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Post by MattyJam on Nov 21, 2023 11:29:04 GMT
Scream - Epic moment in pop history. A perfect meshing of both their styles. MJs sounds badass here and Janet really raised her game and never sounded stronger. Love Jimmy Jam's description of the song at the time: "well, it's not a ballad." 9/10
TDCAU - Top 3 MJ song of all time. Nuff said. 10/10
SIM - I like it well enough, although not one I return to very often. 6/10
This Time Around - Love it when MJ embraces Hip-Hop (on this and Unbreakable). So 90s, in the best possible way. 7/10
Earth Song - MJs biggest masterpiece? Worthy of a top 5 placement in every fans best MJ songs list, surely? 10/10
D.S. - Underrated. Rocks hard and love how legitimately pissed off it is. Great solo from Slash. Never understood the dislike for this one. 8/10
Money - Lyrically excellent, sadly on point. So many great layers to this one and hidden nuances to listen out for. 8/10
Come Together - A great cover of a great song, horribly misplaced on this album. By itself: 7/10, as part of this album: 4/10
You Are Not Alone - Exquisitely produced, beautifully sang. I'm a big fan of all three of the R Kelly/MJ songs. Some of his best adlibs on record. 8/10
Childhood - The saddest song he ever recorded? Quite possibly. Can't fault anything about it. 9/10
2 Bad - Funky as all hell, great Refugee Camp remix, great choreography in Ghosts and a rare occasion where the cheesy rap cameo adds to the song's charm. 8/10
HIStory - My personal favourite MJ song of all time. Beautiful, majestic, anthemic, brilliantly put together with harmonies and adlibs from the Gods. 10/10
Little Susie - Popstars aren't meant to do songs like this, are they? There's so much depth to his artistry which is criminally overlooked. Haunting and beautiful in equal measure. 10/10
Smile - A perfect ending to my personal favourite MJ album. A light at the end of the tunnel, his performance on this is surely one of his most heartfelt recorded vocals? 9/10
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Post by butterflies2 on Nov 21, 2023 15:13:31 GMT
You skipped tabloid junkie
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Post by MattyJam on Nov 21, 2023 16:26:57 GMT
You skipped tabloid junkie Oh God and I love that song too. *goes to edit
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Post by MattyJam on Nov 21, 2023 16:30:06 GMT
Scream - Epic moment in pop history. A perfect meshing of both their styles. MJs sounds badass here and Janet really raised her game and never sounded stronger. Love Jimmy Jam's description of the song at the time: "well, it's not a ballad." 9/10 TDCAU - Top 3 MJ song of all time. Nuff said. 10/10 SIM - I like it well enough, although not one I return to very often. 6/10 This Time Around - Love it when MJ embraces Hip-Hop (on this and Unbreakable). So 90s, in the best possible way. 7/10 Earth Song - MJs biggest masterpiece? Worthy of a top 5 placement in every fans best MJ songs list, surely? 10/10 D.S. - Underrated. Rocks hard and love how legitimately pissed off it is. Great solo from Slash. Never understood the dislike for this one. 8/10 Money - Lyrically excellent, sadly on point. So many great layers to this one and hidden nuances to listen out for. 8/10 Come Together - A great cover of a great song, horribly misplaced on this album. By itself: 7/10, as part of this album: 4/10 You Are Not Alone - Exquisitely produced, beautifully sang. I'm a big fan of all three of the R Kelly/MJ songs. Some of his best adlibs on record. 8/10 Childhood - The saddest song he ever recorded? Quite possibly. Can't fault anything about it. 9/10 Tabloid Junkie - such a great track. The beatboxing, the percussive lyrical intro, the insanely hooky chorus. I'm going to give it a 9.5, only because it's not quite on the level of TDCAU, ES and title track, but it's really not far off. 9.5/10 2 Bad - Funky as all hell, great Refugee Camp remix, great choreography in Ghosts and a rare occasion where the cheesy rap cameo adds to the song's charm. 8/10 HIStory - My personal favourite MJ song of all time. Beautiful, majestic, anthemic, brilliantly put together with harmonies and adlibs from the Gods. 10/10 Little Susie - Popstars aren't meant to do songs like this, are they? There's so much depth to his artistry which is criminally overlooked. Haunting and beautiful in equal measure. 10/10 Smile - A perfect ending to my personal favourite MJ album. A light at the end of the tunnel, his performance on this is surely one of his most heartfelt recorded vocals? 9/10
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Post by respect77 on Nov 21, 2023 18:13:05 GMT
Scream - 8/10 - I like it now more than I used to, but I still think it needs the video to really shine. (With the video it's a 10/10.)
