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Are there still some so called “ hidden gems” left in the vault?

AlwaysThere said:
“Chicago Nights” isn’t an alt. title of “Chicago 1945” (or at least it’s never been confirmed).

There’s no concrete evidence that “Man in Black” was finished, so far as I’m aware. There are conflicting reports at best.

“Angel” might not exist. I still cannot find the interview in which that track was allegedly cited.

“Bottle of Smoke” and “Do You Love Me” are, to my knowledge, titles that have never been confirmed to exist.

“Stand Tall” likely wasn’t recorded by MJ. The existing demo (a bridge and chorus) features a session vocalist.
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'Men In Black' is a finished song.

Author Adrian Grant heard a finished version of it (in 1990), and he later shared his thoughts about it to several fanzines.

He also stated (back then) that 'Men In Black' was similar to Paul McCartney's 'The Man' song (1983).

Here is what Adrian Grant also stated about the 'Men In Black' song more recently:

"…Michael then asked if I would like to hear a track from the new album, which I'm led to believe no one else had heard at them time. He played me 'Men In Black', which was funky and loud, but ultimately never made it onto the final track listing [of the 'Dangerous' album]. I stood by his side nodding my head to the beat, as Michael sat at his mix desk pushing various buttons…" (Adrian Grant, Interview to Brice Najar)

Also, certain press reports (from back in the day) wrote that 'Men In Black' was planned as one of the singles from the upcoming 'Dangerous' album, which clearly implies that the song was finished but it was replaced (in the final track list) at the last minute.
 
mj_frenzy said:
'Men In Black' is a finished song.

Author Adrian Grant heard a finished version of it (in 1990), and he later shared his thoughts about it to several fanzines.

He also stated (back then) that 'Men In Black' was similar to Paul McCartney's 'The Man' song (1983).

Here is what Adrian Grant also stated about the 'Men In Black' song more recently:

"…Michael then asked if I would like to hear a track from the new album, which I'm led to believe no one else had heard at them time. He played me 'Men In Black', which was funky and loud, but ultimately never made it onto the final track listing [of the 'Dangerous' album]. I stood by his side nodding my head to the beat, as Michael sat at his mix desk pushing various buttons…" (Adrian Grant, Interview to Brice Najar)

Also, certain press reports (from back in the day) wrote that 'Men In Black' was planned as one of the singles from the 'Dangerous' album, which clearly implies that the song was finished but it was replaced (in the final track list) at the last minute.
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how in the hell does men in black sound like the man!? mans either deaf or the song was drastically changed
 
Smooth72 said:
It will probably be awhile before we get new music or new album. Hidden gems would be great to hear. We most likely have the MJ biopic next that would mean another greatest hits album. After that maybe music. That’s a few years out.
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Yeah we’re due another greatest hits package. There is a high demand for billie jean. 😄

It would be cool to have hot street attached to the new GTA 6 game whenever it is due out. I heard it had an 80s setting. That game is a cultural event it would be huge.
 
Smooth72 said:
It will probably be awhile before we get new music or new album. Hidden gems would be great to hear. We most likely have the MJ biopic next that would mean another greatest hits album. After that maybe music. That’s a few years out.
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I doubt we'll get another Xscape type album ever. Would be cool though.
 
@AlwaysThere Do you have any other info on "Ghost of Another Lover"? How many other versions of the song are there, and at what level of completion?
 
Clay7 said:
I doubt we'll get another Xscape type album ever. Would be cool though.
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I thought Xscape type albums is all we're gonna get? It's the most satisfying option for both camps of fans really. Except maybe the ones who don't want Sony in charge at all maybe. And hate posthumous releases. Too late for that though.
 
mj_frenzy said:
'Men In Black' is a finished song.

Author Adrian Grant heard a finished version of it (in 1990), and he later shared his thoughts about it to several fanzines.

He also stated (back then) that 'Men In Black' was similar to Paul McCartney's 'The Man' song (1983).

