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I went and bought the special edition versions of 'Off the Wall', 'Thriller', 'Bad' and 'Dangerous' the other day. I've always been a MJ fan, but never got round to updating the albums and getting them on CD! I've heard a lot of people lately criticising his comeback, saying that he is past it and too weird and stuff. But when you take time out to listen to all his albums in completion, you can see the impact that he has had on the music industry. Every album is full of catchy songs, and let's face it, EVERYONE has attempted (and normally failed) to dance like the man in the privacy of their bedrooms! Heh hehe!
'Off the Wall' is a good place to start, after all, it was his first proper solo album. I have to go on record and say that when it comes to being a barometer for what kind of music is popular at the time, you can't get any better than Michael Jackson- When 'Off The Wall' was released, disco was popular. When 'Thriller' was out, it was a slightly more soulful type of dance music that was the in-thing. However, 'Thriller' was a real groundbreaker, after all, who had ever heard a song like Billie Jean before that!?!?! Rock was popular during the time of 'Bad' and RnB was huge when 'Dangerous was released. Right, back to 'Off The Wall', it's a strong album, with production by the legendary Quincy Jones. I wouldn't say that it was his strongest album, but with songs like 'Rock With You' and 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' it was always gonna be a hit!
'Thriller' is, and always will be a classic. Look at any essential album lists, they all feature this album somewhere. It's the album's sheer consistency. Every song is awesome- something some modern artists could learn from. In my opinion, 'Human Nature' is one of the greatest chill out tracks ever recorded. The music (sampled by SWV in right here) is before its time, and the emotion MJ puts into the track is phenomenal. Billie Jean and Thriller are songs that most people recognise as the peak of Michael Jackson's career. To an extent they are right, after all, no song in the charts sounded anything like that in the 80s. Video-wise, a revolution was taking place, MTV was literally born in it's current form thanks to MJ. Videos like Billie Jean with its light up pavement, and 'Beat It' with it's take on 'West Side Story' and the sheer scale, impact and grandeur of 'Thriller' changed the history of music videos. Ask most MTV-friendly pop groups, they'll say that 'Thriller' is the ultimate. It's also got a special place in my heart, cos it was the first thing I was ever scared of, so much that I cried! Don't laugh, I was only 3 at the time!
'Bad' was a tough project, cos it had to be bigger and better than 'Thriller'. It was a flop compared to 'Thriller', but it wasn't really! If my sources are correct it was the fastest selling album ever until NSYNC released 'No Strings Attached' and 'Celebrity'. 13 million albums are figures that artists still can only dream about. I love the album, songs like 'Just Good Friends' - a duet with Stevie Wonder and 'Smooth Criminal' show that he was still the King of Pop. The former had the funkiness to it, and the latter was just a wicked track, brought to attention once again last month by Alien Ant Farm. The video to 'Smooth Criminal' is still one of my favourites, his dance moves are poetry in motion, and no-one can dance with a hat on quite like him!
'Dangerous' was a long time coming, not because it took ages to get ready, but because, the market was changing, RnB was growing a developing thanks to the likes of GUY, New Edition And Bobby Brown, etc. I think that he simply waited to see what would make him relevant and hired the right producers. This album showed that he could go with the times, doing some slamming tracks with Teddy Riley (Jam), Dallas Austin and R. Kelly. People said that he was losing his way, but I disagree. Good music is timeless, and so are good artists. He did make some minor mistakes in my opinion, for instance, he made his voice a little harsher on some songs, and this just took away some of the magic, but nevertheless, it promoted RnB further, and literally made R. Kelly a star.
