Exclusive: The Inside Story Behind Michael Jackson's Controversial New Song and Album

[bluesky]

Since Michael Jackson's untimely death in June of 2009, speculation has run rampant about the music he left behind. How much is there? How finished are the songs? What is the quality of the material? And how and when will it be released?

Over the course of writing and researching my forthcoming book, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (Sterling 2011), I was fortunate enough to take an in-depth look at Jackson's entire catalog--including the work he was engaged in during his final years. My sources worked closely with the King of Pop throughout his life and have been trustworthy and dependable throughout the five-year process of the book; therefore I feel confident with what I have learned about the material poised to appear on his forthcoming album, Michael.

A notorious perfectionist, Jackson always over-recorded. There are at least one hundred songs over the course of his solo career that did not make it onto his major albums. Some of those have already appeared on special editions and collections; others have leaked online in various forms; and many others have never been heard.

At midnight on November 8th, MichaelJackson.com streamed the first official song from the archives (excluding the early-Eighties demo, "This Is It," which was included as part of the companion album to the film of the same name). Even before its release, however, controversy surrounded "Breaking News" and the other so-called "Cascio tracks." The conversation has only intensified since then.

Predictably, little of that conversation has been about the content of the new track: the exceptionally ominous strings in the intro, its "Off the Wall"-esque chorus, or its signature Jackson indictment of a media that feeds on "breaking news" (read: scandals) with obsessive compulsion ("No matter what/ You just want to read it again"). Nor has much attention been given to the work of talented producer and longtime-Jackson friend, Teddy Riley, who gives the song a fresh but faithful sheen.

The irony, of course, is this is how Jackson's music has been received for decades, the substance overlooked in favor of sensationalism and distracting controversy. Yet part of it would no doubt bring a knowing smile to the man who once claimed he wanted to make his whole life "the greatest show on earth." Long before Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson was engaging artistically with both the monstrosity and allure of fame.

In "Breaking News," Jackson not only delivers his message, but anticipates the way it will be received. In one verse, he lashes out at those anxious to "write his obituary." In the chorus, he asks his listening audience, as he did throughout his career, who they project him to be: Is he the "boogieman" (a constructed monstrous figure) we're thinking of?

Certainly, by 2007 (the year in which "Breaking News" was recorded), he had learned how vicious and entrapping a lifetime in the spotlight could be. The previous two years he had been living as a vagabond, traveling from the Middle Eastern-island of Bahrain to the countryside of Ireland to a private chateau in Las Vegas. In the fall of 2007, he showed up with his children at the doorstep of his longtime friends, the Cascios, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Jackson had been close to the Cascio family for nearly twenty years. During that time, they never once betrayed him for tabloid money (in spite of many offers), but showed him loyalty and allowed him a sense of normalcy he couldn't often enjoy. In the program at Jackson's funeral they are referred to as "the First Family of Love."

Jackson stayed with the Cascios for nearly four months and, along with Frank Cascio, Eddie (Angel) Cascio, and singer James Porte (aka Bobby Ewing), engaged in some of his most sustained recording since before his 2005 trial. Three songs created during these sessions are expected to appear on Jackson's new album, including "Breaking News," "Keep Your Head Up" and "Monster," all of which Jackson co-wrote. During his time in New Jersey, Jackson also recorded vocals for Thriller 25, which was released in 2008.

Beyond the Cascios, several people close to Jackson were familiar with his work in New Jersey. He mentioned to these people that he was "excited" about the work he and the Cascios had generated. According to Jackson's longtime friend and manager, Frank Dileo, Jackson planned to have recording equipment brought to London during his 02 concert series so he could finalize some of his latest music.

The first of the Cascio tracks to be heard--"Breaking News"--obviously isn't a perfect realization of Jackson's abilities. Receiving the most critical attention are Jackson's vocals, the veracity of which even some family and fans are questioning. There are understandable reasons for this. This certainly isn't a "typical" Jackson recording: there weren't extensive warm ups with longtime vocal coach Seth Riggs, no layering and polishing by Jackson himself, no Bruce Swedien and world-class studio technology to capture the original vocal. This was a guide demo, supplemented by the supporting vocals of James Porte (for which he is credited), and produced nearly four years later by Teddy Riley.

Riley, who first began working with Jackson in the early Nineties, found it emotionally difficult to complete the unfinished work of his late friend. To tap into his inspiration, Riley had photographer Harrington Funk surround him with pictures of the singer. "That was the only thing to keep me sane, and not go crazy while I'm working," said Riley. "Because, you know, it would come out on the music if you hear me banging on the keyboards with tears coming out of my eyes."

Riley said his fundamental motivation was to extend the legacy of a friend. He approached the tracks, therefore, not attempting to overly embellish, but simply to fill in the best he could. His guiding thought was: "What would Michael want?" He even brought sounds Jackson had him record from previous sessions. The final product, of course, is an approximation. But for Riley it was a labor of love.

It wasn't until Riley submitted his work, and three of the songs were accepted by Sony for the album, that the controversy began. Certain individuals--some with noble intentions, some less so--began expressing concerns about the authenticity of the vocals. These concerns were taken seriously by Jackson's Estate. Attorney Howard Weitzman was asked by estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain to conduct a thorough investigation of the authenticity of the Cascio tracks. The Estate, after all, had a lot to lose if the tracks were fraudulent. Since Jackson's death, by all accounts, it had done a masterful job of preserving and enhancing the artist's legacy, including the release of the highest-grossing concert documentary film of all time (This Is It), a new music video collection (Michael Jackson's Vision), a Jackson-themed video game (Michael Jackson: The Experience), a groundbreaking show with Cirque du Soliel ("Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour"), and the biggest recording contract in popular music history.

Perhaps just as important, the Estate had passed on numerous deals, selecting only a handful of projects it felt were worthy of Jackson's name. Risking the substantial credibility it had established amongst both fans and critics for a handful of questionable tracks would have been reckless at best (for Sony as well, who had invested over $200 million dollars on the singer's posthumous projects).

In spite of Jackson's close relationship with the Cascios, therefore, the Estate certainly didn't accept them on blind faith. The Estate invited four of Jackson's primary engineers over the past thirty years, three producers who had worked with Jackson (including Teddy Riley), and spoke to one of the musicians that had worked with Michael over the years and who had also contributed to one of the Cascio tracks. Each of them listened to the a cappella version of the vocals on the Cascio tracks without any musical accompaniment so that they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals on the Cascio tracks were sung by Jackson. To a person they all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael Jackson. These engineers, producers and musicians are all people Jackson trusted and whose names would be very familiar to Jackson's fans.

In addition, at the request of John Branca and John McClain, Howard Weitzman retained one of the best known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the a cappella vocals and compare them with a cappella vocals from previously known Jackson songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific procedure, and found that all of the vocals were the voice of Michael Jackson.

Sony Music conducted its own investigation by hiring a second well-respected forensic musicologist who also compared the raw vocals from the Cascio tracks against known vocals of Jackson's and found that it was Jackson's voice on both sets of the compared vocals.
The Cascio tracks were also played for two of the most significant people in the music industry who played crucial roles in Jackson's career. Both of these individuals believe that the vocals are those of Michael Jackson.

It was also specifically verified that the vocals did not belong to well-known Jackson impersonator, Jason Malachi.

The results of this exhaustive investigation confirmed Sony's belief that the songs submitted by the Estate all contained authentic Michael Jackson vocals. The decision was therefore made to include three of the Cascio tracks on Michael. Other tracks will likely be included on future albums of unreleased material.

While these are not perfectly realized tracks--as no posthumous material can be--there is certainly much to appreciate. The Cascio tracks represent, after all, some of the last work Jackson ever wrote and recorded. It wasn't ready to be released, but then, Jackson wasn't ready to die.

"Breaking News," "Monster," "Hold My Hand" and the rest of the tracks that comprise Michael are, similar to the This Is It documentary, fragments of an unfinished vision. They aren't all the polished, perfectionist-Michael Jackson people are accustomed to, but they are him, and what some of his closest friends and collaborators felt his fans deserved to hear.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/exclusive-the-inside-stor_b_781364.html

[SmoothCollins]

Calchic, did you write this? I'm a little confused about where this came from and who the author is.

This is a very slanted piece of journalism though. There's many missing holes in the story and the intent is very clearly to convince people that "everything is okay and it's definately Michael". There are some glaringly obvious errors in some key facts here too.

One thing in this article that stood out to me the most was trying to say that Michael's vocals WOULD sound this much different because Seth Riggs didn't warm him up? That's the silliest thing I've heard yet :P . Michael sang a capella at random times without "warm ups" by his voice coach.. but he didn't suddenly sound like a different person lol.

[bluesky]

I found on Huffington post . see the link at the bottom.

[Severus Snape]

The lack of naming names of "trusted" figures tells me there's a rat in the soup here.

[damien shields]

Still, LISTEN to the song and it's not Michael Jackson. No amount of words and quotes and "research" can debunk the thousands of Jackson-fan-ears who recognize this is NOT MJ!

[JMie]

they should name the names of those experts...

[mj_brainiac]

Still, LISTEN to the song and it's not Michael Jackson. No amount of words and quotes and "research" can debunk the thousands of Jackson-fan-ears who recognize this is NOT MJ!
Exactly. This article belittles fans' and tries to dupe and confuse them to think they aren't capable to understand how vocals are tracked and recorded

It doesn't take forensics and all that bull to know that's not Michael Jackson on that song. All you need are ears and common sense

[michaelsson]

do they think we're dumb? 20yrs of listening 2this man and watching this man and seein this man...do they think we're dumb?! idgaf about research and sources. I can spot an impersonater a MILE AWAY from physical 2 vocal, they aint foolin nobody.

[respect77]

It's just Sony's version of the events, now making its rounds in the media. I'm still not convinced, sorry.

Best would be if they took off the Cascio tracks from the album. They can use them if they want on a later album IF it gets a definite proof that they are authentic. Or without the impersonator they used to mix with MJ's voice.

[Kikuchiyo]

... In addition, at the request of John Branca and John McClain, Howard Weitzman retained one of the best known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the a cappella vocals and compare them with a cappella vocals from previously known Jackson songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific procedure, and found that all of the vocals were the voice of Michael Jackson.
...
BTW, the sound of each individual's voice is completely unique just like fingeprints. With objective, scientific procedure forensic musicologist can prove that certain voice is product of certain person.
In Breaking News I hear Michael Jackson's voice. Yes, Michael's vocal is very processed but it's him.

[Admin]

Since Michael Jackson's untimely death in June of 2009, speculation has run rampant about the music he left behind. How much is there? How finished are the songs? What is the quality of the material? And how and when will it be released?

Over the course of writing and researching my forthcoming book, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (Sterling 2011), I was fortunate enough to take an in-depth look at Jackson's entire catalog--including the work he was engaged in during his final years. My sources worked closely with the King of Pop throughout his life and have been trustworthy and dependable throughout the five-year process of the book. Therefore, I feel confident with what I have learned about the material poised to appear on his forthcoming album, Michael.

A notorious perfectionist, Jackson always over-recorded. There are at least one hundred songs over the course of his solo career that did not make it onto his major albums. Some of those have already appeared on special editions and collections; others have leaked online in various forms; and many others have never been heard.

At midnight on November 8th, MichaelJackson.com streamed the first official song from the archives (excluding the early-Eighties demo, "This Is It," which was included as part of the companion album to the film of the same name). Even before its release, however, controversy surrounded "Breaking News" and the other so-called "Cascio tracks." The conversation has only intensified since then.

Predictably, little of that conversation has been about the content of the new track: the exceptionally ominous strings in the intro, its "Off the Wall"-esque chorus, or its signature Jackson indictment of a media that feeds on "breaking news" (read: scandals) with obsessive compulsion ("No matter what/ You just want to read it again"). Nor has much attention been given to the work of talented producer and longtime-Jackson friend, Teddy Riley, who gives the song a fresh but faithful sheen.

The irony, of course, is this is how Jackson's music has been received for decades, the substance overlooked in favor of sensationalism and distracting controversy. Yet part of it would no doubt bring a knowing smile to the man who once claimed he wanted to make his whole life "the greatest show on earth." Long before Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson was engaging artistically with both the monstrosity and allure of fame.

In "Breaking News," Jackson not only delivers his message, but anticipates the way it will be received. In one verse, he lashes out at those anxious to "write his obituary." In the chorus, he asks his listening audience, as he did throughout his career, who they project him to be: Is he the "boogieman" (a constructed monstrous figure) we're thinking of?

Certainly, by 2007 (the year in which "Breaking News" was recorded), he had learned how vicious and entrapping a lifetime in the spotlight could be. The previous two years he had been living as a vagabond, traveling from the Middle Eastern-island of Bahrain to the countryside of Ireland to a private chateau in Las Vegas. In the fall of 2007, he showed up with his children at the doorstep of his longtime friends, the Cascios, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Jackson had been close to the Cascio family for nearly twenty years. During that time, they never once betrayed him for tabloid money (in spite of many offers), but showed him loyalty and allowed him a sense of normalcy he couldn't often enjoy. In the program at Jackson's funeral they are referred to as "the First Family of Love."

