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Xscape General Discussion

Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

IMWhizzle said:
He is not here anymore to complete them, that's something everyone needs to accept. :(

Bringing the tracks to life with L.A. Reid supervising the project is comforting. He is an enormous MJ fan and he has worked with him for a long time. MJ was a musical hero and the mainstream public will be reminded by this when listening to the album. His music will never die, I am also looking forward to the new mixes!
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Everyone understands that still I find it somehow disrespectful that some go on about how any new remix version must be better than the original. I'm excited for the new mixes but it's not a fair comparation when the originals were not finished for release. If someone thinks the finished tracks on the Michael album were all better than the originals it's his prerogative, but it's just an opinion and I do not agree with it. IMO the Michael album lost a lot of opportunities exactly because of poor and sloppy production. Michael would have never released some of those songs with such poor production work done on them. This new album seems to have been made with better care and I hope it will be successful and it will appeal to the general public, but the originals will always be more valuable historically even if they do not have hit potential because they do not sound current or/and are not finished. Like I said it is simply not fair to make that comparation. Artistically I'm certainly more interested in the originals, while I hope the new mixes will become hits.

I'm not even sure why some people attempt to turn this into a (very unfair) competiton between the new mixes and the originals. Without the originals there would not be new mixes. There is nothing wrong with some people being more interested in the originals than in the new mixes. Each to their own.
 
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Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

If you listened to R&B in the 90's and early 2000's, you know who D'Angelo is. He's actually a very talented musician with a good and distinctive voice. I'm glad they chose someone of his caliber for the song over a Timberlake or whoever.

I haven't listened to any of Mary J's latest work, but I know she's a very talented vocalist. As for Lauryn Hill, everything I've heard from her in recent years has me wondering if she can even sing anymore. She sounds awful live.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

CrazyVegasMJ said:
I somewhat agree.. I mean, D'Angelo?? (If true) how is he worthy enough to be on a song with MJ? (I do love "brown sugar" tho)

Did MJ ever express a desire to record a song with MJB? (Like just them two)

Although I will postpone full judgement until I hear the song (if the rumors are true).. I'm sure LA Reid wouldn't put out something that just plain sucks..
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D'angelo is massively respected in the black music community as is mjb. It's a dream team of artists for many. Probably the song I'm looking forward to most.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Mary J. Blige and D'Angelo are both respected artists, esp. MJB. Let's be glad it's not Justin Bieber and the like.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Calisto said:
Speculating on XSCAPE's production credits:

- Love Never Felt So Good (John McClain?)
- Chicago (Timbaland, J-Roc?)
- Lovin' You (John McClain?)
- A Place with No Name (Stargate?)
- Slave to the Rhythm (Timbaland, J-Roc?)
- Do You Know Where Your Children Are (Timbaland, J-Roc?)
- Blue Gangsta (Stargate?)
- Xscape (Rodney Jerkins)

Also, I'm just now realizing how many hit songs Stargate has worked on in the past. Some examples can be heard here.
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Thanks for posting link to Stargate's beats, they are great!
Definitely good move to get them on board. The best bit came around 7:10. Was that song Rihanna's that sampled Michael's work?
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

CrazyVegasMJ said:
I somewhat agree.. I mean, D'Angelo?? (If true) how is he worthy enough to be on a song with MJ? (I do love "brown sugar" tho)

Did MJ ever express a desire to record a song with MJB? (Like just them two)

Although I will postpone full judgement until I hear the song (if the rumors are true).. I'm sure LA Reid wouldn't put out something that just plain sucks..
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Snow White luvs Peter Pan said:
I don't even know who on earthD' Angelo is. I don't know what to expect on that track.
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D'Angelo is a true musician, multi instrumentalist, corner stone of neo soul movement, has a very special & recognizable voice.
HE is worthy! Only cause you don't know him seems to mean nothing.

Don't need to talk about Mary J. : Great soul & R&B queen, look at the list of her collaborators. She is in the game for 20 years. Did so many great great songs.

This are true musicians & artists. Thats what we all where calling for, instead of JB.

Also there is ?uestlove on drums (maybe THE best drummer today, arguably one of the best).

I once again just can SMDH about the IGNORANCE some fans possess & bring into this thread!
 
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Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

MJJuniorSinceMW said:
D'Angelo is a true musician, multi instrumentalist, corner stone of neo soul movement, special recognizable voice.
HE is worthy! Only cause you don't know him seems to mean nothing.

Don't need to talk about Mary J. : Great soul & R&B queen, look at the list of her collaborators. She is in the game for 20 years. Did so many great great songs.

This are true musicians & artists. Thats what we all where calling for, instead of JB.

Also there is ?uestlove on drums (maybe THE best drummer today, arguably one of the best).

I once again just can SMDH about the IGNORANCE some fans possess & bring into this thread!
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Preach it, YEAHHHHHH :D they are fantastic musicians, only heard D'Angelo once and he seems to suit the Michael's & Mary's vocals very well! Of course I'm most looking forward to hearing Michael's 2008 vocals on the song though, I have a fair idea of which parts he will sing.. After hearing the original
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Zakk said:
Mary J. Blige & D'Angelo have quite similar vocals to the original duet partners on Sly's first version of Hot fun! I am looking forward to that song if it is indeed the bonus track, which is more or less confirmed right now. Never judge a song by slight details is what should be said here though.
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I like your enthusiasm Zakk!
But Mary J. & D'Angelo don't have a similar voice. Maybe both can sing with a smokey rough voice, but i wouldn't say they are similar.

Can someone describe me the song HFITS from Sly & Family? I don't know it & don't wanna listen to it, so the song keeps a complete surprise for me.
But is it fast slow or mid tempo? Please describe a bit.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

D'Angelo is an amazing singer and producer, and if you haven't done so already, you gotta listen to "Brown Sugar" and "Voodoo" before you speak about him. IMO he's very worthy of being on a track with Michael, and it's actually my most anticipated track cause of him and the great Questlove from "The Roots" being on the drums.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Michael Jackson, D'Angelo & Mary J. Blige on vocals

This could be magic. The only thing i hope for are that MJ's vocals are at least even (i mean in quantity - not that someone misunderstands) with each of the contributors. And i hope i like the song itself, the melody & the mood of it...

Other musicians:
D'Angelo on Sitar & all Keys
?uestlove on Drums
Jesse Johnson on all Guitars
Pino Palladino on Bass
Produced by John Mc Lain


Jesse Johnson & Pino Palladino by the way are also great, very known & respected musicians.
 
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Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

MJJuniorSinceMW said:
I like your enthusiasm Zakk!
But Mary J. & D'Angelo don't have a similar voice. Maybe both can sing with a smokey rough voice, but i wouldn't say they are similar.

Can someone describe me the song HFITS from Sly & Family? I don't know it & don't wanna listen to it, so the song keeps a complete surprise for me.
But is it fast slow or mid tempo? Please describe a bit.
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It's mid-tempo. Not Sly's strongest song IMO, but it's OK for a bonus track. I'm also intrigued by the fact that according to that FB post sitar will be played on it. It should be an interesting track.

There are both males and females singing in it, so you can see where Mary and D'Angelo would fit in. It's not sung by the same person from start to finish in its original either.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Couple of minutes ago I saw a Sony Xperia Z2 commercial with STTR in polish tv. It was shorter version of this commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ9HkICDuOI

They include information about free "Xscape" album on this smatrphone :) !
 
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Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Snow White luvs Peter Pan said:
I will buy and listen to the whole deluxe version, no doubt about it to have complete opinion on the reworked tracks. It's just nonsensical saying to prefer the new versions over Michael's vision without even listening them.
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Huh? I'm more eager to hear the new mixes. That's all I was saying. The original recordings may end up being better, but we already have a good idea how the majority of them are gonna sound due to the leaks. Because of that, I don't have as much anticipation for them as I do the new versions, which are largely shrouded in mystery at this point.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

I have to admit never heard of d'angelo before but this duet sounds like a made in heaven bit to the project. once again La Reids choice has been steller! deciding and making the cuts . I just hope that you use all these amazing Gems as singles! because with good promotion and SHORT FILMS! if they have the melody the music will sel itself Michael fans lets get this project NUMBER1!

Terry
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Calisto said:
Huh? I'm more eager to hear the new mixes. That's all I was saying. The original recordings may end up being better, but we already have a good idea how the majority of them are gonna sound due to the leaks. Because of that, I don't have as much anticipation for them as I do the new versions, which are largely shrouded in mystery at this point.
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Like I said before, when the news on the new album broke in, it was our choice to listen to those leaked tracks. However, it doesn't mean all the fans did so, for many of them those 8 tracks will be new. Why cutting off the excitement to them disrespecting Michael's work? Besides, not all the leaks that came out are the original/final versions.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Snow White luvs Peter Pan said:
Like I said before, when the news on the new album broke in, it was our choice to listen to those leaked tracks. However, it doesn't mean all the fans did so, for many of them those 8 tracks will be new. Why cutting off the excitement to them disrespecting Michael's work? Besides, not all the leaks that came out are the original/final versions.
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You're seeing things in my posts that aren't there. :p

I'm still excited for the original recordings. I'm just more excited for the new mixes. Both are positives.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Release the single now!
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Moromete said:
Release the single now!
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Or at least some kind of news.

