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Post by ghost on Nov 28, 2023 10:45:05 GMT
Scream - 8/10 manic, but incredibly catchy and perfectly sets the tone for the entire album. Maybe never has one heard Michael Jackson sound so agitated and energized by the many agonies of his life. I remember being quite shocked when he dropped 'f-bomb' ("stop f**king with me/makes me wanna scream"). Busy production amps up this killer work, nominated for a Grammy IIRC.
They Don't Care About Us - 10/10 easily the album's most controversial number, but also perhaps the best and most socially aware we have seen Michael Jackson. No matter how you feel about the lyrics, this song is genius, propelled even more by an incredible groove and spot on vocals.
Stranger in Moscow - 8/10 It may have big shoes to fill following the manic "Scream" and the overt "They Don't Care About Us", but it fills those shoes well proving to be one killer, poignant ballad. The disconnect in which MJ sings within this chilling track is an easy connect to the audience to anybody who has ever felt lost or lacking of direction in life.
This Time Around - 7/10 good, though not as good as either "Scream" or "They Don't Care About Us". With that said, "This Time Around" is still way above par and is still signature Michael Jackson.
Earth Song - 10/10 It has been both praised and cursed, but I personally think aside from being an anomaly, it is one brilliant song. Michael is in his best voice here, particularly at the epic end where he ad libs alongside Andrae Crouch's gospel choir. Pop, Gospel, Soul, and Rock all bottled together, it is no wonder why Jermaine and Joe Jackson consider "Earth Song" their favorite Michael Jackson song.
D.S. - 9/10 Always love MJ doing rock, he suited the genre so well. The song is quite powerful and very groovy.
Money 6/10 this one is a bit of an odder fit for MJ, but it grew on me over time.
Come Together - 9/10 One of my favourites from The Beatles. While MJ doesn't ultimately usurp the original, his cover is great by all means.
You Are Not Alone - 8/10 easily another Jackson classic. The R Kelly association doesn't bother me as MJ makes it his own. A beautiful ballad which Michael sings angelically. The matching video is the slightest bit awkward, but despite this, the song is powerful and pleasing to listen to over and over again.
Childhood - 7/10 is solid, but doesn't seek to break any barriers, particularly compared to more socially conscious material. It still reflects an "agonized" man questioning where his 'childhood' went and why he was stripped of one of the basic, fundamentals of life. Tabloid Junkie - 9/10 I wish this one had been a single although I can see why it wasn't seeing as how it points fingers at the media etc. Amazing song.
2 Bad - 8/10 proves to be another rollicking uptempo, high-energy dance track. Good stuff.
History - 7/10 The song is strong, if a bit odd. It does feature a memorable hook, signature of his best work, but the soundbites do go on a bit.
Little Susie - 5/10 doesn't stand out amongst the strongest material for me.
Smile - 9/10 perfect by all means. This song never fails to soothe my soul. I love the honky-tonk piano and MJs rather shabby whistling at the end. A perfect ending.
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Post by aazzaabb on May 13, 2024 22:54:13 GMT
For MattyJam
Stranger In Moscow (Charles Roane’s Full R&B Mix)
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Post by MattyJam on May 14, 2024 6:10:37 GMT
For MattyJamStranger In Moscow (Charles Roane’s Full R&B Mix)You know me well - I love this remix. The US HIStory singles had much better remixes than the European ones. Why couldn't BOTD have had this on it and some of the awesome TDCAU remixes with the extended choir part instead of the cheap and nasty Steps versions of YANA and SIM? It could've been a listenable album from beginning to end with only a few minor adjustments. Tsk.
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TonyR
The Legend Continues
Posts: 8,413
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Post by TonyR on May 14, 2024 10:18:53 GMT
For MattyJamStranger In Moscow (Charles Roane’s Full R&B Mix)You know me well - I love this remix. The US HIStory singles had much better remixes than the European ones. Why couldn't BOTD have had this on it and some of the awesome TDCAU remixes with the extended choir part instead of the cheap and nasty Steps versions of YANA and SIM? It could've been a listenable album from beginning to end with only a few minor adjustments. Tsk. In terms of mental decisions, not including Dallas Austin mix of TDCAU on BOTDF is up there with not including Is It Scary on Scream.
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Post by aazzaabb on May 14, 2024 23:47:07 GMT
For MattyJamStranger In Moscow (Charles Roane’s Full R&B Mix)You know me well - I love this remix. The US HIStory singles had much better remixes than the European ones. Why couldn't BOTD have had this on it and some of the awesome TDCAU remixes with the extended choir part instead of the cheap and nasty Steps versions of YANA and SIM? It could've been a listenable album from beginning to end with only a few minor adjustments. Tsk. Definitely. I would have really loved this mix on it.