Jackson stayed with the Cascios for nearly four months and, along with Frank Cascio, Eddie (Angel) Cascio, and singer James Porte (aka Bobby Ewing), engaged in some of his most sustained recording since before his 2005 trial. Three songs created during these sessions--"Breaking News," "Keep Your Head Up" and "Monster"--are expected to appear on Jackson's new album, all of which Jackson co-wrote. During his time in New Jersey, Jackson also recorded vocals for Thriller 25, which was released in 2008.

Beyond the Cascios, several people close to Jackson were familiar with his work in New Jersey. He mentioned to these people that he was "excited" about the work he and the Cascios had generated. According to Jackson's longtime friend and manager, Frank Dileo, Jackson planned to have recording equipment brought to London during his 02 concert series so he could finalize some of his latest music.

The first of the Cascio tracks to be heard--"Breaking News"--obviously isn't a perfect realization of Jackson's abilities. Receiving the most critical attention are Jackson's vocals, the veracity of which even some family and fans are questioning. There are understandable reasons for this. This certainly isn't a "typical" Jackson recording: there weren't extensive warm ups with longtime vocal coach Seth Riggs, no layering and polishing by Jackson himself, no Bruce Swedien and world-class studio technology to capture the original vocal. This was a guide demo, supplemented by the supporting vocals of James Porte (for which he is credited), and produced nearly four years later by Teddy Riley.

Riley, who first began working with Jackson in the early Nineties, found it emotionally difficult to complete the unfinished work of his late friend. To tap into his inspiration, Riley had photographer Harrington Funk surround him with pictures of the singer. "That was the only thing to keep me sane, and not go crazy while I'm working," said Riley. "Because, you know, it would come out on the music if you hear me banging on the keyboards with tears coming out of my eyes."

Riley said his fundamental motivation was to extend the legacy of a friend. He approached the tracks, therefore, not attempting to overly embellish, but simply to fill in the best he could. His guiding thought was: "What would Michael want?" He even brought sounds Jackson had him record from previous sessions. The final product, of course, is an approximation. But for Riley it was a labor of love.

It wasn't until Riley submitted his work, and three of the songs were accepted by Sony for the album, that the controversy began. Certain individuals--some with noble intentions, some less so--began expressing concerns about the authenticity of the vocals. These concerns were taken seriously by Jackson's Estate. Attorney Howard Weitzman was asked by estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain to conduct a thorough investigation of the authenticity of the Cascio tracks. The Estate, after all, had a lot to lose if the tracks were fraudulent. Since Jackson's death, by all accounts, it had done a masterful job of preserving and enhancing the artist's legacy, including the release of the highest-grossing concert documentary film of all time (This Is It), a new music video collection (Michael Jackson's Vision), a Jackson-themed video game (Michael Jackson: The Experience), a groundbreaking show with Cirque du Soliel ("Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour"), and the biggest recording contract in popular music history.

Perhaps just as important, the Estate had passed on numerous deals, selecting only a handful of projects it felt were worthy of Jackson's name. Risking the substantial credibility it had established amongst both fans and critics for a handful of questionable tracks would have been reckless at best (for Sony as well, who had invested over $200 million dollars on the singer's posthumous projects).

In spite of Jackson's close relationship with the Cascios, therefore, the Estate certainly didn't accept them on blind faith. The Estate invited four of Jackson's primary engineers over the past thirty years, three producers who had worked with Jackson (including Teddy Riley), and spoke to one of the musicians that had worked with Michael over the years and who had also contributed to one of the Cascio tracks. Each of them listened to the a cappella version of the vocals on the Cascio tracks without any musical accompaniment so that they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals on the Cascio tracks were sung by Jackson. To a person they all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael Jackson. These engineers, producers and musicians are all people Jackson trusted and whose names would be very familiar to Jackson's fans.

In addition, at the request of John Branca and John McClain, Howard Weitzman retained one of the best known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the a cappella vocals and compare them with a cappella vocals from previously known Jackson songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific procedure, and found that all of the vocals were the voice of Michael Jackson.

Sony Music conducted its own investigation by hiring a second well-respected forensic musicologist who also compared the raw vocals from the Cascio tracks against known vocals of Jackson's and found that it was Jackson's voice on both sets of the compared vocals.
The Cascio tracks were also played for two of the most significant people in the music industry who played crucial roles in Jackson's career. Both of these individuals believe that the vocals are those of Michael Jackson.

It was also specifically verified that the vocals did not belong to well-known Jackson impersonator, Jason Malachi.

The results of this exhaustive investigation confirmed Sony's belief that the songs submitted by the Estate all contained authentic Michael Jackson vocals. The decision was therefore made to include three of the Cascio tracks on Michael. Other tracks will likely be included on future albums of unreleased material.

While these are not perfectly realized tracks--as no posthumous material can be--there is certainly much to appreciate. The Cascio tracks represent, after all, some of the last work Jackson ever wrote and recorded. It wasn't ready to be released, but then, Jackson wasn't ready to die.

"Breaking News," "Monster," "Hold My Hand" and the rest of the tracks that comprise Michael are, similar to the This Is It documentary, fragments of an unfinished vision. They aren't all the polished, perfectionist-Michael Jackson people are accustomed to, but they are him, and what some of his closest friends and collaborators felt his fans deserved to hear.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/exclusive-the-inside-stor_b_781364.html

[defdave]

Love your site and you're a great guy, Gaz. But after reading this earlier in another thread, it just comes off to me as spin and damage control.

[144,000]

'clever' article but it's not gunna work. MJ's music was never ill received by fans. it was ill received by media. this, however is being lauded by media, even before it's release and after. and now, there is guilt tripping going on in this article. i was born at night, huffington post...but not last night.

i hate the 'song', breaking news, and the whole disingenuous dispicable moves of sony. it's a terrible song. and the lyrical sentiment is self aggrandizing, and MJ never put that across in his lyrics.

and why do these book writers have so much know it all about what goes on in MJ's catalogue, finances, and such. this guy, speaking in this article wants to sell a book.

the guy, trying to sell the book makes clear who is doing the reacting to past musics of MJ while MJ was still here, but purposely waits to see initial fan reaction, to 'breaking news', which includes fan confusion, and then, the guy, putting out the book doesn't make a clear reference, about who is doing the reacting to 'breaking news', and then, they guy, putting out the book, writes language designed to guilt trip.

[CarleyMJ]

Thanks for this Gaz...I am gonna wait til the Album comes out and hear the songs then.

[bluetopez]

It is annoying that media is loving MJ now but, couldn't stand him then! Loving this questionable work but, diss the real stuff from yrs ago! EH? Make no sense! Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

[MattyJam]

I do think the fans are flying off the handle with this.

The first time I heard Breaking News I thought it sounded odd, but that doesn't mean for certain that it's a fake. The power of suggestion is strong and there has been so much hysteria on this board lately, it's easy to get swept up in it.

Yesterday was ridiculous, when a 15 second clip of Monster appeared on Youtube which featured a woman talking all over it.... you could barely hear a thing and people were screaming "fake" left, right and centre.

I'm going to opt for sanity, and reserve judgement until I've actually heard the songs.

[rickd]

Bobby Ewing!
Frank Dileo!

[That Other Fan]

Huffington is a blog site...any one can write and add articles...

and though is this one is good, it doesn't give names


"The Estate invited four of Jackson's primary engineers over the past thirty years, three producers who had worked with Jackson (including Teddy Riley), and spoke to one of the musicians that had worked with Michael over the years and who had also contributed to one of the Cascio tracks. Each of them listened to the a cappella version of the vocals on the Cascio tracks without any musical accompaniment so that they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals on the Cascio tracks were sung by Jackson. To a person they all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael Jackson. These engineers, producers and musicians are all people Jackson trusted and whose names would be very familiar to Jackson's fans."


Names who would be very familiar to the fans...but none listed? :blink:


Also...



My sources worked closely with the King of Pop throughout his life and have been trustworthy and dependable throughout the five-year process of the book.

How much do you wanna bet the some of those "sources" are none other than the Cascios themselves....

I still refuse to support this project if ANY of the Cascios songs are apart of it.

[marc_vivien]

Gaz, Have you spoken withe estate ?

[Daniel.San]

I suppose the good thing about all of this is, we know which tracks are the supposed "fakes" and will stand out like dogs balls when they're thrown amongst the rest.

Even when comparing the Breaking News and Do You Know Where Your Children Are tracks it's almost night and day when it comes to the quality of song.

One is Michael, another is "Michael" on a very off day, possibly hung over WITH the flu, getting over tonsillitis, with a strained voice from yelling at the previous days football game, while the Cascio's recorded his voice through a cup-and-string connected to a recording console, loaded up with a dodgy failing hard drive.

Conveniently all other takes were disposed of. Maybe a basket of magnets fell from a shelf and hit the hard drive, resulting in the corruption of files. Michael then had to re-sing the song, which he wasn't happy about doing (explains the lack of "normal" effort on his behalf).

Hey but in the end, you hear what you want to hear.

[That Other Fan]

I suppose the good thing about all of this is, we know which tracks are the supposed "fakes" and will stand out like dogs balls when they're thrown amongst the rest.

Even when comparing the Breaking News and Do You Know Where Your Children Are tracks it's almost night and day when it comes to the quality of song.

One is Michael, another is "Michael" on a very off day, possibly hung over WITH the flu, getting over tonsillitis, with a strained voice from yelling at the previous days football game, while the Cascio's recorded his voice through a cup-and-string connected to a recording console, loaded up with a dodgy failing hard drive.

Conveniently all other takes were disposed of. Maybe a basket of magnets fell from a shelf and hit the hard drive, resulting in the corruption of files. Michael then had to re-sing the song, which he wasn't happy about doing (explains the lack of "normal" effort on his behalf).

Hey but in the end, you hear what you want to hear.

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[respect77]

Bobby Ewing!
Frank Dileo!

Is there a connection?

[bluetopez]

I suppose the good thing about all of this is, we know which tracks are the supposed "fakes" and will stand out like dogs balls when they're thrown amongst the rest.

Even when comparing the Breaking News and Do You Know Where Your Children Are tracks it's almost night and day when it comes to the quality of song.

One is Michael, another is "Michael" on a very off day, possibly hung over WITH the flu, getting over tonsillitis, with a strained voice from yelling at the previous days football game, while the Cascio's recorded his voice through a cup-and-string connected to a recording console, loaded up with a dodgy failing hard drive.

Conveniently all other takes were disposed of. Maybe a basket of magnets fell from a shelf and hit the hard drive, resulting in the corruption of files. Michael then had to re-sing the song, which he wasn't happy about doing (explains the lack of "normal" effort on his behalf).

Hey but in the end, you hear what you want to hear.

:agree:

And The rest of what u said is hilarious!:rofl:

If these questionable songs were home demos at somebodies home studio (The Cascios) and that's the reason why people are saying he sounded off? :smilerolleyes:

Then how do people explain MJ sounding like himself when he had demos on a tape recorders only!? For example at his 93 Mexico deposition they played demos that MJ did on a tape recorder and it sounded just fine no second guessing was needed to know it was him! And those tapes were from the 80's and it was still clear it was him!

Yea, I know his voice matured threw the yrs but, BN was just way off in comparison to a tape recorder that would be less then a home studio demo! Maybe I'm wrong but, that's my opinion!


I have yes, and they are well aware of the outcry that is happening right now.

They have been having some urgent meetings regarding this and as soon as I have anything to share I will let you all know.

I can assure you all however the Estate are concerned regarding the response they have got re this song, its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.

I am in hope that they will communicate with me soon something that might just ease this situation

Thank u GAZ! May this be resolved soon and be a positive outcome!? *PRAYING*

[Laura.L.]

If there are so many close friends and producers who know Michael recorded those songs and who have heard the a cappellas and are sure it's Michael's voice, why don't they step up? Why don't they come out with their own names and stand behind their words?

I'd certainly like to hear who these "engineers, producers and musicians that Jackson trusted and whose names would be very familiar to Jackson's fans" are.

Granted, I'm not an expert. But I've listened to a cappella versions of Michael's songs countless times, and come to a completely different conclusion than these experts. And I'm sorry, but it takes more than a vague blog post to convince me to go against my own ears.

[That Other Fan]

I have yes, and they are well aware of the outcry that is happening right now.

They have been having some urgent meetings regarding this and as soon as I have anything to share I will let you all know.

I can assure you all however the Estate are concerned regarding the response they have got re this song, its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.

I am in hope that they will communicate with me soon something that might just ease this situation.


Thank you...

First and foremost, I hope they remove the Cascios tracks. Other than that, I hope they form a plan to handle this matter delicately. Alot of people are highly upset by what has happened....

[michaelsson]

let me go write an article and claim to have heard from sources, yet fail to name them...smh.

[Laura.L.]

let me go write an article and claim to have heard from sources, yet fail to name them...smh.

:lmao:

[~Lindsey~]

thanks for keeping us informed Gaz

[JMie]

I have yes, and they are well aware of the outcry that is happening right now.

They have been having some urgent meetings regarding this and as soon as I have anything to share I will let you all know.

I can assure you all however the Estate are concerned regarding the response they have got re this song, its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.

I am in hope that they will communicate with me soon something that might just ease this situation.


thank you Gaz. although I don't understand this part of your post


its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.
it's not a matter of what? and should there be a comma after "tough" so it can be read "it's Michael, now live with it"?

sorry, english is not my first language and it's important so I want to understand everything correctly.

