Timbaland working on MJ tracks?

[MJultimatemusiclegen]

I think this way you are taking it out of context. It's not like people do not want a hit. It's just not wanting a hit at any price - even at the price of butchering MJ's music or changing his vision or dumbing down his music. I'm not talking about Timbaland because none of us knows yet what he will do. I'm talking generally. A hit is nice and all, but not at any price. That's all.

Yes i agree, i'm not a fan of this phrase going round "MJ was all about hits and sales" it has an implication to it and it's playing right into the hands of all the snobs who criticize MJ's creative output for similar reasons. He wanted huge hits and sales yes, but he wanted to do so by wowing people, taking popular music down whole new avenues and really making people feel something deep down, not spoon feeding them regurgitated cliche. He was never a sheep, wasn't interested in what the general trend was at the time, he wanted to do his own thing and have hits and sales on his own terms, to get people to enjoy the benefits of great art, something it's blatantly obvious to see. Hits and sales translate into money for some as a motive to achieve them. For an artist it's more about recognition and adding a sense of importance to their work. Creating a sense of purpose to continue striving to do so, that there are a huge number of people awaiting this important art, he wanted to be the best the proper way, all artists are competitive, he wasn't a cheap and shallow individual that would do anything for popularity, he was a serious and tremendously talented passionate artist. Some users should be careful with their comments, they seem to be borderline insulting MJ through implication just to try and get people into supporting timbalands involvement who are skeptical, and that is a totally unnecessary move in my opinion.

 

[AlwaysThere]

FutureSex/LoveSounds sold 4.4 million, Justified sold 3.8 million. I'm not saying sales always correspond with quality, but the person to whom I responded used 20/20 first week sales to support his claim that it's Timbaland's best work. If you are going to use sales to say that then let's get the facts straight about sales.

But that's the only point I dispute. I have no opinion of of how well Timbaland's gonna do on a Michael album. I'm open-minded about it, let's wait and see. I hope it will be great.

The 20/20 Experience sold 968,000 in its first week (JT's highest first week sales) and has sold about 2.5 million copies since its release back in March. It is Justin Timberlake's most successful album. The comparisons to FutureSex/LoveSounds and Justified aren't fair because those two albums have been out for years and have had time to rack up sales.

But 20/20 is some of Timbaland's BEST work. It's the most eclectic mix of genres and styles I've heard on an album in the last few years and personally it is the best album of the year. It legitimately amazes me that people don't like it, but that is probably for one of two reasons: (1) they don't like Justin Timberlake; or (2) they expected him to be a generic artist like Lady Gaga or Katy Perry and simply produce a sequel to his last album rather than evolve as an artist. It does without a doubt show off Timbaland's talents as a producer.

 

[WildStyle]

Yes i agree, i'm not a fan of this phrase going round "MJ was all about hits and sales" it has an implication to it and it's playing right into the hands of all the snobs who criticize MJ's creative output for similar reasons. He wanted huge hits and sales yes, but he wanted to do so by wowing people, taking popular music down whole new avenues and really making people feel something deep down, not spoon feeding them regurgitated cliche. He was never a sheep, wasn't interested in what the general trend was at the time, he wanted to do his own thing and have hits and sales on his own terms, to get people to enjoy the benefits of great art, something it's blatantly obvious to see. Hits and sales translate into money for some as a motive to achieve them. For an artist it's more about recognition and adding a sense of importance to their work. Creating a sense of purpose to continue striving to do so, that there are a huge number of people awaiting this important art, he wanted to be the best the proper way, all artists are competitive, he wasn't a cheap and shallow individual that would do anything for popularity, he was a serious and tremendously talented passionate artist. Some users should be careful with their comments, they seem to be borderline insulting MJ through implication just to try and get people into supporting timbalands involvement who are skeptical, and that is a totally unnecessary move in my opinion.

Quoted for truth!

