If MJ had decided to put the 5 new BOTDF tracks on HIStory

filmandmusic

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What HIStory tracks would you have left from the tracklist and what would it look like?
My exits: this time around, D.S., you are not alone, 2bad and tabloid junkie

New tracklist:

Scream
They Don’t Care About Us
Stranger In Moscow
Superfly Sister
Earth Song
Ghosts
Money
Come Together
Blood On The Dancefloor
Childhood
Morphine
Is It Scary
HIStory
Little Susie
Smile

PS you can also flat out say you won’t change a damn thing about it.
Better would have been to release disc 1 first and then the next year the new album imo
 
I would replace DS and This Time Around with Ghosts and Morphine.

Blood on The Dance Floor is a fantastic song but it is a Dangerous era song and doesn’t fit the History album. Same thing can be said for Superfly Sister, although that isn’t a fantastic song.

Is It Scary is great but it has somewhat similar lyrics to Ghosts, and I prefer Ghosts so I chose it over ITS.
 
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Nite Line said:
I would replace DS and This Time Around with Ghosts and Morphine.

Blood on The Dance Floor is a fantastic song but it is a Dangerous era song and doesn’t fit the History album. Some thing can be said for Superfly Sister, although that isn’t a fantastic song.

Is It Scary is great but it has somewhat similar lyrics to Ghosts, and I prefer Ghosts so I chose it over ITS.
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As always I have to be the odd one out that finds superfly sister the best track on BOTDF lol
 
Wasn't one of these songs recorded for the Addams Family soundtrack, but they went with MC Hammer instead?
 
He should’ve done what Stevie did with Songs in the Key of Life and the A Something’s Extra EP, i.e. add it as an additional disc to HIStory.
 
(In my fantasy) he should have turned History into a 100% protest album. Put songs on it that explain HIS story after the allegations and to make it clear why he loves children, nature etc. once and for all. And put out a more dance oriented album a year or so later. Now his personal anger was watered down by songs that are about other stuff imo

So lose the songs:

Little Susie
Smile
History
Come Together
You Are Not Alone

And keep the songs that tell his story:

Scream (solo version, Janet makes it less personal )
This Time Around (ending with 'This time around he really wants.. ...Money')
Money
They Don't Care About Us (not about him but a protest song nevertheless)
Stranger In Moscow (preceded by an intro with news skits of him 'hiding' alone after allegations)
Earth Song (preceded by snippets of him explaining why he cares about this so much)
D.S.
2Bad
Tabloid Junkie (adressing new allegations not the hyperbaric chamber again)
Childhood (preceded by fragments that demonstrate his missed childhood)
 
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Songs I would lose is D.S., Come Together and This Time Around - those are fine songs and could be released on an EP or as stand-alone singles.
Or added as b-sides to singles. - Like Come Together actually was when it was first released as a b-side...

I would add Is It Scary, Morphine and BOTDF to the HIStory album.

But really - HIStory is perfect as it is. At the moment the album I listen to the most. I can hear HIStory over and over without ever feeling the need to skip a song...
 
Agonum said:
He should’ve done what Stevie did with Songs in the Key of Life and the A Something’s Extra EP, i.e. add it as an additional disc to HIStory.
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A 3rd CD (or a 4 record set)? That would have made it more expensive than it already was, lol. Most other artists just put their extra songs as B-sides on singles or on deluxe reissues decades later. Mike generally didn't do exclusive B-sides though, it was songs from older albums or an instrumental of the A-side.
 
Drop CT & DS, shorten YANA if neccessary (Radio edit), remove synphonic intro of LS (Pie Jesu part).

Add Morphine & Is It Scary. Also replace TTA & Money with their uncut mixes (where their adlibs were intact).
 
DuranDuran said:
Wasn't one of these songs recorded for the Addams Family soundtrack, but they went with MC Hammer instead?
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It was 'Is It Scary', and Paul Rudnick (the American writer of the 'Addams Family Values' 1993 film) stated that Michael Jackson even completed the video for it, but it was just a little too risky (because of the allegations) to include it in the final film at that point.
DuranDuran said:
A 3rd CD (or a 4 record set)? That would have made it more expensive than it already was, lol. Most other artists just put their extra songs as B-sides on singles or on deluxe reissues decades later. Mike generally didn't do exclusive B-sides though, it was songs from older albums or an instrumental of the A-side.
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Prince released the 'Emancipation' album around that time (a triple CD album).
Victorious said:
So lose the songs:

You Are Not Alone
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In retrospect, their decision to include 'You Are Not Alone' made sense, at least from a commercial point of view.

It looked like a sure-fire hit, and it became a huge hit (one of Michael Jackson's best selling singles and also his final number one song).
 
DuranDuran said:
A 3rd CD (or a 4 record set)? That would have made it more expensive than it already was, lol. Most other artists just put their extra songs as B-sides on singles or on deluxe reissues decades later. Mike generally didn't do exclusive B-sides though, it was songs from older albums or an instrumental of the A-side.
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No, sorry, I wasn’t very clear. Separate HIStory Begins from HIStory Continues, then add Blood on the Dance Floor (5 track EP) to HIStory Continues. Then make HIStory Continues available both as a single disc album and bundled with the EP.
 
Hess said:
But really - HIStory is perfect as it is. At the moment the album I listen to the most. I can hear HIStory over and over without ever feeling the need to skip a song...
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Exactly! No songs must be removed.
 
