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Blood On the Dancefloor originally a Fresh new album with no remixes?

Screamin

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Its bothered me everytime i listen to the album as there are so many great original tracks such as Morphine and Superfly Sister but were those tracks intended for a bigger project as BOTDF came out merely a year after the HIStory album.
Seems like its a uncompleted project and there were much bigger plans in place but merely replaced a number of tracks with remixes!
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 
It has been written that the 'Blood On The Dance Floor' album was a result of a compromise between Sony Music and Michael Jackson.

Lynton Guest (in his 'The Trials of Michael Jackson' book) explains how it happened.

Sony Music wanted a brand new studio album at that time, but Michael Jackson disagreed with that.

So, they agreed to release a hybrid album which contained several brand new songs plus remixes of some of his already released songs from his previous 'HIStory' album.
 
The five “new” songs on Blood on the Dance Floor were carryovers from the Dangerous and HIStory sessions. There wasn’t a more grandiose project in line; in fact, MJ originally just wanted to release them as a 5-song EP as a “thank you” for the fans, but Sony pushed him to also include remixes to appeal to the young international market.
 
AlwaysThere said:
The five “new” songs on Blood on the Dance Floor were carryovers from the Dangerous and HIStory sessions. There wasn’t a more grandiose project in line; in fact, MJ originally just wanted to release them as a 5-song EP as a “thank you” for the fans, but Sony pushed him to also include remixes to appeal to the young international market.
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Yes, Michael intended it to be a 'tour souvenir' during the HIStory Tour.
(At least that's what I read a few times.)
 
Screamin said:
Its bothered me everytime i listen to the album as there are so many great original tracks such as Morphine and Superfly Sister but were those tracks intended for a bigger project as BOTDF came out merely a year after the HIStory album.
Seems like its a uncompleted project and there were much bigger plans in place but merely replaced a number of tracks with remixes!
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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THe BOTDF album was released 23 months after HIStory, not one year.
 
Eric said:
THe BOTDF album was released 23 months after HIStory, not one year.
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That is weird for Sony to want an album & he was on tour promoting one album...

Now that I think about it, the same thing kinda happened with thriller/victory✌🏾
 
Well, the vinyl is on 2 discs so you can simply ignore the second one and sell it, that's what I did.
I never even consider remixes when discussing BotDF.

But the info that Michael wanted this album to be a thank you to the fans is really interesting. Would love to know more about it.
 
Michael wanted an EP release with just the 5 tracks. Sony wanted a remix album. They got what they wanted.
 
It's a shame BOTDF has never been released as a EP - cheaper and then just the 5 new songs.

Like HIStory should also have gotten a release in 1996 or 1997 just the new songs. A cheaper version without disc 1 would have made the album HIStory sell a lot more copies. - same goes for a cheaper EP version og BOTDF with the 5 songs.
 
BOTDF is incredibly underrated. Fans go on and on about how underrated Invincible is, but BOTDF is more underrated IMO. I blame the remixed songs, cause people skip over BOTDF thinking it's just a remix album and nothing more. It should have been an EP.
 
Hess said:
It's a shame BOTDF has never been released as a EP - cheaper and then just the 5 new songs.

Like HIStory should also have gotten a release in 1996 or 1997 just the new songs. A cheaper version without disc 1 would have made the album HIStory sell a lot more copies. - same goes for a cheaper EP version og BOTDF with the 5 songs.
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A cheaper version without disc 1 would actually have made the 'HIStory' album sell fewer copies.

Keep in mind that many people bought the 'HIStory' album mainly because of the disc 1 with his classic hits.

There was also another reason why the 'HIStory' album was released in that form of 2 discs.

After those very serious accusations against the singer, both Michael Jackson and Sony Music wanted a grandiose release that not only would make a big impact in the music industry, but also it would make people remember again his classic hits (hence, the disc 1).
 
analogue said:
BOTDF is incredibly underrated. Fans go on and on about how underrated Invincible is, but BOTDF is more underrated IMO. I blame the remixed songs, cause people skip over BOTDF thinking it's just a remix album and nothing more. It should have been an EP.
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I couldn't agree more with this. If it was an EP it would have been a masterpiece. Those 5 songs are so dark, different and artistic. I play them more often than I do Invincible
 
mj_frenzy said:
After those very serious accusations against the singer, both Michael Jackson and Sony Music wanted a grandiose release that not only would make a big impact in the music industry, but also it would make people remember again his classic hits (hence, the disc 1).
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In fact, the plan to release a greatest hits album dates back to 1989 - Dangerous was supposed to be a greatest hits album with a few new songs, initially, the 'Decade' album. After the success of Dangerous, Sony wanted Michael to release an album with a similar concept to Decade, which later turned into the HIStory album, after a period of intense creativity which led to the writing and recording of much more than the 4-5 planned new songs.

The allegations wouldn't have had much to do with their wish to release a greatest hits album. Michael clearly stated that he found these sort of albums boring and that he wasn't interested in old material.
 
dethorro said:
The allegations wouldn't have had much to do with their wish to release a greatest hits album.
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Those very serious accusations against Michael Jackson played a big role in how the whole 'HIStory' album concept was formed.