I wanna talk about the impact that MJ has had on the music industry as a whole. He is a pioneer, fusing pop with rock in songs like 'Beat It', and 'Black or White' where he worked with Eddie Van Halen and Slash respectively. His videos are instantly recognisable. I believe that his new video 'You Rock My World' is a clever little send up of himself, garbed in gangster clothes, with his superstar chums, and with Chris Tucker incorporating song titles into his script. Just look at the current artists out there, Jacob from O-Town wears the same belt as Jacko did in 'Bad', and does the same finger-snapping, Justin Timberlake does the beat-boxing and is the best dancer since, in my opinion. Usher does the body-popping and moonwalking, and Sisqo does the spins, and dons the fedora- remember 'how deep is your love' from Rush Hour? All have been influenced by MJ, and can you blame them?
What lies next for MJ, well everyone has heard the new track, and from what I've heard, it's gonna be good. His voice has been restored to what it was like in the early albums, thanks to one of Teddy Riley's protÈgÈ's - Rodney Jerkins. He made his claim to fame by starting out in Teddy's Future recording studio then going on to do songs like ' the girl is mine' for Brandy and Monica and 'say my name' for Destiny's Child. He always said that he wanted to re-create the 'Thriller' vibe for Michael, and I hope that this is the case. The distinction between pop and RnB is getting more and more blurred thanks to NSYNC, Brintey Spears and Destiny's Child. All I gotta say is less of the 'heal the world' type tracks and more uptempo numbers. He will never be as successful as he was before, simply because his fanbase have grown up and their music tastes may have changed, all the more reason to give them a blast from the past. Throwaway pop has become a popular thing in Britain, and established artists get pushed to one side by young, good looking one hit wonders. I'm gonna finish off by saying, give 'Invincible' a good few listens, and don't expect the world, cos you'll be disappointed, expect to hear new MJ material for the first time in almost a decade. Hope you like it.
'Off the Wall' is a good place to start, after all, it was his first proper solo album. I have to go on record and say that when it comes to being a barometer for what kind of music is popular at the time, you can't get any better than Michael Jackson- When 'Off The Wall' was released, disco was popular. When 'Thriller' was out, it was a slightly more soulful type of dance music that was the in-thing. However, 'Thriller' was a real groundbreaker, after all, who had ever heard a song like Billie Jean before that!?!?! Rock was popular during the time of 'Bad' and RnB was huge when 'Dangerous was released. Right, back to 'Off The Wall', it's a strong album, with production by the legendary Quincy Jones. I wouldn't say that it was his strongest album, but with songs like 'Rock With You' and 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' it was always gonna be a hit!
'Thriller' is, and always will be a classic. Look at any essential album lists, they all feature this album somewhere. It's the album's sheer consistency. Every song is awesome- something some modern artists could learn from. In my opinion, 'Human Nature' is one of the greatest chill out tracks ever recorded. The music (sampled by SWV in right here) is before its time, and the emotion MJ puts into the track is phenomenal. Billie Jean and Thriller are songs that most people recognise as the peak of Michael Jackson's career. To an extent they are right, after all, no song in the charts sounded anything like that in the 80s. Video-wise, a revolution was taking place, MTV was literally born in it's current form thanks to MJ. Videos like Billie Jean with its light up pavement, and 'Beat It' with it's take on 'West Side Story' and the sheer scale, impact and grandeur of 'Thriller' changed the history of music videos. Ask most MTV-friendly pop groups, they'll say that 'Thriller' is the ultimate. It's also got a special place in my heart, cos it was the first thing I was ever scared of, so much that I cried! Don't laugh, I was only 3 at the time!
'Bad' was a tough project, cos it had to be bigger and better than 'Thriller'. It was a flop compared to 'Thriller', but it wasn't really! If my sources are correct it was the fastest selling album ever until NSYNC released 'No Strings Attached' and 'Celebrity'. 13 million albums are figures that artists still can only dream about. I love the album, songs like 'Just Good Friends' - a duet with Stevie Wonder and 'Smooth Criminal' show that he was still the King of Pop. The former had the funkiness to it, and the latter was just a wicked track, brought to attention once again last month by Alien Ant Farm. The video to 'Smooth Criminal' is still one of my favourites, his dance moves are poetry in motion, and no-one can dance with a hat on quite like him!
