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Best of Joy - Original Version

AlwaysThere said:
I think Teddy knocked it out of the park across the board with his production, even on the Cassio tracks, but the creative liberties taken on “Hollywood Tonight” are insane.
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SmoothGangsta said:
Yep, cutting lyrics, making the song into a more positive track and re writing the bridge when MJ had already written one himself is shocking to me.
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Yeah, like a song, that incomplete, I wouldn't even wanna work on. It just didn't suit the criteria. But I certainly wouldnt do such a poor job of it as they did the first time.

ChanceToDance said:
And this is why Neff-U's remix is the best version imo. He remixed it and made it sound better than the demo but still kept the dark vibe of the song intact.

Tbh the Throwback mix would be my favorite version, it's both a mix of the demo and the album remix but the problem is the Billie Jean drums, they are WAAAY overdone on the remix and it's what ruins it for me.
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I didn't like how guitar heavy that version was.

The best mix doesn't exist. With the album cuts beatboxing and harmonies, the throwback mix raw vocals with the heavier thump of a beat, and the looping hook, and the Neff -U cut's guitar solo. All fashioned after the demoes gothic operatic vibe. It would be perfect.
 
The Neff-U and Birchey remixes both tried guitar solos in place of the bridge, and they just don’t work in my opinion. It doesn’t fit the song’s vibe or flow. I think the Throwback Mix and the original demo have the best layout: just synths that build and build and build. It feels the most organic, almost like a temporary release before the rhythm kicks in again.
 
DanGerouS- said:
Teddys mix of HT is the best for me.
no cheap BJ ripoff and much fuller vocals.
The bridge should have been different though.

On the Throwback Mix MJ sounds like he was ill and this BJ beat was cringe. They thought this song needs a BJ beat to be successful. lol.
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ChanceToDance said:
And this is why Neff-U's remix is the best version imo. He remixed it and made it sound better than the demo but still kept the dark vibe of the song intact.

Tbh the Throwback mix would be my favorite version, it's both a mix of the demo and the album remix but the problem is the goddamn Billie Jean drums, they are WAAAY overdone on the remix and it's what ruins it for me lmao.
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For years i've always thought about the perfect HT mix, getting the best parts of each one of the remixes, which in my opinion would be:
-the instrumental of the Album version (drums mainly)
-Bass from OG Ver/Neff-U Mix
-Vocals from Neff-U Mix
-Bridge from Throwback Mix
-Guitars from Neff-U Mix (if possible)

That kind of combination would turn out something like this; https://we.tl/t-8mUX6K8qIx
I didn't make the whole song cuz i am lazy and only did it till the bridge, however, i would enjoy a more "professional" version of this way more than any of the official mixes by themselves.
Oh yeah, this also has the "She's only fifteen" line too
 
AlwaysThere said:
Not sure of the time stamp, but somewhere in here:

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Seems to me that they are confused about which mix is being talked about. Brad clearly was trying to talk about the throwback mix as he asked him about different versions. Not saying Michael Prince didn't do it but yeah something is off here and it's something that needs more clarity imo.

Edit: Okay he gets more specific later. Weird. I really don't hear it on the leaked demo at all, also not sure how I feel about him editing it before handing it over if he did.
 
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SmoothGangsta said:
Seems to me that they are confused about which mix is being talked about. Brad clearly was trying to talk about the throwback mix as he asked him about different versions. Not saying Michael Prince didn't do it but yeah something is off here and it's something that needs more clarity imo.

Edit: Okay he gets more specific later. Weird. I really don't hear it on the leaked demo at all, also not sure how I feel about him editing it before handing it over if he did.
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I think the leaked demo is quite literally the earliest version from 1998-99. There are extra ad-libs (“She’s too young to understand!”) and David Williams guitars that aren’t present in the one we have.
 
AlwaysThere said:
I think the leaked demo is quite literally the earliest version from 1998-99. There are extra ad-libs (“She’s too young to understand!”) and David Williams guitars that aren’t present in the one we have.
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Ah that would make sense
 
The 'Throwback' mix of Hollywood Tonight is absolutely abysmal. So, so bad.

For me, the 'Michael' album cut is the best one. It's an absolute banger & it sounds like a true MJ classic.

The Neff-U mix is nice, and true to the original (more so than any others) but misses the excitement from Teddy's album mix.
 
AlwaysThere said:
The Neff-U and Birchey remixes both tried guitar solos in place of the bridge, and they just don’t work in my opinion. It doesn’t fit the song’s vibe or flow. I think the Throwback Mix and the original demo have the best layout: just synths that build and build and build. It feels the most organic, almost like a temporary release before the rhythm kicks in again.
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I only say throw in a guitar because MJ mentioned it in his notes. He also said a gothic choir could work..but he actually wrote verses. If only he had actually recorded more parts of the songs then we wouldn't be debating this.
 
SmoothGangsta said:
Seems to me that they are confused about which mix is being talked about. Brad clearly was trying to talk about the throwback mix as he asked him about different versions. Not saying Michael Prince didn't do it but yeah something is off here and it's something that needs more clarity imo.

