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Ultimate Collection Content

AdamPoland

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Have you ever wonder about how MJ picked up the songs to be used in the box of Ultimate Collection? In ny opinion there are so many other songs which more deserve to be included on such a compilation with this kind of tittle.
I would like to share my detail opinion there but first i am courios what you thick of it.
Lets start discussion. What song you would like to include or remove?
 
I heard that TUC was found on Michael bedroom so I thought he liked this compilation. There was a photo but I can not find it.
 
AdamPoland said:
Have you ever wonder about how MJ picked up the songs to be used in the box of Ultimate Collection? In ny opinion there are so many other songs which more deserve to be included on such a compilation with this kind of tittle.
I would like to share my detail opinion there but first i am courios what you thick of it.
Lets start discussion. What song you would like to include or remove?
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I think MJ was not involved in this project and in song selection. He had to do it (a box set compilation) because of his contract obligations signed in 1991. So Sony people just went through the vault and through the archives and throw something together. MJ probably approved it not knowing what songs did they put on there because he didn't care, he just wanted out of that contract.
 
wonderouzmj said:
I've heard somewhere that Sony went through his catalogue & just threw them on there
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There is definitely evidence of that. I mean Michael wanted to finish, Cheater, Beautiful Girl and The Way You Love Me at least, for his next album 2005-10
Regardless of them being on the Ultimate Collection perhaps he didn't know they were released??

To this day I am grateful for the Ultimate Collection as it was new Mike material, but I wish they would have used songs like In The Back and Dangerous 90 demo instead of complete or close to complete tracks, like We've Had Enough. Imagine how much of surprise they would have been on a new album or even a posthumous album
 
MJ described it as "just a box set they're doing" I recall around that time. I'm not sure of his input but he did have it near him when he passed.
 
Well of course there would be "better choices" to put on the album and that's why they were not on there..

Michael was working to get out of the Sony contract, the projects Michael was working on around that time was to fulfill contract demands and take his music else where..

I think the opposite almost. I think a couple are too good to have not saved for a project he'd actually care about.

That was the whole idea behind number ones also.. he had to release an album with "new material" well.. there was one new song. ;)
 
I don't think MJ had much to do with picking the tracks for TUC.

It's a great release - and I hope the Estate will make a new release like that - 4-5 CD's - with a lot of new demoes and songs - and 1-2 DVD/Blu-Rays with new concerts, new footage - fx studio footage, rehearsals etc. etc.
 
wonderouzmj said:
I've heard somewhere that Sony went through his catalogue & just threw them on there
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Probably another myth created by fans. Sony had nothing whatsoever to gain by "throwing" songs onto an ultimate collection without giving it any proper thought.


OnirMJ said:
I think MJ was not involved in this project and in song selection. He had to do it (a box set compilation) because of his contract obligations signed in 1991. So Sony people just went through the vault and through the archives and throw something together. MJ probably approved it not knowing what songs did they put on there because he didn't care, he just wanted out of that contract.
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Anyone who thinks that Michael Jackson would not be involved in any way, in a project that had his name on it, is dreaming. The packaging alone has his personality all over it. To suggest also, that he would approve it without knowing what songs were on there, or that he didn't care about what was being released for his fans, is just way, way off base, to me. Sorry, but it is.
 
SmoothCriminal1995 said:
To this day I am grateful for the Ultimate Collection as it was new Mike material, but I wish they would have used songs like In The Back and Dangerous 90 demo instead of complete or close to complete tracks, like We've Had Enough.
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I love the Ultimate Collection. It's especially good to have in my car because for me, it holds a rich treasure trove of material all together, in one easy-to-carry package. The songs chosen in their particular order seem to trace Michael's career in a roughly sequential path, from "I Want You Back" all the way through to "We've Had Enough". At least, that's the feeling I get, when I listen to the collection over a span of a few days, or a week, in my car!

I seem to be one of the few people who doesn't like the "Dangerous" demo....I really do not....I much prefer the final album version and it's the same with the PYT demo, too. That being said, I think this was my first experience with hearing demos, or slightly unfinished "concept songs", on an album and it of course, whetted my appetite to hear more, in all of the years that have gone by since then. I don't like "In the Back very much, but I can definitely accept what Michael was trying to say with it, for sure.

"We've Had Enough" is a brilliant song, in my opinion. What a wonderful surprise it was, in 2004! I'm extremely grateful that it was picked for the collection. Other choices I'm grateful for are: Dancing Machine, You Can't Win, Sunset Driver, Lovely One, Someone in the Dark, Monkey Business, On the Line and Beautiful Girl.
 