'Dangerous' was a long time coming, not because it took ages to get ready, but because, the market was changing, RnB was growing a developing thanks to the likes of GUY, New Edition And Bobby Brown, etc. I think that he simply waited to see what would make him relevant and hired the right producers. This album showed that he could go with the times, doing some slamming tracks with Teddy Riley (Jam), Dallas Austin and R. Kelly. People said that he was losing his way, but I disagree. Good music is timeless, and so are good artists. He did make some minor mistakes in my opinion, for instance, he made his voice a little harsher on some songs, and this just took away some of the magic, but nevertheless, it promoted RnB further, and literally made R. Kelly a star.
I wanna talk about the impact that MJ has had on the music industry as a whole. He is a pioneer, fusing pop with rock in songs like 'Beat It', and 'Black or White' where he worked with Eddie Van Halen and Slash respectively. His videos are instantly recognisable. I believe that his new video 'You Rock My World' is a clever little send up of himself, garbed in gangster clothes, with his superstar chums, and with Chris Tucker incorporating song titles into his script. Just look at the current artists out there, Jacob from O-Town wears the same belt as Jacko did in 'Bad', and does the same finger-snapping, Justin Timberlake does the beat-boxing and is the best dancer since, in my opinion. Usher does the body-popping and moonwalking, and Sisqo does the spins, and dons the fedora- remember 'how deep is your love' from Rush Hour? All have been influenced by MJ, and can you blame them?
What lies next for MJ, well everyone has heard the new track, and from what I've heard, it's gonna be good. His voice has been restored to what it was like in the early albums, thanks to one of Teddy Riley's protÈgÈ's - Rodney Jerkins. He made his claim to fame by starting out in Teddy's Future recording studio then going on to do songs like ' the girl is mine' for Brandy and Monica and 'say my name' for Destiny's Child. He always said that he wanted to re-create the 'Thriller' vibe for Michael, and I hope that this is the case. The distinction between pop and RnB is getting more and more blurred thanks to NSYNC, Brintey Spears and Destiny's Child. All I gotta say is less of the 'heal the world' type tracks and more uptempo numbers. He will never be as successful as he was before, simply because his fanbase have grown up and their music tastes may have changed, all the more reason to give them a blast from the past. Throwaway pop has become a popular thing in Britain, and established artists get pushed to one side by young, good looking one hit wonders. I'm gonna finish off by saying, give 'Invincible' a good few listens, and don't expect the world, cos you'll be disappointed, expect to hear new MJ material for the first time in almost a decade. Hope you like it.
I went and bought the special edition versions of 'Off the Wall', 'Thriller', 'Bad' and 'Dangerous' the other day. I've always been a MJ fan, but never got round to updating the albums and getting them on CD! I've heard a lot of people lately criticising his comeback, saying that he is past it and too weird and stuff. But when you take time out to listen to all his albums in completion, you can see the impact that he has had on the music industry. Every album is full of catchy songs, and let's face it, EVERYONE has attempted (and normally failed) to dance like the man in the privacy of their bedrooms! Heh hehe!
'Off the Wall' is a good place to start, after all, it was his first proper solo album. I have to go on record and say that when it comes to being a barometer for what kind of music is popular at the time, you can't get any better than Michael Jackson- When 'Off The Wall' was released, disco was popular. When 'Thriller' was out, it was a slightly more soulful type of dance music that was the in-thing. However, 'Thriller' was a real groundbreaker, after all, who had ever heard a song like Billie Jean before that!?!?! Rock was popular during the time of 'Bad' and RnB was huge when 'Dangerous was released. Right, back to 'Off The Wall', it's a strong album, with production by the legendary Quincy Jones. I wouldn't say that it was his strongest album, but with songs like 'Rock With You' and 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' it was always gonna be a hit!