 

[HIStory]

The 20/20 Experience sold 968,000 in its first week (JT's highest first week sales) and has sold about 2.5 million copies since its release back in March. It is Justin Timberlake's most successful album. The comparisons to FutureSex/LoveSounds and Justified aren't fair because those two albums have been out for years and have had time to rack up sales.

Having JT's best first week sales doesn't mean a thing about how it will do overall. Most of the biggest selling albums in history (including Thriller which debuted at only #11) did not produce amazing first week sales. The key to a really huge selling album is longevity, not first week sales. Even today. The best selling album of the past decade was by far Adele's 21, but in its first week it "only" sold 352,000 copies. However JT can only dream of the number that 21 then went on to sell overall. No, it's not JT's most successful album. When and if it will surpass FutureSex then you can call it that. If it ever will.

It legitimately amazes me that people don't like it, but that is probably for one of two reasons: (1) they don't like Justin Timberlake; or (2) they expected him to be a generic artist like Lady Gaga or Katy Perry and simply produce a sequel to his last album rather than evolve as an artist.

(3) Or they just have a different taste in music than you. And it doesn't have to mean they like generic artists like Lady Gaga or Katy Perry...

I've heard all of JT's albums and to me 20/20 is the most boring one. And I dislike Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

 

[dam2040]

Read posts. Nowhere did I say he had to be a proper fan to produce anything. Someone said "well maybe he changed his mind", just like which you said here. And I responded that that's unlikely. And he isn't doing this because he "changed his mind" and now recognizes Michael's artistry. He's doing it because of the revenue "Michael Jackson" the brand, now creates. You can choose to ignore this fact if you want to. But don't be mad because I won't..


I ask you, what would magically make Timbaland change his mind regarding Michaels work post Thriller, when there's been nothing to judge from since he made that statement? The "Michael" album? Are those the songs that made him change his mind? Please, let me know the basis of which you form this conclusion.


Usher hasn't said anything of the sort, as far as Michael "losing it". And everytime another one of Michael's "celebrity friends" says something of similar nature, they're immediately called out by the entirety of the forum and labeled "fake". But Timbaland should be exempt from this? Because we want to remain open minded that he can revive some 90s magic that he had with Aaliyah or a Cry Me A River, and actually produce a decent record again? Lol, please.

He MAY have changed his mind. I'm not saying he has, it could just be a possibility. You clearly have something against this dude, so I'll let you go on one there. I for one don't really care. I don't treat these things as real albums anyway.

 

[bobmoo79]

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/timbaland-jackson-needs-to-work-with-quincy-again_1004693

Read this article from back in 2006

Thanks, that gives context to what people have reported here.

Perfectly valid comments that are not insulting or degrading IMO. He prefered MJ and Quincy to work together to recapture the glory days. Nothing wrong with that.

Far from showing him as a being critical, I actually think it shows he WANTED MJ to come back on top. That does show a level of respect and optimism that people here seem to have not realised.

 

[dam2040]

Feel like this thread is dying a little.. So..

What sort of song do we want to hear on this album?! For me it's got to be uptempo stuff. Never been a huge fan of ballads, they are obviously great (well, some of them) but not what I'd want an album full of.

 

[serendipity]

I think this way you are taking it out of context. It's not like people do not want a hit. It's just not wanting a hit at any price - even at the price of butchering MJ's music or changing his vision or dumbing down his music. I'm not talking about Timbaland because none of us knows yet what he will do. I'm talking generally. A hit is nice and all, but not at any price. That's all.

I get that and I agree, but my point is exactly that we haven't heard it yet and people are already complaining.

 

[DanGerouS-]

Feel like this thread is dying a little.. So..

What sort of song do we want to hear on this album?! For me it's got to be uptempo stuff. Never been a huge fan of ballads, they are obviously great (well, some of them) but not what I'd want an album full of.

im also hoping for many uptempo tracks!!

what i hope for:

- all vince outtakes, if we get chicago it would be nice if we get the rest of the same session !
- only songs from one era (very important this time)
- i'd die to hear songs from 2004-2009. i wanna hear what he was doing in his last years
- 12-16 tracks, all done by timbaland. also some brad buxer tracks could be nice..
- strongest tracks, need to get released as a single this time.