TDCAU - 10/10 - One of MJ's best.
SIM - 10/10 - I love this autobiographical masterpiece, expressing his lonlely state of mind during the allegations so poignantly ("Armageddon of the brain")
This Time Around - 5/10 - I didn't really like it for a long time, now I can appreciate it a bit more, but still not enough to be more than mediocre IMO.
Earth Song - 10/10 - Another masterpiece. Ahead of his time too.
D.S. - 4/10 - Musically one of my least favorite MJ songs. If I consider HIStory a concept album (and I do) it does have its place on it, but as an individual song it's not that strong.
Money - 9/10 - A lot of fans consider this a filler, but I really love it. Especially the lyrics. One of MJ's best lyrics IMO. "Are you infected with the same disease of lust, gluttony and greed? Then watch the ones with the biggest smiles The idle jabbers 'Cause they're the backstabbers" Unfortunately proved to be very relevant and true to a lot of people in his life.
Come Together - I was a little hesitant about what rating to give it. As a cover it is top notch. One of the best Beatles covers ever, in fact better than the original IMO. In that regard, as an individual song, as a cover it is 10/10. But if I consider it as a part of THIS album it is out of place on it, so that way it is only 6/10.
YANA - 6/10 - Yes, the album's only #1 song and all, but I don't particularly like it. I love the video though with how beatiful both MJ and Lisa had been in it. Especially since Lisa's death and now with both of them being gone it hits differently.
Childhood - 7/10 - I used to consider it way too saccharine, but since I saw the recording of it I have a new appreciation for it.
Tabloid Junkie - 9/10 - Love the lyrics, his boldness in challenging the media. "If he dies, sympathize Such false witnesses, damn self-righteousness"
"You're a parasite in black and white Do anything for news"
"Slander! You say it's not a sin But with your pen, you torture men But why do we keep foolin' ourselves?"
2 Bad - 4/10 - Many fans prefer this to Money or Tabloid Junkie, but for some reason it never clicked with me. Also I prefer the version in Ghosts.
History - 7/10 - It's okay but not really spectacular.
Little Susie - 10/10 - I love it more than most MJ fans. In fact, I consider it one of MJ's underrated gems.
Smile - 9/10 - Great cover and a great way to close MJ's most autobiographical album.
Overall HIStory is less consistent than, say, Off the Wall, it has more lows or mediocre moments, yet I think it is more than the sum of its parts. Like I said I consider it a concept album and as such those lesser songs are also necessary in the story it tells.
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Post by MattyJam on Nov 21, 2023 18:46:19 GMT
History - 7/10 - It's okay but not really spectacular. Are you trying to hurt me?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2023 21:10:46 GMT
I hear 2 albums when I listen to HIStory - the album I had as a child, when ignorance was bliss and it was just a cool collection of songs VS. the album I know since I hit maturity and how each song strikes a different nerve each time I hear it. I'll try find somewhere in the middle for this. If I refer to the HIStory Tour I'm not commenting on vocals.
