AlwaysThere
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This is what my friend told me. I pretty much transcribed what he told me over the phone into this. I apologize if this informatin was already said
Primarily planning and ideas for the Michael album began shortly after the This Is It album dropped back in October 2009. However, full production and research of unreleased tracks didn't begin until early on in the first quarter of 2010. The Estate contacted various producers, such as Brad Buxer and Neff-U, for unreleased songs to include.
At some point, Eddie Cascio was notified about the impending album and managed to get in contact with someone at the Estate about twelve unreleased tracks that Michael supposedly recorded in 2007. Seeing as how the Cascios were close friends with Michael throughout the last thirty years (give or take) of his life, as well as having their own personal message to him in his memorial booklet in July 2009, it seemed easier to believe them. My friend doesn't know what happened in the initial listening sessions for the songs, but he doees know that Eddie asked for $12 million -- $1 million per song. Seeing as how the Estate didn't have that kind of money, he was supposedly paid $5 million, less than half his original demand, for all twelve songs. He finds it odd that no one seemed to stand up and say, "Hey, this isn't Michael."
The Estate then shopped around for producers for the songs. Apparently, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were the first producers asked to rearrange Breaking News, but declined, as they didn't believe that it was Michael singing. After a few weeks of shopping around, producers were finally lined up: Teddy Riley produced Breaking News, Monster and Burn Tonight; Tricky Stewart produced Keep Your Head Up and Stay; Burt Bacharach produced All I Need. The remaining six songs (Water, Ready 2 Win, All Right, Soldier Boy, Fall in Love, Black Widow) were either considered and dropped or not considered all together. The six re-produced Cascio tracks were reportedly submitted towards the end of summer 2010, with Breaking News, Monster and Keep Your Head Up chosen. All three songs were given a complete "musical makeover" (as my friend calls it); most notably Monster which, while its original demo was a mid-tempo hip hop track, became a fast-paced dance song. As the Estate wanted to include more material from the last few years of Michael's life, three tracks from the original track listing (which included Slave to the Rhythm) were removed in order to include the Cascio tracks.
As it's been said before, the a cappella vocals on the tracks were extremely different from Michael's previous works; there was no footstomps or handclaps, no vocal breaths or gasps or headphone bleed. Apparently, people were banned from entering the studio while the Cascios were being produced; according to my friend, Teddy Riley was inserting clipped and sampled vocal gasps from the Invincible album's a cappellas, so as to make the tracks sound more authentic (my friend believes that Teddy is aware that the tracks are a fraud). A small, somewhat private listneing party was held in the early fall of 2010, with many of Michael's friends in attendence. While the Estate claimed that they all confirmed that the producers (such as Dr. Freeze and Bruce Swedien) confirmed that Michael was singing, I have been told that they all agreed that the vocals on the tracks sounded "odd;" however, no one, apparently, came out and said that they did not believe Michael was singing on the tracks.
It was very mysterious regarding the history of the tracks. Eddie, in the only interview he ever gave with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, as well as in the Making of MICHAEL album preview, has contradicted himself various times. In one incident, he claimed that Michael came "ready to work" in the beginning of 2007; however, Michael didn't show up at the Cascio home until the end of summer 2007. Worktapes of the Cascio tracks, including vocal outtakes and Michael speaking to Eddie about the songs, have been rumored to be released many times, but are believed not to exist. Also, the Cascio a cappellas are placed together from sometimes no more than 8 takes of the same verse; according to my friend, an portion of an unused take from "Burn Tonight" features Malachi's (who my friend believes is singing on the tracks) voice cracking during the ad-libs.
Also, apparently, the track listing was this:
Hold My Hand
Hollywood Tonight
???
(I Like) The Way You Love Me
???
Best of Joy
Slave to the Rhythm
(I Can't Make It) Another Day
Behind the Mask
Much Too Soon
Breaking News kicked Slave to the Rhythm off, while my friend doesn't know the names of the two songs that were also kicked off.
