Article about Thriller 25

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Article about Thriller 25 and what the future could possibly hold for Michael

Thriller 25: The Selling-Out of a Superstar or the Beginning of a Beautiful Partnership?

Charles Thomson visits Sony Headquarters to learn about Michael Jackson’s latest project, what the future holds for the King of Pop, and the truth about those X Factor rumours.
In 1998 art house darling Gus Van Sant provoked outrage when he remade Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, ‘Psycho’. The move, which saw the director’s reputation decimated in a hurricane of negative publicity, was branded by America’s premier film critic Roger Ebert as ‘pointless’, ‘invaluable’ and lacking in conviction. Movie fans the world over were aghast at what seemed like an astonishing display of arrogance on Van Sant’s part; a genuine belief that he could improve on the seminal work of cinema’s greatest visionary. It came as no surprise when the film died at the box office and was savaged by fans and pundits alike, and at the time it was difficult to imagine a more misguided project.

That is until I find myself at Sony BMG’s London Headquarters for an exclusive preview of a similarly hideous reimagining of an entirely different type of thriller. Having missed the official listening last week, I have been invited to Sony HQ for a private meeting with PR Officer Haydn Williams, who is spearheading the European marketing campaign for Michael Jackson’s latest offering, ‘Thriller 25’, a CD/DVD package released in two months’ time to mark the 25th anniversary of the album’s astonishing success.

The package, postponed from November until February, will contain the original album in a digitally restored format, three previously released demos, one unreleased track and, worryingly, five remixes - by contemporary artists - of classic Jackson tracks. Among these remixes will be a reimagining of ‘The Girl Is Mine’ with Black Eyed Peas star Will.I.Am at the helm, Kanye West’s spin on ‘Billie Jean’ and a remix of Jackson favourite ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, which Haydn lines up on his stereo before hitting play...

The remix seems never-ending. Akon’s overt, sexual lyrics have robbed the song of its wit and subtlety and Jackson’s original vocals have been banished almost entirely, making way for Akon’s distinct and, frankly, grating tones.

All five remixes had leaked two days previously, appearing first on an obscure hip-hop website and then on YouTube. Each vapid mess served as another knife in the side of Jackson’s legacy. Fergie’s tuneless vocals combined with Will.I.Am’s over-production leave ‘Beat It’ sounding like a hobo bludgeoning a dwarf with a sack full of wind-chimes. Meanwhile, if Kanye West’s uninspired remix of ‘Billie Jean’ doesn’t leave you rethinking your policy on involuntary euthanasia then you may very well not have a soul.

Arguably the worst of the bunch, although it’s a tight race, is Will.I.Am’s reworking of Jackson’s ‘PYT’, which uses as its source material Jackson’s original demo – lacklustre vocals and mediocre sound quality intact – rather than the disco-funk masterpiece that appeared on the album.
Perhaps the largest problem is the phenomenal quality of the original recordings; they’re just too good. Jackson’s unparalleled success has always been both a blessing and a curse. Whilst it secured him a place in history and record books alike, it also left him with a lot to live up to. ‘Thriller’ is as close to perfect as any of us has the right to expect and when inexperienced contemporary artists are given carte blanche to fiddle around with it; the quality is only going to go one way. Jackson was a veteran at twenty five, whilst his chosen contemporary artists of the same age have comparatively little experience and each of their final products borders on sacrilege.
 
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Respite comes only in the form of unreleased track ‘For All Time’, a subtle ballad and a perfect ending to the album as Jackson’s mesmerizing vocals reach a soaring crescendo and leave you on a high. As the track ends, Haydn hits stop, exhales loudly and says, “Wow... that was big.” I agree and ask him whether it could be released as a single.

“I understand there is some discussion going on in the States as to whether it could be released as the first single,” he replies, “but the general feeling as that in Europe it wouldn’t be as chart friendly. The first single over here will be ‘The Girl Is Mine’. That will go to radio and become available for download on January 14th. The CD single will go to stores on January 28th. Whether or not it sells very well will determine whether we release anymore singles, but we are hoping that this product will chart very well, globally.”

His expectations strike me as a little more than ambitious. 'Thriller’ has remained in stores for a quarter of a century and has already shifted in excess of sixty million copies. As is true of most classic albums, it can be found at a slashed price in almost any record store. The notion that people wouldn’t buy the original album from a discount Bower but would run out and buy a new version for twice the price seems somewhat illogical.

“Obviously, this may seem like a difficult album to push,” says Haydn, “I mean, it’s the largest selling album of all time. However, that will be one of our selling points. Our aim is to market the album to younger generations who may not be aware of the album already – that’s what the remixes are for. They add a more contemporary feel to the tracks.

