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Michael Jackson: Bad 25th Anniversary


Reyna ♔

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Well Dangerous is his best album, truth be told :whistle: But I don't have any shade for Bad. :blush: It's one of his best albums, still :wub:

Strongly agreed! (and my favorite cover artwork of all time)

Anyway, happy 25th to Bad! :D(the era I was born in)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bad 25 DVD: The Estate Release a Statement

It is great to see the overwhelming support and excitement in the fan community for the upcoming BAD 25 release. A few questions have arisen regarding the Wembley concert DVD. Although the press release wasn’t the place for background details, here is more information:

We know that Nocturne captured on Umatic tapes the footage projected onto the JumboTrons at the various concerts including Wembley. These tapes were turned over to Michael’s crew and we have confirmed with Patrick Kelly (who headed Michael’s film crew for the European tour) that everything from Europe was sent to LA to be put in Michael’s storage facilities. The same procedures were followed for the US shows.

• Unfortunately, record-keeping in the storage facilities was sporadic, at best, so we do not know what happened to a tape once it was sent for storage. In most cases, once a tape was pulled from the box it arrived in, it was not put back in the original box and where it wound up doesn’t always make sense. As a result, 25 years later not all of the Umatic tapes from the various shows can be located, notwithstanding that we have conducted an extensive survey of all of the storage facilities. So while we believe that the Umatic tape for Wembley was initially sent for storage, we have not been able to locate it. And with regard to the Umatic footage of other concerts, the audio is extremely problematic and therefore these concerts are unusable.

• We know that VHS copies of the Umatics were made when Michael wanted to view a particular concert, but because of the lack of record-keeping, we also didn’t know which concerts existed on VHS. We ultimately did find Michael’s personal VHS viewing copy of the Wembley show attended by Princess Diana and Prince Charles, but not the Umatic. Even finding this VHS felt like a miracle to us!

• So while we continued the search for the Wembley Umatic master, we also researched the audio recordings that existed from all of the concerts including Wembley. Fortunately, the Wembley audio recordings were made using a sound truck, and appear to be the only multi-track recordings from the tour. The other audio/visual recordings that exist, whether Umatic or VHS, are “front of house” mixes, and therefore there are no separate audio recordings that can be used to create a high quality listening experience. It is for this reason that the Wembley audio is the only one suitable to create a live album.

• If we were going to include a live concert DVD in the BAD 25 release package, we had only one choice, Wembley. And there were only two options for visual – the Umatics for a different show or the VHS for Wembley. It would certainly be less expensive for the Estate to be able to create a DVD from a Umatic tape than to spend the time and money to painstakingly restore/enhance the VHS footage, but then we would not be delivering a truly authentic experience and we truly believe that watching this concert with the high quality audio will create a magical experience for all the fans as it has for us. We ultimately chose a lab that has developed its own proprietary technology for doing this kind of work (including restoration for NASA of VHS footage) in order to make the visual experience the best it can be under the circumstances.

We also could have chosen to release the Japanese concert from the first leg of the tour as there is a master of that show; but that concert was essentially a reincarnation of the Victory Tour with only two songs – “Bad” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” – added at the end. It isn’t what we believe the fans would want.

We could have elected not to release a DVD as part of the BAD 25 celebration (and hold out hope that someday we might find the Umatic of the Wembley concert) or we could share with the fans the chance to relive that magical night with pristine audio. We made the decision to go with the latter and provide the fans with the most authentic viewing experience. We believe that the fans will agree it was the right choice when the package is released in September.

John Branca/The Estate of Michael Jackson

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JUNE 5TH RE-RELEASE OF THE #1 SINGLE, "I JUST CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU" INCLUDES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED DEMO TRACK

MJ%20-%20I%20Just%20Cant%20Stop%20-%20CD%20Single%20Cover_0.jpg

On Tuesday, June 5th The Estate of Michael Jackson and SONY Music Entertainment will re-release the first #1 single from BAD, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", with a previously unreleased bonus demo track from the BAD sessions titled, "Don't Be Messin' 'Round". This special single re-release will not be released digitally; it is only available on CD at Wal-Mart.com, Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. and at other locations worldwide.

"Don't Be Messin' Round" was re-discovered in MJ's personal vault during the research process for BAD 25, the 25th anniversary edition of BAD available September 18th. Listen to a preview clip below.

Link: http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/june-5th-re-release-1-single-i-just-can%E2%80%99t-stop-loving-you-includes-previously-unreleased-demo-t?cid=lg:r1d&utm_medium=post&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=ypp%20-%20mj

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The Story Behind Michael Jackson's Infectious, Newly Released Song

JOSEPH VOGEL - Joseph Vogel is the author of Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. He is a doctoral candidate and instructor in the Department of English at the University of Rochester.