[bluetopez]

thank you Gaz. although I don't understand this part of your post

it's not a matter of what? and should there be a comma after "tough" so it can be read "it's Michael, now live with it"?

sorry, english is not my first language and it's important so I want to understand everything correctly.

He meant that they are NOT saying it's Michael, so to bad for us and that we should take it or leave it!

That's what I understood it to mean!?

[Daniel.San]

Voices dont mature drastically numerous times in your adulthood. People forget Michael was 28/29 during Bad, he wasn't a teenager even back then. His voice changed slightly over time, however to say that he suddenly developed the voice of a Nick Carter/Justin Timberlake combination is way too farfetched.

I have said this before, but due to the flood of posts MJJC is receiving lately, it probably went unnoticed. I feel that the ENTIRE song is a fraud. Nothing SUNG on the track is Michael. The only thing that you can semi-confidently say is real would be the obviously cropped "aaaooowwww" which isn't even placed very well throughout the track.

This whole situation reminds me of those individuals who fake ancient artifacts or biblical relics in order to gain recognition. They will take the item, for example, ancient text from a book, and age it by scrunching it up, spilling water on it, burying it in dirt or other methods in order to fabricate the illusion of natural aging. It's things such as this are what make frauds easy to spot. Now we have this song, which chooses a subject that few doubt anyone else would sing about - the crucifying public/media. Who else right? It sounds enough like him (for some) so therefore it HAS to be him...

Maybe this is the reason Sony chose this song as the big teaser? If "Mamacita" or any other Jason Malachi track was touched up with some "MJ effects" such as the "hee hee" and "aowwww" then i'm sure it would have been even worse, even though I find the vocals on Breaking News to be closer to Mamacita then a legit MJ demo or Hold My Hand. The most likely accepted "fraud" track was used in order to judge how well it was received, and it obviously didn't go down too well.

In the end you still have people out there who claim Jason Malachi songs as Michaels, it's incredible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezNdbBC5hHY

"The song is on the ULTIMATE DVD-COLLECTION, on the 94-songs-cd. It is Michael Jackson indeed, and it is one of my FAVORITES. He didn't really SPEAK Spanish, but he had such an indredible talent for music that he could sing it easily."

"I do believe it's Michael! it sounds amazing!!!I LOVED IT!Michael vamos a cantar!!!! vamos a bailar!!!!BRAVO!!!TI AMO POR SIEMPRE!!!!"

"this is Michael... Jason Malachi just have he's voice modify by Sony because they had a conflict with Michael...."

"I believe you but his voice is really confusing because malachi does nice vocals similar to MJ's..."

"Wow...this is amazing....Oh my god....hot sexy :X Sounds like Michael's voice, but is that really???? Who can tell the true...pls :X Love you MJ! forever! :X:X:X"

[jmoses]

I reallyy hope they don't listen to some of you and remove the cascio tracks.
They're MJ's last recorded songs, and definitely in my mind are Michael.

Imagine for a minute that you are wrong... If that's the case you're ruining MJ's final efforts, and if they listen to you, instead of his last songs we'll be listening to LNFSG. If the first album after MJ's passing is full of 80s tracks because you threatened to boycott, it would truly be a shame.

I'm not saying it's not good that some of you are questioning the material, but I'd be careful before you cry foul and go nuts.

If your wrong and you get your way, you'll ruin it for us all.

...So Sony/Estate, DON'T LISTEN TO THESE NUTTERS!

That's my take.

[zacky89]

Your in denial get over it,
second You are wrong, you are factually wrong
nobody can go in and write what they want on Huffington Post
as a daily reader, they have credible journalists, and credible authors who write in there
i just read the article
it was written by Jon Vogel his not a nobody


Joe Vogel is the author of three books, including Free Speech 101 (winner of a 2007 Independent Publisher Book Award), The Obama Movement, and the forthcoming Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. He has been featured in numerous newspaper, radio, and TV interviews, including Democracy Now!, RadioWest, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and the award-winning documentary This Divided State. He currently resides in Western New York where he is a Ph.D. candidate and instructor at the University of Rochester. Visit his website at www.josephvogel.net.


Stop misleading people with lies.

[Topflux]

Now please stop saying Michael sounded off. First of all, he never did it like that and I also know how Michael acted if he was just practicing. Secondly, no one sounds so off he sounds like a different person. If you sound off, it changes your tone, but not your manners, pronouncation, breathing, singing technics and all. Especially if you have sung through your whole life they would be all there even though not at your best...

[That Other Fan]

Your in denial get over it,
second You are wrong, you are factually wrong
nobody can go in and write what they want on Huffington Post
as a daily reader, they have credible journalists, and credible authors who write in there
i just read the article
it was written by Jon Vogel his not a nobody


Joe Vogel is the author of three books, including Free Speech 101 (winner of a 2007 Independent Publisher Book Award), The Obama Movement, and the forthcoming Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. He has been featured in numerous newspaper, radio, and TV interviews, including Democracy Now!, RadioWest, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and the award-winning documentary This Divided State. He currently resides in Western New York where he is a Ph.D. candidate and instructor at the University of Rochester. Visit his website at www.josephvogel.net (http://www.josephvogel.net).


Stop misleading people with lies.

I'm assuming this is in response to my post, and yes...within reason...ANYONE can post on Huffington..

...and I already went to his site and read the information you published BEFORE I wrote my first reply in this thread.

He repeatedly says he has trusted sources and people MJ fans would know that confirm Michael on BN...but doesn't even name one person.

If I want stories which are substantiated with dozens of "unnamed sources" I can easily read a Roger Friedman article, than to read something posted on site that almost anyone can write for...

but thank you for the response. :)

[sophiemj]

Thank u Gaz !

[shamone58]

:rofl: Me too lol

[OnirMJ]

Since Michael Jackson's untimely death in June of 2009, speculation has run rampant about the music he left behind. How much is there? How finished are the songs? What is the quality of the material? And how and when will it be released?

Over the course of writing and researching my forthcoming book, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (Sterling 2011), I was fortunate enough to take an in-depth look at Jackson's entire catalog--including the work he was engaged in during his final years. My sources worked closely with the King of Pop throughout his life and have been trustworthy and dependable throughout the five-year process of the book. Therefore, I feel confident with what I have learned about the material poised to appear on his forthcoming album, Michael.

A notorious perfectionist, Jackson always over-recorded. There are at least one hundred songs over the course of his solo career that did not make it onto his major albums. Some of those have already appeared on special editions and collections; others have leaked online in various forms; and many others have never been heard.

At midnight on November 8th, MichaelJackson.com streamed the first official song from the archives (excluding the early-Eighties demo, "This Is It," which was included as part of the companion album to the film of the same name). Even before its release, however, controversy surrounded "Breaking News" and the other so-called "Cascio tracks." The conversation has only intensified since then.

Predictably, little of that conversation has been about the content of the new track: the exceptionally ominous strings in the intro, its "Off the Wall"-esque chorus, or its signature Jackson indictment of a media that feeds on "breaking news" (read: scandals) with obsessive compulsion ("No matter what/ You just want to read it again"). Nor has much attention been given to the work of talented producer and longtime-Jackson friend, Teddy Riley, who gives the song a fresh but faithful sheen.

The irony, of course, is this is how Jackson's music has been received for decades, the substance overlooked in favor of sensationalism and distracting controversy. Yet part of it would no doubt bring a knowing smile to the man who once claimed he wanted to make his whole life "the greatest show on earth." Long before Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson was engaging artistically with both the monstrosity and allure of fame.

In "Breaking News," Jackson not only delivers his message, but anticipates the way it will be received. In one verse, he lashes out at those anxious to "write his obituary." In the chorus, he asks his listening audience, as he did throughout his career, who they project him to be: Is he the "boogieman" (a constructed monstrous figure) we're thinking of?

Certainly, by 2007 (the year in which "Breaking News" was recorded), he had learned how vicious and entrapping a lifetime in the spotlight could be. The previous two years he had been living as a vagabond, traveling from the Middle Eastern-island of Bahrain to the countryside of Ireland to a private chateau in Las Vegas. In the fall of 2007, he showed up with his children at the doorstep of his longtime friends, the Cascios, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Jackson had been close to the Cascio family for nearly twenty years. During that time, they never once betrayed him for tabloid money (in spite of many offers), but showed him loyalty and allowed him a sense of normalcy he couldn't often enjoy. In the program at Jackson's funeral they are referred to as "the First Family of Love."

Jackson stayed with the Cascios for nearly four months and, along with Frank Cascio, Eddie (Angel) Cascio, and singer James Porte (aka Bobby Ewing), engaged in some of his most sustained recording since before his 2005 trial. Three songs created during these sessions--"Breaking News," "Keep Your Head Up" and "Monster"--are expected to appear on Jackson's new album, all of which Jackson co-wrote. During his time in New Jersey, Jackson also recorded vocals for Thriller 25, which was released in 2008.

Beyond the Cascios, several people close to Jackson were familiar with his work in New Jersey. He mentioned to these people that he was "excited" about the work he and the Cascios had generated. According to Jackson's longtime friend and manager, Frank Dileo, Jackson planned to have recording equipment brought to London during his 02 concert series so he could finalize some of his latest music.

The first of the Cascio tracks to be heard--"Breaking News"--obviously isn't a perfect realization of Jackson's abilities. Receiving the most critical attention are Jackson's vocals, the veracity of which even some family and fans are questioning. There are understandable reasons for this. This certainly isn't a "typical" Jackson recording: there weren't extensive warm ups with longtime vocal coach Seth Riggs, no layering and polishing by Jackson himself, no Bruce Swedien and world-class studio technology to capture the original vocal. This was a guide demo, supplemented by the supporting vocals of James Porte (for which he is credited), and produced nearly four years later by Teddy Riley.

Riley, who first began working with Jackson in the early Nineties, found it emotionally difficult to complete the unfinished work of his late friend. To tap into his inspiration, Riley had photographer Harrington Funk surround him with pictures of the singer. "That was the only thing to keep me sane, and not go crazy while I'm working," said Riley. "Because, you know, it would come out on the music if you hear me banging on the keyboards with tears coming out of my eyes."

Riley said his fundamental motivation was to extend the legacy of a friend. He approached the tracks, therefore, not attempting to overly embellish, but simply to fill in the best he could. His guiding thought was: "What would Michael want?" He even brought sounds Jackson had him record from previous sessions. The final product, of course, is an approximation. But for Riley it was a labor of love.

It wasn't until Riley submitted his work, and three of the songs were accepted by Sony for the album, that the controversy began. Certain individuals--some with noble intentions, some less so--began expressing concerns about the authenticity of the vocals. These concerns were taken seriously by Jackson's Estate. Attorney Howard Weitzman was asked by estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain to conduct a thorough investigation of the authenticity of the Cascio tracks. The Estate, after all, had a lot to lose if the tracks were fraudulent. Since Jackson's death, by all accounts, it had done a masterful job of preserving and enhancing the artist's legacy, including the release of the highest-grossing concert documentary film of all time (This Is It), a new music video collection (Michael Jackson's Vision), a Jackson-themed video game (Michael Jackson: The Experience), a groundbreaking show with Cirque du Soliel ("Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour"), and the biggest recording contract in popular music history.

Perhaps just as important, the Estate had passed on numerous deals, selecting only a handful of projects it felt were worthy of Jackson's name. Risking the substantial credibility it had established amongst both fans and critics for a handful of questionable tracks would have been reckless at best (for Sony as well, who had invested over $200 million dollars on the singer's posthumous projects).

In spite of Jackson's close relationship with the Cascios, therefore, the Estate certainly didn't accept them on blind faith. The Estate invited four of Jackson's primary engineers over the past thirty years, three producers who had worked with Jackson (including Teddy Riley), and spoke to one of the musicians that had worked with Michael over the years and who had also contributed to one of the Cascio tracks. Each of them listened to the a cappella version of the vocals on the Cascio tracks without any musical accompaniment so that they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals on the Cascio tracks were sung by Jackson. To a person they all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael Jackson. These engineers, producers and musicians are all people Jackson trusted and whose names would be very familiar to Jackson's fans.

In addition, at the request of John Branca and John McClain, Howard Weitzman retained one of the best known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the a cappella vocals and compare them with a cappella vocals from previously known Jackson songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific procedure, and found that all of the vocals were the voice of Michael Jackson.

Sony Music conducted its own investigation by hiring a second well-respected forensic musicologist who also compared the raw vocals from the Cascio tracks against known vocals of Jackson's and found that it was Jackson's voice on both sets of the compared vocals.
The Cascio tracks were also played for two of the most significant people in the music industry who played crucial roles in Jackson's career. Both of these individuals believe that the vocals are those of Michael Jackson.

It was also specifically verified that the vocals did not belong to well-known Jackson impersonator, Jason Malachi.

The results of this exhaustive investigation confirmed Sony's belief that the songs submitted by the Estate all contained authentic Michael Jackson vocals. The decision was therefore made to include three of the Cascio tracks on Michael. Other tracks will likely be included on future albums of unreleased material.

While these are not perfectly realized tracks--as no posthumous material can be--there is certainly much to appreciate. The Cascio tracks represent, after all, some of the last work Jackson ever wrote and recorded. It wasn't ready to be released, but then, Jackson wasn't ready to die.

