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Michael should have released this song, it had #1 written all over it

Brilliant track.

I know some fans feel the song is too similar to SC to be included as a song in its own right.


I personally disagree with this hypothesis. It's no more similar than Invincible and Unbreakable are and they still appeared on the same record. I think Al Capone could've fit nicely onto Bad.
 
I think it's a wonderful song, great rhythms/lyrics and melody.. shall listen to it now in fact! thanks ;) POWER FROM THE HEAVENS :D
 
No, have to disagree. To me it's always the demo of SC.

Up until Invincible (& possible one or two in History) the perfect choices were made for every album. Mike knew exactly what he was doing.
 
Tony R said:
No, have to disagree. To me it's always the demo of SC.

Up until Invincible (& possible one or two in History) the perfect choices were made for every album. Mike knew exactly what he was doing.
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It should be interesting to hear Chicago 1945 which is supposedly another song which morphed into SC. It seems SC had a number of early versions and working titles. And to think, MJ said he almost didn't include it on the final album. Can you imagine hearing a song of SC's calibre as an outtake in 2015?
 
MattyJam said:
It should be interesting to hear Chicago 1945 which is supposedly another song which morphed into SC. It seems SC had a number of early versions and working titles. And to think, MJ said he almost didn't include it on the final album. Can you imagine hearing a song of SC's calibre as an outtake in 2015?
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Yeah I imagine like his horror songs, you could make a full EP or mini movie from his Gangster material.

Al Capone
Chicago 1945
Smooth Criminal
Blue Gangster
 
I think its a great track and it stands apart from Smooth Criminal.
 
Tony R said:
Yeah I imagine like his horror songs, you could make a full EP or mini movie from his Gangster material.

Al Capone
Chicago 1945
Smooth Criminal
Blue Gangster
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A bit off topic, but in my humble opinion this is what the movie Moonwalker should have been based on. A real 2 hour movie with the premise of the Smooth a Criminal story line.
 
Themidwestcowboy said:
A bit off topic, but in my humble opinion this is what the movie Moonwalker should have been based on. A real 2 hour movie with the premise of the Smooth a Criminal story line.
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Like this. Very true.
 
Al Capone is fantastic in the same sense Black Or White is, and to a slightly lesser degree If You Don't Love Me. It just flows like few songs do.

It has a giant pop/radio sensibility that VERY little of his other work does, in my opinion. It's mind boggling he was sitting on a hook like Al Capone, for example during the Invincible era, when most of the songs sound forced and uninspired.

As it is, of course it's a dated and incomplete 80s demo, but at any time in his career he could take this, re-write it in a couple hours, record the music properly, and he had a top 10 hit ready. If not a chart topper. I was honestly shocked he never did when I first heard it.
 
MattyJam;4077899 said:
It should be interesting to hear Chicago 1945 which is supposedly another song which morphed into SC. It seems SC had a number of early versions and working titles. And to think, MJ said he almost didn't include it on the final album. Can you imagine hearing a song of SC's calibre as an outtake in 2015?
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Chicago 1945 is not early version of Al Capone or Smooth Criminal. It is completly different song, it was stated by Steve Porcaro.

"After the Thriller album came out, during the Victory tour (or maybe right before it) Porcaro submitted a few grooves to Michael. Sometime later MJ called Steve and told him that he wanted to do something with one of them. Apparently, he had gone to the library and read on Chicago of the 1930s-40s, and that’s how he came up with an idea for the song. He and Porcaro met and recorded nine straight vocal takes for what would become “Chicago 1945.”

Of course, it’s impossible to describe music in text, but here are five things you need to know about “Chicago 1945”:
– The song is completed musically an vocally and perfectly releasable as is;
– It has no connection to “Al Capone” or “Smooth Criminal” (another myth) – a completely different and separate song;
– The lyrics tell a story about (three?) girls who went out at night and disappeared;
– It’s a catchy song. Not the level of greatness of “Billie Jean” or “Beat It,” but a solid groove. The hook (“Never to be found again… never to be found again”) was stuck in my head for 3 days after we had heard it;
– As the song was playing, I was trying to find another MJ song to compare it to. The closest I could come up with was “Behind the Mask” – the song is in the same tempo, and even the composition seemed somewhat similar to me. Although I think “Chicago 1945” is sung in a lower key – Michael’s voice is not as resonant as in “BTM.”

The sad thing is that everybody could have heard it by now if only the record label had been willing to do right by it. Porcaro was approached about the song for Xscape album, but he didn’t give his permission to use it. “It seems songs are going straight to remix these days,” he told us. It was obvious this approach didn’t sit well with him. And while a fan in me would have loved to be able to buy the song and have it in my collection, I felt nothing but respect for Porcaro’s position. I thought that as a musician and a songwriter, he must understand how much the integrity of a song means to the artist. And as a colleague of Michael, he undoubtedly knows how much Michael cared about his compositions. “Less is more” was a principle he, too, cited as very important for MJ and Quincy. “Chicago 1945” is a great song that certainly doesn’t need any “contemporizing” and deserves to be heard and appreciated in its own right."
 
^^I also read that Steve Porcaro piece about a week ago. I have to admire the way the guy won't allow Chicago 1945 be remixed & contemperized. As much as I've enjoyed the Xscape album, I really don't want everything released from here on in contemperized. The occasional unfinished track & primitive outdated demo, fair enough, but it would be nice to get a collection of tracks the way Mike left them, at some point.

As for Al Capone, LOVE it!! One of the best things to come out of Bad25, & I agree with those who feel it could have potentially been a big hit. Is it reminiscent of Smooth Criminal? Yeah, but I heard a Kathy Perry album lately & like every track was like the same song over & over.
 
I love Al Capone, I won't say I think it should've been on Bad but it's one of my favorite demos for sure! :agree:

Dudex said:
I thought that as a musician and a songwriter, he must understand how much the integrity of a song means to the artist. And as a colleague of Michael, he undoubtedly knows how much Michael cared about his compositions.
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^^Exactly! Steve was at one of Brad's seminars that I went to and he talked about not giving permission to use Chicago 1945 for Xscape there too. Although I'd absolutely love to hear that song (and I'm still gutted they didn't play it that day, but apparently they did the next day..:sigh: so close!) I understand why he did that and respect him for it. The way they 'contemporized' Michael's work for that album still doesn't sit right with me.
He did say he would give permission if the song would be left the way it is, so I hope it'll be released in the future!
 
kazumi said:
I think its a great track and it stands apart from Smooth Criminal.
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You can clearly hear parts of Al Capone in Smooth Criminal. I don't think it stands apart at all.
 
AC was the early version of Smooth Criminal. Everyone knows this. Would have been pointless to release it on the original album with SC. SC didn't even hit number 1 on the Hot 100 (should have), what makes you think AC, a demo, would have been a number 1 hit on it's own?
 
SC is better. - Good decision by MJ
 
I love it. I just wish they could have added some proper instrumentation to this and the other Bad 25 tracks. I'm more than grateful to have them untouched but these songs are too good to be left in ONLY this form.
 
ChrisC said:
I love it. I just wish they could have added some proper instrumentation to this and the other Bad 25 tracks. I'm more than grateful to have them untouched but these songs are too good to be left in ONLY this form.
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I so agree with this. All of these songs are fantastic and deserve to be finished up and released on a separate album. Maybe with some of those demos on the ultimate collection.
(Just finished tho-don't reinvent the wheel).
 
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