The demo of "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" is among dozens of unreleased tracks from the Bad sessions, and provides insight into King of Pop's songwriting and recording process.

It's been 25 years since Michael Jackson was in Westlake Studio in Los Angeles putting the finishing touches on his classic 1987 album, Bad. Today, a demo of a never-before-heard song from those sessions will finally get an audience when Sony's re-release of Bad's original lead single, "I Can't Just Stop Loving You," hits Wal-Mart shelves. The B-side, an infectious rhythm track called "Don't Be Messin' 'Round," provides a glimpse into Jackson's creative process—and to his incredible profligacy as a songwriter.

Jackson had a habit of writing and recording dozens of potential songs for each new project. This was especially the case for the Bad era, a prolific period in his career. At one point, he considered making Bad a triple-disc album given the amount of quality material. So it's fitting that later this fall, Sony Music and Jackson's estate will put out a full album of previously unreleased material from the Bad sessions. While the track list has not yet been finalized and will not be made public until closer to the September 18 release date, more than 20 new, unheard demos from the Bad sessions are currently being considered for the album. The songs being evaluated include a number of real gems and a few titles previously unknown to the most ardent Jackson aficionados.

Jackson would pull out the song again during both the 'Dangerous' and 'HIStory' sessions. Clearly, it was a song he liked. But it never found a home. A team of Jackson collaborators and caretakers—including estate heads, Sony VP John Doelp, producer Al Quaglieri (who oversaw the excellent 2004 box set, Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection) and recording engineer, Matt Forger—combed through the vaults to see what was viable for the Bad 25 release. The criteria used for identifying potential songs were simple: They had to be recorded during the Bad era (1985-1987), and they had to be developed enough to feel like a complete track.

The Michael Jackson estate and Sony Legacy are leaving Jackson's work raw and unembellished this time around, in contrast to the King of Pop's first posthumous album, 2010's controversial Michael. The tracks will thus be less polished but more authentic, organic and true to what Jackson left behind. Similar to the critically acclaimed 2009 documentary, This Is It, the goal is to provide an intimate glimpse of the artist in his element. The listener, in essence, is brought into the studio with Michael Jackson as he works out a variety of musical ideas in his follow-up to the best-selling album of all time.

"Don't Be Messin'" illustrates this concept well. In the track, we can hear Jackson giving instructions, vocally dictating instrumental parts, mapping out where to accent words or add percussion, scatting and ad-libbing many of the unfinished lyrics. "One of the main intentions is to show that these are works in progress," says Matt Forger, a sound engineer and longtime Jackson friend and collaborator. "To pull the curtain back. To actually see Michael in his natural work environment, how he directs, his sense of humor, his focus."

The finished product, then, is intentionally unfinished and spontaneous. "You can just hear him having fun," Forger says. "His spirit and emotion are totally there. He knew in demos he didn't have to be totally perfect in his execution. So he'd be loose. He'd throw in ad libs and dance or sing or pop his fingers or clap his hands. You just hear him enjoying himself."

Jackson first wrote and recorded "Don't Be Messin'" during the Thriller sessions with engineer Brent Averill. Around this time he was working on a variety of musical ideas, including demos of "P.Y.T." and "Billie Jean." "Don't Be Messin'" features Jackson himself playing piano ("He could do more than he ever really let people know," Forger says.) He also produced, arranged, and guided many of the instrumental parts, including the cinematic strings, Jonathan Maxey's piano part in the bridge, and David Williams funky guitar licks.

Ultimately, since "Don't Be Messin'" wasn't fully developed and so much other strong material was coming in for Thriller, Jackson decided to put the song on the back burner, having in mind to revisit it for his next album. "That was kind of how Michael developed ideas and songs," explains Forger. "He let the song unfold in its own time. Sometimes a song wasn't ready or didn't quite fit the character of an album or a project and it would stay in the vaults. And then at a certain point of time, he would pull it out again."

In this case, the track re-surfaced in 1986, during the early stages of the Bad sessions. Jackson worked on the song primarily with recording engineers Matt Forger and Bill Bottrell in the "laboratory," the nickname for his renovated home studio at Hayvenhurst. As was typical for Jackson rhythm tracks, the song was quite long (nearly eight minutes) in its early phases. "Michael loves a song to be long," Forger says. "He loves it to groove because he gets to dance to it—which is a big thing, because when Michael feels the music is making him dance it means the groove is in the pocket."