"Breaking News," "Monster," "Hold My Hand" and the rest of the tracks that comprise Michael are, similar to the This Is It documentary, fragments of an unfinished vision. They aren't all the polished, perfectionist-Michael Jackson people are accustomed to, but they are him, and what some of his closest friends and collaborators felt his fans deserved to hear.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/exclusive-the-inside-stor_b_781364.html

Gaz are you saying that you believe in this bull****. It is clearly not Michael and you should help us in this battle against these fake songs.

[bluemoonchild]

Gaz, you're doing a great job here (as always, where can i send the thankyousweets?). If there was this Thank you-button, i would add my name.

Looking forward to hear from the estate.

It's all so confusing, isn't it. I read some pages and seem to lose my own track of mind.

[mktrade2001]

I can't believe what I'd read the last couple of days!

I can't believe there are FANS that think this is MJ on the track! You are all lying to yourself!

We have MANY demos from MJ floating around, put Off The Wall SE on, and listen to some of the worst sounding demos around. But you can CLEARLY and WITHOUT a doubt tell that is MICHAEL JACKSON!

Working Day and Night & Don't stop till You get Enough, listen to those. The quality of his voice recording is awful, they play the music on a glass or something similiar. But IT'S MICHAEL!

We have DEMO's from all his records by now, some good and some really bad. But Again, without a doubt it's Michael Jackson on those tracks!

His Spirit, his emotions, his feeling, his carisma, anything besides his voice tell us it's MICHAEL JACKSON.. But where do you find this on Breaking News? I can't seem to find it, even I look hard into it!

[Mr. Make Believe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezNdbBC5hHY


So this is another Jason Malachi track, right?
The more I listen to his songs the more I think this is not the person who sang on "Breaking News".

Although I do believe it could be Mike on most of Breaking news, I must say I'm not sure. And that's the first time in my 24 year career as a fan, which by itself is dissappointing enough!

Although I'm not sure, it could be a over-produced and tempered with rough demo of something Mike never thought would be worth spending the efforts, or didn't had the time, to built it to something that could live up to his high quality standards. Therefore it should've never been released. One thing is sure, they've added a lot of other vocals, which makes it even harder to judge it really.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect everybody in this communcity, but I do find it really strange that some people are really convinced that it is Jason Malachi instead of Mike. If I compare "Breaking news" with Mike's music and with Jason Malachi's music, in both cases it's hard to tell if it's either one of both artists. The voice is pulled through a lot of filters, is heavily compressed and has been 'hidden' in the mix. This makes it very hard to tell who is singing it and therefore I don't understand how people can state as a fact that it is Jason Malachi. Same way arond when it comes to Mike.

As I said, the more I listen to Jason Malachi tracks, which is anything but a good time for me, the more I think it is nog that guy... Who it is, I'm not sure. One thing I'm sure of, I wouldn't take the risk saying it is definately not Mike. And believe me, that's not because I'm not able to hear the difference between the man and others. I'm experienced enough to know my hearing compared to lots of other people/fans is at least above average, I spent my time in studios. It's simply because the vocals are so heavily produced, the source seems to be of such bad quality (or made that way) and it's put to deep in the mix, that it's just hard to say if it's Mike, Jason M, or whoever..

After all these hours of letting the entire hype come over me, I just couldn't resist to ad my 2 cents. Good luck everybody with handling this and Gaz...

Thanks for creating the possibilty for us to share and everthing else!

[The Healer]

I was waiting for your response to all this, and thank you, Gaz .
What I saw these days it"s unbelivable. Is it Michael or not ?!
Yes...I admit it sounds different from what we heard of Michael..but I was not ready to say it"s fake after listening to it once or twice.
I am really confused about it, because I am not a fan from yesterday.I follow Michael"s work for more than 28 years.
What scares me is that a huge number of ppl are trying to convince others not to buy the album without knowing anything for real and beliving all the stupid rumors there are going around. I can"t believe this !!!!!! What are you doing people ??!!
If you don"t think BN is Michael - ok. If you do - ok.
Future will tell, for sure.
Some of ppl could be sorry for what they said.

[Kikuchiyo]

I was waiting for your response to all this, and thank you, Gaz .
What I saw these days it"s unbelivable. Is it Michael or not ?!
Yes...I admit it sounds different from what we heard of Michael..but I was not ready to say it"s fake after listening to it once or twice.
I am really confused about it, because I am not a fan from yesterday.I follow Michael"s work for more than 28 years.
What scares me is that a huge number of ppl are trying to convince others not to buy the album without knowing anything for real and beliving all the stupid rumors there are going around. I can"t believe this !!!!!! What are you doing people ??!!
If you don"t think BN is Michael - ok. If you do - ok.
Future will tell, for sure.
Some of ppl could be sorry for what they said.
Great post!

[ginvid]

Thank you very much Gaz. I am eagerly waiting for a response from the estate. But thye must understand, even if the vocals are shown to be MJ's, so many fans and now the public still doubt them, and they sound so unlike MJ even for an unfinished version, that it would be best not to have them on the album.

[DARKLIGHTDAN]

dont know what to think anymore...:(

[mj_uk]

Clever article but we aren't going to believe it. :(

[8701girl]

I have yes, and they are well aware of the outcry that is happening right now.

They have been having some urgent meetings regarding this and as soon as I have anything to share I will let you all know.

I can assure you all however the Estate are concerned regarding the response they have got re this song, its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.

I am in hope that they will communicate with me soon something that might just ease this situation.


Thanx gaz for letting us know

[deano]

Great article Gaz!

And so good to hear that Sony are standing up to the pressure from the 'fanatics'.

Keep it up Sony! Don't let the minority (however loud they shout) spoil it for millions of MJ fans worldwide! Stand up to them and defeat their insanity!

[Staffordshire Bullterrier]

He meant that they are NOT saying it's Michael, so to bad for us and that we should take it or leave it!

That's what I understood it to mean!?


I don't get it anymore...

I can assure you all however the Estate are concerned regarding the response they have got re this song, its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.

It's missing alot of nessecary commas and what not. Confusing as hell.

[deano]

I hope Sony are saying;

"Back off now. You've had our $250,000,000. You've delayed and delayed the album - cover isn't nice enough, don't want XXXX working on the album, want the Jackson family to finish the vocals, etc. - now it's time to get it out to the world!

Enough drama already!"

[L.T.D]

its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.


Well thats good, because we wouldnt be buying it if that was the case...haha

[rob.mail7]

these 4 fake songs are about creating hype, and they have done that, but they are not MJ. 22 years of listening tells me that. Much to soon, another day, etc all MJ.

[ginvid]

It reads like this:

However, I can assure you all, the Estate are concerned with the response they have gotten regarding this song. It's not a matter of, "Tough. It's Michael now live with it."

Does that help clarify what Gaz has said?

[Phereinice]

OK so who has the power decision what is it and what is not on the album? most likely they have to compromise with sony, which is not a happy thought.
I am glad that the estate can see the complexity of this issue and I hope they keep the quality over quantity standard.

[Hess]

Maybe it is really MJ afterall. Hmm.

Great song anyway.

[rob.mail7]

Does anyone, like me, work on the theory that the 'Fake' MJ tracks are a way to hide the real MJ tracks which might get put online... u know a Piracy issue.

There is obviously some early test pressing containing both real and fake songs based on the snippets already put on line, it's about 50-50 fake to real. Maybe sony feel that by putting fake songs out people will be so focused on the FAKE MJ they will b too angry or tired to waste time downloading any NEW uploads claiming to be REAL songs.
Thus not damaging future sales of the real album songs..

also all this is great for getting attention and news when the artists himself can not do promotion... just a theory after years of seeing much MJ hype over the yearsetc...

[xMichellex]

Good article. I hope this is cleared up soon and people can find joy in the fact we have something new instead of whats going on right now. I joined this site hoping to share my excitement with other fans and all I find is people raging :(

[rob.mail7]

one addition to the above... the only other theory here is that a record company is knowingly releasing FAKES!
Regardless if it's a sound-a-like singing over half done MJ tracks, it's fake. And that has never happened to a major artist before.

Consider this the 2 real NEW leaks, Much Too Soon and Do U Know Wer Your Children Are, are all so obviously MJ it only magnifies how bad the other non MJ songs are.

[darmin]

Maybe it is really MJ afterall. Hmm.

Great song anyway.

It's not. But as long as there are people who believe it is, Sony can do whatever they want.

[smooth_criminal05]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

[rob.mail7]

well Smooth_Criminal05"asks "What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

They are about as much MJ as Elvis... so i would probably pour concrete in my ears as they obviously don't work anymore. But seriously, it is not him on 99% of that track.

ps, where's all the 'insider' info u had now? Just asking as u did post a lot on this prior to all the trouble...

[electrickeyez]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

What if they're not? That would be a way bigger deal than your hypothetical.

In your hypothetical, there would be 10 "real" MJ songs we never get to hear because Sony decides not to release them due to controversy. Big deal.

If they're fake, MJ's musical honor and integrity would be in shambles for decades to come.

Just take 'em out! Too risky.

[Derek1984]

Just take the Cascio songs out. Is it really that big of a deal? Judging by Breaking News and the short snippet of Monster, they aren't that good anyways...MJ vocals or not.

[L.T.D]

Just take the Cascio songs out. Is it really that big of a deal? Judging by Breaking News and the short snippet of Monster, they aren't that good anyways...MJ vocals or not.

Yeah exactly, they should take the songs out anyway regardless of whether they are MJ's vocals or not.

[respect77]

Just take the Cascio songs out. Is it really that big of a deal? Judging by Breaking News and the short snippet of Monster, they aren't that good anyways...MJ vocals or not.

My thoughts exactly. Monster is especially horrible IMO. I don't think these songs are worth the fuss. Michael has a million times better things still in his vault than these.

[marc_vivien]

thousants of posts for nothing

[ivy]

This article actually makes a lot of sense.

Comparison : I question whether the vocal comparison discussion we have seen over several threads are actually valid comparisons or in reality comparing to apples to oranges. A normal MJ track that we know is professionally recorded in an actual studio with Michael recording several vocal tracks but this song is by all accounts is recorded in a home studio with one single vocal track. Therefore it's bound to be worse than the normal song that we are accustomed to. ( I said this before that I worked with a recording artist - a rock band- before. They had home studio and nothing that was recorded there was album use quality. )

Additional vocals and being credited on the album : I think we can all agree that the Breaking news song include other vocals then Michael's. The question is how much of it's Michael and how much isn't. Now I have seen people say that an impostor such as Jason Malachi is used and that this will be hidden. However as this article suggest I tend to think that any and all additional vocals will be credited on the album - otherwise it opens doors to fraud lawsuits.

I also see "Sony can do whatever they want" comments - which in reality isn't the perfect truth. At least in USA selling a song as "Michael Jackson" when he isn't the one singing is consumer fraud and they can be sued.

I said this before logically I tend to believe that - like this article and Teddy Riley said -
1) forensic musicologists has confirmed that it's Michael and that
2) Sony will accurately credit any and all additional vocals

Therefore even this song could be "questionable" in people's minds and ears, I tend to think that in a court of law Sony could actually prove it to be legit. Hence again going back to one of Teddy Riley's comments that is probably the reason that we aren't seeing a lawsuit.

[MattyJam]

Does anybody really believe that Sony or the Estate are going to take these songs off the album?

I personally doubt it.

[L.T.D]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

If it was proven to me, by showing me a video of Michael singing these songs and I was happy with the authenticity of the video...because nothing else in the world would convince me.

Then I would first apologize to everyone who said it was him, then rip my ears off.

[L.T.D]

Does anybody really believe that Sony or the Estate are going to take these songs off the album?

I personally doubt it.

I dont think the songs were on the album yet. I dont believe they have finalized the tracklist, so they put Breaking News out to test the waters. That way they could see the reaction and if the reaction was bad (which it has been) then they wont put the songs on the album.

If they are on the album then I think they will take them off yes....

If they are on the album and then dont take them off, the album sales will dramatically suffer. MJ's biggest fans wouldnt buy the album.

[smooth_criminal05]

MJ's legacy will not be ruined for decades to come, soooo dramatic! The world doesn't care nearly as much as we do. Maybe we should rephrase "our world would be ruined for decades to come"

MJ's legacy has already been set in stone. IF a few tracks on the album used an impersonator for parts, that will not ruin MJ's legacy and integrity. The man is dead, he has no say in this. If anything, it would help entrench the idea that MJ is a victim from everyone trying to extract money out of him and help his image as people would feel bad for him. No more drama, it's getting annoying!

[Boo Man]

Lord, it's MJ on these tracks. These were DEMO recordings, folks. Enough of the childish uproar. Let's get back to celebrating what is about to happen.

[Tsukiji]

MJ's legacy will not be ruined for decades to come, soooo dramatic! The world doesn't care nearly as much as we do. Maybe we should rephrase "our world would be ruined for decades to come"

MJ's legacy has already been set in stone. IF a few tracks on the album used an impersonator for parts, that will not ruin MJ's legacy and integrity. The man is dead, he has no say in this. If anything, it would help entrench the idea that MJ is a victim from everyone trying to extract money out of him and help his image as people would feel bad for him. No more drama, it's getting annoying!