It is not just the disc 1 of his classic hits that acts as some sort of a reminder to people that Michael Jackson (as an artist) still matters.

It is also the album booklet, which portrays him as an extremely popular, important and beloved man.

Notice, for example, all these endorsements (from some very big names from the show business), which simply serve that purpose.
 
mj_frenzy said:
A cheaper version without disc 1 would actually have made the 'HIStory' album sell fewer copies.

Keep in mind that many people bought the 'HIStory' album mainly because of the disc 1 with his classic hits.

There was also another reason why the 'HIStory' album was released in that form of 2 discs.

After those very serious accusations against the singer, both Michael Jackson and Sony Music wanted a grandiose release that not only would make a big impact in the music industry, but also it would make people remember again his classic hits (hence, the disc 1).
Click to expand...
I wrote that a 1 disc version should have been released in 1996 or 1997 - 1-2 years after the Actual History release. That Way it would not hurt sales. Those who also wanted the greatest hits disc could just buy the original 2 disc HIStory from 1995.
 
I think Sony had cold feet after the allegations so they included a greatest hits disc which was back then a logical idea imo
However in hindsight I don’t think it was needed and a single disc probably would have sold more. Michael was really big in the mid 90s and the singles were a combination of catchy and artistic. Apart from the world tour the album had the best possible promotion through 3 monster hits, people might not fully realize but the likes of yana, earth song and tdcau were bigger hits than most of the thriller and bad singles (in wordwide terms).
It was an amazing come back after 1993, it was literally incredible to have such a successful album, tour and singles after such terrible (career) breaking accusations.

As for BOTDF I’m not sure it would have been viewed as a masterpiece as an EP. I remember many of the reviews when it was released and most of them were not kind, at least not in Belgium.
Not that I agree with it…
 
Fans who say that 'Blood On The Dance Floor' should have been released as an EP (with 5 new songs only) apparently are unaware of what EP means in music.

An EP is released by an artist who is still working on his/her full-length, studio album.

More specifically:

An EP is released by an artist in order to signal and promote his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who still tries to build up his/her fan base before the release of his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who experiments on new sounds that would end up on his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

Michael Jackson at that time clearly did not fall into any of the above categories.
 
mj_frenzy said:
Fans who say that 'Blood On The Dance Floor' should have been released as an EP (with 5 new songs only) apparently are unaware of what EP means in music.

An EP is released by an artist who is still working on his/her full-length, studio album.

More specifically:

An EP is released by an artist in order to signal and promote his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who still tries to build up his/her fan base before the release of his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who experiments on new sounds that would end up on his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

Michael Jackson at that time clearly did not fall into any of the above categories.
Click to expand...
*What on God’s green earth are you talking about?* There’s no one purpose for an extended play. Sometimes it’s just the product of an artist wanting to release music without releasing a full-length album; other times it’s to promote an existing album, movie, or tour. Countless established artists have released them.
 
mj_frenzy said:
An EP is released by an artist in order to signal and promote his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who still tries to build up his/her fan base before the release of his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who experiments on new sounds that would end up on his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.
Click to expand...
David Lee Roth released an EP called Crazy From The Heat in 1985, which consisted of 4 covers of oldies songs. It had nothing to do with to his 1986 album Eat 'Em And Smile. He also released a Spanish language version of Eat 'Em And Smile called Sonrisa Salvaje. The EP was originally supposed to be a side release during a break from Van Halen, but Diamond Dave did not return to the band and they became Van Hagar. Sting released a Portuguese/Spanish version EP (...Nada como el sol) of a few songs from his album ...Nothing Like the Sun. There was a band called The Honeydrippers which was Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin doing the lead vocals with some well known musicians like a supergroup. They only released an EP called Volume One and nothing else. It also consisted entirely of oldies covers like the DLR one. One track became a hit single (Sea Of Love).
 
Hess said:
It's a shame BOTDF has never been released as a EP - cheaper and then just the 5 new songs.

Like HIStory should also have gotten a release in 1996 or 1997 just the new songs. A cheaper version without disc 1 would have made the album HIStory sell a lot more copies. - same goes for a cheaper EP version og BOTDF with the 5 songs.
Click to expand...
Agreed but at the same time, had it been a full length album without the remixes, it would have done well. Michael could have easily picked a handful of songs from that era or Dangerous that would have fit that album timeline:

  • BOTDF
  • Morphine
  • Superfly Sister
  • Ghosts
  • Is It Scary
  • Blue Gangsta
  • On The Line
  • Mind Is The Magic
  • A Place Without No Name
  • Do You Know Where Your Children Are
  • For All Time
  • Slave To The Rhythm
  • Someone Put Your Hand Out
IMO that's a nice, solid album.
 