Scream - Great opener, great decision to kick off the campaign with the duet with Janet. MJ and Janet have something to SAY in this song. The noise in the instrumental is almost over bearing and the scream throughout the song really captures a really noisy head. A great opener in '97. 9/10
They Don't Care About Us - A top 10 song for me. Simple Masterpiece. So original, and I've never heard a song like it. The Melody is ridiculously simple yet effective, and the percussion is astounding. As a kid I learned a lot from the song and video. This song was amazing live. 10/10
Stranger In Moscow - A masterpiece. It took me years to appreciate it like it deserves. Again, such a simple melody with flawless delivery. The switch between lead and backing vocals is almost ethereal. The ending of the song is just sheer loneliness, frustration and desperation on tape. The robotic dancing on the HIStory Tour made for a great contrast to the deeply personal lyrics which took years for me to appreciate. Incredibly unique percussion with quite simplistic and perfect instrumentation. 10/10
This Time Around - Michael spitting hot fire here. Great bass line in this, with really catchy chorus harmonies. The first of the songs to really refer to '93 but not in a way that's distracting. 8/10
Earth Song - The third masterpiece on an album of many. The production here is actually quite minimal compared to other songs on HIStory and Dangerous and it's just gorgeous as a result. Simple piano and strings for the verses with amazing heavenly harmonies for the choruses. The piano being allowed to shine here really makes it too. The ending is just absolute devastation. We are taken to church on this song. 10/10
D.S. - There are 2 songs here - D.S. a song about Dom Sheldon which I loved as a kid, and D.S. about Tom Sneddon which I learned as a teen. In recent years I enjoy this song more singing "Dom Sheldon" because I really don't want to always have to associate HIStory or any of his work with the allegations, but it's hard to get past what this song was about. Michael at his most direct and vicious about another human being right here. 8/10
Money - God, what a gem. That shuffle! It's absolutely amazing. Great spoken verses and that chorus is to kill for. The lyrics are fantastic and will /never not be relevant. You could think about this song 10 times a day because of how accurate it is regarding those around you and money. The synth bass playing over the bass in the chorus is chefs kiss. MJ could have completely over sang this and over produced it. It's again a song that's allowed to breathe by itself. 9/10
Come Together - My favourite Beatles cover ever. The song that introduced me to the Beatles. The song that introduced me to the concept of a cover song. I have absolutely no problem with it's inclusion on this album. MJ loved the song and felt it's inclusion was necessary. I see it as an intermission of sorts. 9/10
You Are Not Alone - The most perfect pop ballad there can be. R Kelly is a piece of shit, but he did good by writing/plagiarising this one. MJ's delivery is amazing, its produced to perfection and the key change is perfect. I will always love and defend this song. Like Earth Song, you couldn't escape this when it was released. I remember this getting such a huge reaction in '97. 9/10
Childhood - Another song that took me years to come to understand. As a kid, I associated it with "Elvis" from Free Willy 2 and it took years for that to change. The lyrics and association with Free Willy 2 will always be there I suppose, but after that this song is just pure magic. So sad and beautiful. Every word is genuine. The orchestration/music is amazing here. Would love to hear version of just piano and voice. Great memories of the HIStory band playing this before Smooth Criminal in '97. 9/10
Tabloid Junkie - I remember hearing "homosexual" and "bisexual" as a kid and wondering.... Can I say those words? This song always reminded me of Bad for some reason. Like a sequel in my head to the Leave Me Alone video, especially with the vocal delivery which is AMAZING here. Another song with a lot of noise in the instrumental. Insane harmonies in the chorus again. Another masterpiece for me 10/10
2 Bad - I remember seeing this on the back of the cassette box wondering if it was related to Bad, and was glad to hear the "throwin' rocks to hide your hands". Love this song, insane strong vocals. Another reference to '93 here but not too direct like D.S. really. Great energy in this song. I would love to have seen him perform this live exactly the way Bad was performed. Mic stand, minimal choreography. 9/10
HIStory - My favourite song on the album. It's like breaking through all of the aggression from earlier in the album in the verses to get to gorgeous choruses accented with a lovely simple piano. Again, the simple melodies are what make this album. The chorus is so catchy. Easily his most experimental song as far as I'm concerned. Delighted he performed this in '97. His most inspirational song also. Learned a lot from this song because of all the dates (reminded me of an audio version of the Man In The Mirror video). Another masterpiece 10/10
Little Susie - Just wow. This entire song is just perfection. Again, this song could have been so over top top, but the instrumentation compliments MJ's voice and the content so well. The choral intro really does set this album apart from what precedes it. This song to me is about the death of innocence, which is kind of what HIStory Continues is for me. Disc 1 is all the great classic singles and then Disc 2 is just a swift and sudden fall from grace. I also take Susie as a kind of ying and yang with this and Blood on the Dance Floor. Two ends of the spectrum. The final masterpiece 10/10.