I love this box set - it has all of my favourite Michael songs in one place (I don't have a lot of storage space for vinyl and stuff anymore) and it's so slick and just...great! I believe it's the only CD that has the original version of 'The Way You Love Me' on it, so it gets an extra point for that. :wub:

I don't understand why so many fans think that Michael had no say in this release...wasn't he 'Mr Perfectionist' with his entire body of work?
 
I think the box-set ‘The Ultimate Collection’ is generally a good project because it caters not only to his hard-core fans but also to the general audience.

I particularly liked the idea of the inclusion of the previously unreleased ‘Fall Again’, ‘The Way You Love Me’ & ‘Beautiful Girl’ (from the ‘Invincible’ era) because they give a more romantic tone to that project.

But the exclusion of certain songs had me foxed. Fo example, I never understood why they did not include ‘Earth Song’, ‘Human Nature’, or even ‘Scream’ which is by all accounts his best duet of his career.

Also, I believe that ‘On The Line’, ‘Dangerous’ (early version), or even ‘Childhood’, were rather unnecessary inclusions which did not really add value to that project.

I cannot tell about MJ’s exact degree of his involvement in that box set but I know for sure that he in the end himself approved its included material (given his admission that he always had the final say on the included material of his projects).
 
Those previously unreleased tracks like Fall Again, On the Line, Beautiful Girl & Someone Put Your Hand out need to be released on a future posthumous album as bonus tracks in my opinion as they deserve to be heard by a general audience. Only the hardcore fans know these which is a shame as they are great tracks.
 
I'm pretty sure Sony released The Ultimate Collection to support MJ. To imply that he wasn't involved or didn't care doesn't really make sense, MJ often said things to spin them the way he wanted and I think the "just a box set" thing is a good example of that.
 
SmoothGangsta said:
I'm pretty sure Sony released The Ultimate Collection to support MJ. To imply that he wasn't involved or didn't care doesn't really make sense, MJ often said things to spin them the way he wanted and I think the "just a box set" thing is a good example of that.
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Exactly. There were many supportive things going on and being pushed in 2004 and The Ultimate Collection was definitely one of them. "Just a box set" means not a full album project, with all new songs, that's all....I would never read anything more into it, than that.
 
Mikky Dee said:
Exactly. There were many supportive things going on and being pushed in 2004 and The Ultimate Collection was definitely one of them. "Just a box set" means not a full album project, with all new songs. that's all....I would never read anything more into it, than that.
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Yeah, that's pretty much what I think as well.
 
mj_frenzy;4219455 said:
Also, I believe that ‘On The Line’, ‘Dangerous’ (early version), or even ‘Childhood’, were rather unnecessary inclusions which did not really add value to that project.
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Despite the fact that fans aren't really enamoured with "Childhood", Michael loved it and declared it to be one of his most honest and autobiographical songs.

"On the Line" is inspirational, along the lines of "Keep the Faith" and "Will You be There" and I think Michael was both proud of this song and disappointed that it wasn't featured on the movie soundtrack album for which it was recorded.

Back story:

It was written by Babyface, and originally recorded by Michael for the Spike Lee movie, Get On The Bus, but not featured on the soundtrack album.

It is the lead track of a 3-track 'minimax' CD single, released as part of the 'Deluxe Collector Box Set' of Ghosts in December 1997 in the UK (no USA release). The box-set also included Michael's Ghosts mini-movie on home video and his Blood On The Dance Floor album on CD.

It also featured on a Columbia Pictures Get On The Bus promo CD, as a potential Oscar nominee, for Best Original Song.

 
Mikky Dee said:
Probably another myth created by fans. Sony had nothing whatsoever to gain by "throwing" songs onto an ultimate collection without giving it any proper thought.




Anyone who thinks that Michael Jackson would not be involved in any way, in a project that had his name on it, is dreaming. The packaging alone has his personality all over it. To suggest also, that he would approve it without knowing what songs were on there, or that he didn't care about what was being released for his fans, is just way, way off base, to me. Sorry, but it is.
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Any source, evidence, quote for that? It's just guessing like I did. We don't know. My opinion is like I said.
 
OnirMJ said:
Any source, evidence, quote for that? It's just guessing like I did. We don't know. My opinion is like I said.
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Just forty years of listening to him, saying that he was a perfectionist and that he didn't like to "settle" for something, if there was a chance it could be better.
The following quotes are in relation to the production of his short film "Ghosts", but I'm certain Michael would be just as passionate and exacting about his music and about a musical release for his fans and for the general public, at large.

La Velle Smith -
@ 10:21 "Michael's phrase always was, 'Let's leave no stone unturned.'"
@16:00 - "Until it's the right thing, he doesn't stop and we don't stop either."