 

[Billyjeanplxiv]

The Estate said to RJT that they only have 17 songs left, INCLUDING the 9 Cascio Tracks.

 

[Pentum]

Obviously not true.

 

[DanGerouS-]

The Estate said to RJT that they only have 17 songs left, INCLUDING the 9 Cascio Tracks.

i heavily doubt that..
what about these vince outtakes. also history and dangerous had some. there was an album planned in 1999 and got shelved.
remember the bad 25th release, there were songs we never heard about b4.
he also was recording after 2001 some songs (will.iam ie.)

i rly hope that he recorded alot between 2001-2009!

 

[qbee]

The Estate said to RJT that they only have 17 songs left, INCLUDING the 9 Cascio Tracks.

I would word that different such as .. RJT claims the Estate told him they only have 17 songs left. We don't actually know if his claim is true, based on his history of embellishing and fabricating stories about MJ in his books. Plus Why would the Estate divulge such sensitive information to RJT of all people. That would leave only 8 unreleased Michael Jackson songs for his Legacy . I very much doubt that is the case.

 

[marebear]

Will they count his sales for his part 2 album with this first or will they be considered to separate albums?

 

[dam2040]

Did Mr.Taraborelli not want to release a book called Pedo Pan or something like that only to change it bc Michael died? Or was that someone else.

 

[marebear]

I wouldn't want a hit song if it anyway disrespected what Michael was about or his vision. But if it was really good and people liked it then it would be nice bonus. Something to smile about.

 

[marebear]

I have had people tell me they like Michael's work more in the 80s and earlier in a nice way. If Timbaland said he thinks Michael "lost it" after Quincy I think those were poor choice of words. You could say it differently. His opinion but maybe approach it differently in what you mean. Some people also told me they don't know much of his work but they know Black or White. On the radio that's the only song I ever hear they play from Dangerous. A couple of months ago I was at the store and they were playing In the Closet and I almost dropped to the floor. I am lucky if people know Scream or You are not alone. That's just my experience. I actually don't mind people saying that to me as long as they don't put Michael down. We all have different likes and opinions and that is fine. After Dangerous I feel like Michael's music wasn't promoted like it had been before. I see it happening to other artists too.

 

[arnspecs]

Yes i agree, i'm not a fan of this phrase going round "MJ was all about hits and sales" it has an implication to it and it's playing right into the hands of all the snobs who criticize MJ's creative output for similar reasons. He wanted huge hits and sales yes, but he wanted to do so by wowing people, taking popular music down whole new avenues and really making people feel something deep down, not spoon feeding them regurgitated cliche. He was never a sheep, wasn't interested in what the general trend was at the time, he wanted to do his own thing and have hits and sales on his own terms, to get people to enjoy the benefits of great art, something it's blatantly obvious to see. Hits and sales translate into money for some as a motive to achieve them. For an artist it's more about recognition and adding a sense of importance to their work. Creating a sense of purpose to continue striving to do so, that there are a huge number of people awaiting this important art, he wanted to be the best the proper way, all artists are competitive, he wasn't a cheap and shallow individual that would do anything for popularity, he was a serious and tremendously talented passionate artist. Some users should be careful with their comments, they seem to be borderline insulting MJ through implication just to try and get people into supporting timbalands involvement who are skeptical, and that is a totally unnecessary move in my opinion.

That's not what I meant at all. Apologies if it came across that way. I'm 100% behind sticking to MJs artistic vision. But he also enjoyed success and for his music to reach the largest audience possible. I'm not degrading his talent in the slightest. C'mon .. I've been obsessed with the dude for nearly 30 years.