Smile - God I love this song (and just bought the promo CD single). Flawless delivery, but would have much preferred simpler drums and maybe a more acoustic instrumentation. I also prefer the alternate take that was leaked in the past few years, but that doesn't take away from what the song is. It's the perfect coda to what can be a very tough 77 minutes of listening. There are ducks and dives about how shit life can be, but in the end we are given a message of resilience. Modern Times (the film containing the Smile theme) doesn't end with a happy ending for The Tramp and The Gamin - it ends with the message MJ ends with here.
"Buck up! Never say die! We'll get along." 9/10
I like this album.
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Post by respect77 on Nov 22, 2023 4:29:10 GMT
History - 7/10 - It's okay but not really spectacular. Are you trying to hurt me? Yes, for downrating Stranger in Moscow.
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Post by butterflies2 on Nov 22, 2023 5:27:35 GMT
Ok I’m ready to post now
Scream-although I was already familiar with some of mjs music, this is the song and video that turned me into a fan for life, and got me into Janet, who’s music I didn’t know before with the exception of Again which I didn’t realize yet was her. I was so amazed with how bad ass the video was And how great they looked, sounded and danced. This song is special to me and also I performed it at college during the second allegations, channeled my rage through the movement, and won second place (8/10)
They don’t care about us-I first heard this at my cousins place, who had the HIStory album before I got it, and thought it didn’t sound like any song on the radio, which I was obsessed with in the good old 90s. After I got the album for my 13th birthday, I fell in love with the song and loved the chords and harmonies, and even recorded myself setting it to a hard rock beat music on my keyboard though I don’t have it anymore and regret taping over it with the latest songs lol I love both videos though for years I just had the prison version which I absolutely loved and would play the video almost everyday when I came home for lunch break (10/10)
Stranger in Moscow-this song grew on me, it’s beautiful and poignant. I always enjoyed the melody, harmonies and lyrics cause I felt alone too, but it wasn’t till I saw a love for it on fan boards that I really came to appreciate how artistic it was. This may sound far fetched, but I think the rhythm may have inspired the work timbaland went on to do on aaliyahs one in a million album and ginuwines the bachelor. Fun fact, it’s one of Janet’s favourite mj videos (8/10)
This time around-like a precursor to Unbreakable, and arguably more melodic. I like biggies rap and could feel the frustration in mjs voice, I also appreciate how he used echoey/muffled effects on the vocals in the second verse, which other artists also did after him (7/10)
Earth Song-Now that I think about it, this is the song that introduced me to the charitable side of mj. Perfect pianos, melody and lyrics. Wonderful video, so well done, and I love the live performances too, very powerful. Also, I performed this a couple months before he died, but had developed high anxiety that affected my vocals cause singing it was hard and I felt the other established performers were stuck up and was worried they were judging me for singing mj. Anyways, I love it all the same (10/10)
DS-I love the guitars in it, mj doing rock music is always a pleasure. I could feel his anger and played it a lot during the second allegations cause I associated it with him being on top of the car while it was playing and even cnn was talking about the song lol (8/10)
Money-Love the lyrics and anger in this one, especially more now that I had a friend who abused me financially though I wasn’t rich, just that I was working and she wasn’t and took advantage of my kindness, and I know that happened to mj too. I appreciate that Nile Rodgers finally worked with mj and was on track and added the funk, little known fact (8/10)
Come Together-instantly loved this song and knew it was from the 80s before knowing it was featured in moonwalked. I was already familiar with the Beatles songs but not this one. I like the original too now, absolutely one of the best songs and at one point, my favourite on the whole album (10/10)
You are not alone-After Scream, I felt this song was a bit of a let down though the beat is pretty and with strong vocals and a great melody. I just wasn’t feeling the video much when it came out, but felt I appreciated it more after he died and after seeing the girl onstage at the HIStory tour few years after the tour happened, I dreamed I would be her someday lol (7/10)