Jackson's grooves, however, were unusual in that they often lacked the predictable repetition of much dance music, surprising with strange beat patterns, textures and nuances. "Some of these long versions of ["Don't Be Messin'"] really sound very interesting because there's different things happening in different sections," Forger says. "It's really not like you're sitting there for eight minutes thinking it's terribly long, because things are happening within that length of time that make it feel like, 'Yeah, this is cool.' It's actually satisfying to listen to the rhythm."

Cutting the song down was often a brutal process for Jackson, especially the intros and outros. As with other songs on Thriller and Bad, though, Jackson tried to trim it down into the four-to-five minute range, which is where the new mix of "Don't Be Messin'" clocks in.

The Story Behind Michael's Shoes Jackson continued to work on "Don't Be Messin'" into late 1986, at both his home studio and at Westlake. However, once Quincy Jones came on board, the serious paring began and "Don't Be Messin'" was left on the cutting room floor. Jackson would pull out the song again during both the Dangerous sessions and HIStory sessions, updating its sound and adding new elements. Clearly, it was a song he liked. But ultimately it never found a home.

The version Matt Forger mixed was the last version Jackson worked on during the Bad sessions in 1986. Forger feels it is the purest, most emotionally satisfying version: "It's exactly how Michael dictated it at the time. It's precisely Michael saying, 'this is how it has to be.'"

The 1986 demo isn't a groundbreaking song. The vocal is only partial-strength, the lyrics aren't finished, and the production isn't close to what it would be had it been fully realized by Jackson and Quincy Jones. However, it is a solid addition to the growing list of quality Bad-era outtakes (a list that also includes "Streetwalker," "Fly Away," and "Cheater"). "It's such a catchy underlying melodic hook," Forger says. "And it has a rhythmic feel that syncopates in such an interesting fashion." In a 2009 interview legendary recording engineer Bruce Swedien cited the track as one of his favorite unreleased Jackson songs. "It's just beautiful," he said . "Oh my God, there's nothing like it."

Like much of his work, the track doesn't fit neatly into a single genre, fusing flavors of Latin, jazz, and pop. With its breezy Bossa Nova rhythm and layers of interwoven hooks, it is a song that easily gets stuck in the head and makes you want to move—yet it also rewards multiple listens with its sophisticated syncopation and complex rhythm arrangement ("Music is like tapestry," Jackson once said. "It's different layers, it's weaving in and out, and if you look at it in layers you understand it better.")

For Forger, working on the track triggered memories of a simpler time in Jackson's turbulent career: "It just brought all the feelings back of what it was like in that era. Michael was just this exuberant, happy person. He wanted to challenge the world and make wonderful, great music."

What was Forger's goal in resurrecting the track?

"Just to make it authentic. Something Michael would enjoy and be proud of. It's got his charm and energy. If people appreciate it and enjoy it for what it is then I'll feel great. All I want it to be is enjoyed for the simple thing that it is."

Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/06/the-story-behind-michael-jacksons-infectious-newly-released-song/258115/#.T85bAHEpGKU.twitter

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- ATTENTION MJ FANS. PLEASE READ! #BAD25 -

As you know as part of the BAD 25 project, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (& "Don't Be Messin' Round") were released! The @MJOnlineTeam announced that the single is currently the TOP SELLING music title on Wal-mart.com and COULD BE #1 on the Billboard Single Sales Chart this week!! Sales will be counted 'til this coming Monday at midnight so we need to get ALL THE FANS in the US to buy the single at WalMart stores OR on the website!

WORLDWIDE TREND:-

To help spread the word we're TRENDING ->

----- BUY MJ'S SINGLE AT WALMART -----

When: Sunday 10th.

Times for trend: 8PM London, 12 pm LA, 3PM New York.

All correct times are listed in this link so please find your country!-> http://bit.ly/MjGqYP

Example tweets for the trend:

1) "BUY MJ'S SINGLE AT WALMART! You can buy "I Just Can't Stop Loving You/Don't Be Messin Round" in STORE & online here! -> http://tinyurl.com/ctvw69n"'>http://tinyurl.com/ctvw69n"

2) "Let's get I Just Can't Stop Loving You/Don't Be Messin Round #1 Billboard! BUY MJ'S SINGLE AT WALMART & online here!-> http://tinyurl.com/ctvw69n"'>http://tinyurl.com/ctvw69n"

Tweet the examples above & your own similar tweets during the trend! (make sure to tweet the link to the online store! -> http://tinyurl.com/ctvw69n )

REQUESTING:-

So far the single hasn't received any radio airplay, but we can change that.