Here is what Adrian Grant also stated about the 'Men In Black' song more recently:

"…Michael then asked if I would like to hear a track from the new album, which I'm led to believe no one else had heard at them time. He played me 'Men In Black', which was funky and loud, but ultimately never made it onto the final track listing [of the 'Dangerous' album]. I stood by his side nodding my head to the beat, as Michael sat at his mix desk pushing various buttons…" (Adrian Grant, Interview to Brice Najar)

Also, certain press reports (from back in the day) wrote that 'Men In Black' was planned as one of the singles from the upcoming 'Dangerous' album, which clearly implies that the song was finished but it was replaced (in the final track list) at the last minute.
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FYI: It's "Man In Black". And that's directly from the source I conversed with, Bryan Loren.
 
Clay7 said:
how in the hell does men in black sound like the man!? mans either deaf or the song was drastically changed
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From what we've heard, it sound's like a ripoff of Janet's Rhythm Nation album. Which is probably why in the end, never survived the final cut.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
I thought Xscape type albums is all we're gonna get? It's the most satisfying option for both camps of fans really. Except maybe the ones who don't want Sony in charge at all maybe. And hate posthumous releases. Too late for that though.
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HAHAHAHAHA NOOO. We wish. There is a very limited supply of songs actually suitable for that type of project. They'll probably want to release them as singles or possibly EPs since the actual number is so small. They surely would want the limited supply to last as long as possible. I would say there is enough material for potentially 2-3 more Xscape type albums but then like that's it. That's probably why they've been so stingy with putting out new stuff since 2014.
 
Derek1984 said:
From what we've heard, it sound's like a ripoff of Janet's Rhythm Nation album. Which is probably why in the end, never survived the final cut.
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Definitely. That songs so mediocre imo.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
@AlwaysThere Do you have any other info on "Ghost of Another Lover"? How many other versions of the song are there, and at what level of completion?
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Sadly, no. If I’m not mistaken, it was recorded in 1991 but didn’t progress too far. It was listed among the titles MJ was looking at revisiting in 2009, but I have no idea how far it progressed.
 
mj_frenzy said:
'Men In Black' is a finished song.

Author Adrian Grant heard a finished version of it (in 1990), and he later shared his thoughts about it to several fanzines.

He also stated (back then) that 'Men In Black' was similar to Paul McCartney's 'The Man' song (1983).

Here is what Adrian Grant also stated about the 'Men In Black' song more recently:

"…Michael then asked if I would like to hear a track from the new album, which I'm led to believe no one else had heard at them time. He played me 'Men In Black', which was funky and loud, but ultimately never made it onto the final track listing [of the 'Dangerous' album]. I stood by his side nodding my head to the beat, as Michael sat at his mix desk pushing various buttons…" (Adrian Grant, Interview to Brice Najar)

Also, certain press reports (from back in the day) wrote that 'Men In Black' was planned as one of the singles from the upcoming 'Dangerous' album, which clearly implies that the song was finished but it was replaced (in the final track list) at the last minute.
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Literally nowhere does he say it was finished. He says that he heard it, but that doesn’t mean he hears a developed version. “Implied.”
 
AlwaysThere said:
Sadly, no. If I’m not mistaken, it was recorded in 1991 but didn’t progress too far. It was listed among the titles MJ was looking at revisiting in 2009, but I have no idea how far it progressed.
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I completely forgot it was listed there, wonder if he did any more work on it over the years if he still had it on his mind. No guarantees of course, MJ seemed to remember songs from years ago he hadn't worked on in a long time and bring them out again quite regularly.
 
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Clay7 said:
HAHAHAHAHA NOOO. We wish. There is a very limited supply of songs actually suitable for that type of project. They'll probably want to release them as singles or possibly EPs since the actual number is so small. They surely would want the limited supply to last as long as possible. I would say there is enough material for potentially 2-3 more Xscape type albums but then like that's it. That's probably why they've been so stingy with putting out new stuff since 2014.
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But it's at least 24 songs ain't it? That's gotta be decent for the next decade or two. Anthology stuff and anniversary releases can come later/in between. I just mean really updating songs for radio potential and releasing the demoes alongside them, even if that would eventually just mean Drake style sample guest collabs.
 
AlwaysThere said:
Sadly, no. If I’m not mistaken, it was recorded in 1991 but didn’t progress too far. It was listed among the titles MJ was looking at revisiting in 2009, but I have no idea how far it progressed.
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Hopefully there's more to it. As it is, yeah, it's high quality. Would love to hear a more further along take.
 