Exactly...I know emotions are running high ATM, but honestly people need to stop thinking this could negatively affect HIS Image, and HIS Legacy, it won't. Michael is the greatest artist of all time and will always remain the greatest, and people need to stop thinking that the mistakes of others somehow is connected to Michael. ENOUGH.

I really am confused by everything :unsure: ,but..perhaps it is Michael..I don't know what to think..

[Hess]

Lord, it's MJ on these tracks. These were DEMO recordings, folks. Enough of the childish uproar. Let's get back to celebrating what is about to happen.


WOW - you have 2 posts and I just had to +1 to your rep. Thanks and welcome to MJJC.

[The Healer]

So....IF the vocals are Michael, I wonder how many ppl would suddenly start to love the song.....
I truly respect everyone"s opinion but saying things like " I don"t want this song on the album..." is ridiculous.
Since when fans choose the songs ?!
And I bet most of them are new fans.
Michael is not longer here to master his work ( it hurts so much to say this....:( ) so we just have to wait and see.
His legacy will not be destroyed if we don"t let it. Few fake or not fake songs can"t do that. Michael has done enough for more than one lifetime.
Being critical is OK, but being so picky without even knowing what we will hear is just...a little crazy.

[Autumn II]

Interesting thread. Consider this, though?

There was HUGE anticipation of the Breaking News release. We were excited, and there were countdowns. NO ONE was expecting to doubt the authenticity of the recording! (I sure wasn't.) That was probably the last thing on people's minds, as everyone anticipated new music from Michael I certainly had NO thoughts that it might not be authentic.

I was NOT expecting this, but yet, my FIRST thought upon hearing it was "that's not him!" That was my very FIRST impression, based on what I was hearing, MYSELF! I was shocked, so I listened to other music of Michael's, for comparison. I listened to Jason Malachi, and other impersonators. I thought I heard (still think that) "heee-heee's" and "Aowww's" from OTHER earlier, recordings. I now think that "some" of that song is Michael. And a lot is not.

So, after hearing the music, I came here, to see what others were saying. Many, very MANY, had those same thoughts, "That is not him!" Why would we even THINK that, when it had never been an issue before? That simply was not the mind-set at the first listen!

I anticipate what Sony has to say. But, my opinion is, if there was ANY doubt about authenticity, then the song should not have been released. If only for a marketing standpoint, for the album to come? Now we have everyone, including the kitchen-sink, weighing in on what has become a controversy. In this case, controversy is NOT a good thing! Teddy Riley says he thinks it's authentic. Taj thinks it is NOT, and is outraged. And there are many others, on both sides of the fence.

If this was intended to generate anticipation for the album to come, it may have had the opposite effect? What is left now for Sony to do, is damage control? IMHO.

[ivy]

Does anybody really believe that Sony or the Estate are going to take these songs off the album?

I personally doubt it.

hmm they can - regardless of whether they are legit or not - just based on the fan reaction.

[blankyluvdoodoo]

This article actually makes a lot of sense.

Comparison : I question whether the vocal comparison discussion we have seen over several threads are actually valid comparisons or in reality comparing to apples to oranges. A normal MJ track that we know is professionally recorded in an actual studio with Michael recording several vocal tracks but this song is by all accounts is recorded in a home studio with one single vocal track. Therefore it's bound to be worse than the normal song that we are accustomed to. ( I said this before that I worked with a recording artist - a rock band- before. They had home studio and nothing that was recorded there was album use quality. )

Additional vocals and being credited on the album : I think we can all agree that the Breaking news song include other vocals then Michael's. The question is how much of it's Michael and how much isn't. Now I have seen people say that an impostor such as Jason Malachi is used and that this will be hidden. However as this article suggest I tend to think that any and all additional vocals will be credited on the album - otherwise it opens doors to fraud lawsuits.

I also see "Sony can do whatever they want" comments - which in reality isn't the perfect truth. At least in USA selling a song as "Michael Jackson" when he isn't the one singing is consumer fraud and they can be sued.

I said this before logically I tend to believe that - like this article and Teddy Riley said -
1) forensic musicologists has confirmed that it's Michael and that
2) Sony will accurately credit any and all additional vocals

Therefore even this song could be "questionable" in people's minds and ears, I tend to think that in a court of law Sony could actually prove it to be legit. Hence again going back to one of Teddy Riley's comments that is probably the reason that we aren't seeing a lawsuit.
yup u r right ,that is why no one is taking sony to the court.i guess it is matter of credit and getting royalties.remember u guys hated this is it song but family supported it because chorus was done by brother so they are getting paid for it.it is all about money .that is why whole family is against it .if u feel so strongly about it then take sony to court,stop bickering on twitter .this is like usual make comment on twitter ,put something in head of fans and fan will go crazy about it ,they don't have to do anything.this is what happening right now .those who are claiming that song is fake ,how many of them are professional in it .i am not saying just because u are not professional ,u can't tell michaels voice but lets face it when u are hearing song is fake before even listening to it ,don't u think u judgment is clouded

[L.T.D]

Sony have put songs on this album that are fake and are trying to release it as a Michael Jackson album.

But you know what shocks me most?

The fact there are still fans that are adamant it is MJ on these songs :| There are people here including myself that have known this wasnt MJ since the very first listen on Monday morning.

Honest to god, nothing has shocked me more in this whole situation than the fact that that there are still fans here that are adamant it is him.

I have added 4 or 5 people to my ignore list in the past few days. It was empty on Sunday.

[Boo Man]

Haha... Hi, Hess. ;) I know, my post number is low, but when MJJC changed-up a couple of years back, all my previous posts were lost and I had to start over, which is fine. I've been a faithful reader/follower of MJJC for YEARS, and have been a MJ fan since the early 70's -- having the honor and privilege of following him through most of his career. I even met MJ in Chicago back in 1988 during his BAD tour, which was, simply, amazing (to say the least), but that is another story I will share another time. Promise! :)

Now... it has been heartbreaking to sit here and witness what is happening within the community these past few days. Of course, I understand everyone's raw feelings -- perhaps an extension of the loss we are all feeling since June of 2009 -- but what is truly sad is the environment it has created here, one of anger and hate and distrust. What use to be a fun place to visit and celebrate with fellow fans has now become a chamber of hate and accusation and rampant finger-pointing. How ironic, this is the sort of thing MJ faced his entire life, now his fans are caught up into it as well...

So, this is my take -- for what it is worth. BREAKING NEWS and the other Cascio tracks are absolutely real. They are just DEMO recordings that weren't finalized to perfection by MJ as usual, hence them sounding "different" or "not real" to some. MJ never gave it his "all" during the recording of demo vocals, which is apparent on on MANY of his other demo recordings. Simply, he knew he would go back in and clean it up. On these, sadly, he was unable to. But, to me, I am SO GRATEFUL to have these songs to listen to -- to sit back and remember him by. It is a gift that I don't take lightly, and will not let certain others who are currently caught up in some kind of strange mass hysteria ruin.

So, for what it is worth, I suggest everyone sit back, take a deep breath, and try to enjoy what is ahead for all of us. I know this situation isn't perfect (or some of the recordings) but it's as close as we're going to get considering the sad affair we have all lived through for nearly a year and a half. I love you all. I really do. Now, on to the record! December 14th can't get here soon enough! Just remember one thing:

Turn in up loud, and spread the LOVE! ;)

[deano]

L.T.D.

Perhaps it's you that is in the wrong?

Nah! I doubt you even contemplate such a thing in your life do you?

Your arrogance is the things that shocks me the most!

YOU can't believe everyone doesn't agree with YOU?

Welcome to the real world. I would suggest you get used to it.

[L.T.D]

L.T.D.

Perhaps it's you that is in the wrong?

Nah! I doubt you even contemplate such a thing in your life do you?

Your arrogance is the things that shocks me the most!

YOU can't believe everyone doesn't agree with YOU?

Welcome to the real world. I would suggest you get used to it.


Its not just ME saying it though is it......look around you. About 90% of the forum believes its fake, its not just me.

Yes, in this case I cant believe everyone doesnt agree with me, because I think its such an obvious thing. . . .

Oh i've seen what the real world is like in the past few days, very much so.

[Rigbyrib100]

One thing I will say is NO ONE can say 100% that it is not MJ
I can put on a silly voice,talk weired and then a computer can come along a change it even more, and it wont sound any thing like me........but it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dont be so cockey in your assumptions if this is MJ these recordings wher never meant to be heard Remember that.

[ivy]

Sony have put songs on this album that are fake and are trying to release it as a Michael Jackson album.

But you know what shocks me most?

The fact there are still fans that are adamant it is MJ on these songs :| There are people here including myself that have known this wasnt MJ since the very first listen on Monday morning.

Honest to god, nothing has shocked me more in this whole situation than the fact that that there are still fans here that are adamant it is him.

I have added 4 or 5 people to my ignore list in the past few days. It was empty on Sunday.

I honestly I find it quite unnecessary and disrespectful to have negative opinions about people just because they believe the vocals to be MJ.

If you believe all the song is fake - fine, if you want to cancel your order - fine, if you want to protest Sony etc - fine, if you want to post every forum the song is fake and if you want to shout it from the rooftops - that's fine too.

but if there's someone out there that believes the opposite that should be fine as well and we should be able to say " I respect your opinion but I disagree".

Everyone is entitled to their opinion whether it's right or wrong.

and honestly there's no one here that can definitively tell whether it's Michael or not . I haven't seen a forensic musicologists making a professional determination in this board, all I have seen is personal opinions. You have mentioned that you base your opinion on your gut feeling, so what if someone else's gut feeling tells that it can be Michael?

[riviera1992]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/exclusive-the-inside-stor_b_781364.html

Since Michael Jackson's untimely death in June of 2009, speculation has run rampant about the music he left behind. How much is there? How finished are the songs? What is the quality of the material? And how and when will it be released?

Over the course of writing and researching my forthcoming book, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (Sterling 2011), I was fortunate enough to take an in-depth look at Jackson's entire catalog--including the work he was engaged in during his final years. My sources worked closely with the King of Pop throughout his life and have been trustworthy and reliable throughout the five-year process of the book. In the controversy that tends to surround all things Michael Jackson, it can be difficult to ascertain truth from fiction. But I feel confident with what I have learned about the material poised to appear on his first posthumous album, Michael.

A notorious perfectionist, Jackson always over-recorded. There are at least one hundred songs over the course of his solo career that did not make it onto his major albums. Some of those have already appeared on special editions and collections; others have leaked online in various forms; and many others have never been heard.

At midnight on November 8th, MichaelJackson.com streamed the first official song from the archives (excluding the early-Eighties demo, "This Is It," which was included as part of the companion album to the film of the same name). Even before its release, however, controversy surrounded "Breaking News" and the other so-called "Cascio tracks." The conversation has only intensified since then.

Predictably, little of that conversation has been about the content of the new track: the exceptionally ominous strings in the intro, its "Off the Wall"-esque chorus, or its signature Jackson indictment of a media that feeds on "breaking news" (read: scandals) with obsessive compulsion ("No matter what/ You just want to read it again"). Nor has much attention been given to the work of talented producer and longtime-Jackson friend, Teddy Riley, who gives the song a fresh but faithful sheen.

The irony, of course, is this is how Jackson's music has been received for decades, the substance overlooked in favor of sensationalism and distracting controversy. Yet part of it would no doubt bring a knowing smile to the man who once claimed he wanted to make his whole life "the greatest show on earth." Long before Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson was engaging artistically with both the monstrosity and allure of fame.

In "Breaking News," Jackson not only delivers his message, but anticipates the way it will be received. In one verse, he lashes out at those anxious to "write his obituary." In the chorus, he asks his listening audience, as he did throughout his career, who they project him to be: Is he the "boogieman" (a constructed monstrous figure) we're thinking of?

Certainly, by 2007 (the year in which "Breaking News" was recorded), he had learned how vicious and entrapping a lifetime in the spotlight could be. The previous two years he had been living as a vagabond, traveling from the Middle Eastern-island of Bahrain to the countryside of Ireland to a private chateau in Las Vegas. In the fall of 2007, he showed up with his children at the doorstep of his longtime friends, the Cascios, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Jackson had been close to the Cascio family for nearly twenty years. During that time, they never once betrayed him for tabloid money (in spite of many offers), but showed him loyalty and allowed him a sense of normalcy he couldn't often enjoy. In the program at Jackson's funeral they are referred to as "the First Family of Love."

Jackson stayed with the Cascios for nearly four months and, along with Frank Cascio, Eddie (Angel) Cascio, and singer James Porte (aka Bobby Ewing), engaged in some of his most sustained recording since before his 2005 trial. Three songs created during these sessions--"Breaking News," "Keep Your Head Up" and "Monster"--are expected to appear on Jackson's new album, all of which Jackson co-wrote. During his time in New Jersey, Jackson also recorded vocals for Thriller 25, which was released in 2008.

Beyond the Cascios, several people close to Jackson were familiar with his work in New Jersey. He mentioned to these people that he was "excited" about the work he and the Cascios had generated. According to Jackson's longtime friend and manager, Frank Dileo, Jackson planned to have recording equipment brought to London during his 02 concert series so he could finalize some of his latest music.

