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Michael or Xscape?

Which posthumous album is stronger?

  • Michael (2022)

    Votes: 8 27.6%

  • Xscape

    Votes: 21 72.4%
  • Total voters
    29
love1sfatal

love1sfatal

you found heaven ✪
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Just to clarify this is about the reworks only.

I'm curious about the current stance on these two, I remember a lot of fans I was surrounded by in the past quite enjoying Xscape but hating Michael (for obvious reasons), myself included. But since the Cascio tracks got removed, and if you were to completely ignore that whole drama, which album would y'all say is the winner here?

This might be an unpopular opinion, but in recent months I've actually began finding Michael to be somewhat stronger? I've been coming back to it a lot more and a lot of the songs seem to sound closer to what Michael's vision might've been, especially that his producers worked on it, whereas Xscape is more of Timbaland just doing more of his trap thing.

Still, at the same time I'm not defending Michael; that is quite possibly the worst release under his name with all the context behind it. But I'm also very 50/50 on Xscape. To me it has some great reworks like Chicago, STTR, Blue Gangsta and Xscape, but the production on Loving You and DYKWYCA is just way too much, the latter especially. Just awful. Solo LNFSG and APWNN I'm very indifferent about, but not a big fan of them. Michael feels decent to me overall as it is right now. But I'm glad they chose to release the demos on Xscape Deluxe as well, these are pretty great on their own and would definitely choose these over all the reworks any day.
 
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A Place with No Name (Original Version)
Slave to the Rhythm (Original Version)
Do You Know Where Your Children Are (Original Version)
Xscape (Original Version)

vs.

Hollywood Tonight
Behind the Mask

The Deluxe Edition of Xscape wins.
 
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People, who chose Michael, really? I mean, what is wrong with you guys? Don't you undertand, that ALL tracks fom Michael album are remixes/reworked versions of MJ songs, while Xscape actually contains ORIGINAL material. We have no idea, how does original versions of Another Day and Best of Joy sound like! They COULD put original versions in Deluxe Version, but they did not!

Of course Xscape wins, because it treats MJ legacy with respect and gives people opportunity to choose between original and new stuff! That's how it has to be done.

Michael album could have be a good album, if they included MJ songs JUST AS he left them. Unfortunately the only song, which is almost the same as it was left by Michael, is Hold My Hand. However they cutted out lots of Michael's vocal takes on this track.
 
Just wanted to note, I'm comparing the reworks only lol, so just the standard version of Xscape.

We do also know Another Day and Best of Joy in their original forms though. Another Day is generally the same thing as what's released (same with Much Too Soon), Best of Joy is just The Toy with new vocals.
Hold My Hand has more vocals from Akon than Michael because that's basically how much he recorded for it. During production Taj even complained about the lack of MJ on there, so that's just how it was really.

Obviously it doesn't change that Michael doesn't have all the original demos, would've definitely felt right more, but the reworks are still much closer to their original counterparts than whats on Xscape.
 
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Michael is a disgrace of an album , from the awful album cover to the fake songs (now removed)

Xscape was a much better project . I do like much too soon though on Michael
 
love1sfatal said:
Just wanted to note, I'm comparing the reworks only lol, so just the standard version of Xscape.

We do also know Another Day and Best of Joy in their original forms though. Another Day is generally the same thing as what's released
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False! They removed guitar parts of Lenny Kravitz, which were on original version! And we don't know how does original version sound like. It has never been leaked, only snippet, which shows that original version probably was better
 
love1sfatal said:
Hold My Hand has more vocals from Akon than Michael because that's basically how much he recorded for it. During production Taj even complained about the lack of MJ on there, so that's just how it was really.
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False again! It wasn't just more vocals of MJ on original recording, there was full SOLO MJ version of Hold My Hand song, that has never been released
 
I think there's not much between the two. They both have good and bad songs. Maybe Xscape is slightly better.
 
Michael. No question.

I think XSCAPE is more consistent, but in my opinion, Michael has better source material (“Best of Joy” alone clears everything on XSCAPE) and the production is more faithful to what MJ left behind. Even with its many, many issues, something about the songs on Michael just bring a smile to my face.
Masonh said:
False again! It wasn't just more vocals of MJ on original recording, there was full SOLO MJ version of Hold My Hand song, that has never been released
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Can you share a source? I’ve never heard this.
 
What’s so special about Best of Joy other than the sentimental value? I’ve never considered the song as anything but bang average.

Even the demo (the toy) was poor.
 