If the single will be released on 5 May, as some of the fans who attended the listening parties, we'll have to wait 2 more weeks and a half for news.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

The single on May 5 it's a bad idea, they need to build hype for new MJ music. Radio station should play single 2-3 weeks before album release.

If they want release single later than give us some promotional song :)
 
For all you LNFSG critics. :cheeky:

Rock With Michael Jackson (Again)
Katherine St. Asaph @Katstasaph 6:21 AM ET
The King of Pop gets a new sound

Old musicians don’t die or fade away–they just become franchises. Xscape, out May 13, is the latest in the biggest franchise of all: posthumous Michael Jackson albums. Epic Records mogul L.A. Reid worked with Timbaland to curate eight new tracks from Jackson’s vault of unreleased sessions, “contemporizing ” the songs, which were recorded from 1983 to 1999.

To their credit, contemporized doesn’t mean gimmicky; even paint-by-numbers producer team Stargate went subtle, although it helps that Jackson’s voice is too singularly frenzied to be overshadowed by a mix. Consider “Love Never Felt So Good,” an opulent, warm disco-soul number, which evokes Off the Wall as much as dead-on 2014, because these days disco is so trendy it practically comes precontemporized.

This appears in the April 28, 2014 issue of TIME.
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Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Loving the anticipation, only positive thought's from me! This album is gonna slay anything else out there today. Excited for all releases to come after this, hoping everyone's wishes are met.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

I feel like I'm suffocating with excitement and frustration!! :)
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Sephiroth820 said:
The single on May 5 it's a bad idea, they need to build hype for new MJ music. Radio station should play single 2-3 weeks before album release.

If they want release single later than give us some promotional song :)
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I think the radio stations will be given it prior to the release. It's quite common in England to hear a song on the radio and for it not to be available to buy yet. Not sure if that is also the case in the rest of the world.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

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Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Snow White luvs Peter Pan said:
I will buy and listen to the whole deluxe version, no doubt about it to have complete opinion on the reworked tracks. It's just nonsensical saying to prefer the new versions over Michael's vision without even listening them.
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This is where fans go wrong.

What you're saying here (and in other posts) is essentially, "Michael's versions are going to be better," which is simply ludicrous. Just because Michael himself produced a certain mix does not mean that it's the best version available. There are many posthumous instances where his songs were actually made better by outside sources coming in to add their own flare to it. This Is It is an outstanding, simple '80s pop song with great instrumentation, which is a major step up from the original piano and vocal demo; Hold My Hand sounds full, thick in its final version, with almost every instrument sounding stronger than in the original recording; Hollywood Tonight, as far as instrumentation goes, could be better, but it is no doubt fuller and more complete than the original; Behind the Mask absolutely destroys the demo version in every aspect (baring the "hee-hee-hee" copy/pastes, which do seem a bit out of place); and Much Too Soon has evolved beautifully from the original, boring guitar/vocal demo. Not to mention that the new mix of Xscape has great potential. Of course, this is all in my own opinion.

I will undoubtedly be listening to Michael's original versions, and by no means am I claiming that the new versions are better because, as you've pointed out, I haven't heard them. But I will be giving all of the songs a fair judgment, and I will willingly admit when I feel a new version is stronger than the original. Some fans on here, however, I'm sure won't, because it's "Michael's vision" so it has to be better.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Anyone have a subscription to TIME magazine? I'd love to real the whole review.
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Release STTR as first single now!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Re: News and discussion about new MJ album : Xscape, May 13, 2014.

Its not a matter if whether the demos will be better or not, in my opinion. Its Michael's final vision, an artifact of sorts. Aesthetic preferences and stylistic approaches are subjective matters of taste. Its completely understandable that many fans plan to hold the demos in a higher regard.

I can't wait to hear these updates and I'll be the first to state if I prefer them artistically, but I'll always regard the demos as special. Doesn't matter if Michael's murmuring or sneezing for 4 minutes.
 
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