The first of the Cascio tracks to be heard--"Breaking News"--obviously isn't a perfect realization of Jackson's abilities. Receiving the most critical attention are Jackson's vocals, the veracity of which even some family and fans are questioning. There are understandable reasons for this. This certainly isn't a "typical" Jackson recording: there weren't extensive warm ups with longtime vocal coach Seth Riggs, no layering and polishing by Jackson himself, no Bruce Swedien and world-class studio technology to capture the original vocal. This was a guide demo, supplemented by the supporting vocals of James Porte (for which he is credited), and produced nearly four years later by Teddy Riley.

Riley, who first began working with Jackson in the early Nineties, found it emotionally difficult to complete the unfinished work of his late friend. To tap into his inspiration, Riley had photographer Harrison Funk surround him with pictures of the singer. "That was the only thing to keep me sane, and not go crazy while I'm working," said Riley. "Because, you know, it would come out on the music if you hear me banging on the keyboards with tears coming out of my eyes."

Riley said his fundamental motivation was to extend the legacy of a friend. He approached the tracks, therefore, not attempting to overly embellish, but simply to fill in the best he could. His guiding thought was: "What would Michael want?" He even brought sounds Jackson had him record from previous sessions. The final product, of course, is an approximation. But for Riley it was a labor of love.

It wasn't until Riley submitted his work, and three of the songs were accepted by Sony for the album, that the controversy began. Certain individuals--some with noble intentions, some less so--began expressing concerns about the authenticity of the vocals. These concerns were taken seriously by Jackson's Estate. Attorney Howard Weitzman was asked by estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain to conduct a thorough investigation of the authenticity of the Cascio tracks. The Estate, after all, had a lot to lose if the tracks were fraudulent. Since Jackson's death, by all accounts, it had done a masterful job of preserving and enhancing the artist's legacy, including the release of the highest-grossing concert documentary film of all time (This Is It), a new music video collection (Michael Jackson's Vision), a Jackson-themed video game (Michael Jackson: The Experience), a groundbreaking show with Cirque du Soliel ("Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour"), and the biggest recording contract in popular music history.

Perhaps just as important, the Estate had passed on numerous deals, selecting only a handful of projects it felt were worthy of Jackson's name. Risking the substantial credibility it had established amongst both fans and critics for a handful of questionable tracks would have been reckless at best (for Sony as well, who had invested over $200 million dollars on the singer's posthumous projects).

In spite of Jackson's close relationship with the Cascios, therefore, the Estate certainly didn't accept them on blind faith. The Estate invited four of Jackson's primary engineers over the past thirty years, three producers who had worked with Jackson (including Teddy Riley), and spoke to one of the musicians that had worked with Michael over the years and who had also contributed to one of the Cascio tracks. Each of them listened to the a cappella version of the vocals on the Cascio tracks without any musical accompaniment so that they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals on the Cascio tracks were sung by Jackson. To a person they all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael Jackson. These engineers, producers and musicians are all people Jackson trusted and whose names would be very familiar to Jackson's fans.

In addition, at the request of John Branca and John McClain, Howard Weitzman retained one of the best known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the a cappella vocals and compare them with a cappella vocals from previously known Jackson songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific procedure, and found that all of the vocals were the voice of Michael Jackson.

Sony Music conducted its own investigation by hiring a second well-respected forensic musicologist who also compared the raw vocals from the Cascio tracks against known vocals of Jackson's and found that it was Jackson's voice on both sets of the compared vocals.
The Cascio tracks were also played for two of the most significant people in the music industry who played crucial roles in Jackson's career. Both of these individuals believe that the vocals are those of Michael Jackson.

It was also specifically verified that the vocals did not belong to well-known Jackson impersonator, Jason Malachi.

The results of this exhaustive investigation confirmed Sony's belief that the songs submitted by the Estate all contained authentic Michael Jackson vocals. The decision was therefore made to include three of the Cascio tracks on Michael. Other tracks will likely be included on future albums of unreleased material.

While these are not perfectly realized tracks--as no posthumous material can be--there is certainly much to appreciate. The Cascio tracks represent, after all, some of the last work Jackson ever wrote and recorded. It wasn't ready to be released, but then, Jackson wasn't ready to die. "Breaking News," "Monster," "Hold My Hand" and the rest of the tracks that comprise Michael are, similar to the This Is It documentary, fragments of an unfinished vision. They aren't all the polished, perfectionist-Michael Jackson people are accustomed to hearing, but they are him, and what some of his closest friends and collaborators felt his fans deserved to hear.

[analogue]

The more i listen to Breaking News the more i realise that it's just not a very good song. The worst songs on Invicible sound better than this.

When i hear Breaking News i can just imagine Britney Spears singing it

[StephluvsMJ]

Just take the Cascio songs out. Is it really that big of a deal? Judging by Breaking News and the short snippet of Monster, they aren't that good anyways...MJ vocals or not.

ITA. :agree:

[L.T.D]

I honestly I find it quite unnecessary and disrespectful to have negative opinions about people just because they believe the vocals to be MJ.

If you believe all the song is fake - fine, if you want to cancel your order - fine, if you want to protest Sony etc - fine, if you want to post every forum the song is fake and if you want to shout it from the rooftops - that's fine too.

but if there's someone out there that believes the opposite that should be fine as well and we should be able to say " I respect your opinion but I disagree".

Everyone is entitled to their opinion whether it's right or wrong.



<_< When did I ever say that I had negative opinions on people just because they think the vocals are MJ???

I just said the thing that shocks me most about this whole thing is the fact people still think its MJ. It frustrates me like hell, but doesnt mean I hold a negative opinion of them.

The reason I have added certain people to my ignore list is the manner in which they are trying to get across their opinion that it is Michael. People accusing fans of only being against the song because they dont like Sony among other things. I dont hold bad feelings for anyone based on their opinion on this. It frustrates me of course. The only people I hold bad feelings for are those who are accussing the fans of just saying they think its fake because we hate Sony. Until Monday morning, we were all pro Sony.

I realise I havent done the best job of getting across my opinion rationally, but I havent accussed these people of having other reasons behind thinking its not Michael, other than the fact they just hear it and think its him.

So PLEASE dont think you can just assume these things about me. :doh:

[MIST]

Thank you very much Gaz.

[Kikuchiyo]

Its not just ME saying it though is it......look around you. About 90% of the forum believes its fake, its not just me.

Yes, in this case I cant believe everyone doesnt agree with me, because I think its such an obvious thing. . . .

Oh i've seen what the real world is like in the past few days, very much so.
According to one poll, 57% of voters think it's fake, not 90%. ;)
Anyway, for thousands of years, most people thought that the earth was flat and... ...so... :)

People make mistakes. For example, 22 years ago one woman saw Michael Jackson and she thought that he was Mantovani!?!? :) Look here if you don't believe me --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP410Sv-b2E

[kvarnen]

Thank you for clearing this up Gaz.

[butterflies]

Edited since the merge.

[butterflies]

I do think the fans are flying off the handle with this.

The first time I heard Breaking News I thought it sounded odd, but that doesn't mean for certain that it's a fake. The power of suggestion is strong and there has been so much hysteria on this board lately, it's easy to get swept up in it.

Yesterday was ridiculous, when a 15 second clip of Monster appeared on Youtube which featured a woman talking all over it.... you could barely hear a thing and people were screaming "fake" left, right and centre.

I'm going to opt for sanity, and reserve judgement until I've actually heard the songs.

Thank you. I agree with you. I thought it sounded a little odd too, but then I know how things can be changed with production. I know we are loyal Michael fans, but we aren't experts. I can't say that I know more than a forensic musicologist. Sony and the estate do have a lot to lose, as the article says, and they honestly have done an excellent job of keeping up Michael's legacy, so far. They both conducted their own private investigation, and people who have worked with Michael and the producers all say it's him. He really was working on music at the Cascios', and he did co-write the songs. I can't believe so many people who are now talking about cancelling orders and boycotting the album, etc. Really? I would never do that just based on a hunch and some hype that it's not Michael. You're shooting your own self in the foot.

[StacyJ]

what a mess

[defdave]

Sony have put songs on this album that are fake and are trying to release it as a Michael Jackson album.

But you know what shocks me most?

The fact there are still fans that are adamant it is MJ on these songs :| There are people here including myself that have known this wasnt MJ since the very first listen on Monday morning.

Honest to god, nothing has shocked me more in this whole situation than the fact that that there are still fans here that are adamant it is him.

I have added 4 or 5 people to my ignore list in the past few days. It was empty on Sunday.

Same here, LTD. I keep checking here and seeing people who are actually falling for this. That's disturbing to me...and no 'deano' before you say it, no I'm not "the controlling type". It's just disturbing to me because if fans will fall for an imposter, why wouldn't that then give them the motivation to continue doing this in the future? So we'll end up with a bunch of songs labeled as 'artist - Michael Jackson', but not actually sung by him. I'm sorry, but that REALLY ****** me off. I mean REALLY badly. It's a damn travesty and miscarriage of justice in Michael's name if Sony gets away with this.

Guys, it's not him on the lead vocal of 'Breaking News'. My time over the past near 30 years obsessively listening to Michael Jackson songs tells me that, plus I'm somewhat of an audiophile and a professional DJ. For years, my ears are what's made me a living. Rarely do they fool me. And when it comes to my favorite artist of all time, I can promise each and every one of you...my ears are right in this instance especially.

But as I've said before, this whole argument just continues to go round and round and people are going to believe what they want. Now, I'm a live and let live kinda guy usually but the reason this situation's got me up in arms is to me an issue of morality, of right and wrong. It's everything Michael told us about the liars, the backstabbers....they'll do anything for money. This situation is plain and simple. It's about corporate greed. And that's coming from a capitalist.

So what are we to do, the long time fans who are certain beyond a shadow of a doubt about this? Honestly, I don't know. We can contact Sony but I highly doubt that's going to get us anywhere. We can yell and scream here, but all we'll do is argue with the lurkers coming out of the shadows to defend Sony because they just WANT to believe so badly no matter what the truth may be. But all that's going to do is cause more strife and chaos. So what are we to do? I've not felt so strongly about fighting an injustice in quite a while. But this is just WRONG and they have to be stopped, some how some way.

Honestly, I don't know what to do. I feel helpless fighting against corporate greed and fan delusion. So who knows what's gonna happen. All I know is Sony isn't getting my money for lying to me. They may be able to fool some people, but they're not fooling a lot of us "old folks" who KNOW Michael's voice perhaps even better than their own.

[Big Apple2]

I never brought into the whole thing anyway. I believe it's Michael.

The Will is FAKE!

This Is It was made by using a FAKE Michael!

Now songs on the album are FAKE!

Why is it everytime certain members of the Jackson clan do not profit, then the project is deemed FAKE!

P.S. When the Cirque du Soleil project was first announced, Joe Jackson said he would NOT support it. I guess he couldn't say it was FAKE. LOL!

[Kuzeh]

There we go... makes perfect sense...
BUT, this should've been released BEFORE making the song public...

[callmerose]

MJ's legacy will not be ruined for decades to come, soooo dramatic! The world doesn't care nearly as much as we do. Maybe we should rephrase "our world would be ruined for decades to come"

MJ's legacy has already been set in stone. IF a few tracks on the album used an impersonator for parts, that will not ruin MJ's legacy and integrity. The man is dead, he has no say in this. If anything, it would help entrench the idea that MJ is a victim from everyone trying to extract money out of him and help his image as people would feel bad for him. No more drama, it's getting annoying!

So true. The only reputations that will be harmed are those of the people behind the alleged fraud. Obviously, Michael had nothing to do with it.

[butterflies]

I was waiting for your response to all this, and thank you, Gaz .
What I saw these days it"s unbelivable. Is it Michael or not ?!
Yes...I admit it sounds different from what we heard of Michael..but I was not ready to say it"s fake after listening to it once or twice.
I am really confused about it, because I am not a fan from yesterday.I follow Michael"s work for more than 28 years.
What scares me is that a huge number of ppl are trying to convince others not to buy the album without knowing anything for real and beliving all the stupid rumors there are going around. I can"t believe this !!!!!! What are you doing people ??!!
If you don"t think BN is Michael - ok. If you do - ok.
Future will tell, for sure.
Some of ppl could be sorry for what they said.

I guess the "Thank" button is gone now, so I'll have to go back to quoting the people I agree with.
I agree with what you said, and I think it's very sad.

[L.T.D]

I'm sorry but what is this supposed to prove? There isnt even a source, and if there was a source I wouldnt believe it anyway.

[Derek1984]

MJ's legacy will not be ruined for decades to come, soooo dramatic! The world doesn't care nearly as much as we do. Maybe we should rephrase "our world would be ruined for decades to come"

MJ's legacy has already been set in stone. IF a few tracks on the album used an impersonator for parts, that will not ruin MJ's legacy and integrity. The man is dead, he has no say in this. If anything, it would help entrench the idea that MJ is a victim from everyone trying to extract money out of him and help his image as people would feel bad for him. No more drama, it's getting annoying!


Fine. I just won't buy the album. That's all.

[callmerose]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

Relieved, actually. Because I still can't believe that someone would try to get away with faking his vocals. If it is Michael then someone needs to explain why he sounds so different.
Saying you hired a forensic audiologist isn't proof. A verified statement from the forensic audiologist = proof.
Saying it is Michael isn't proof. Video of Michael recording the verses or raw demo tracks of Michael recording the verses = proof.
If it really is Michael, they should just release the forensic audiologists reports that say it is him with their names listed so we can verify that they really are forensic audiologists. That would be proof enough for me.
btw, forensic audiologist sounds like a really cool job......