'Thriller' is, and always will be a classic. Look at any essential album lists, they all feature this album somewhere. It's the album's sheer consistency. Every song is awesome- something some modern artists could learn from. In my opinion, 'Human Nature' is one of the greatest chill out tracks ever recorded. The music (sampled by SWV in right here) is before its time, and the emotion MJ puts into the track is phenomenal. Billie Jean and Thriller are songs that most people recognise as the peak of Michael Jackson's career. To an extent they are right, after all, no song in the charts sounded anything like that in the 80s. Video-wise, a revolution was taking place, MTV was literally born in it's current form thanks to MJ. Videos like Billie Jean with its light up pavement, and 'Beat It' with it's take on 'West Side Story' and the sheer scale, impact and grandeur of 'Thriller' changed the history of music videos. Ask most MTV-friendly pop groups, they'll say that 'Thriller' is the ultimate. It's also got a special place in my heart, cos it was the first thing I was ever scared of, so much that I cried! Don't laugh, I was only 3 at the time!
'Bad' was a tough project, cos it had to be bigger and better than 'Thriller'. It was a flop compared to 'Thriller', but it wasn't really! If my sources are correct it was the fastest selling album ever until NSYNC released 'No Strings Attached' and 'Celebrity'. 13 million albums are figures that artists still can only dream about. I love the album, songs like 'Just Good Friends' - a duet with Stevie Wonder and 'Smooth Criminal' show that he was still the King of Pop. The former had the funkiness to it, and the latter was just a wicked track, brought to attention once again last month by Alien Ant Farm. The video to 'Smooth Criminal' is still one of my favourites, his dance moves are poetry in motion, and no-one can dance with a hat on quite like him!
'Dangerous' was a long time coming, not because it took ages to get ready, but because, the market was changing, RnB was growing a developing thanks to the likes of GUY, New Edition And Bobby Brown, etc. I think that he simply waited to see what would make him relevant and hired the right producers. This album showed that he could go with the times, doing some slamming tracks with Teddy Riley (Jam), Dallas Austin and R. Kelly. People said that he was losing his way, but I disagree. Good music is timeless, and so are good artists. He did make some minor mistakes in my opinion, for instance, he made his voice a little harsher on some songs, and this just took away some of the magic, but nevertheless, it promoted RnB further, and literally made R. Kelly a star.
I wanna talk about the impact that MJ has had on the music industry as a whole. He is a pioneer, fusing pop with rock in songs like 'Beat It', and 'Black or White' where he worked with Eddie Van Halen and Slash respectively. His videos are instantly recognisable. I believe that his new video 'You Rock My World' is a clever little send up of himself, garbed in gangster clothes, with his superstar chums, and with Chris Tucker incorporating song titles into his script. Just look at the current artists out there, Jacob from O-Town wears the same belt as Jacko did in 'Bad', and does the same finger-snapping, Justin Timberlake does the beat-boxing and is the best dancer since, in my opinion. Usher does the body-popping and moonwalking, and Sisqo does the spins, and dons the fedora- remember 'how deep is your love' from Rush Hour? All have been influenced by MJ, and can you blame them?
What lies next for MJ, well everyone has heard the new track, and from what I've heard, it's gonna be good. His voice has been restored to what it was like in the early albums, thanks to one of Teddy Riley's protÈgÈ's - Rodney Jerkins. He made his claim to fame by starting out in Teddy's Future recording studio then going on to do songs like ' the girl is mine' for Brandy and Monica and 'say my name' for Destiny's Child. He always said that he wanted to re-create the 'Thriller' vibe for Michael, and I hope that this is the case. The distinction between pop and RnB is getting more and more blurred thanks to NSYNC, Brintey Spears and Destiny's Child. All I gotta say is less of the 'heal the world' type tracks and more uptempo numbers. He will never be as successful as he was before, simply because his fanbase have grown up and their music tastes may have changed, all the more reason to give them a blast from the past. Throwaway pop has become a popular thing in Britain, and established artists get pushed to one side by young, good looking one hit wonders. I'm gonna finish off by saying, give 'Invincible' a good few listens, and don't expect the world, cos you'll be disappointed, expect to hear new MJ material for the first time in almost a decade. Hope you like it.
