkeys talking about downloading, bootlegging,etc.. well tape recorders were around back then,dubs


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 52m52 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 you never had to have mj on no star search or down playing what he was doing. he made you feel what was up


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 54m54 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 motown 25 and doing the only non motown song which he wrote and he turned it out period. he made it look easy


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 53m53 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 funny thing about thriller,just 8 years prior the jackson 5 were doing vegas when that was seen as has been


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 53m53 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 so to fast forward a almost a decade later and put out a album which would forever change the game,just scary


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 52m52 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 bottom line you still got albums that sell, however these artists and these labels are of a different mind


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 50m50 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 32 years later folks still talking about and if that ain't a statement then i don't know what is.


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 50m50 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 forget the j5 era throgh off the wall or the jacksons era or the bad era till now,just an album that flipped


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 47m47 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 classic,legend,genius,timeless,gifted are overused today. terms thrown out and looking back at how much talent


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 47m47 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 back then you had to make a statement and it was no joke.industry was hurting.laying people off,still do


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 47m47 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 mj is an example that if you have a co worker who makes a difference to you, then you should tell them


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 46m46 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 sony outta give his estate half of the company for what he did for them globally. yeah half ownership,


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 46m46 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 smart man he took that thriller money and bought that beatles catelog and made sure he handled the business


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 46m46 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he wasn't just shucking and grinning he was about that business life. he made them get off that cake as well


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 45m45 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 my thriller tape had no liner notes inside of it, imagine that today on a disc or i tune download,it was music


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 44m44 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he wanted to take what he learned and flip them into the now. we want the artists of today to do the same


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 43m43 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 sadly acts of today despite more technilogy and more ways to communicate just don't strive for that extra


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 43m43 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 its not old school talk here, but its a fact previous generation had better overall talent.you got a few now


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 43m43 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 however these acts are too safe and too happy and a tired industry which wants everybody in the same bed


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 42m42 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 when you listen to music you want to be moved and feel it. everything else flows. MJ proved that.8 to 88 got it


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 41m41 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 all age ranges, all races,backgrounds, that is the power of a gift and when used correctly its about love


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 41m41 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 you felt the love and warmth and it was touched the core of your soul,it hit the emotions. in all ways period


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 41m41 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 we gotta ask and demand out artists to do that period. we want that earthy emotion and leave nothing behind


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 40m40 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 when folks say greatest entertainer i say as doing it all right. singing,writing,dancing and connecting perio


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 39m39 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he learned from the best and honored them.james brown,jackie wilson,motown acts were proud of him,much respect


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 38m38 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 thriller was his reward for also taken care of his whole family. that man also carried a family on his back


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 38m38 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 i mean he represented big time. that kind of energy and to always connect ain't easy.in a cut throat business.


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 27m27 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he was 13 years into his career before thriller dropped, now how many artists can drop a game changer so late


maximillian muhammad ‏@maxxxman 26m26 minutes ago
@MJJJusticePrjct @firefire100 he gave so much more than people even know and he was low key with it as well. straight up cat about helping

Amazonian tribesmen who've never seen images of 9/11, man on moon or war recognize Michael Jackson

starts @ 2:30

Ok, i know i'm mad late, but i just copped Xscape last week and its been in HEAVY rotation. Blue Gangsta is KILLER! It made me sad, because I KNOW this song would have had a bangin' video in the vein of Smooth Criminal/U Rock My World. TPWNN is tight too and actually the Jeep commercial is what prompted me to go get the disc (that groove underneath is just....). LNFSG didn't quite get me to the store, but i'm thoroughly enjoying this disc now! Hate i missed the thread from when it first came out.