[Pace,MioDolceCuore]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

That is precisely what I am questioning my sanity. I DO hear him loud and clear in parts and in other parts it is so layered and so overproduced that there is no way of knowing for your average listener on average equipment. That is why it was done this way.

I didn't come to any final conclusion aside from really being close to losing my mind. I do hear Michael Jackson- and I don't. I hear him in these speckles here and there and even then it sounds as if 200000 sounds are slapped over it.

Parts of his chest register reminded me of Shout and of his speaking voice. "nothing to be nervous about."

Somebody here in another thread was complaining about "no promo". Well, I guess at least say there's no lack of controversy.

But I will defer judgement, I think it's way too overproduced to make for lack of "roundness", but one could have gone the opposite way with this- the singer/songwriter minimalistic approach/piano and a cello. The melody of the chorus is almost perfect for classical music. Instead the went with a "Eurovision de la chanson" contest type sound, which again- that melody is perfect for it.

[Richie_Boii]

"Just because you read it in a magazine Or see it on the TV screen Don't make it factual"

People can say what they want and try fill our minds with rubbish. But we know Michaels voice.

[cppounders]

I'm sorry but what is this supposed to prove? There isnt even a source, and if there was a source I wouldnt believe it anyway.

That's a very objective, level-headed stance to take... :doh:

[butterflies]

Good article. I hope this is cleared up soon and people can find joy in the fact we have something new instead of whats going on right now. I joined this site hoping to share my excitement with other fans and all I find is people raging :(

This is true, and I'm sorry. I find it very upsetting too because it's been that way during the whole time we've waited. It seems like all we've been doing is just bickering back and forth.
Some people now say that it's a nice article, but too bad, we don't believe it. What is there not to believe? Is the person writing the article just telling a bunch of lies? I actually believe that Sony AND the estate have both conducted investigations to test the tracks and find out if they were legit or not. Why? Sony paid over $200,000,000 for the songs. Do you not think they would want to be absolutely certain they are really Michael Jackson??
What about the estate? If they are not him, and people won't buy the album, it would hurt them and their future projects. So yes, I do believe they both conducted investigations. Even as long time fans (which I am one myself of over 27 years), we don't know more than the forensic musicologists, the producers who worked on the track, the people who were there in the studio with Michael when he worked on the track (people who were actually friends with Michael and who have never spoken a bad word about him), Jason Malachi (who people INSISTED was singing the song) who has also said it wasn't him. Why can't people just accept that they can change a lot in production? Maybe they are the ones we should be mad at? Maybe Michael wanted to sound different because it was a song he was singing in 3rd person? We don't know, but it's very immature and premature to start talking about boycotting the album at this point in time. I know for a fact that some of the tracks on there are without a doubt, Michael, and I would be hurting myself if I didn't buy the album. Who cares about Sony? People seem to forget that Michael did not still have a thing against them; it was Tommy Motolla he hated.

[dupsy]

edit post

[summer]

I wrote a blog about what I think about the song and the Oprah interview: http://summerwind2010.blogspot.com/

I think the song in itself isn't that bad...I've had it stuck in my head. However, it's no "Earth Song". It sounds more like a song written for Britney. And I think there is no point really in anyone trying to convince fans it's the REAL Michael singing on it, because the FACT still is that it doesn't SOUND like him. So even if it as MJ singing but it was so overproduced that it would leave the vocals sounding nothing like MJ....I'd still say...don't put that song on the album...or go back to put the original vocals the way they sounded before they were overproduced so that it sounds like Michael. IF it's Michael singing like they are saying. All I can say is that I CAN'T hear Michael's voice on the song no matter how I try..if you don't count a couple of heehees" maybe. And I think if someone has to try to CONVINCE us that it's Michael...something is SERIOUSLY wrong. Especially when we have heard other unreleased songs online and we could tell in a second it's MICHAEL singing....



I suppose the good thing about all of this is, we know which tracks are the supposed "fakes" and will stand out like dogs balls when they're thrown amongst the rest.

Even when comparing the Breaking News and Do You Know Where Your Children Are tracks it's almost night and day when it comes to the quality of song.

One is Michael, another is "Michael" on a very off day, possibly hung over WITH the flu, getting over tonsillitis, with a strained voice from yelling at the previous days football game, while the Cascio's recorded his voice through a cup-and-string connected to a recording console, loaded up with a dodgy failing hard drive.

Conveniently all other takes were disposed of. Maybe a basket of magnets fell from a shelf and hit the hard drive, resulting in the corruption of files. Michael then had to re-sing the song, which he wasn't happy about doing (explains the lack of "normal" effort on his behalf).

Hey but in the end, you hear what you want to hear.

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: You're funny!! :lol: I agree with the bolded part. You hear "Another Day" and you know within a SECOND it's him, without any doubts. So how come with Breaking News we all have to be CONVINCED it's him. There's something seriously wrong with that. -_-


I have yes, and they are well aware of the outcry that is happening right now.

They have been having some urgent meetings regarding this and as soon as I have anything to share I will let you all know.

I can assure you all however the Estate are concerned regarding the response they have got re this song, its not a matter of tough its Michael now live with it.

I am in hope that they will communicate with me soon something that might just ease this situation.

Thanks Gaz! They need to know they better not mess with MJ fans and that we are not STUPID...and also that we WON'T let ANYONE destroy or put MJ's legacy in jeopardy!!! <_<


:agree:

And The rest of what u said is hilarious!:rofl:

If these questionable songs were home demos at somebodies home studio (The Cascios) and that's the reason why people are saying he sounded off? :smilerolleyes:

Then how do people explain MJ sounding like himself when he had demos on a tape recorders only!? For example at his 93 Mexico deposition they played demos that MJ did on a tape recorder and it sounded just fine no second guessing was needed to know it was him! And those tapes were from the 80's and it was still clear it was him!

Yea, I know his voice matured threw the yrs but, BN was just way off in comparison to a tape recorder that would be less then a home studio demo! Maybe I'm wrong but, that's my opinion!



Thank u GAZ! May this be resolved soon and be a positive outcome!? *PRAYING*


Completely agree...How come we can tell witin a SECOND and WITHOUT A DOUBT it's him on all the other demos we've heard...like Another Day...Place With No Name, etc.?!


let me go write an article and claim to have heard from sources, yet fail to name them...smh.

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: Let ME go to SingSnap to record a SONG with my vocals and then say it's Michael's unreleased song!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


Voices dont mature drastically numerous times in your adulthood. People forget Michael was 28/29 during Bad, he wasn't a teenager even back then. His voice changed slightly over time, however to say that he suddenly developed the voice of a Nick Carter/Justin Timberlake combination is way too farfetched.

I have said this before, but due to the flood of posts MJJC is receiving lately, it probably went unnoticed. I feel that the ENTIRE song is a fraud. Nothing SUNG on the track is Michael. The only thing that you can semi-confidently say is real would be the obviously cropped "aaaooowwww" which isn't even placed very well throughout the track.

This whole situation reminds me of those individuals who fake ancient artifacts or biblical relics in order to gain recognition. They will take the item, for example, ancient text from a book, and age it by scrunching it up, spilling water on it, burying it in dirt or other methods in order to fabricate the illusion of natural aging. It's things such as this are what make frauds easy to spot. Now we have this song, which chooses a subject that few doubt anyone else would sing about - the crucifying public/media. Who else right? It sounds enough like him (for some) so therefore it HAS to be him...

Maybe this is the reason Sony chose this song as the big teaser? If "Mamacita" or any other Jason Malachi track was touched up with some "MJ effects" such as the "hee hee" and "aowwww" then i'm sure it would have been even worse, even though I find the vocals on Breaking News to be closer to Mamacita then a legit MJ demo or Hold My Hand. The most likely accepted "fraud" track was used in order to judge how well it was received, and it obviously didn't go down too well.

In the end you still have people out there who claim Jason Malachi songs as Michaels, it's incredible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezNdbBC5hHY

"The song is on the ULTIMATE DVD-COLLECTION, on the 94-songs-cd. It is Michael Jackson indeed, and it is one of my FAVORITES. He didn't really SPEAK Spanish, but he had such an indredible talent for music that he could sing it easily."

"I do believe it's Michael! it sounds amazing!!!I LOVED IT!Michael vamos a cantar!!!! vamos a bailar!!!!BRAVO!!!TI AMO POR SIEMPRE!!!!"

"this is Michael... Jason Malachi just have he's voice modify by Sony because they had a conflict with Michael...."

"I believe you but his voice is really confusing because malachi does nice vocals similar to MJ's..."

"Wow...this is amazing....Oh my god....hot sexy :X Sounds like Michael's voice, but is that really???? Who can tell the true...pls :X Love you MJ! forever! :X:X:X"

Besides, we heard Michael sing on This Is It. So how would it make sense that his voice suddenly changed only during the time he recorded with the Cascios? He sounded the same when he sang before 2007 and AFTER 2007...but somehow his voice changed at the Cascio house? :doh: I accpreciate the Cascios for having been good friends with Michael and for not betraying him when he was alive...I hope they won't start betrayig him now and using his name now....


Now please stop saying Michael sounded off. First of all, he never did it like that and I also know how Michael acted if he was just practicing. Secondly, no one sounds so off he sounds like a different person. If you sound off, it changes your tone, but not your manners, pronouncation, breathing, singing technics and all. Especially if you have sung through your whole life they would be all there even though not at your best...

EXACTLY!!!! :clapping:


Lord, it's MJ on these tracks. These were DEMO recordings, folks. Enough of the childish uproar. Let's get back to celebrating what is about to happen.

Your point being? How come Michael sounds like Michael on all the OTHER demos...just conveniently not on this one....?:mello:


Same here, LTD. I keep checking here and seeing people who are actually falling for this. That's disturbing to me...and no 'deano' before you say it, no I'm not "the controlling type". It's just disturbing to me because if fans will fall for an imposter, why wouldn't that then give them the motivation to continue doing this in the future? So we'll end up with a bunch of songs labeled as 'artist - Michael Jackson', but not actually sung by him. I'm sorry, but that REALLY ****** me off. I mean REALLY badly. It's a damn travesty and miscarriage of justice in Michael's name if Sony gets away with this.

Guys, it's not him on the lead vocal of 'Breaking News'. My time over the past near 30 years obsessively listening to Michael Jackson songs tells me that, plus I'm somewhat of an audiophile and a professional DJ. For years, my ears are what's made me a living. Rarely do they fool me. And when it comes to my favorite artist of all time, I can promise each and every one of you...my ears are right in this instance especially.

But as I've said before, this whole argument just continues to go round and round and people are going to believe what they want. Now, I'm a live and let live kinda guy usually but the reason this situation's got me up in arms is to me an issue of morality, of right and wrong. It's everything Michael told us about the liars, the backstabbers....they'll do anything for money. This situation is plain and simple. It's about corporate greed. And that's coming from a capitalist.

So what are we to do, the long time fans who are certain beyond a shadow of a doubt about this? Honestly, I don't know. We can contact Sony but I highly doubt that's going to get us anywhere. We can yell and scream here, but all we'll do is argue with the lurkers coming out of the shadows to defend Sony because they just WANT to believe so badly no matter what the truth may be. But all that's going to do is cause more strife and chaos. So what are we to do? I've not felt so strongly about fighting an injustice in quite a while. But this is just WRONG and they have to be stopped, some how some way.

Honestly, I don't know what to do. I feel helpless fighting against corporate greed and fan delusion. So who knows what's gonna happen. All I know is Sony isn't getting my money for lying to me. They may be able to fool some people, but they're not fooling a lot of us "old folks" who KNOW Michael's voice perhaps even better than their own.

Like I wrote in my blog...if they can get away with this one, imagine the possibilities....they can take ANY song and as long as they have their little MJ impersonator working for them, they can keep releasing any kind of song as an "unreleasd MJ song"...very convenient...and extremely profitable...

[butterflies]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

I know, exactly. What if???

[qbee]

This certainly isn't a "typical" Jackson recording: there weren't extensive warm ups with longtime vocal coach Seth Riggs, no layering and polishing by Jackson himself, no Bruce Swedien and world-class studio technology to capture the original vocal. This was a guide demo, supplemented by the supporting vocals of James Porte (for which he is credited), and produced nearly four years later by Teddy Riley.


Why is no one addressing this part of the article
so which part of the vocals on BN does James porte sing.?? and which parts are Michael _ I say MJ is only in chorus placed in the BG

First we are told 100% Michael and now we have James Porte credited for Vocals ??

Isnt James Porte is also credited with Casico for producing these tracks

[riviera1992]

what a mess

If this info would've been released with the song premiere it would've been such a mess.

Now we've got everybody and their mothers with fake Twitter accounts, the nay-sayers, the purists and other various "secret" sources butting the fans against each other when we should be appreciating what's good about the song: GREAT dance song with plenty of HIStory.

[butterflies]

This article actually makes a lot of sense.