Primarily planning and ideas for the Michael album began shortly after the This Is It album dropped back in October 2009. However, full production and research of unreleased tracks didn't begin until early on in the first quarter of 2010. The Estate contacted various producers, such as Brad Buxer and Neff-U, for unreleased songs to include.
At some point, Eddie Cascio was notified about the impending album and managed to get in contact with someone at the Estate about twelve unreleased tracks that Michael supposedly recorded in 2007. Seeing as how the Cascios were close friends with Michael throughout the last thirty years (give or take) of his life, as well as having their own personal message to him in his memorial booklet in July 2009, it seemed easier to believe them. My friend doesn't know what happened in the initial listening sessions for the songs, but he doees know that Eddie asked for $12 million -- $1 million per song. Seeing as how the Estate didn't have that kind of money, he was supposedly paid $5 million, less than half his original demand, for all twelve songs. He finds it odd that no one seemed to stand up and say, "Hey, this isn't Michael."
The Estate then shopped around for producers for the songs. Apparently, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were the first producers asked to rearrange Breaking News, but declined, as they didn't believe that it was Michael singing. After a few weeks of shopping around, producers were finally lined up: Teddy Riley produced Breaking News, Monster and Burn Tonight; Tricky Stewart produced Keep Your Head Up and Stay; Burt Bacharach produced All I Need. The remaining six songs (Water, Ready 2 Win, All Right, Soldier Boy, Fall in Love, Black Widow) were either considered and dropped or not considered all together. The six re-produced Cascio tracks were reportedly submitted towards the end of summer 2010, with Breaking News, Monster and Keep Your Head Up chosen. All three songs were given a complete "musical makeover" (as my friend calls it); most notably Monster which, while its original demo was a mid-tempo hip hop track, became a fast-paced dance song. As the Estate wanted to include more material from the last few years of Michael's life, three tracks from the original track listing (which included Slave to the Rhythm) were removed in order to include the Cascio tracks.
As it's been said before, the a cappella vocals on the tracks were extremely different from Michael's previous works; there was no footstomps or handclaps, no vocal breaths or gasps or headphone bleed. Apparently, people were banned from entering the studio while the Cascios were being produced; according to my friend, Teddy Riley was inserting clipped and sampled vocal gasps from the Invincible album's a cappellas, so as to make the tracks sound more authentic (my friend believes that Teddy is aware that the tracks are a fraud). A small, somewhat private listneing party was held in the early fall of 2010, with many of Michael's friends in attendence. While the Estate claimed that they all confirmed that the producers (such as Dr. Freeze and Bruce Swedien) confirmed that Michael was singing, I have been told that they all agreed that the vocals on the tracks sounded "odd;" however, no one, apparently, came out and said that they did not believe Michael was singing on the tracks.
It was very mysterious regarding the history of the tracks. Eddie, in the only interview he ever gave with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, as well as in the Making of MICHAEL album preview, has contradicted himself various times. In one incident, he claimed that Michael came "ready to work" in the beginning of 2007; however, Michael didn't show up at the Cascio home until the end of summer 2007. Worktapes of the Cascio tracks, including vocal outtakes and Michael speaking to Eddie about the songs, have been rumored to be released many times, but are believed not to exist. Also, the Cascio a cappellas are placed together from sometimes no more than 8 takes of the same verse; according to my friend, an portion of an unused take from "Burn Tonight" features Malachi's (who my friend believes is singing on the tracks) voice cracking during the ad-libs.
Also, apparently, the track listing was this:
Hold My Hand
Hollywood Tonight
???
(I Like) The Way You Love Me
???
Best of Joy
Slave to the Rhythm
(I Can't Make It) Another Day
Behind the Mask
Much Too Soon
Breaking News kicked Slave to the Rhythm off, while my friend doesn't know the names of the two songs that were also kicked off.