'Off the Wall' is a good place to start, after all, it was his first proper solo album. I have to go on record and say that when it comes to being a barometer for what kind of music is popular at the time, you can't get any better than Michael Jackson- When 'Off The Wall' was released, disco was popular. When 'Thriller' was out, it was a slightly more soulful type of dance music that was the in-thing. However, 'Thriller' was a real groundbreaker, after all, who had ever heard a song like Billie Jean before that!?!?! Rock was popular during the time of 'Bad' and RnB was huge when 'Dangerous was released. Right, back to 'Off The Wall', it's a strong album, with production by the legendary Quincy Jones. I wouldn't say that it was his strongest album, but with songs like 'Rock With You' and 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' it was always gonna be a hit!
'Thriller' is, and always will be a classic. Look at any essential album lists, they all feature this album somewhere. It's the album's sheer consistency. Every song is awesome- something some modern artists could learn from. In my opinion, 'Human Nature' is one of the greatest chill out tracks ever recorded. The music (sampled by SWV in right here) is before its time, and the emotion MJ puts into the track is phenomenal. Billie Jean and Thriller are songs that most people recognise as the peak of Michael Jackson's career. To an extent they are right, after all, no song in the charts sounded anything like that in the 80s. Video-wise, a revolution was taking place, MTV was literally born in it's current form thanks to MJ. Videos like Billie Jean with its light up pavement, and 'Beat It' with it's take on 'West Side Story' and the sheer scale, impact and grandeur of 'Thriller' changed the history of music videos. Ask most MTV-friendly pop groups, they'll say that 'Thriller' is the ultimate. It's also got a special place in my heart, cos it was the first thing I was ever scared of, so much that I cried! Don't laugh, I was only 3 at the time!
'Bad' was a tough project, cos it had to be bigger and better than 'Thriller'. It was a flop compared to 'Thriller', but it wasn't really! If my sources are correct it was the fastest selling album ever until NSYNC released 'No Strings Attached' and 'Celebrity'. 13 million albums are figures that artists still can only dream about. I love the album, songs like 'Just Good Friends' - a duet with Stevie Wonder and 'Smooth Criminal' show that he was still the King of Pop. The former had the funkiness to it, and the latter was just a wicked track, brought to attention once again last month by Alien Ant Farm. The video to 'Smooth Criminal' is still one of my favourites, his dance moves are poetry in motion, and no-one can dance with a hat on quite like him!
'Dangerous' was a long time coming, not because it took ages to get ready, but because, the market was changing, RnB was growing a developing thanks to the likes of GUY, New Edition And Bobby Brown, etc. I think that he simply waited to see what would make him relevant and hired the right producers. This album showed that he could go with the times, doing some slamming tracks with Teddy Riley (Jam), Dallas Austin and R. Kelly. People said that he was losing his way, but I disagree. Good music is timeless, and so are good artists. He did make some minor mistakes in my opinion, for instance, he made his voice a little harsher on some songs, and this just took away some of the magic, but nevertheless, it promoted RnB further, and literally made R. Kelly a star.
I wanna talk about the impact that MJ has had on the music industry as a whole. He is a pioneer, fusing pop with rock in songs like 'Beat It', and 'Black or White' where he worked with Eddie Van Halen and Slash respectively. His videos are instantly recognisable. I believe that his new video 'You Rock My World' is a clever little send up of himself, garbed in gangster clothes, with his superstar chums, and with Chris Tucker incorporating song titles into his script. Just look at the current artists out there, Jacob from O-Town wears the same belt as Jacko did in 'Bad', and does the same finger-snapping, Justin Timberlake does the beat-boxing and is the best dancer since, in my opinion. Usher does the body-popping and moonwalking, and Sisqo does the spins, and dons the fedora- remember 'how deep is your love' from Rush Hour? All have been influenced by MJ, and can you blame them?
