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The Discussion of MJ's Unreleased Tracks

AlwaysThere said:
Lmfao, what?

Sony and the estate secured posthumous duets/features by Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber (presumably), D’Angelo, and Mary J. Blige with apparent ease. Royalty divisions also extend to production and songwriting credits, and they had no issue retaining Teddy Riley, Neff-U, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Ronson, Tricky Stewart, Burt Bacharach, Timbaland, StarGate, Rodney Jerkins, Paul Anka, Babyface, or any of the other contributors to MICHAEL and XSCAPE. Royalties isn’t an issue.

Also, when you say “sells harder,” do you mean “won’t be as successful”? If so, that’s ignoring the fact that the Timberlake version of “Love Never Felt So Good” accounted for around 80% of single sales and propelled MJ back into the Top 10, which the Drake “duet” of “Don’t Matter to Me” replicated a few years later. Setting aside the authenticity issue, placing a current artist with MJ is a guaranteed moneymaker.

We don’t know why the long-discussed duets album hasn’t happened yet. In all likelihood they just haven’t actively tried to put one together.
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@AlwaysThere, I am talking about a duets album, not about a stand-alone duet song.

It is extremely difficult for a duets album to have big commercial and chart success.

Part of the reason for that is also that a duets album lacks chemistry and therefore it tends to sound like a mess.
 
Nite Line said:
Speaking of a duets album, it would be better to release the duets album soon. On a potential duets album, I would want it to feature artists that either worked with Michael or contemporary artists who were heavily inspired by Michael. If they wait another 20 years to do a duets albums, most artists that worked with Michael will probably be dead (sorry) and the contemporary artists will be those who were probably born after 2009 and so weren't really inspired by Michael.
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They'll always be inspired by MJ, it'll just be farther removed. I get it that it's a do or die opportunity.

So that's why it should die.
 
I’ve always liked the idea of a duets album to finish the non complete vocal tracks. Probably the only
way to get a potential no.1 hit but it would take a lot of work.
 
I admit a duet resulting into a nr 1 hit would make me feel very happy. Just one last time. Maybe during the biopic.
It’s going to be hard though. Love never felt so good didn’t make it and JT was absolutely huge during that time. His single can’t stop the feeling released after LNFSG was a nr 1 hit.

Only a duet with Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish seems like a sure bet for nr 1 but them having a duet seems quite odd 🤭
 
mj_frenzy said:
@AlwaysThere, I am talking about a duets album, not about a stand-alone duet song.

It is extremely difficult for a duets album to have big commercial and chart success.

Part of the reason for that is also that a duets album lacks chemistry and therefore it tends to sound like a mess.
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Ed Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project, which features over 20 guest vocalists, reached #1 in nearly two dozen countries and went platinum or multi-platinum in 14 of them. Frank Sinatra’s Duets, which features around a dozen guest vocalists, is his most commercially successful album. DJ Khaled’s Khaled Khaled and God Did, which features around 30 guest vocalists each, topped the charts in several countries. Each of these albums feature artists from a variety of genres.

And you’re going to tell me that an album pairing current vocalists with Michael Jackson wouldn’t do huge numbers?
 
ein beispiel was man mit der unfertigen musik machen kann wow unglaublich das klingt zeitgenössisch und wenn man es richtig macht kann man tolle dinge daraus machen
 
filmandmusic said:
Only a duet with Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish seems like a sure bet for nr 1 but them having a duet seems quite odd 🤭
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I don't want a duet - stand-alone song or a whole album - but that's just me. Just don't like 'em. But this is an intriguing idea, f&m.

Billie Eilish did a really cool, jazzy cover of Bad. So there might be potential there.

Taylor Swift did a short cover of IWYB at some live thing 11 years ago. It didn't work, imo, but maybe she just picked the wrong song. Maybe with another song she could do a better job. Assuming she'd want to, of course.

Ed Sheeran is on record as saying the most influential artist of the last 25 years is Michael. He said this 11 years ago. Who knows where he - or Taylor or Billie - stand on the MJ question post-LN?

I'm not saying I want this. I really don't. And I don't think it'll happen in a million years. But it's an interesting suggestion! It would be more interesting than the usual suspects.
 
filmandmusic said:
Marvin Gaye had tons of success too with all his duets in the 60s.
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He had great singing partners.

One reason I don't like duets is they don't seem to try to match the voices. They just go for two big superstars and shove them together. You suggested the possibilty of, say, Billie Eilish doing a duet with a Michael song - that could be really interesting but, imo, only if her voice is a good fit with his. Taking two singers who are really great in their own sphere and shoving them together just doesn't work. Or, at least, it needs a bit more thought.

filmandmusic said:
Elton Jonh literally got his career resurrected with duets these days
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Even back in the day. His duet with Kiki Dee gave Elton his first UK No.1.
 
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Mister_Jay_Tee said:
The Timbaland version of the song is secretly aging the best, but y'all ain't ready for that.
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People here like to shit on his remix and praise McClain's remix but it's my favorite remix lmao. The only thing interesting about McClain's remix is that it's faithful to the original, otherwise it sounds bland except for a few parts. I'm glad they decided to save the song for Xscape and give it a new remix.
 
