Michael Jackson: HIStory - Past, Present And Future: Book 1 Poll

Thats all on u wins, all on u

Giving this another spin today because for some reason I felt like hearing 'Stranger in Moscow' (which at this stage is my favourite thing he ever did) and I decided to flick through the booklet that comes with the CD edition... it's quite, uh, something!

I remember buying this album on its release date and little else about it.

One thing that still sticks out was being absolutely stunned and totally geeked that he had gotten the Notorious B.I.G. to rap on it. I just thought that was the coolest thing ever.

'Stranger in Moscow' has obviously become the highlight over time.

I don't remember anything about the booklet except for thinking that the printed lyrics to 'D.S.' didn't match up with what he actually singing.

I decided to flick through the booklet that comes with the CD edition... it's quite, uh, something!

image of the kid with the bandaged head for some reason really seared itself in my memory

Yeah, there's that, and the picture of Jacko kissing that kids head etc.

But also, the crowd photos and pictures of big banners saying "King of Pop", details of virtually every award the guy has won, celebrity testimonies, and instead of doing a long thank you list and then signing his name at the end, each "thank you" has "love, MJ" or "Michael Jackson" at the end...

Also, all the "this is dedicated to all the children of the world" stuff.

When you combine the packaging with the lyrical content of the tracks, factor in the greatest hits and think about what was happening at the time, the whole package is just...

I never took it as anything other than a big PR move. Even at fourteen, it was really obvious to me.

There's big PR move and there's ridiculously OTT PR moves!

*moves

Like, it's part "remember how successful I was/am?", part "I'm a good guy, and here's some words from my celebrity friends to prove it", part "heal the world", part "I'm still the King of Pop, dammit!" and part "fuck you!"

"and I'm a stranger in Moscow."

I'm sure the 'Come Together' cover is only there to make up the numbers - it's an old recording from the '80s and feels like an exercise in "might as well cover this since I own the publishing for it anyway" - he fucks up the words, too.

yeah there is no need for the "come together" cover; it's taken from moonwalker iirc

i put together a sequence of my favorite tracks from history and blood on the dance floor and it's the album i wish he had put out

Yeah, Blood on the Dancefloor has some really underrated stuff on it!

Wasn't there a story about how MJ wanted Bad to sell twice as many copies as Thriller? Kinda puts his whole career into perspective, that...

I think if you're going to even try to follow-up Thriller, then Bad was probably the best outcome possible.

I think among the things lacking in Bad (leaving the quality of the songs aside) are some joy and smooth, exhilarating moments that his best work has imo.
With the exception of "Liberian Girl" for the smoothness... and "Just good friends" for the fun (one of the reasons I like that song although it's not really good).
so you're only left with paranoid anger.

It's not an issue for me, but I get the impression that many don't get on board with the more "programmed" nature of Bad. Off the Wall and Thriller were both meticulously produced but were more organic.

I'm not sure it's the "programmed" aspect that I like less since there are lots of "programmed" records which sound I love.
But clearly, I much prefer the choices made about the "sound" for OTW and Thriller (these two records simply sound fantastic).
Whereas from Bad and on, the music sounds more metallic and thin. and that was a choice he made, obviously.

As for the joy/smooth moments, there's a recent example that struck me : when they released the new version of "Love Never Felt So Good", I realized that one of the reasons I enjoyed that song so much was because it reminded me of how nice and fun MJ could sound (of course it was written/recorded circa 84... but the instrumentation was all new).

plus, you can barely hear the necromancy!

i put together a sequence of my favorite tracks from history and blood on the dance floor and it's the album i wish he had put out

did you by any chance do this on spotify?

^^^^^ this

I think among the things lacking in Bad (leaving the quality of the songs aside) are some joy and smooth, exhilarating moments that his best work has imo.
With the exception of "Liberian Girl" for the smoothness... and "Just good friends" for the fun (one of the reasons I like that song although it's not really good).
so you're only left with paranoid anger.

"The Way You Make Me Feel"? "Another Part of Me"?

hum. I see how you could consider these songs but to me, they're not joyful/smooth like most things on OTW or "baby be mine", "PYT"...

but I understand that it's a totally subjective feeling.

Yeah, 'The Way You Make Me Feel' is pretty joyful, I think!

Stranger In Moscow is up there with Human Nature for me. def Top 5.

Probably his best '90s song.

can't think of one remotely close

lol My 2nd favorite is probably "Give In To Me" but "Stranger In Moscow" is one the the alltime greats.

"who is it" is his best '90s song and his best song

"stranger" is up there though

"Who Is It" is so good.

oh wait, I forgot about Dangerous, lol

Apparently, 'Stranger in Moscow' made it to #4 in the UK singles chart, but other than a couple of times on MTV Europe I can't remember it ever getting any airplay.

Couldn't help but notice that 'In The Closet' didn't make it onto the HIStory greatest hits...

Y'know, for a song that has always made very little impression on me beyond "oh, Jackson is singing about the '93 allegations", I haven't been able to get the chorus to 'Money' out of my head for the last couple of hours.

I got a weekend's work through my local Job Centre, selling merch at the Wembley History tour dates. Amazing show. We spent the concert walking through the crowds, selling outrageously overpriced chintz. The top seller was a Michael Jackson glove-on-a-stick, doing a peace sign. If you turned it on, there was a strobe light effect in the fingers, so you could wave it in the air during Earth Song. I sold one to Jo Whiley!

D'ya remember how much "live" singing went on at those shows? I heard that MJ had a tendency to mime for a portion of his shows.

im sure he did for some, but not all of it. watch the "This Is It" documentary on his final tour for solid evidence he wasn't just a drugged up robot puppet they pushed out on stage. there is an amazing improv version of "Beat It" that is just him singing w a drummer and bass player.

I can't remember him mimimg but the show was super-production-intensive and choreographed - I think he flew around in a jetpack at some point??

yes the end of the Bucharest concert for the Dangerous tour. nobody can really top that for spectacle.

Yeah, Michael Jackson was pretty much the definition of "superproductionintensive" - the guy liked to throw the chequebook at pretty much everything he did: his music, his videos, his stage productions. Madonna and Prince did production intensive and chereographed shows too, but neither of them did "big budget" like Michael Jackson, who seemed to want to take everything to the most ludicrous extreme possible.

"who is it" is his best '90s song and his best song

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson),

yep

It doesn't seem to matter and it doesn't seem right.

well, actually, wait – NOT his best song, although when it's on it feels like it.

I AM THE DAMNED
I AM THE DEAD
I AM THE AGONY INSIDE A DYING HEAD

hyperbole on my part but it is my favorite

No idea, tho, why "In the Closet," "Will You Be There" and "Jam" weren't on the first disc.