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HIStory 30th Anniversary

mj_frenzy said:
One has to be skeptical about this very positive 1995 review of the second disc of the 'HIStory' album.

Especially, when this music critic praises some of the weakest songs from the second disc ('This Time Around', 'Money', 'D.S.').

It is not uncommon at all for music critics to be bribed by the record labels in order to write very positive reviews for newly-released albums of their artists.
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I COULD agree on TTA although i like it a lot i definitely agree on DS which is the worst but i can not agree on Money which is a great song and lyrically one of his very best ever.
 
Moviefan2k4 said:
I don't care what anyone else says - "D.S." is a masterpiece compared to some of the other tracks on the HIStory album. Of all the songs on that effort, I really think "Scream" has become pretty overrated (especially when you consider the makers of the music video were basically pitting Michael and Janet against each other at the time). Even one of my favorite numbers from the album, "Tabloid Junkie", has verses that are almost unintelligible (I have to read the lyrics every time just to understand what Michael was getting at). But objectively speaking, the best offerings are probably "They Don't Care About Us", "Stranger in Moscow", "Earth Song", "You Are Not Alone", and "Childhood". The covers of both "Come Together" and "Smile" are memorable as well.
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calling DS a masterpiece and Scream overrated is just crazy. Scream is a great song that actually is underrated, is one of his best songs ever. Tabloid Junkie is another great song that deserved to be a single with a great video.
 
filmandmusic said:
Everything HIStory screams self indulgence to me, from the album cover to the promotion and the title (though cleverly found). The real heartfelt moments are far and few between. With this I mean songs like Stranger In Moscow, Childhood and Smile which offer a unique insight into Michael's mind, personality and even paranoia. They are genuine and touching. Another very heartfelt song is Little Susie which showcases Michael vulnerability regarding injustice and neglect.
The other songs are unnecessarily hard like D.S., Tabloid Junkie and This time Around. They're not even sung well (bar D.S.) These songs are basically a scream (no pun intended) for attention. The only none ballad I found really well done is TDCAU which speaks to and for an entire people and it feels really and rightfully anthemic.

Overall the album is just not very subtle and maybe perhaps Michael should have waited a couple more years to mellow and speak from the heart instead of spitting hateful, indulgent and aggressive lyrics. It is a mixed bag of genuine emotion and overproduced anger at the world.
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why he should have been subtle? what's the issue with being aggressive from time to time'?
 
In my opinion these two alternative configurations would have made History a better album stronger one:

1.Scream
2.They Don't Care About Us
3.Stranger In Moscow
4.This Time Around
5.Earth Song
6.Come Together
7.You Are Not Alone
8.Childhood
9.Money
10.Tabloid Junkie
11.History
12.Little Sussie

1.Scream
2.They Don't Care About Us
3.Stranger In Moscow
4.Morphine
5.Ghosts
6.Is It Scary
7.Earth Song
8.This Time Around
9.Blood On The Dancefloor
10.You Are Not Alone
11.Childhood
12.Money
13.Tabloid Junkie
14.History
15.Little Sussie
 
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Disneyland HIStory poster
til-that-an-alternative-version-of-the-history-cover-v0-ppk5ca2gc5tc1.jpeg

https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/comments/1byjkcs/til_that_an_alternative_version_of_the_history
 
stoneflower said:
In my opinion these two alternative configurations would have made History a better album stronger one:

1.Scream
2.They Don't Care About Us
3.Stranger In Moscow
4.This Time Around
5.Earth Song
6.Come Together
7.You Are Not Alone
8.Childhood
9.Money
10.Tabloid Junkie
11.History
12.Little Sussie

1.Scream
2.They Don't Care About Us
3.Stranger In Moscow
4.Morphine
5.Ghosts
6.Is It Scary
7.Earth Song
8.This Time Around
9.Blood On The Dancefloor
10.You Are Not Alone
11.Childhood
12.Money
13.Tabloid Junkie
14.History
15.Little Sussie
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You basically just added songs from BOTDF. IMO I think it was a good idea to split History into 2 parts. I mean. BOTDF songs feel good on the on it's own LP.
 

