The Discussion of MJ's Unreleased Tracks

But according to “leaks” Hot Street will be in it?
There’s no leaks it’s just the title appears on a bulletin board for 1 second in one of the trailers 😭

Whether or not they’ll have unreleased music? I doubt it, even if it does it’ll 10000% be all stuff we’ve already heard and had for many years. But I’m open to being wrong obviously
 
The full chorus was the way he worked, if he didn't like the chorus, he'd move on from the song but he would also get side tracked.

"I write all the time. I have so many songs, and another song will come along and beat it out; not that those aren't good enough to release because I am going to do those in the future, but it's just I get more excited about the next one and then the next one" - Michael 1984

Thanks for the input. I understand that he wanted to make the chorus work first, but then still.. the contrast between the (near) perfect chorusses and the non existing verses feels too big imho. I would at least expect some sratch vocals or written-down lyrics with that.. especially if a track is seriously considered to be released (MiB)
 
I can only think of one reason why Be Not Always made the final cut over Buffalo Bill:

MJ thought it was important for a song like Be Not Always to spread the message of peace on the album.

Otherwise, it makes no sense. Be Not Always is more of a song meant for a concept album. Nothing that would ever top the charts.

Yes it's totally up his alley, content wise.. only MJ could do this stuff
The instrumentation feels a bit too sluggish for me, with the pauses in it. I think the song itself and the vocals deserved more tbh
 
Yes it's totally up his alley, content wise.. only MJ could do this stuff
The instrumentation feels a bit too sluggish for me, with the pauses in it. I think the song itself and the vocals deserved more tbh
There must be some backstory as to why Buffalo Bill got the axe and Be Not Always made final tracklist.

Not sure how BB gets hyped up in the media, gets his brothers to provide backing vocals, and then fails to make the album. Replaced for a slow, boring song with no hit potential.
 
There must be some backstory as to why Buffalo Bill got the axe and Be Not Always made final tracklist.

Not sure how BB gets hyped up in the media, gets his brothers to provide backing vocals, and then fails to make the album. Replaced for a slow, boring song with no hit potential.
Look at Blood on the Dance Floor - left off Dangerous and HIStory and it became his final #1 single in the UK (edit: forgot YRMW hit #1 in several Euopean countries.

He worked in mysterious ways sometimes, with some very confusing decisions.
 
There must be some backstory as to why Buffalo Bill got the axe and Be Not Always made final tracklist.

Not sure how BB gets hyped up in the media, gets his brothers to provide backing vocals, and then fails to make the album. Replaced for a slow, boring song with no hit potential.
Matt Forger would know why.

Is there anytime soon a Sundberg seminar where Matt will join the event in person or via skype?
 
Look at Blood on the Dance Floor - left off Dangerous and HIStory and it became his final #1 single in the UK (edit: forgot YRMW hit #1 in several Euopean countries.

He worked in mysterious ways sometimes, with some very confusing decisions.
BOTDF is a fan favourite too, certainly one of mine. I wonder how successful it would've been if it was on those other albums without its own moment to shine.
 
Not gonna stand for “Be Not Always” slander, especially in favor of a song none of us have heard. Gorgeous track, and the chorus is a top ten MJ lyric.
Absolutely. It's perfectly haunting and gorgeous.

Not to mention how bloody appropriate it is still, after all these years. I adore the song.
 
Look at Blood on the Dance Floor - left off Dangerous and HIStory and it became his final #1 single in the UK (edit: forgot YRMW hit #1 in several Euopean countries.

He worked in mysterious ways sometimes, with some very confusing decisions.
But sometimes it is as simple as the song not being finished enough, to Michael’s satisfaction or there were better songs to include (or that’s at least what Michael thought)… Or a combination of the three.

For BOTDF in particular, Michael would have felt it was a strong song but was not finished or the way he wanted it to be.