“We understand that the album shifted a lot of its copies upon its original release, so we are also aiming this package at people who may have bought it on cassette or on vinyl and might want to upgrade it. We’re releasing a few different versions for different purposes. For the fans we’re releasing a deluxe edition, which is almost like a hardback book. For the more casual consumers we are releasing a normal version.”
He shifts papers around his desk for a moment and eventually hands me a piece of paper with the artwork on it.

“Michael is in the headlines all too often for all the wrong reasons,” he grimaces. “We felt this was too big an opportunity to miss, too large a milestone. This is the most successful album of all time, for God’s sake. We want to make this a success and remind the world just how great he is.”

Despite Jackson’s high profile blow up with Sony in 2002, which saw him brand then Sony president Tommy Mottola ‘racist’ and ‘very, very devilish’, then commandeer buses in both London and New York and drive them around shrieking ‘Sony Sucks’ through a megaphone, it seems that both parties have put the debacle behind them. Jackson seems to have Sony’s full backing – the corporation will be pulling out all the stops to promote this latest product, regardless of its age.

“Aside from the single release we will be making full-blown TV adverts promoting the album, so watch out for those. We’ve redesigned MichaelJackson.com and will be making the singles available for download from there as well as on I-Tunes and wherever else. We are hoping for a lot of radio airplay, too. We here at Sony London have actually put a request in to Michael’s management that he comes over for a few days in February to personally promote the album. We haven’t heard back from them yet. It’s very difficult staying in touch because major figures within Michael’s team seem to be changing on a frequent basis. We don’t know whether he will do any promotion at all, but we are hopeful.”

“What would he be doing if he came to London?” I ask.

“Well we would hope... this cannot be published,” Haydn says, interrupting himself. “We had this with ‘X Factor’, as you may know. There was some interest from Michael and his camp in appearing on the ‘X Factor’. So Sony and SiCo (Simon Cowell’s production company), who work out of here, started working on that. Unfortunately, that information got leaked to the press and Michael read about it before the details had been finalised. That put him off and he ended up not doing it. So none of the possible promotion I outline to you can be published. Everything is only in discussion stages at the moment.”

Haydn outlines a series of exciting plans for the promotion of ‘Thriller 25’, on both sides of the Atlantic. But they seem perhaps a little too exciting. Seasoned Jackson fans are becoming more cynical with each passing year. Any rumour or report of a new album or tour is immediately dismissed as phoney. It seems odd in many ways that they remain fans at all, given that any trace of good news is naturally presumed false. The plans Haydn claims Jackson is interested in seem unlikely and out of character.

One glaring omission from Haydn’s proposed promotion is a series of gigs Jackson is rumoured to have booked at London’s O2 arena, about which I probe him.

“I don’t doubt that discussions are going on,” he says. “But I don’t know if he can perform anymore... I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way at all. I mean that he hasn’t done so – hasn’t sung live with a band – for a number of years. I don’t know if he is ready for it yet and nobody knows if he’s still up to it... they have no reference point. We here only know as much as we read in the papers. Of course, we would love to see Michael performing. He’s the best performer we’ve ever seen. It’s something we’d love to see in the future, but we really don’t know if he’s ready.”

The O2 gigs have become somewhat of a mystery in recent weeks. Whilst AEG sources insist that discussions are ongoing, Jackson’s manager R@ymone B@in has failed to issue and official statement but denied any knowledge of the concerts in an email to a fan, implying that somebody else may be speaking on Jackson’s behalf, a situation upon which Haydn does not comment. However, his earlier comments that members of Jackson’s team were changing would appear to confirm these suspicions. Fox columnist Roger Friedman reported recently that Jackson had ditched his manager in the autumn and gone to stay with family friends for three months.

Finally, I turn my attention to the rumoured new album, and ask Haydn what he knows. There have been whispers from insiders that the album will be distributed by Sony in summer 2008.

“I don’t know of plans surrounding the new album... I deal with catalogue releases. New releases require major promotional campaigns so that would go upstairs. I do know that he is working; that he’s in the studio with some of the collaborators from ‘Thriller 25’. I know that he has not submitted any work to Sony New York and is not keeping them abreast of what he has or has not recorded – it seems like he intends to just hand in a finished product. If ‘Thriller 25’ is as successful as we are hoping then it will certainly a perfect platform for the launch of the new album.”

Whilst Haydn is sketchy on the details, one thing is clear. He has not denied that Sony will distribute the new album. Indeed, he has implied that Jackson intends to submit a finished album to Sony New York at some point in the future.