What lies next for MJ, well everyone has heard the new track, and from what I've heard, it's gonna be good. His voice has been restored to what it was like in the early albums, thanks to one of Teddy Riley's protÈgÈ's - Rodney Jerkins. He made his claim to fame by starting out in Teddy's Future recording studio then going on to do songs like ' the girl is mine' for Brandy and Monica and 'say my name' for Destiny's Child. He always said that he wanted to re-create the 'Thriller' vibe for Michael, and I hope that this is the case. The distinction between pop and RnB is getting more and more blurred thanks to NSYNC, Brintey Spears and Destiny's Child. All I gotta say is less of the 'heal the world' type tracks and more uptempo numbers. He will never be as successful as he was before, simply because his fanbase have grown up and their music tastes may have changed, all the more reason to give them a blast from the past. Throwaway pop has become a popular thing in Britain, and established artists get pushed to one side by young, good looking one hit wonders. I'm gonna finish off by saying, give 'Invincible' a good few listens, and don't expect the world, cos you'll be disappointed, expect to hear new MJ material for the first time in almost a decade. Hope you like it.
How did his latest video become the most expensive of all time? It certainly doesn't look it....
Are they all wearing hand made shoes with diamond soles or something?
Are they all wearing hand made shoes with diamond soles or something?
I don't understand the way you think,
saying that she's yours not mine,
Sending flowers and your pretty dreams,
really just a waste of time
because she's mine.
The dog on girl is mine.
No she's mine!
Now listen Michael,
We're not gonna fight about this.
No, I think I told you,
I'm a lover not a fighter.
I've heard it all before Michael.
She told me I was her one forever love.
Oh well she said after loving me,
she could never love another.
Is that what she said?
She said it,
You keep dreamin'
I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!
------
Can you get a funnier song. :-)
saying that she's yours not mine,
Sending flowers and your pretty dreams,
really just a waste of time
because she's mine.
The dog on girl is mine.
No she's mine!
Now listen Michael,
We're not gonna fight about this.
No, I think I told you,
I'm a lover not a fighter.
I've heard it all before Michael.
She told me I was her one forever love.
Oh well she said after loving me,
she could never love another.
Is that what she said?
She said it,
You keep dreamin'
I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!
------
Can you get a funnier song. :-)
Unfortunately I have to bring your attention back to the bit in the Britney Spears song where she's on Mars and that bloke in the space suit gives her the ring:
"But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end,
Well baby, I went back down and got it for you,
Oh. You shouldn't have."
Or something like that. Now I know the Michael Jackson song is corny, but come on!
"But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end,
Well baby, I went back down and got it for you,
Oh. You shouldn't have."
Or something like that. Now I know the Michael Jackson song is corny, but come on!
I just think it is so good to see the old bloke up and strutting around in the new video - it's great to listen to the new song and hear the wee trademark Jacko touches. Problem is, it is no where near as good as the old stuff, and the other album tracks I've heard where worse.
Could be we've all out grown him and his old stuff is simply still good because of nostalgia - but then that doesn't really work as they are just simply still all storming tracks. Maybe it's the other way round - Jacko has out grown making the music we all loved.
And as to why the video is so expensive - its all to do with the tallent involved - Chris Tucker, Michael Madson and Brando plus the behind the camera team. It isn't up on screen - which I guess is a bit of a waste - but I just love seeing him dancing around and not needing a stick to walk etc.
In fact, maybe that's where the money went - making a CG Jacko...
Could be we've all out grown him and his old stuff is simply still good because of nostalgia - but then that doesn't really work as they are just simply still all storming tracks. Maybe it's the other way round - Jacko has out grown making the music we all loved.
And as to why the video is so expensive - its all to do with the tallent involved - Chris Tucker, Michael Madson and Brando plus the behind the camera team. It isn't up on screen - which I guess is a bit of a waste - but I just love seeing him dancing around and not needing a stick to walk etc.
In fact, maybe that's where the money went - making a CG Jacko...