Comparison : I question whether the vocal comparison discussion we have seen over several threads are actually valid comparisons or in reality comparing to apples to oranges. A normal MJ track that we know is professionally recorded in an actual studio with Michael recording several vocal tracks but this song is by all accounts is recorded in a home studio with one single vocal track. Therefore it's bound to be worse than the normal song that we are accustomed to. ( I said this before that I worked with a recording artist - a rock band- before. They had home studio and nothing that was recorded there was album use quality. )

Additional vocals and being credited on the album : I think we can all agree that the Breaking news song include other vocals then Michael's. The question is how much of it's Michael and how much isn't. Now I have seen people say that an impostor such as Jason Malachi is used and that this will be hidden. However as this article suggest I tend to think that any and all additional vocals will be credited on the album - otherwise it opens doors to fraud lawsuits.

I also see "Sony can do whatever they want" comments - which in reality isn't the perfect truth. At least in USA selling a song as "Michael Jackson" when he isn't the one singing is consumer fraud and they can be sued.

I said this before logically I tend to believe that - like this article and Teddy Riley said -
1) forensic musicologists has confirmed that it's Michael and that
2) Sony will accurately credit any and all additional vocals

Therefore even this song could be "questionable" in people's minds and ears, I tend to think that in a court of law Sony could actually prove it to be legit. Hence again going back to one of Teddy Riley's comments that is probably the reason that we aren't seeing a lawsuit.

:clapping::yes: I agree with you, and you're right. Sony can't just do whatever they want, and of course they would investigate it. If nothing else, they want to save their own butts.

[Pace,MioDolceCuore]

Why is no one addressing this _ so which part of the vocals on BN does James porte sing.?? and which parts are Michael

First we are told 100% Michael and now we have James Porte credited for Vocals ??

Isnt James Porte is also credited with Casico for producing these tracks

That is the bigger problem. I have not seen any credits so far. It's great that Mr. Porte is being credited- it would be nice to see that fine print somewhere.

[callmerose]

So....IF the vocals are Michael, I wonder how many ppl would suddenly start to love the song.....
I truly respect everyone"s opinion but saying things like " I don"t want this song on the album..." is ridiculous.
.

I actually like the song. I just don't think Michael is singing the verses.

[ScrEAm.Jack5on]

When I first played the song, it didn't sound right. Straight away I didn't think it sounded like Michael. I still think some parts don't sound like the Michael we know.

I think they (whoever they is) took the little basic badly recorded 'pre-demo' MJ did (which teddy riley said was unnaceptable) and messed with it so much, adding things from old songs, adding someone elses voice - (eg. this James Porte guy that they've admitted to).. so it's ended up sounding wrong to A LOT of fans.

Whatever you think, the magic is lost for definite.

Everyone will think of this drama whenever they play it.

Do you think MJ would want something like this released under his name.. ?
No wonder will.i.am has a problem with this album. They're doing what they did with 2pac.

Big Apple: I may have a agreed with you if it wasn't for Jackie, Taj, TJ, and Taryll - they aren't the 'bad' Jacksons. Also, they aren't against the album they are against particular songs on it, so your point fails. :

tajjackson3 (http://twitter.com/#%21/tajjackson3) Taj Jackson
There are 7 great, no doubt, 100 percent Michael Jackson songs on the new album. I will ALWAYS support those.

And, also, fans are judging with their own ears, lots of those fans who were against what members of the family were saying have now changed their minds once they've listened to the song themselves. Lots of people have come out sayin it doesn't sound like Michael - including Rodney 'Darkchild' Jenkins.

Now I want to know how much singing this James Porte does on this song..

[tdude418]

I never brought into the whole thing anyway. I believe it's Michael.

The Will is FAKE!

This Is It was made by using a FAKE Michael!

Now songs on the album are FAKE!

Why is it everytime certain members of the Jackson clan do not profit, then the project is deemed FAKE!

P.S. When the Cirque du Soleil project was first announced, Joe Jackson said he would NOT support it. I guess he couldn't say it was FAKE. LOL!

Lol. I agree with you. I totally believed it was Michael when I first heard the real song. And then after hearing the acapella (sp?) version, I was more than sure it was MJ. Hey, it ain't my favorite MJ song, but it's alright. It's not horrible. I've heard allegations from many fans that This Is It was used using a fake Michael, and some of them doubting that MJ knows how to play instruments. They seem to have no faith.

[summer]

I know, exactly. What if???


Still wouldn't change the fact that it doesn't SOUND like him, so obviously something would still be wrong and there would be no point in putting a song on the album if it doesn't sound like him. Or they should put the raw demo on the album with it with MJ on the mic coughing and sneezing telling he has laryngitis and that he doesn't sound like himself when they recorded it. :smilerolleyes:

[Kuzeh]

I think this time around some fans are making more damage than good...
IT IS Michael Jackson...
With additional overlapped vocals, and badly recorded but heavily embellished and processed during production... anybody with a bit of musical sense will tell you that...

[butterflies]

Haha... Hi, Hess. ;) I know, my post number is low, but when MJJC changed-up a couple of years back, all my previous posts were lost and I had to start over, which is fine. I've been a faithful reader/follower of MJJC for YEARS, and have been a MJ fan since the early 70's -- having the honor and privilege of following him through most of his career. I even met MJ in Chicago back in 1988 during his BAD tour, which was, simply, amazing (to say the least), but that is another story I will share another time. Promise! :)

Now... it has been heartbreaking to sit here and witness what is happening within the community these past few days. Of course, I understand everyone's raw feelings -- perhaps an extension of the loss we are all feeling since June of 2009 -- but what is truly sad is the environment it has created here, one of anger and hate and distrust. What use to be a fun place to visit and celebrate with fellow fans has now become a chamber of hate and accusation and rampant finger-pointing. How ironic, this is the sort of thing MJ faced his entire life, now his fans are caught up into it as well...

So, this is my take -- for what it is worth. BREAKING NEWS and the other Cascio tracks are absolutely real. They are just DEMO recordings that weren't finalized to perfection by MJ as usual, hence them sounding "different" or "not real" to some. MJ never gave it his "all" during the recording of demo vocals, which is apparent on on MANY of his other demo recordings. Simply, he knew he would go back in and clean it up. On these, sadly, he was unable to. But, to me, I am SO GRATEFUL to have these songs to listen to -- to sit back and remember him by. It is a gift that I don't take lightly, and will not let certain others who are currently caught up in some kind of strange mass hysteria ruin.

So, for what it is worth, I suggest everyone sit back, take a deep breath, and try to enjoy what is ahead for all of us. I know this situation isn't perfect (or some of the recordings) but it's as close as we're going to get considering the sad affair we have all lived through for nearly a year and a half. I love you all. I really do. Now, on to the record! December 14th can't get here soon enough! Just remember one thing:

Turn in up loud, and spread the LOVE! ;)

Excellent post! Thank you, and I completely agree. People have to remember that before ANY song was released or before any announcement was made, there were already rumors going around that the songs on the album were fake and not really Michael. So it was already planted in people's minds that there could be fake songs, and over the years there have been fans who post on here who think certain songs are Michael, and then others who point out that they're not. But sometimes Michael's demos are beautiful, and other times they are not the best. During This Is It (the movie), he sang "Earth Song", and when it got to the part where he sings, "What about..." he didn't sound like he did on the actual song. He sounded much weaker and softer, but we all know it's because he was saving his voice. WE know, but the general public might not have known. If he did it the way he did on the album, it would strain and hurt his voice. If he was not giving it his all during a demo performance, he would sound different.
I have had my doubts myself about BN, but I just think it's too soon for all of us to assume it's NOT Michael and boycott the album or send hate mail to Sony.

[ScrEAm.Jack5on]

http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/608445113/Taj_Michael_Jackson_normal.jpg
tajjackson3 (http://twitter.com/#%21/tajjackson3) Taj Jackson
There are 7 great, no doubt, 100 percent Michael Jackson songs on the new album. I will ALWAYS support those.

http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/608445113/Taj_Michael_Jackson_normal.jpg
tajjackson3 (http://twitter.com/#%21/tajjackson3) Taj Jackson



I am. Can't tell you what to do. RT @KTAJ5678 (http://twitter.com/KTAJ5678): . One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch. Should I buy it? Y Or N. I'd like to buy it. :)


4 minutes ago (http://twitter.com/#%21/tajjackson3/status/2408732201848832) Favorite (http://twitter.com/#) Retweet (http://twitter.com/#) Reply (http://twitter.com/#)

http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/608445113/Taj_Michael_Jackson_normal.jpg
tajjackson3 (http://twitter.com/#%21/tajjackson3) Taj Jackson
If it doesn't sell like it should, they will say he is not significant anymore.
2 minutes ago (http://twitter.com/#%21/tajjackson3/status/2409229201702912) Favorite (http://twitter.com/#) Retweet (http://twitter.com/#) Reply (http://twitter.com/#)

[Lucilla]

What If... and I mean what if the lead vocals on Breaking News and Monster ARE MJ? How would you all feel? Just a question

I would feel confused as I am now.

The thing is if this is real someone have to explain why MJ sounds so different.

They're trying to argument with things like:


-he taped from a phone

-he was getting old

-it's over editing

-maybe he had a cold



If this is MJ, they have to try better than that.

[rainny]

Besides, we heard Michael sing on This Is It. So how would it make sense that his voice suddenly changed only during the time he recorded with the Cascios? He sounded the same when he sang before 2007 and AFTER 2007...but somehow his voice changed at the Cascio house?

...


That's what I was thinking about too.

[Adibobea9]

I have been convinced from the beginning that the background vocals were those of Michael Jackson and after hearing multiple acapella versions I could be convinced that parts of the lead may have been Michael Jackson, but the song DOES feature another impostor that Sony is not recognizing to fill in the gaps that Michael didn't record. This is what is wrong with the album and the Sony executives. They need to address this issue, because 70% of hard core Michael Jackson fans are not deaf…

[Alec]

Here is Michael walking down the street, without any warm ups, singing to a video camera microphone:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIm12LBuAlk?fs=1&amp;hl=pl_PL&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIm12LBuAlk?fs=1&amp;hl=pl_PL&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

There's no way a song could be recorded in ANY studio and not sound like Michael Jackson.

[makaveli_80]

im getting really confused with all this different stories and stuff. Can they no just come out and say whats the real shit that is going down.

[riviera1992]

supplemented by the supporting vocals of James Porte (for which he is credited),

Is this clear enough for you people that refuse to read the obvious. For God sake yes you're right: James Porte is NOT Michael Jackson's voice.

But Michael's voice is his own and appears in this song.

Give it a rest. Relax. Drink a few glasses of wine and dance your arsses off. This is a great dance song and a very catchy tune.

With the Love, L.o.v.e.

[butterflies]

im getting really confused with all this different stories and stuff. Can they no just come out and say whats the real shit that is going down.

I know. This is so upsetting and frustrating! :( We don't want anyone else singing on the tracks but Michael, no overlapping of other people or fillers, etc. Ugh.

Thanks for the video, Alec. It's beautiful. I miss Michael so much. I just wish he was still here.

[Billie_Jean]

Here is Michael walking down the street, without any warm ups, singing to a video camera microphone:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIm12LBuAlk?fs=1&amp;hl=pl_PL&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIm12LBuAlk?fs=1&amp;hl=pl_PL&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

There's no way a song could be recorded in ANY studio and not sound like Michael Jackson.

Thanks, I couldn't agree more. I knew it wasn't Michael from the very beginning and I am sick of this whole situation. :(

[chacal]

I do think the fans are flying off the handle with this.

The first time I heard Breaking News I thought it sounded odd, but that doesn't mean for certain that it's a fake. The power of suggestion is strong and there has been so much hysteria on this board lately, it's easy to get swept up in it.

Yesterday was ridiculous, when a 15 second clip of Monster appeared on Youtube which featured a woman talking all over it.... you could barely hear a thing and people were screaming "fake" left, right and centre.

I'm going to opt for sanity, and reserve judgement until I've actually heard the songs.

I agree
Yesterday I hear 2 songs "All I Need" and "Carry On"
I post: "All I Need" is beautifull , I didn't even say its michael voice, or michael sound great, I only said the song is beautifull
what did I got: IT's FAKE.... BOTH ARE FAKE

Then one of the gave his reason why he believes it is fake
and I respondes: Its ok, I understand 100%

I though it was great and he even thanked me

Can't we do this guys? its not that difficult

[Tipareth]

But sometimes Michael's demos are beautiful, and other times they are not the best. During This Is It (the movie), he sang "Earth Song", and when it got to the part where he sings, "What about..." he didn't sound like he did on the actual song. He sounded much weaker and softer, but we all know it's because he was saving his voice.

I am responding only to this fragment. It's not accurate. Mike wasn't saving his voice, he sung the song different, very alike with the composition of Earth Song in first stages.

I do have the alternate demo in my computer. It's bit different vocals, even musically is bit different, than the official version we all know.
Actually I prefer the melody from this demo version over the original. I just adore how he shapes his voice... I am in trance whenever I listen to it, it's so beautiful that it gets hypnotic.....

[PCR]

Here is Michael walking down the street, without any warm ups, singing to a video camera microphone:

<object height="385" width="480">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIm12LBuAlk?fs=1&hl=pl_PL&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></object>

There's no way a song could be recorded in ANY studio and not sound like Michael Jackson.

This is more than clear :clapping:
BN is but a mix of MJ and some other dude.
$ony has already changed the original version at mj.com and the Estate has recognized this other dude's voice is there, saying MJ is the main leading voice.

Congratulations, fans, we were right.

:clapping: