ChrisC
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Anyone heard anything about this one?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Jackson-Songs-Story-Behind/dp/1788400577
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Jackson-Songs-Story-Behind/dp/1788400577
MJdatabank rings a bell. Seems legit though. Can't wait to see if it's any good.Richard Lecocq (Author)
Richard Lecocq is the author of KING, a retrospective of Michael Jackson's solo career, and has run the website MJdatabank.com since 2001. He has collaborated with Universal on Michael Jackson projects, and is the editor of JAM, a biannual Michael Jackson publication.
My thoughts exactlyThis topic in a book is pretty epic.. how the hell would one author gather true information for "every track" though.. I wonder the authenticity
Hasn't Vogel already covered all this?
Did anyone get this? I got it for Christmas. Lovely looking book and quite substantial! Haven't read yet though.
What was incorrect or exaggerated about Michael's car being on fire? Both Michael and his assistant told that story as well as others through the years.AlwaysThere;4236032 said:No disrespect to the authors, because a book of this magnitude is a lengthy and incredible endeavor and I applaud them for succeeding, but having leafed through it while I had some time to kill at a bookstore one day, I'm incredibly disappointed.
It reminds me of Man in the Music with a higher production value — the information is often surface-level, the quotes and anecdotes are recycled from previous books, the absence of certain players and stories do a disservice to songs that deserved to be further fleshed out, and some of the included information has long been established as either incorrect or highly exaggerated (e.g., the story of Michael being so caught up in conceptualizing the "Billie Jean" bass line that he didn't notice the bottom of his car was engulfed in flames).
Even worse, the chapters on HIStory and Invincible are incredibly bare bones, with the latter consisting of little more than an analysis of the production and songwriting of each song, with less scholarly phrasing and in-depth coverage as Vogel offered.
I feel bad being so harsh, but All the Songs pegged itself as the definitive book on Michael's music, and yet I didn't walk away knowing anything more than I already did. It's a decent enough starting point for beginners, but for anyone on this forum, I'd avoid it.
Stick with Making Michael. That book is still the best.
What was incorrect or exaggerated about Michael's car being on fire? Both Michael and his assistant told that story as well as others through the years.
What was incorrect or exaggerated about Michael's car being on fire? Both Michael and his assistant told that story as well as others through the years.
Michael's story is that, while driving on the Ventura freeway in Los Angeles one morning, the bass line to "Billie Jean" popped into his head, and that he was so enamored by it that he failed to notice that his car was pouring smoke.
According to studio engineer Nelson Hayes, who was driving Michael that day, "Billie Jean" already existed. Michael was listening to a demo of it on his headphones, and neither of them noticed the car was on fire.
Only two people have ever publicly acknowledged the incident as far as I'm aware -- Michael and Nelson. Everyone else said they learned of it through the grapevine. Obviously this isn't a "lie," but details matter in books that claim to be comprehensive and definitive.
There are a few more examples of this in the book. Next time I can make it down to the store, I'll give it another look.
Why would we believe some random (unknown) studio engineer rather than Michael himself??
Perhaps because this "random (unknown) studio engineer" worked with Michael regularly during the Thriller sessions. Or perhaps because Nelson's story is identical to Michael's with slight modifications. Or perhaps because this sub constantly listens to stories and tales from "random studio engineers" without question. Or perhaps because Michael has been known for stretching the truth and/or exaggerating.
Either way, it's a minuscule detail.
ChrisC;4236011 said:Did anyone get this? I got it for Christmas. Lovely looking book and quite substantial! Haven't read yet though.
But I'd also say, many of Michael's collaborators have something of a history in embellishing their contributions as well. Everyone and their mother (including Michael's own mother who apparently wrote TWYMMF lol) likes to take credit for the many, many successes Michael had. Although I do not deny Michael Jackson was an expert PR machine at one point, I think we have to be careful about this attitude that everything he said was bullshit and everything everyone else said goes without question (not that I'm suggesting this what you were doing AlwaysThere).
Was it real?and the night he appeared on stage with Stevie Wonder to join in on his hit Master Blaster.
tedddy riley was asked to do bad?
That's what he says, but both John Barnes and Brad Sundberg have refuted that claim.
Teddy has a history of either exaggerating or outright lying about his involvement with Michael. He played a vital role post-Quincy no doubt, but he wasn't nearly as imperative as he likes to act.