Childhood-Again, this song grew on me but is so pretty and at one point relatable cause I had a tough childhood too. I’m not crazy about the video though (7/10)
Tabloid Junkie-masterpiece by the great flyte Tyme team!!! I love how the harmonies are stacked just like in much of Janet’s work. The lyrics are very sophisticated…and then comes the random homosexual/bisexual lines so calmly after the aggression that it’s almost comical. I wonder who he was talking about, lmp was my first thought lol (10/10)
2Bad-great beat and lyrics about standing up for yourself, which mj had every right to do. I especially love the choreography in ghosts, would have been a great stage performance (10/10)
HIStory-I never play this version, always the dance version on blood on the dancefloor. I think the song itself is great and flyte tyme did a great job producing it, but I feel distracted by all the clips though they were very informative. Maybe it was ahead of its time cause many people sample clips in their songs these days (7/10)
Little Susie-this song was always very sad to me, but well written with great composition. It’s artsy and classic in its own way and a standout track though I haven’t actually played it in years cause it’s too sad (8/10)
Smile-I love this song and tend to appreciate it more with age. I heard the original in my teens and mjs is far superior and much more genuine in emotion. It encourages me to smile and be present. I love the violin at the end as well(9/10)
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TonyR
The Legend Continues
Posts: 8,413
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Post by TonyR on Nov 22, 2023 16:40:23 GMT
I hear 2 albums when I listen to HIStory Disc 1 and Disc 2?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2023 16:51:59 GMT
I hear 2 albums when I listen to HIStory Disc 1 and Disc 2? Responses like this to long posts are hurtful.
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TonyR
The Legend Continues
Posts: 8,413
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Post by TonyR on Nov 22, 2023 19:01:31 GMT
Responses like this to long posts are hurtful. I did say it was a great post as well in all fairness.
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Post by mjjfan810 on Nov 24, 2023 8:08:34 GMT
Scream - a great pairing and getting Janet to team up with Michael after the 93 allegations was a much safer pill to unleash than a solo effort. Credit to Janet for being game as I bet a few of her advisers woulda been against it. So glad this duet exists though. I love the Asian guitar twangy thingy on the break. 9/10
They Don't Care About Us - Amazing to think this song has become bigger than Thriller, Smooth Criminal, MITM etc since his passing. And rightly so, it's one of his all time greatest. 10/10
Stranger In Moscow - Just beautiful. Rod Temperton once said he considered it to be MJ's best song and it's definitely a worthy contender. 10/10
This Time Around - Not a fan of this one. MJ doesn't need rappers in his music and the song is just too repetitive and lacking in a any memorable hook. 4/10
Earth Song - Incredible. His biggest career mistake was not releasing this Stateside. 10/10
D.S. - I never really got into the song despite the fact that I admire the balls it took to do it. I'm still glad he put out that song though. 6/10
Money - Amazing track, one which I wish would've been a single instead of the title track. 9/10
Come Together - Brilliant cover and I have no qualms about this being on the album. Musically, it fits and the album kind of needed a few not-so-serious songs to balance out all the rage and angst. 8/10
You Are Not Alone - My joint second favourite MJ song of the 90s (with Remember The Time). His greatest ballad imo. 10/10
Childhood - Lovely sentiment but a touch too saccharine for my tastes. 6/10
Tabloid Junkie - Powerful stuff. So many great layers, great lyrics and great snarling vocals from MJ. 9/10
2 Bad - Musically I like it well enough, but the rap annoys me and the chorus could be stronger. 6/10
HIStory - A very elaborate production, which almost drowns in its own lofty ambitions but just about manages to pull it all together. A great encore on the tour. 8/10
Little Susie - An inspired composition, but a tad too musical theatre in its delivery for my tastes. 6/10
Smile - I only really listen to this when I put on the album from beginning to end. A sweet finale and gorgeous vocal from Michael. 7/10
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2023 8:14:43 GMT
A fellow You Are Not Alone fan. We are few. Hi.
Nice read.
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Post by MattyJam on Nov 24, 2023 9:29:46 GMT
A fellow You Are Not Alone fan. We are few. Hi. Nice read. I assume you didn't read mine then? Hmph.
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