Here's a link with a whole list of radio stations! -> http://www.requestrihanna.com/radios.php (ignore the Rihanna references, just go straight to the links and fill out the necessary info to request MJ!)

Click on THIS spinsfm link to request to any radio station through facebook or twitter! -> http://spins.fm/

Once you've read everything please SPREAD THIS TWITLONGER to ALL MJ FANS and tweet as much of the information above as you can in your own tweets! :)

Let's get Michael's first single from BAD25 a #1 DEBUT!

PS. If you're not in the US, don't worry! You can still participate in the trend and request the single on the radio! This is only specific to the US so we can get that No.1 on Billboard ;)

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD & RETWEET.

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MICHAEL JACKSON'S BAD 25 ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION ALREADY HAS ITS FIRST #1 SINGLE

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" / "Don't Be Messin' 'Round (demo)" CD Single Debuts at #1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart

New York, NY - On June 5, the original first single from Michael Jackson's landmark album BAD, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," was re-released as a CD Single with a never-before released bonus track called "Don't Be Messin' 'Round (demo)." In its first week this Wal-Mart exclusive CD single was scooped up by fans, giving Michael a #1 debut on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart in a top five that includes Carly Rae Jepsen, Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber and Coldplay/Rihanna.

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was written and composed by Michael Jackson and performed as a duet with Siedah Garrett. The song became the first of five consecutive number-one Billboard Hot 100 hits from Jackson's BAD album. It also reached number one on the Billboard R&B and adult contemporary charts. "Don't Be Messin' Around" is a previously unreleased demo from the singer's vaults which was recorded during the BAD sessions.

On September 18th, the Estate of Michael Jackson along with Epic/Legacy Recordings will release BAD 25, which includes three CDs, two collectible booklets, and features the first-ever authorized DVD release of a concert from the record breaking BAD tour, the concert at Wembley Stadium on July 16, 1988 attended by Princess Diana, Prince Charles and a sold-out crowd of 72,000 fans.

More details on this and other exciting projects relating to BAD's 25th anniversary will be announced soon.

Source: http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/michael-jackson-bad-25-anniversary-deluxe-edition-already-first-1-single?cid=lg:ru6&utm_medium=post&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=ypp%20-%20mj

So proud of my MJFam. We go in for the king :thumbup:

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Spike Lee’s Bad 25 Documentary Complete & Single Scores #1 Debut

The good news continues to roll in for Michael Jackson fans.

I can exclusively confirm that a copy of Spike Lee’s documentary on the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s “Bad” album has been submitted to Sony for review.

The documentary, in which Lee visits Westlake Studios (the studio Jackson used to record the Bad album), will feature interviews with a diverse range of stars from different generations including Kanye West, Siedah Garrett, Chris Brown and Quincy Jones, just to name a few.

Showcasing rare never-before-seen footage from Jackson’s archives; the documentary should impress even the most die hard Jackson fan. According to those who’ve been fortunate enough to see it, the work Lee has done is “amazing”.

If social networking is anything to go by, it would appear that although Lee has submitted his work-to-date for review, he is yet to apply the finishing touches. Lee tweeted a picture of he and singer Mariah Carey, reportedly taken on set today (18/6), indicating interviews are still being conducted for inclusion in the final edit.

A strategy on exactly how and when to deliver the documentary to fans is yet to be decided upon. Options include presenting the film in a limited cinema run, licensing it to television networks around the world, and issuing it as a stand-alone DVD or Blu-ray release.

In other news, it was officially confirmed by the Michael Jackson Estate last week that the newly released maxi-single “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” – which features the brand new bonus tracks “Don’t Be Messin’” – shot straight to the top of the physical CD singles chart in the U.S, with domestic sales in excess of 5,000 copies.

The single’s success is largely due to the overwhelming support thrown behind it by dedicated Jackson fanatics. Many purchased multiple copies, with the more enthusiastic fans taking advantage of the bargain $1.89 sale price, some even buying more than 20 copies!

Jackson outsold the likes of Justin Bieber and Coldplay to claim the top spot on the chart.

For all the latest news on the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s “Bad”, visit www.bad25.michaeljackson.com

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I hate how they're trying to downplay the success of the single by saying "Many purchased multiple copies, with the more enthusiastic fans taking advantage of the bargain $1.89 sale price, some even buying more than 20 copies!"

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I hate how they're trying to downplay the success of the single by saying "Many purchased multiple copies, with the more enthusiastic fans taking advantage of the bargain $1.89 sale price, some even buying more than 20 copies!"