SmoothGangsta said:
I completely forgot it was listed there, wonder if he did any more work on it over the years if he still had it on his mind. No guarantees of course, MJ seemed to remember songs from years ago he hadn't worked on in a long time and bring them out again quite regularly.
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With our luck, he changed a single, minuscule thing and left it in the exact state it leaked in. Seems like every other week we learn something devastating about the contents of the vault.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
But it's at least 24 songs ain't it? That's gotta be decent for the next decade or two. Anthology stuff and anniversary releases can come later/in between. I just mean really updating songs for radio potential and releasing the demoes alongside them, even if that would eventually just mean Drake style sample guest collabs.
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That's assuming they are all good songs with good vocals and would work well as part of an album with other good songs. And that the vocal tracks are available.
 
Clay7 said:
That's assuming they are all good songs with good vocals and would work well as part of an album with other good songs. And that the vocal tracks are available.
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They worked mostly on 24 tracks, with full vocal takes. At least, as full as Love Never Felt So Good. The modernization of the tracks, was intended to make disparate songs and vocals flow together. That was the intention behind Xscape.
 
AlwaysThere said:
“Chicago Nights” isn’t an alt. title of “Chicago 1945” (or at least it’s never been confirmed).

There’s no concrete evidence that “Man in Black” was finished, so far as I’m aware. There are conflicting reports at best.

“Angel” might not exist. I still cannot find the interview in which that track was allegedly cited.

“Bottle of Smoke” and “Do You Love Me” are, to my knowledge, titles that have never been confirmed to exist.

“Stand Tall” likely wasn’t recorded by MJ. The existing demo (a bridge and chorus) features a session vocalist.
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If I remember correctly, I've seen threads about "Angel" from as early as 2003/2002. There was one thread in particular where a staff member of MJHO said that the Babyface interview in which the song had been first cited was fake. He went on to say that the song has been talked about by fans since "BOTDF" came out and that everything about it was fabricated by fans.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
They worked mostly on 24 tracks, with full vocal takes. At least, as full as Love Never Felt So Good. The modernization of the tracks, was intended to make disparate songs and vocals flow together. That was the intention behind Xscape.
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But that begs the question, how many of those 24 songs have we already heard? There’s a lot of leaked material; Damien Shields stated that “Throwin’ Your Life Away,” “I Was the Loser,” and “If You Don’t Love Me” were among them; and six of the eight songs that made the album were already online.
 
I'm really not at all concerned when I hear that a song isn't finished. We've known there isn't anything complete left for a long time, doesn't affect my excitement for wanting to hear it in the slightest.
 
dethorro said:
I'm sure Michael would have gotten a kick out of reading some of these threads. He would have thought: "Angel? Bottle Of Smoke? God. Where do they get these titles from?" Lol.
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This reminds me of how MJ reacted to the person asking him about unreleased songs during the 1993 Mexico deposition! Michael asked him "How do you know about Michael McKellar?"
 
dethorro said:
I'm sure Michael would have gotten a kick out of reading some of these threads. He would have thought: "Angel? Bottle Of Smoke? God. Where do they get these titles from?" Lol.
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Toilet is probably the song I want to hear most
 
MultiResearcher said:
This reminds me of how MJ reacted to the person asking him about unreleased songs during the 1993 Mexico deposition! Michael asked him "How do you know about Michael McKellar?"
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He'd be shocked to see everyone knowing about the song titles left in his bedroom notes lol
SmoothGangsta said:
Toilet is probably the song I want to hear most
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Crush featuring Drake Bell is my most wanted song
 
None of the songs left are finished otherwise MJ would have released them on an album. It probably meant he wasn't 100% happy with the results.
 
filmandmusic said:
None of the songs left are finished otherwise MJ would have released them on an album. It probably meant he wasn't 100% happy with the results.
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This old argument again. We would've said that about Earth Song if we heard it in Dangerous days or They Don't Care About Us during BAD days. MJ took a long time to make and release songs and he worked basically backwards on them, constructing the song first, then singing it full power, instead of just doing it all at once or whatever. At least that's how he ended up doing it, sometimes he just knocked a song out and called it a day. It's a very perfectionist mindset. It's like saying because I haven't turned in my homework yet I probably won't ever. I just procrastinate lol.
 
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