Bruce Spaulding @16.52 - "Michael oversees everything - everything we do."

Michael himself @16:56 - "It's pretty much just knowing what you wanna do and having a will of iron."

Travis Payne
@17.22 - "He's not easily satisfied - he's very demanding, in that he doesn't allow us to 'settle'."
@17:56 - "We can do something that we think is really strong and he will question it...he will say, 'Is this the best it can be?'"

Michael Bush
@18:17 - "He does not know what the word 'no' means."
@18:56 - "Michael is very specific about what he wants."

 
Mikky Dee;4219678 said:
"On the Line" is inspirational, along the lines of "Keep the Faith" and "Will You be There" and I think Michael was both proud of this song and disappointed that it wasn't featured on the movie soundtrack album for which it was recorded.

Back story:

It was written by Babyface, and originally recorded by Michael for the Spike Lee movie, Get On The Bus, but not featured on the soundtrack album.

It is the lead track of a 3-track 'minimax' CD single, released as part of the 'Deluxe Collector Box Set' of Ghosts in December 1997 in the UK (no USA release). The box-set also included Michael's Ghosts mini-movie on home video and his Blood On The Dance Floor album on CD.

It also featured on a Columbia Pictures Get On The Bus promo CD, as a potential Oscar nominee, for Best Original Song.
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In my opinion, ‘On The Line’ does not have MJ’s personality into it. MJ decided to adopt here Babyface’s characteristic overly mellow & sugary vocal style. The final result sounds foreign to MJ.

Parenthetically, a similar situation also exists with ‘You Are My Life’ (from the ‘Invincible’ album).

There is also a strange thing concerning the ‘On The Line’ song.

When it was released on the Limited Edition Minimax CD (as a part of the ‘Ghosts’ box-set), Babyface appeared as the sole writer of that song. But when that song was included some years later on the box-set ‘The Ultimate Collection’, MJ appeared that time as the sole writer of the song (instead of Babyface). So, there is a serious discrepancy here concerning the songwriting credits of that song.

Also, I noticed a serious mistake on the booklet (from the box-set ‘The Ultimate Collection’). According to the booklet (page 15), ‘Unbreakable’ was recorded in 2002, but that information is obviously incorrect.
 
mj_frenzy;4219756 said:
There is also a strange thing concerning the ‘On The Line’ song.

When it was released on the Limited Edition Minimax CD (as a part of the ‘Ghosts’ box-set), Babyface appeared as the sole writer of that song. But when that song was included some years later on the box-set ‘The Ultimate Collection’, MJ appeared that time as the sole writer of the song (instead of Babyface). So, there is a serious discrepancy here concerning the songwriting credits of that song.

Also, I noticed a serious mistake on the booklet (from the box-set ‘The Ultimate Collection’). According to the booklet (page 15), ‘Unbreakable’ was recorded in 2002, but that information is obviously incorrect.
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This is all very interesting. I don't read the information in the booklets very much (the print is always too small!!)....therefore I seldom notice these kinds of discrepancies, from one product to the next. I seriously doubt that MJ was the sole writer of "On the Line", so someone should have been fired for that mistake and also for the error with "2002." I do love "On the Line", though, regardless of its true origins.
 
Mikky Dee said:
Despite the fact that fans aren't really enamoured with "Childhood", Michael loved it and declared it to be one of his most honest and autobiographical songs.
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'Childhood' is actually one of the songs that I remember with more fondness while growing up... I'll never understand how it's so unfairly ignored by so many of his fans when it means so much to me, it's part of my childhood literally. :cry:
 
AdamPoland said:
Have you ever wonder about how MJ picked up the songs to be used in the box of Ultimate Collection?
Click to expand...

Matt Forger: "I remember going through a hundred tapes - some with Michael's voice, some without. The best were chosen for this project, which covered his entire career. We wanted Michael to be more involved, but he was very busy with other commitments. He reviewed what had been assembled and gave final approval to the project. "

floatingcity said:
Strange box with no clear purpose content-wise indeed
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Matt Forger: "In the Ultimate Collection there was a desire to show the evolution of the career and how the songs changed with the times and Michael grew as an artist and as a songwriter."
 
Ultimate Collection used to be on the streaming platforms, but it was removed about two years ago. I have been unable to listen to some of my fav MJ songs like We have Had Enough, PYT Demo, Dangerous Demo, Sunset Driver as a result.
 
This proves that it was not just a meaningless compilation. It reminds me of the time when Michael was in an interview and he couldn't remember the Number One compilation.
 
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