Thursday 25 June 2009

Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

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The Soul Vendor site was not considering Michael Jackson releases for inclusion. I'm not a particularly great fan of his work although I do recognise his worth and fully condone his place at the pinnacle of Black Music history. He was at the cutting edge of Soul & Dance music in 1979 and given the events of June 25th, I thought recognition was needed.

There have been moments in Jackson's career, mostly with Quincy Jones, that are unequalled and unparalleled. He took his cue from the Godfather of Soul but I personally believe he equalled James Brown's contribution without plagiarising. The Michael Jackson DMC Megamix on the first release here is a good summation of his work put together by Alan Coulthard of the Disco Mix Club.

Earth Song was Jackson's first song that dealt with the environment and animal welfare. Reviews were generally favourable, but some charged that the song sounded pompous, accompanied by a lavish music video shot on four geographical regions. The song was a top five hit in most European countries. In the UK, it remains Jackson's best-selling single. Earth Song was not released as a single in the United States?

Jackson performed the song at the 1996 BRIT Awards, but was interrupted when Jarvis Cocker stormed the stage, apparently offended with the imagery presented. Jackson went on to receive recognition from various animal and environmental organizations. It went on to receive a Grammy nomination in 1997.

The song was written and composed by Jackson; the task of production was split between Jackson, David Foster and Bill Bottrell.


  • Earth Song
  • Earth Song (Hani's Club Experience)
  • Michael Jackson DMC Megamix
  1. Billie Jean
  2. Rock With You
  3. Bad
  4. Thriller
  5. Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
  6. Black Or White
  7. Scream
  8. Wanna Be Startin' Something


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Remember the Time was released in March 1992 as the second single off of Dangerous. The song was a successful attempt by Jackson to create a New Jack Swing-flavored R&B jam with producer Teddy Riley, which received the US Soul Train Award for Best Male R&B Single.

Written and composed by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Bernard Belle, the Silky Soul 7" Mix is a house mix by Steve 'Silk' Hurley who was prominent on the dance scene at the time. The New Jack Main Mix is, as the title suggests, the one to go for. Mixed by Riley and Jean-Marie Harvet under the pseudonym of the NJS Future Team, it is clearly how Riley wanted it to be.

Come Together is a cover of The Beatles classic which was performed by Jackson and used as the music for the closing credits of his 1987 Moonwalker movie.


  • Remember The Time
  • Remember The Time (Silky Soul 7")
  • Remember The Time (New Jack Main Mix)
  • Come Together


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In The Closet: Mixes Behind Door #1

In the Closet was originally conceived as a duet between Jackson and Madonna. According to a 1992 interview with British journalist Jonathan Ross, Madonna claimed she worked on some lyrical ideas for the song but when she presented them to Michael, he decided they were too provocative and she decided not to continue with the project. Despite the song's suggestive title its lyrics do not allude to hidden sexual orientation but rather a concealed relationship.

The song, written and produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson, is typical of Riley's New Jack Swing style. The original song is a duet and the female vocal is credited to Mystery Girl but was later revealed to be Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. Naomi Campbell mimes the lyrics in the music video.

The first three remixes are dance mixes by Tommy Musto and the last is a Def Mix, down tempo house style, by Frankie Knuckles himself entitled The Promise. They are all good quality mixes for various dancefloors but KI's 12" Mix is my personal favourite, mixed by Kiyamma Griffin & Vincent Herbert for 3 Boyz From Newark productions, as it stays true to the original R&B format.


  • 7" Edit
  • Club Mix
  • The Underground Mix
  • Touch Me Dub
  • KI's 12"
  • The Promise


The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Michael Jackson.rar Filesize: 180.12 MB

1 comment:

  1. I had a vinyl in the the closest.due to time the quality was not fresh.major thax

    ReplyDelete

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