“Armageddon of the Brain.” The relevance of Michael Jackson’s “Stranger In Moscow” in our lives.
By Kerry Hennigan​

This month, MJ Studies Today columnist Kerry Hennigan considers the importance of Michael Jackson’s song “Stranger In Moscow” in the context of what happened to the artist that prompted him to write agonising lyrics like “Armageddon of the brain” and “here abandoned in my fame.” At a time in his life when he was very low, Jackson produced a masterpiece that can speak to all of us during difficulat times in our lives.
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michaeljacksonstudies.org

MJ Studies Today CXIII

Abstract: This month, MJ Studies Today columnist Kerry Hennigan considers the importance of Michael Jackson’s song “Stranger In Moscow” in the context of what happened to the artist that prompted him…
michaeljacksonstudies.org
 
Dangerous, HIStory, and Invincible all deserve a proper remaster and rerelease. HIStory and Invincible aren't even available in their original sleeves on vinyl. BOTDF is practically out of print too. It's not like there is no interest; both Dangerous and HIStory: Continues have crossed 1b streams on Spotify. Heaven Can Wait from Invincible went viral and pushed the album to 500m streams. That's not even considering all the streams from YouTube and Apple Music.

The estate is just pocketing the money they're making. It's unbelievable. Other estates have made way less over the years and have produced way more quality content for the fans.
 

Treat your hi-fi system to these 11 incredible albums celebrating their 30th birthday this year​

Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I​

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Following a particularly troubling period for the world's greatest popstar, Michael Jackson released a defiant double album. The first disc, HIStory Begins, comprised 'greatest hits' from his four previous studio albums and included the likes of Billie Jean, Black or White, Bad, Thriller and Beat It. The second disc, HIStory Continues, contained Jackson's first new material in four years – a raw and anger-fuelled response to his accusations and, more so, his media treatment, resulting in the angriest and most personal record he would ever make.
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Contentious themes and controversy aside, the latter delivers some of his best pop work, including hit singles Scream with his sister Janet, They Don't Care About Us and Earth Song. What it lacks in the melodic dancefloor charm of his previous records it makes up for in the sit-up-and-listen scale and dynamism befitting a protest record. The album's ballads, such as You Are Not Alone, Smile (one of Jackson's favourites) and Stranger in Moscow (one of mine, and which laid the foundation for the second disc's creation), are sumptuous and among his finest, but it's the emotionally – and electrically – charged, industrial-sounding tracks, superbly produced as always, that will really give systems something to chew on and spit out. Words by Becky Roberts
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www.whathifi.com

11 iconic albums from 1995 that are enjoying their 30th anniversary this year

Can you believe 1995 was thirty years ago?
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com
 
katara said:
Dangerous, HIStory, and Invincible all deserve a proper remaster and rerelease.
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But they don't? Dangerous and HIStory both sound amazing. There's nothing wrong with those recordings at all. Dangerous literally won the Grammy award for sounding so good, and HIStory was nominated for it as well.

We need to stop pretending that great sounding albums would benefit from the modern brick wall treatment.

Outside of a MoFi SACD, there's just no point in trying to remaster anything from the 90s.
 
R1chard said:
But they don't? Dangerous and HIStory both sound amazing. There's nothing wrong with those recordings at all. Dangerous literally won the Grammy award for sounding so good, and HIStory was nominated for it as well.

We need to stop pretending that great sounding albums would benefit from the modern brick wall treatment.

Outside of a MoFi SACD, there's just no point in trying to remaster anything from the 90s.
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Two of the most finest mixed and mastered albums in popular music. They sound INCREDIBLE! It’s part of what set MJ apart from other artists.
 
To Dangerous30 vinyls were released red and silver why not history as vinyl new release would not be a big job
 
Because it doesn't benefit the customer.

There is literally no point.
 
katara said:
Dangerous, HIStory, and Invincible all deserve a proper remaster and rerelease.
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All albums released post very late 1980s don't need any "remastering", as they're already mastered propperly for cd.

The masters for earlier album releases were optimized for LP (and cassette) which needed (simplified saying) different EQ settings. Hence remastering (= doing new 2track master mixes) those for cd results in superior audio quality.

Nowadays the term "remastered" is usually used for marketing purposes only (= b.s.).
 
To properly celebrate HIStory, the double album could be bundled with a disc 3 containing MJ's hits after HIStory.

Disc three:
1. Blood on the Dance Floor
2. You Rock My World
3. Cry
4. Butterflies
5. One More Chance
6. This Is It
7. Hold My Hand
8. Hollywood Tonight
9. Behind the Mask
10. Love Never Felt So Good
11. A Place with No Name
12. Don't Matter to Me
 
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