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The Discussion of MJ's Unreleased Tracks

Mister_Jay_Tee said:
Well, its not just MJs word. Matt Forger also said it was an R&B tune. And just any 80s uptempos is something I have a keen interest in tbf. Even when they're not what I expect.


I think it is a masterpiece; as far as ballads go. I would rank it right after Human Nature and Stranger in Moscow and songs like those.
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Mentioned by John Barnes when he was a guest on The MJCast, as well. The first track he and Michael worked on at Soundcastle.
 
Lotfi11k said:
Men in black have MJ verses or no
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I am doubtful it does. If it does then Bryan Loren will have it under lock and key and it will never be released . That is if he even has it anymore. Though to be fair Men in Black sounds boring as do most of his tracks and mundane . The only one i liked was Superfly Sister.
 
threepea11 said:
So wait those cassettes/tapes have unreleased demos? did Korgnex buy them? and also what I find interesting is that the Price of Fame pepsi says 1-30-87, which could mean that Quincy didnt mix the song until later, because the PoF pepsi is basically the same as the og
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Pepsi version of Billie Jean was also build upon its demo. Probably to avoid Qs involvement; conteactual reasons maybe?
 
AlwaysThere said:
Let me clarify my terribly-worded comment:

I’m more inclined to believe that MJ’s comments about “Buffalo Bill” were an attempt to drum up hype than an honest opinion. The fact that he performed little work on it during the Bad sessions (according to Bill Bottrell) and never returned to it thereafter suggests it wasn’t as high-ranking as many people believe it is.

I’m interested in it because it’s one of those storied tracks, and one of the few unreleased tunes MJ publicly discussed.
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Probably because it wouldn't fit on the bad album
 
What's even more odd about Buffalo Bill is how MJ did a photo shoot at the grave site of William Cody in 1984. How close was this song being put on Victory? Seems like it could've been a last second decision to pull it.
 
Fuzball said:
Guys, don't be mean with him.🤔


Anyway, Rod Temperton contributed a 4th verse to Rocker in late 2008. Maybe it'll leak someday by someone.🤷‍♂️

my babe's predictable
yet her love's not tangible
she used to be a crocker
but now pretends to be a rocker [this line is sung with angry voice]
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are these from Temperton?
not sure if he still had it
 
AlwaysThere said:
True, but it still begs the question of why MJ never wound up going back to it if it was such a stellar song. I’d love to learn more.
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A lot of musicians and writers simply lose interest in (some) of their ideas and move on. A good example is large projects (e.g., books) which often take more than a year to get published from the moment the work has been turned in. I worked with many creatives who by the time they're required to promote their new project have largely lost interest in it. That's because the work represents their state of mind and interests from x years before.

MJ was quite unique in that he revisited a lot of his older ideas throughout his career (maybe with the exception of the Bad era when he wrote tons of new material) but I can imagine he became disinterested in some very good songs for relatively arbitrary reasons. He definitely forgot about Dreams Away pretty much the moment he wrote it, while, in my opinion, it's one of the best ballads he ever created. At the same time, he fixated on a dud like Don't Be Messin' and kept tweaking it for twenty years. Perhaps Buffalo Bill is like Dreams Away?
 
AlwaysThere said:
True, but it still begs the question of why MJ never wound up going back to it if it was such a stellar song. I’d love to learn more.
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Half the Invincible outtakes are better than what ended up on the actual album so it doesn't mean a thing. Buffalo Bill could still be a fantastic track even if he never returned to it.
Remember how the entire forum was blown away last year by a completely unknown unhyped track called "dreams away".

Buffalo Bill is most likely a very decent track at the very least.
 
Well it did too, kinda cool to know there are still unheard mj songs we dont even know exist. I think the echo of the vocals is what messes it up, but still its p good but not great, for now
 
Derek1984 said:
What's even more odd about Buffalo Bill is how MJ did a photo shoot at the grave site of William Cody in 1984. How close was this song being put on Victory? Seems like it could've been a last second decision to pull it.
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Yes, Buffalo Bill was meant for the Victory album, Michael said this in the 1983 unauthorized interview:

"It's about Will Cody (the cowboy) and how he died. I'm really excited about it because- I really hate to say it, but I know it's going to be a hit. I really feel strong about it."

And Bruce Swedien said:

"The song has "a big symphonic opening and a charming melody".
 
The Estate must certainly have Buffalo Bill in their possession. I wonder why it was never included on BAD25? Was it considered for Xscape?
 
FlyAway0086 said:
John Barnes said it was a track in the "R&B/dance speed". If I recall correctly he said it was a bit slower than your typical uptempo dance song.
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The tempo could be similar to Centipede, which was recorded around the same time and also with Barnes.

Speaking of, I'm sure there's a solo MJ demo version of Centipede.
 
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