And I could care less if people support timbaland doing the album or not. But at least people could have an open mind or give it a chance before they write it off completely which seems to be what several people in this thread are doing. Being skeptical is fine .. everyones welcome to that. It's the militant attitude that some people have that 'I know exactly what MJ would have wanted and I'm 100% right' that kind of drags this thread and nearly every other down. I'm not the biggest Timbaland fan around. I used to find him incredibly arrogant. Especially when JT and himself dissed Prince around 2006. But I realise he did it as a frustrated fan. Most fans are guilty of being frustrated with the artists they love at times. People seem to forget the amount a whining about everything MJ did there was on these boards when he was alive!

Anywho .. if all goes well, I'm looking forward to tracks we didn't even know existed .. and something to dance to finally. Timbaland does like to brag that he knows how to make people dance!

And in future or as a deluxe feature I'd LOVE the original version of the tracks.

All in all I'm open minded and not here to argue with anyone. Just here to get the news and get excited about something MJ related for the first time in a long time.

 

[analogue]

I have had people tell me they like Michael's work more in the 80s and earlier in a nice way. If Timbaland said he thinks Michael "lost it" after Quincy I think those were poor choice of words. You could say it differently. His opinion but maybe approach it differently in what you mean. Some people also told me they don't know much of his work but they know Black or White. On the radio that's the only song I ever hear they play from Dangerous. A couple of months ago I was at the store and they were playing In the Closet and I almost dropped to the floor. I am lucky if people know Scream or You are not alone. That's just my experience. I actually don't mind people saying that to me as long as they don't put Michael down. We all have different likes and opinions and that is fine. After Dangerous I feel like Michael's music wasn't promoted like it had been before. I see it happening to other artists too.

I also find that one of the only songs that people know from Michael in the 90's is You Are Not Alone and i think that's one of his weakest songs from that era.

 

[OnirMJ]

The Estate said to RJT that they only have 17 songs left, INCLUDING the 9 Cascio Tracks.

According to him. Why would Estate tell that guy anything? He is nothing, he knows nothing.

 

[WildStyle]

Lost in all of this is the fact that we are still no closer to getting actual songs that Michael was working on and some completed in his last years with people like Will.I.Am and RedOne. The full productions should be in Michael's vaults. Will.I.Am and RedOne should not have that much say so in whether they are released or not.

 

[marebear]

I worry about it but at the same time I am hoping for something positive here.

 

[arnspecs]

Lost in all of this is the fact that we are still no closer to getting actual songs that Michael was working on and some completed in his last years with people like Will.I.Am and RedOne. The full productions should be in Michael's vaults. Will.I.Am and RedOne should not have that much say so in whether they are released or not.

I agree with this, I can't understand what hold will.i.am and some others have over this music considering it was commissioned by MJ and you would assume he owned it.

 

[HIStoric]

Will.I.Am and RedOne should not have that much say so in whether they are released or not.

Well if Will.I.Am and RedOne worked extensively with Michael on the track, I think they should. It's not just Michael's track, it's also Will.I.Am's (or RedOnes). Though I would love to hear what Will.I.Am is holding back...

 

[jtabbott8]

The Estate said to RJT that they only have 17 songs left, INCLUDING the 9 Cascio Tracks.

I don't believe that for a second..
i can name 8 tracks we know are finished or near finished off the top of my head:
A Place With No Name
Buffalo Bill
Tomboy
Men in Black
Blue Gangster
Chicago 1945
Do You Know Where Your Children Are
I Have This Dream
Slave 2 the Rhythm
Xscape

i mean thats 9 right there.. which proves that statement untrue.

according to Joe Vogels book he states that MJ worked on more that 70 potential songs for Dangerous before Teddy Riley even came onto the project.
He also says the 40 to 50 tracks were worked on during the HIStory sessions...
Obviously i don't know how complete each track is, and they probably are in various states of completion. But i'm sure many are complete or releasable.

and that is just those two eras...

 

[HIStory]

The Estate said to RJT that they only have 17 songs left, INCLUDING the 9 Cascio Tracks.

Taraborelli is lying AGAIN then. And why would they tell Taraborelli anything, by the way?