ChanceToDance said:
People here like to shit on his remix and praise McClain's remix but it's my favorite remix lmao. The only thing interesting about McClain's remix is that it's faithful to the original, otherwise it sounds bland except for a few parts. I'm glad they decided to save the song for Xscape and give it a new remix.
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Yeah, the 2010 version sounds good, but it sounds still like a dated 90s song. It's catchy but not fresh anymore. Not as timeless as say, Black or White.

The new version has a lot of interesting sonic elements, it took me a long time to gel with it.
 
zinniabooklover said:
Even back in the day. His duet with Kiki Dee gave Elton his first UK No.1.
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Elton is a smart man (probably) remember his duet with George Michael as well, a true survivor!

As unlikely it sounds to have an Eilish/MJ collab it just sounds a ton more interesting than hooking up with Bruno Mars or Justin Timberlake. So I am game for it.
 
AlwaysThere said:
Lmfao, what?

Sony and the estate secured posthumous duets/features by Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber (presumably), D’Angelo, and Mary J. Blige with apparent ease. Royalty divisions also extend to production and songwriting credits, and they had no issue retaining Teddy Riley, Neff-U, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Ronson, Tricky Stewart, Burt Bacharach, Timbaland, StarGate, Rodney Jerkins, Paul Anka, Babyface, or any of the other contributors to MICHAEL and XSCAPE. Royalties isn’t an issue.

Also, when you say “sells harder,” do you mean “won’t be as successful”? If so, that’s ignoring the fact that the Timberlake version of “Love Never Felt So Good” accounted for around 80% of single sales and propelled MJ back into the Top 10, which the Drake “duet” of “Don’t Matter to Me” replicated a few years later. Setting aside the authenticity issue, placing a current artist with MJ is a guaranteed moneymaker.

We don’t know why the long-discussed duets album hasn’t happened yet. In all likelihood they just haven’t actively tried to put one together.
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Factssss
 
filmandmusic said:
As unlikely it sounds to have an Eilish/MJ collab it just sounds a ton more interesting than hooking up with Bruno Mars or Justin Timberlake. So I am game for it.
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Exactly. Mix it up, for once! Bruno Mars is brilliant but I have zero interest in hearing a duet with him and Michael. Or any of the usual crowd. If the duet thing was going to happen I'd rather hear some unexpected collabs. As long as it's people who respect Michael, understand his music and have a voice that sits well alongside his vocals. Then the project might catch my interest.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
So I guess, just like that, we're now hyped for the Duets album..
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god, I hope not, lol. I think it's an interesting conversation to have. Doesn't mean I actually want the thing to happen. Besides, with MJE, who even knows? Not sure I even know their mindset. If they did decide to do this I would expect them to go for predictable choices. A duets album, for me, would be just like the musical or a biopic. Not something that interests me but I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be up for it.

The idea of a duets album has got potential. I'm not filled with confidence that MJE could do a good job with it.

AlwaysThere said:
As for everything else, I think if the estate puts together a box set akin to The Ultimate Collection, they could easily release the unfinished demos. Hell, call it HIStory in the Making and only include demos of previously-released songs and new tracks.
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I'd be more hyped about something like this. I know it will never happen. Probably doesn't have nearly enough commercial potential. But I would love it. PJ Harvey recently released a 3 CD set of demos / rarities / B sides. Something like that is incredibly niche, of course. And she is no Michael Jackson. She has a solid career and is celebrated as an artist but she's never been mainstream and never really concerned herself with commercial success or anything like that. I'm only mentioning her product bc it came out just a few weeks ago. It's the kind of 'extra' thing I'd like to see. But I can certainly see the financial arguments against it.

AmitLal92 said:
I'd like to know the tracks Michael Prince has in his possession and how complete they are. I believe he worked on some of these songs. He would probably be the best person to ask for post invincible tracks.
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I would love to know this.
 
Fuzball said:
2nd part is online

https://twitter.com/x/status/1608871549913948162

Interesting, initial version of TDCAU (as recorded in summer of 1989) was pretty much the 1995 version in terms of music and lyrics.
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Was there anything more revealed on the interview?

And also that means that the TDCAU demo is probably like the Jam demo in terms of being similar to the final version; same song but with scratch vocals.
 
ChanceToDance said:
Was there anything more revealed on the interview?

And also that means that the TDCAU demo is probably like the Jam demo in terms of being similar to the final version; same song but with scratch vocals.
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There's an implication that MJ's ballads on the Dangerous album were co-written by Buz Kohan, who was uncredited. No specific tracks were outlined, but Matt is most likely referring to Will You Be There and Heal the World.
It makes sense considering the likeness between the lyrical content of these songs compared to that of Gone Too Soon, Scared of the Moon etc., for which Kohan was a credited writer.
 
robotchicken14 said:
There's an implication that MJ's ballads on the Dangerous album were co-written by Buz Kohan, who was uncredited. No specific tracks were outlined, but Matt is most likely referring to Will You Be There and Heal the World.
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Interesting. Both of these were developed with Brad Buxer from scratch. I don't know where Buz Kohan would fit into that equation.
 
dethorro said:
Interesting. Both of these were developed with Brad Buxer from scratch. I don't know where Buz Kohan would fit into that equation.
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Maybe just refining some language.

I was just thinking how Will You Be There is a very well written song and really accentuates MJ's skills as a writer. Alas.
 
I'm reading through a PDF about the Estate and their valuing MJs earnings, it's kind of eye opening. I'll make a thread about it eventually, unless it'd be better to share some of the info here.

Did the estate ever fill their 10 album contract with Sony?
 
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