All along, he loved the original instrumental demo Teddy Riley did (recorded straight to DAT and not multitrack tape) but Teddy could not come close to it when he tried to re-create it on multitrack.
There probably is a different version attempted with vocals, but no multitrack version from Dangerous got close to the demo in Michael’s mind.

Sure enough, come 1997, Michael finally had the means to use that original demo and enhance it - digital audio workstations, Brad Buxer re-playing parts, adding percussion sounds etc. to sync on top of the stereo mix.

Rather than go back to the last version he did for Dangerous in late 1991.
 
There must be some backstory as to why Buffalo Bill got the axe and Be Not Always made final tracklist.

Not sure how BB gets hyped up in the media, gets his brothers to provide backing vocals, and then fails to make the album. Replaced for a slow, boring song with no hit potential.
Buffalo Bill is a great song that he decided to save for his eventual follow up to Thriller (possibly also some spite involved)

But then he came up with Al Capone at some point and the rest is history.

Happens all the time in music making
 
Also, Buffalo Bill as a video concept (Cowboys more than likely) would’ve been cheesy and lame. Al Capone, Smooth Criminal, gangsters, that imagery was so much more impressive and stylish in the long run.

It could be a great song but its single potential would be dampened by a video that wouldn’t work.

Interestingly enough, he wanted a western video for Whatever Happens but by that point it would’ve gone over way way better.
 
I always found it interesting that people are grasping so hard onto “Buffalo Bill” solely because MJ said it was a hit, meanwhile we’re dissecting and criticizing the music he thought was good enough to release. I’m definitely dying to hear it, but I’m trying to temper expectations because that’s how you wind up with “Chicago 1945.”
 
because MJ said it was a hit, meanwhile we’re dissecting and criticizing the music he thought was good enough to release.
That's easy to answer. All songs that Michael's crafted out of his own imagination & were released on an album are solid stuff. Whereas tracks presented to him by third parties are on a range from hit to miss.
 
I always found it interesting that people are grasping so hard onto “Buffalo Bill” solely because MJ said it was a hit, meanwhile we’re dissecting and criticizing the music he thought was good enough to release. I’m definitely dying to hear it, but I’m trying to temper expectations because that’s how you wind up with “Chicago 1945.”
What’s wrong with Chicago 1945?
One of the best leaks and among the best unreleased songs?
 
There must be some backstory as to why Buffalo Bill got the axe and Be Not Always made final tracklist.

Not sure how BB gets hyped up in the media, gets his brothers to provide backing vocals, and then fails to make the album. Replaced for a slow, boring song with no hit potential.
I think what happened was early on even tho he didn’t really want to victory , he seemed like he was gonna put effort into it. Once the bros started feuding and everything behind the whole tour I feel like he pulled that song back considering how he felt strongly about it
 
But sometimes it is as simple as the song not being finished enough, to Michael’s satisfaction or there were better songs to include (or that’s at least what Michael thought)… Or a combination of the three.

For BOTDF in particular, Michael would have felt it was a strong song but was not finished or the way he wanted it to be.

All along, he loved the original instrumental demo Teddy Riley did (recorded straight to DAT and not multitrack tape) but Teddy could not come close to it when he tried to re-create it on multitrack.
There probably is a different version attempted with vocals, but no multitrack version from Dangerous got close to the demo in Michael’s mind.

Sure enough, come 1997, Michael finally had the means to use that original demo and enhance it - digital audio workstations, Brad Buxer re-playing parts, adding percussion sounds etc. to sync on top of the stereo mix.

Rather than go back to the last version he did for Dangerous in late 1991.
The 1991 version is allegedly fully finished, and an edited instrumental from the DAT that they used for the 1997 version is possibly the instrumental file in the multis. I wonder if the 1991 version has a third verse, bridge, and third chorus. I always felt like the final version was too short and the fact it only has 2 verses and 2 choruses felt off to me. the 1991 version allegedly has a runtime of 5:44 minutes, maybe it has a 3rd verse, who knows
 
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