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Really, just ignore them. The King still reigns. End of. lol :thumbup:

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Any record stores have it where you are?

I haven't been able to get out tbh. I know amazon are selling it though so I might just get it now lol. Or I could buy the vinyl from that official site. Hmmmmmm....

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  • 3 weeks later...

AWARD WINNING FILMMAKER SPIKE LEE IMMERSED IN MICHAEL JACKSON DOCUMENTARY

FILM FOCUSES ON THE KING OF POP'S GROUND-BREAKING BAD ALBUM, TOUR AND VIDEOS TO CELEBRATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALBUM'S RELEASE

Click the Link at the bottom if you have time, there's a cool quick little video about the TWYMMF video

New York, NY – It was announced today that Academy Award nominated filmmaker Spike Lee, inconjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music, is in the final stages of post production of a Michael Jackson documentary focusing on Michael's landmark BAD album and worldwide tour. The project marks the first ever in-depth, behind the scenes film project to chronicle a Michael Jackson album, and is being filmed amid the 25th anniversary celebration of the iconic album, record-breaking world tour andgroundbreaking short films that changed music history. The documentary features over 40 interviews conducted personally by Spike Lee with Michael's confidants, choreographers, musicians and other collaborators who collectively unveil the real story of this "coming of age" project through their vivid recollections of what it was like to work day in and day out and live this project with Michael. BAD's lasting influence is captured through interviews with some of today's top artists, including Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Cee Lo Green and Sheryl Crow, who was a back-up singer on the BAD tour.

The Michael Jackson BAD documentary joins an incredible body of Spike Lee documentaries including the Peabody and Emmy Award winning, When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts and its follow up, If God Is Willing And Da Creek Don't Rise, Kobe Doin' Work, and the Oscar Nominated, 4 Little Girls. Lee directed both short films for Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" in 1996.

Spike Lee comments, "I'm more than just a huge fan of Michael Jackson, and having the chance to actually know him and work with him, I deeply care about his legacy. With this BAD project I was able to uncover just what made this such a huge, important coming of age in his career and unearth compelling stories surrounding the making of the album, the long awaited follow-up to Thriller – the best selling album of all time - the short films and the tour that may have never seen the light of day."

Among the interviewees are Oscar-winning film director Martin Scorcese, Joe Pytka andother filmmakers who worked with Michael to bring the stories in his songs to life on the screen through short films that remain today some of the most vivid and creative storytelling by a musical artist as well as one of his Michael's personal engineers, Matt Forger, who worked with Michael at the recording studio at Michael's Hayvenhurst home where the songs first came to life, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, who worked on the album and then the BAD Tour. Also shedding light on the BAD album, short films and tour are individuals like former CBS Head Walter Yetnikoff, as well as choreographers Jeffrey Daniel and Vincent Paterson.

John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of The Estate of Michael Jackson comment, "Spike Lee's genius as a storyteller combined with his passion and first-hand appreciation of Michael's artistry makes him the logical filmmaker to tell the story of BAD. We are thrilled to be working with him on this unique project."

The third and final album collaboration for Jackson and Quincy Jones, BAD launched a pivotal coming of age for the King of Pop as a performer, composer and producer. The album was #1 around the world, made history with five consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard chart, produced ten chart-topping singles, nine ground breaking short films and to date, the BAD album has generated over 45 Million units in sales. BAD was nominated for six Grammys and won two; the album earned Michael the first-ever Video Vanguard Award at the MTV VMA Awards. Songs on the original album are: "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Speed Demon," "Liberian Girl," "Just Good Friends" featuring Stevie Wonder, "Another Part of Me," "Man in the Mirror," "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Dirty Diana," "Smooth Criminal," with "Leave Me Alone" added to the CD version of the album once released.

Spike Lee's film supports the 25th anniversary of BAD, which will also be celebrated with the September 18th release of BAD 25, a must-have deluxe package featuring three CDs, two collectible booklets, and features the first-ever authorized DVD release of a concert from the record breaking BAD tour, the concert at Wembley Stadium on July 16, 1988 attended by Princess Diana, Prince Charles and a sold-out crowd of 72,000 fans. A BAD 25 two CD standard edition featuring the original album plus the CD of demos and new remixes will also be made available as will a stand alone edition of the DVD and a picture disc of the original album.

More details on this and other exciting projects relating to BAD's 25th anniversary will be announced soon.

Link: http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/award-winning-filmmaker-spike-lee-immersed-michael-jackson-documentary

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