1) Taraborelli is friends with Charles Thomson who is heavily anti-Estate. I don't think they would be buddies if Taraborelli was pro-Estate and getting inside info from the Estate.
2) Taraborelli said a couple of months ago that he stopped dealing with MJ related stuff.

Did Mr.Taraborelli not want to release a book called Pedo Pan or something like that only to change it bc Michael died? Or was that someone else.

That was Ian Halperin. Before Michael's death the book he planned was entitled "Peter Pan or Pervert?" and based on his blog posts it would have been negative. He called Michael all kind of names on his blog, among others W**** J****. He made a turn around after his death and acted all sympathetic to MJ, though he could not resist still making up lies about Michael's sexuality and health.

 

[HIStory]

I have had people tell me they like Michael's work more in the 80s and earlier in a nice way. If Timbaland said he thinks Michael "lost it" after Quincy I think those were poor choice of words. You could say it differently. His opinion but maybe approach it differently in what you mean. Some people also told me they don't know much of his work but they know Black or White. On the radio that's the only song I ever hear they play from Dangerous. A couple of months ago I was at the store and they were playing In the Closet and I almost dropped to the floor. I am lucky if people know Scream or You are not alone. That's just my experience. I actually don't mind people saying that to me as long as they don't put Michael down. We all have different likes and opinions and that is fine. After Dangerous I feel like Michael's music wasn't promoted like it had been before. I see it happening to other artists too.

I think it also depends on where you are. In North America what you wrote is true, however here in Europe I do see TVs and radios regularly play post-Bad songs of Michael as well. Last weekend a guy sang Give In To Me on X-Factor here and everyone knew it and it was very well-received by the audience. On the music TV I have (not MTV) they regularly play songs like They Don't Care About Us, Blood on the Dance Floor, Scream etc. So I would say it's mostly North America which is very closed minded about Michael's post Quincy work.

 

[DanGerouS-]

I think it also depends on where you are. In North America what you wrote is true, however here in Europe I do see TVs and radios regularly play post-Bad songs of Michael as well. Last weekend a guy sang Give In To Me on X-Factor here and everyone knew it and it was very well-received by the audience. On the music TV I have (not MTV) they regularly play songs like They Don't Care About Us, Blood on the Dance Floor, Scream etc. So I would say it's mostly North America which is very closed minded about Michael's post Quincy work.

well here in germany, they seem to know only the mj of the 80s...
they only play billie jean, sometimes beat it/thriller from the thriller album.
or man in the mirror of the bad album.

they never play stuff like scream, blood on the dance floor, YRMW, remember the time
mjs other work gets completely ignored. thats so sad, id wish they would play more of the dangerous album (imo the best album)

 

[HIStory]

well here in germany, they seem to know only the mj of the 80s...
they only play billie jean, sometimes beat it/thriller from the thriller album.
or man in the mirror of the bad album.

they never play stuff like scream, blood on the dance floor, YRMW, remember the time
mjs other work gets completely ignored. thats so sad, id wish they would play more of the dangerous album (imo the best album)

That's odd because in Germany Dangerous era was bigger than Thriller era. Dangerous sold 2 million copies in Germany while Thriller "only" 1.5 million. I guess they like to copy the US media by now...

 

[bobmoo79]

Yes I agree.
The media has always reported that MJ was a has-been by the 90s and so his later stuff gets ignored, despite the fact he had great success with some songs.


For example, Scream set the highest new entry record when it made it's debut at #4 on the Billboard charts.
Months later 'You Are Not Alone' broke that record when it became the first single ever to debut at #1.


Not many people in the USA will acknowledge those facts. You won't hear those songs often in the USA.


Also, Earth Song was a massive hit in the UK. I think it spent 6 or 7 consecutive weeks at number 1, but you'll never hear it on the radio here!


Yes, Dangerous was more successful in Germany than Thriller, yet they ignore the Dangerous tracks. It's nuts.


Unfortunately MJ will always be known as an 80s artist, despite good 90s success.