AlwaysThere said:
Can you share a source? I’ve never heard this.
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I think they might be mistaking it for Akon's solo version, the "more MJ vocals" part I've never heard about though but I'm pretty sure there's never been any confirmation for that
 
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Masonh said:
False! They removed guitar parts of Lenny Kravitz, which were on original version! And we don't know how does original version sound like. It has never been leaked, only snippet, which shows that original version probably was better
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The full snippet was a minute and a half long, that's about half of the song. from what it sounds like it's basically the same thing besides the re-recorded guitars. Personally it's such a minor thing that I just don't mind it
 
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If we are sticking strictly to the main album tracks then I prefer the 7 remixed/contemporised songs on Michael. I never listen to the updated remixes on Xscape as they do absolutely nothing for me.
 
innuendo141 said:
If we are sticking strictly to the main album tracks then I prefer the 7 remixed/contemporised songs on Michael. I never listen to the updated remixes on Xscape as they do absolutely nothing for me.
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IMO updated remixes actually are not as bad as many people consider them. Only DYKWYCA feels like an embarassment. Rest are pretty good:
LNFSG - good
She Was Loving Me - brilliant
Loving You - perfect
APWNN - perfect
STTR - good
Blue Gangsta - good
Xscape - good
 
Michael as a 7-track album was alright. Not a fan of the new Hollywood or The Way You Love Me. Best Of Joy, Another Day and Much Too Soon were highlights though.
Xscape? I take issue with how some of the contemporised instrumentals completely contrast whatever the theme of the song is. It's undermining of Michael's original intent for the tracks' message.
Do You Know Where Your Children Are? Mm.. we'll need a video-game for this one, that'll work. Flawless.
The only rework that I somewhat-liked was the title track, but even then, I can't stand how stripped it is of personality compared to the original. No police or prison sound effects? No voice-overs? What was originally there to emphasise how trapped and pressured Michael felt is replaced with a generic, 2010s party instrumental. Completely unfitting.
Other than that, for me, the other tracks range from bad to average.
It's a reluctant Michael for me.
 
Masonh said:
What???
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What is it? I'm talking about the little synth riff that plays at the beginning and throughout most of the song. It reminds me of a typical video-game theme (moreso of retro games). I think its annoying and distracting when used in a track like this. That's all.
 
The reworks on Xscape take some getting used to, but the same goes for the songs on Michael. Hollywood Tonight is quite good, but they could have included guitar parts instead of Taryll. And the saxophone on BTM hurts my ears.
 
I like Xscape considerably more due to the tracklist but I gotta say that they completely massacred "A Place With No Name" with the remix. I'd pay real money to hear how the Michael remix of APWNN sounded like, it's apparently much closer to the demo than the Stargate remix is.
 
Blues_Away2023 said:
What’s so special about Best of Joy other than the sentimental value? I’ve never considered the song as anything but bang average.

Even the demo (the toy) was poor.
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I just love it. The songwriting, the vocals, the production. Everything about it just blows me away.
 
Karter said:
What is it? I'm talking about the little synth riff that plays at the beginning and throughout most of the song. It reminds me of a typical video-game theme (moreso of retro games). I think its annoying and distracting when used in a track like this. That's all.
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okay. fine
 
Blues_Away2023 said:
What’s so special about Best of Joy other than the sentimental value? I’ve never considered the song as anything but bang average.

Even the demo (the toy) was poor.
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I love Neff-U's production on Best of Joy but I have to agree that otherwise it never felt like anything amazing to me, especially The Toy without the production to support it.
 
I appreciate that Michael tried to rework the songs closer to MJ's vision, but the results weren't very good. The reworks of "Another Day", "Hollywood Tonight", and "The Way You Love Me" are inferior to the original demos (and "Hollywood Tonight" is too incomplete, anyway). "Much Too Soon" is boring. "Behind the Mask" is a Yellow Magic Orchestra song. "Hold My Hand" is an Akon song.

As for Xscape, I like the reworks of "Love Never Felt So Good" and "Loving You", but "A Place with No Name", "Blue Gangsta", and "Xscape" were all butchered. "Do You Know Where Your Children Are", "Slave to the Rhythm" and "She Was Loving Me" are all boring no matter what version of them you listen to (and renaming the latter to "Chicago" was unnecessary as it needlessly creates confusion with "Chicago 1945", a much better song and thank goodness Steve Porcaro didn't let the estate or LA Reid butcher it).

I pick neither.
 
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