As I say my goodbye and exit the Sony building I mull the situation over. Yes, ‘Thriller 25’ is a disappointment. Yes, the remixes would fill any educated music lover with murderous rage... But maybe there is method to this madness. The album was always going to be a means to an end. But is it merely a money making exercise, as many have speculated, or is it a stepping stone in part of a larger, more intricate plan?

Whilst ‘Thriller 25’ may appear to some fans to be a lazy project, and the remixes may seem disrespectful to the album and the artist’s legacies, it may have been a sacrifice Jackson was willing to make in order to see his future visions achieved. With a new album in the works and a rumoured 2008 release, ‘Thriller 25’ may be a mere precursor to greater things.

Having a corporation like Sony on his side is Jackson’s best shot at a comeback. With their money and connections behind him Jackson could still reclaim his position as the ultimate musical force to be reckoned with.

‘The Girl Is Mine’ will become available for download from I-Tunes and http://www.michaeljackson.com on January 14th 2008.

The CD single will be in stores on January 28th 2008.

‘Thriller 25’ is released on February 11th 2008.

http://www.mjackson.fr/index.php?showtopic=11612
 
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everyone is entitled to their opinion..and my opinion is that the title of the article.. put me off..

and that anyone .. familar with the current music scene/ the industry .. should be able to figure out what the T25 project is about..

give the man some credit.. he's been in the game along time.. he knows.. the sacrifices he has to make. and you want him hungry...

that hunger is what got Thriller to be the biggest selling album of all time in the 1st place...

Michael and Sony are already business partners.. and by the way Michael is the one that brought Martin Bandier to the table at Sony/ATV.. he and Mike have been working together since Mike bought ATV back in 1988... since EMI did the admin for the catalog...

I am glad Sony is now supporting Mike (now that Mottola and his cohorts are gone).. .. it can mean.. BIG things...

a continuation of Michael's legacy is about to be written.. don't miss it.. by clouding the mind..
 
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everyone is entitled to their opinion..and my opinion is that the title of the article.. put me off..

and that anyone .. familar with the current music scene/ the industry .. should be able to figure out what the T25 project is about..

give the man some credit.. he's been in the game along time.. he knows.. the sacrifices he has to manke. and you want him hunger...

that hunger is what got Thriller to be the biggest selling album of all time in the 1st place...

Michael and Sony are already business partners.. and by the way Michael is the one that brought Martin Bandier to the table at Sony/ATV.. he and Mike have been working together since Mike bought ATV back in 1988... since EMI did the admin for the catalog...

I am glad Sony is now supporting Mike (now that Mottola and his cohorts are gone).. .. it can mean.. BIG things...

a continuation of Michael's legacy is about to be written.. don't miss it.. by clouding the mind..

I agree. His article sounds like much of it has been lifted from fan boards. I don't know why he made reference to MJ 'RECLAIMING' his position in music. Who took it? Who out there have outdone MJ. Why is it MJ needs to proove himself adinfinitum, to get what he is entitled to when others only need to do it once. What is wrong with this picture. Who has got the title, since Mj needs to reclaim it? That is what I would like tioo ask this person.
 
I agree. His article sounds like much of it has been lifted from fan boards. I don't know why he made reference to MJ 'RECLAIMING' his position in music. Who took it? Who out there have outdone MJ. Why is it MJ needs to proove himself adinfinitum, to get what he is entitled to when others only need to do it once. What is wrong with this picture. Who has got the title, since Mj needs to reclaim it? That is what I would like tioo ask this person.

it sure does look like it was lifted from a fan board..

Michael has been thru hell.. I don't blame him for trying bring it back with the big guns....

how else.. could he possibly do it??
 
thats for that.. now it starts to make sense..ummm??
A group of fansite owners were invited to Sony office in london to hear the mixes. Paul from MJNO was one of them. This fellow could well have been in that group. I wonder if he told them how he felt at the time.:mello:
 
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I agree. His article sounds like much of it has been lifted from fan boards.

Datsymay, you hit the nail right on the head and didn't even know it. LOL!

This article was written by a member of MJSTAR. Take it for what it's worth, but that's were it came from.
 
A group of fansite owners were invited to Sony office in london to hear the mixes. Paul from MJNO was one of them. This fellow could well have been in that group. I wonder if he told them how he felt at the time.:mello:

the one good thing I get from this is that Sony is being attentive...contacting the fansites is a good move...

and ...sometimes we need to look at things from Michael's point of view ..
 
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