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Post by russtcb on May 15, 2024 14:29:52 GMT
My favorite Michael Jackson album, so I'll play:
Scream - Fantastic way to open the album and state the albums mission. 10/10
TDCAU - Goes further, harder and more in depth about the albums mission. Has reinvented itself many times since its release. 10/10.
SIM - Another way to say similar things to the first two tracks with an incredibly beautiful vocal. 10/10
This Time Around - I often say "Angry Mike is the best Mike" and this song is a good reason why. I don't love the bear but I don't hate it. 8/10
Earth Song - Astoundingly good song showing what kind of art you can create if your whole heart and mind are committed to s caring. 10/10
D.S. - Probably the most underrated track on the album IMO. Only one point deducted because you really have to know about the trail to "get it". 9/10
Money - Everything I love about D.S. but with a much better beat, IMO. Love the low key "you should be ashamed of yourselves" vocal in the verses 10/10
Come Together - WHY ARE YOU ON MY FAVORITE ALBUM?! 2/10
You Are Not Alone - Don't love this one as much as others. I think I'd like it much better if the intro was cut off. I know that's the radio edit, but I wish it was like that on the album. Not bad but he's got a LOT of better ballads. 7/10
Childhood - This was very hard for me to listen to for a very long time. Why not just leave this fn guy alone?? Still hard to listen to now and again but ultimately worth it every time. 10/10
Tabloid Junkie - Another underrated track. Can't believe more people don't know or talk about this. Perfect chorus, perfect vocals, perfect lyrics. 10/10
2 Bad - I love so much about this song BUT it seems too long at times. If I'm driving it's dine but if I'm listening to the album at home, it just seems like it goes on for too long, 7/10
HIStory - This took a long time to grow on my but I love it now. Seems like 2 songs mashed into 1, which I'm used to now. I love the ballad-y side of it more than the hard side of it. 9/10
Little Susie - This is what the world needs more of. Empathetic genius at it's very best. This is what I play for people who say "I wanna hear something from MJ that I've never heard before". 10/10
Smile - Yep, it's a cover and I'm still gonna give it a 10. It's the best version of the song anyone has every recorded. Period. End of. Perfect messaging to end the album. Dude was accused of the worst thing you can be a accused it. The court of public opinion found him guilty. Everyone jumped to conclusions and my man is still like "Hey I'm mad about it of course but life is still worthwhile if you just Smile". Perfection. 20/10
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Post by MattyJam on May 15, 2024 15:23:22 GMT
Love the low key "you should be ashamed of yourselves" vocal in the verses 10/10 He doesn't say that though, right? Or is there a hidden layer in Money I've yet to discover? HIStory is my favourite album too. Completely agree with most of your assessments, particularly Come Together which is the ultimate filler track. HIStory the title song is my all time favourite MJ song, bar none. It was such an amazing ending to the show at Wembley in 97. Happy memories.
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Post by russtcb on May 16, 2024 10:14:05 GMT
Love the low key "you should be ashamed of yourselves" vocal in the verses 10/10 He doesn't say that though, right? Or is there a hidden layer in Money I've yet to discover? HIStory is my favourite album too. Completely agree with most of your assessments, particularly Come Together which is the ultimate filler track. HIStory the title song is my all time favourite MJ song, bar none. It was such an amazing ending to the show at Wembley in 97. Happy memories. I sort of misspoke. He doesn't say "you should be ashamed of yourself" but I meant his tone of voice says that to me.
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Post by MattyJam on May 16, 2024 10:21:51 GMT
He doesn't say that though, right? Or is there a hidden layer in Money I've yet to discover? HIStory is my favourite album too. Completely agree with most of your assessments, particularly Come Together which is the ultimate filler track. HIStory the title song is my all time favourite MJ song, bar none. It was such an amazing ending to the show at Wembley in 97. Happy memories. I sort of misspoke. He doesn't say "you should be ashamed of yourself" but I meant his tone of voice says that to me. Ha, I figuered that's what you meant, but there's so many layers and hidden nuances in Money, I had to check there wasn't something else I was missing. Love all the hidden stuff. Where he starts mentioning rich tycoons at the end, "Trump, Canegie, Getty, GETTY GETTY GETTY". And then those buried in the mix backing vocals "Money makes the world go round" at the end. There's so many hidden bits in that song.
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