Edit: Okay he gets more specific later. Weird. I really don't hear it on the leaked demo at all, also not sure how I feel about him editing it before handing it over if he did.
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He was probably referring to the 2008 version which I don't believe we have heard. I don't think it matters really because Michael's notes specified Billie jean like drums and a smooth bass per the making of Michael but that video is lot to the ages.
 
Billyjeanplxiv said:
He was probably referring to the 2008 version which I don't believe we have heard. I don't think it matters really because Michael's notes specified Billie jean like drums and a smooth bass per the making of Michael but that video is lot to the ages.
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Well yeah, Billie Jean like, not copy and paste the Billie Jean drums lol. I think it does matter. I'd rather hear the original 2008 version than one with Billie Jean drums thrown into it.
 
I hate how we'll never get to hear the 2008 demo and we're stuck with an outdated version.
 
SmoothGangsta said:
Well yeah, Billie Jean like, not copy and paste the Billie Jean drums lol. I think it does matter. I'd rather hear the original 2008 version than one with Billie Jean drums thrown into it.
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I think he meant low in Teddy's mix. For the throwback they went full jean.
I'm sure one day we will hear all the tracks michael worked on as is in 2008.
 
Billyjeanplxiv said:
I think he meant low in Teddy's mix. For the throwback they went full jean.
I'm sure one day we will hear all the tracks michael worked on as is in 2008.
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He said he put it in the demo before he gave it to Teddy. I hope so but I'm doubtful tbh. Even if we do the estate will probably hire someone to make it sound as shit as they possibly can lol.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
In an anthology context it'd made a lot of sense.
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I was thinking about that these days and I don't think they'd ever do a box set with unfinished demos, I think the Estate is going to either release unfinished demos on anniversary albums or they're gonna remix and call in other artists to fill in the missing vocals so that they can make as much bank and reach out to as much audiences as possible. Hot Fun In The Summertime is an example of that, the song has only a verse and a chorus but they went and called 2 popular artists and basically made a new song out of it for the Xscape album. I think that's what's going to happen to a lot of songs in the vault that are basically just scraps.
 
ChanceToDance said:
I was thinking about that these days and I don't think they'd ever do a box set with unfinished demos, I think the Estate is going to either release unfinished demos on anniversary albums or they're gonna remix and call in other artists to fill in the missing vocals so that they can make as much bank and reach out to as much audiences as possible. Hot Fun In The Summertime is an example of that, the song has only a verse and a chorus but they went and called 2 popular artists and basically made a new song out of it for the Xscape album. I think that's what's going to happen to a lot of songs in the vault that are basically just scraps.
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Bleak af
 
ChanceToDance said:
I was thinking about that these days and I don't think they'd ever do a box set with unfinished demos,
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😢

ChanceToDance said:
I think the Estate is going to either release unfinished demos on anniversary albums or they're gonna remix and call in other artists to fill in the missing vocals so that they can make as much bank and reach out to as much audiences as possible.
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If that's how it goes down I'll be spending a lot less money on estate projects. I'm totally old school and still buy all my music on CD but if any future Michael projects are gonna pan out like this, I'll go online and just buy single songs after I've already checked them out online. I don't want twenty freakin' anniversary albums. I was happy enough to buy T40 but this isn't going to become a pattern.

People 'finishing' the songs? Not interested so I won't be buying any of that.

ChanceToDance said:
Hot Fun In The Summertime is an example of that, the song has only a verse and a chorus but they went and called 2 popular artists and basically made a new song out of it for the Xscape album. I think that's what's going to happen to a lot of songs in the vault that are basically just scraps.
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So depressing. Give me a fragment of a Michael song over something 'finished' any day.
 
zinniabooklover said:
😢


If that's how it goes down I'll be spending a lot less money on estate projects. I'm totally old school and still buy all my music on CD but if any future Michael projects are gonna pan out like this, I'll go online and just buy single songs after I've already checked them out online. I don't want twenty freakin' anniversary albums. I was happy enough to buy T40 but this isn't going to become a pattern.

People 'finishing' the songs? Not interested so I won't be buying any of that.


So depressing. Give me a fragment of a Michael song over something 'finished' any day.
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Hot fun summertime's it's a a short song
 
ChanceToDance said:
I was thinking about that these days and I don't think they'd ever do a box set with unfinished demos, I think the Estate is going to either release unfinished demos on anniversary albums or they're gonna remix and call in other artists to fill in the missing vocals so that they can make as much bank and reach out to as much audiences as possible. Hot Fun In The Summertime is an example of that, the song has only a verse and a chorus but they went and called 2 popular artists and basically made a new song out of it for the Xscape album. I think that's what's going to happen to a lot of songs in the vault that are basically just scraps.
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They will definitely do a box set, they'll just wait until the very minute. They're gonna dismantle The Ultimate Collection first, padding out the Anniversary Reissues with outtakes from the album. Then once there's no reason to buy that anymore, they'll then make a new box set.

As for what you say, yeah, they'll make a couple hit singles out of a few songs, but yet, it hasn't happened nearly as much as the fans say it will. I remember the discourse and panic over a "duets" album, that has never materialized. Ironically it'd be a better atmosphere for that now, the class of singers and their expertise has definitely improved since those 2010 years.

But again, that stuff rarely happens. We can still count it on 1 hand basically. And almost every time it's been super advantageous for MJ's chart records, so it's a double edged sword anyway.
 
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