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The thing about BOTDF is that all of the remixes are actually great, with the exception of three : SIM, YANA and ES. Those are too « house music » and don’t work outside of a dance club setting. But all of the others are interesting, well thought-out remixes that rival the HIStory versions. And one in particular — Tony Moran’s remix of the song HIStory — is to my ears a big improvement. The original is clunky, with an interminable ending, and a too-limp chorus. But the remix is a dynamic, driving track, and Tony Moran had a stroke of genius when he took MJ’s one-time shouting of the word « History! » at one point in the song and turned it into the remix’s repeated hook.
 
mj_frenzy said:
Fans who say that 'Blood On The Dance Floor' should have been released as an EP (with 5 new songs only) apparently are unaware of what EP means in music.

An EP is released by an artist who is still working on his/her full-length, studio album.

More specifically:

An EP is released by an artist in order to signal and promote his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who still tries to build up his/her fan base before the release of his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

An EP is released by an artist who experiments on new sounds that would end up on his/her upcoming, full-length studio album.

Michael Jackson at that time clearly did not fall into any of the above categories.
Click to expand...

That is not at all what EP means. It simply means 'extended play', meaning is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album. That's all. It usually has 3 or 4 tracks.

There is also a double EP; a musical recording that contains more tracks than an EP but fewer than an album. (Usually 5 or 6 tracks.) The original UK release of the The Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles is considered a double EP.
 
AlwaysThere said:
*What on God’s green earth are you talking about?* There’s no one purpose for an extended play. Sometimes it’s just the product of an artist wanting to release music without releasing a full-length album; other times it’s to promote an existing album, movie, or tour. Countless established artists have released them.
Click to expand...
The main purpose of releasing an EP is when an artist is still working on his/her full-length, studio album.
DuranDuran said:
David Lee Roth released an EP called Crazy From The Heat in 1985, which consisted of 4 covers of oldies songs. It had nothing to do with to his 1986 album Eat 'Em And Smile. He also released a Spanish language version of Eat 'Em And Smile called Sonrisa Salvaje. The EP was originally supposed to be a side release during a break from Van Halen, but Diamond Dave did not return to the band and they became Van Hagar. Sting released a Portuguese/Spanish version EP (...Nada como el sol) of a few songs from his album ...Nothing Like the Sun. There was a band called The Honeydrippers which was Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin doing the lead vocals with some well known musicians like a supergroup. They only released an EP called Volume One and nothing else. It also consisted entirely of oldies covers like the DLR one. One track became a hit single (Sea Of Love).
Click to expand...
These are just a few exceptions to the rule.
kreen said:
The thing about BOTDF is that all of the remixes are actually great, with the exception of three : SIM, YANA and ES. Those are too « house music » and don’t work outside of a dance club setting. But all of the others are interesting, well thought-out remixes that rival the HIStory versions. And one in particular — Tony Moran’s remix of the song HIStory — is to my ears a big improvement. The original is clunky, with an interminable ending, and a too-limp chorus. But the remix is a dynamic, driving track, and Tony Moran had a stroke of genius when he took MJ’s one-time shouting of the word « History! » at one point in the song and turned it into the remix’s repeated hook.
Click to expand...
It is also pointless and laughable to remix ballads in order to make them up-tempo tracks.
Piek said:
That is not at all what EP means. It simply means 'extended play', meaning is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album. That's all. It usually has 3 or 4 tracks.

There is also a double EP; a musical recording that contains more tracks than an EP but fewer than an album. (Usually 5 or 6 tracks.) The original UK release of the The Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles is considered a double EP.
Click to expand...
This is just the technical definition of an EP.

EPs refer mainly to artists/bands that want to get feedback and reactions to their music before starting investing money, time and effort in their upcoming, full-length studio album.
 
mj_frenzy said:
The main purpose of releasing an EP is when an artist is still working on his/her full-length, studio album.
Click to expand...
No it isn’t. Can’t you ever accept that you are wrong? There is no main reason for an artist releasing an EP and the EP doesn’t have to be connected in any way to a previous or upcoming LP by that artist.

EP’s can certainly be used to create hype for an upcoming album but they are, mostly, not released for that purpose.
 
Usher released his first EP (Versus, 2010) four months after releasing a full-length album, as an extension/continuation of said album.

Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles (1967) was a double LP comprised of the soundtrack to the film of the same name, and a handful of one-off singles and B-sides that were released earlier the same year.

Nirvana released an EP of covers and a few B-sides (Hormoaning, 1992) exclusively in Japan and Australia to promote their overseas tour dates.

Arctic Monkeys originally intended to release another single from their debut album, but instead released an EP with five new songs (Who the F*** Are the Arctic Monkeys, 2005).

My Iron Lung by Radiohead (1994) consisted of songs that didn’t make their second album, but were seen as strong enough to warrant a release.

But sure. Only newbies drop EPs.
 
AlwaysThere said:
Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles (1967) was a double LP comprised of the soundtrack to the film of the same name, and a handful of one-off singles and B-sides that were released earlier the same year.
Click to expand...

Double EP, you mean? Although you are right: Magical Mystery Tour became an LP later, in the US...
 
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