Fuzball said:
Drop CT & DS, shorten YANA if neccessary (Radio edit), remove synphonic intro of LS (Pie Jesu part).

Add Morphine & Is It Scary. Also replace TTA & Money with their uncut mixes (where their adlibs were intact).
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I think the long version of YANA actually elevates the song tremendously. Michael’s ad lib brings the magic per usual.
 
mj_frenzy said:
Prince released the 'Emancipation' album around that time (a triple CD album).
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Sure, but that came out during the symbol years after writing "slave" on his face and was out of the mainstream radar. It was not really commercially successful and EMI (the label that put it out) was going out of business anyway. Even appearing on Oprah didn't help it, when authors appearing on her show book sales blew up. I later saw a lot of the Emanicpation CDs & also the 4 CD compilation Crystal Ball being sold for cheap at stores (like a cutout album), because they were trying to get rid of it.
 
DuranDuran said:
Sure, but that came out during the symbol years after writing "slave" on his face and was out of the mainstream radar. It was not really commercially successful and EMI (the label that put it out) was going out of business anyway. Even appearing on Oprah didn't help it, when authors appearing on her show book sales blew up. I later saw a lot of the Emanicpation CDs & also the 4 CD compilation Crystal Ball being sold for cheap at stores (like a cutout album), because they were trying to get rid of it.
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Yet, one can say that for a triple CD album, the 'Emancipation' album was very successful (certified also double platinum), especially in the US.

It would have sold even more if EMI did not go into bankruptcy in the following year (1997).

Note also that the 'Betcha By Golly Wow!' lead single stayed for 11 whole weeks in the American Radio Chart Top 40.
 
mj_frenzy said:
Yet, one can say that for a triple CD album, the 'Emancipation' album was very successful (certified also double platinum), especially in the US.

It would have sold even more if EMI did not go into bankruptcy in the following year (1997).

Note also that the 'Betcha by Golly Wow!' lead single stayed for 11 whole weeks in the American Radio Chart Top 40.
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The only reason that happened is because the RIAA & Billboard counts each CD as a separate album. Like if it had sold 1 million in actual sales, then it would be counted as selling 3 million. It's the same as when Prince gave away CDs of Musicology at concerts and this was counted as sales. If a family of 4 went to his concert, then they got 4 CDs. But normally 4 people in the same household would not buy the same album, especially during the time when it came out, you could easily burn a copy if somebody else in the home wanted it. During a week there were concerts, Musicology appeared in the Top 10 on the album chart, but when there wasn't any, the album was not.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
HIStory is not actually a concept album guys. It's still a studio album. Why would you drop MJ's last #1 in his career from the album? What is wrong with you?
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Because I'm not fond of the track. It is the blandest kind of r&b possible to my ears but it is possible that the horrible video has clouded my judgement slightly :p
 
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For my HIStory 2.0, I'm removing This Time Around, DS, Money, Come Together, Childhood & Tabloid Junkie.

I'm adding BOTDF, Morphine, Ghosts, Is It Scary, and On The Line (which IMO should have been on BOTDF, not on the Ghosts boxset).

IMO the songs removed are the weakest of the bunch. Come Together I love, but it's longer version is better then the chopped up album version, and doesn't fit on HIStory. It's only on there because Why got booted off when 3T fell in love with it, and MJ gave it to them. Tabloid Junkie IMO is a poor man's Leave Me Alone, DS is meh, and I don't care for MJ's rapping on Money.

On The Line is awesome and should have been promoted heavily. Should have been the anthem of the album.
 
filmandmusic said:
TTA and Money uncut mixes? meaning extended versions? Point me to it please
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To quote assistent engineer John van Nest:

The final days of that album were made interesting, by Bruce giving me the task to sequence the album and edit it down to a size that we could fit onto a CD. This was no small undertaking, as about 7 minutes needed to be trimmed somewhere. I laid this all out in Sound Tools and came to know every bar of every song very intimately. I found places where songs could be tightened up and came up with many suggestions. On the night of mastering, I was put in a room at Bernie Grundman's with my Sound Tools rig, and in this room, I would have to "negotiate" with Michael about what to take out. I'll never forget this night...Michael came in, and Bruce told MJ that we would have to remove either 1) one whole song or 2) edit the others to fit onto a CD. We chose the latter...I started with song one and played Michael my edits, "Oh no, we can't take THAT out...it's my favorite part of the album!". OK. Let's try another, "Oh no, we MUST keep those four bars". OK...let's go to the vamp, which carries on for two minutes...how about removing these eight bars, "Oh no, that's my favorite part of the vamp!". Well, you get the picture. Meanwhile, Jimmy Jam was in with us, telling Michael that all these edits were killer and actually make things better. And over the course of about 5 hours, we got it down. By this time, it was probably 3:00am, and I was wiped out. Bruce walked in..."Okay, John, I want you to make all these edits on the 1/2" masters right now!". My first thought was, "You've GOT to be kidding!" I had used some crossfades in Tools and such, plus I was worn out from "bartering" with Michael. But, into Bernie's room we went, and with Bruce over my shoulder, I cut the 1/2" tapes. As I recall, this took a couple of hours, and we were done. By the way, video footage of my "bartering session" with Michael exists, although I was never able to get a copy. Perhaps someday!
 
Fuzball said:
To quote assistent engineer John van Nest:

The final days of that album were made interesting, by Bruce giving me the task to sequence the album and edit it down to a size that we could fit onto a CD. This was no small undertaking, as about 7 minutes needed to be trimmed somewhere. I laid this all out in Sound Tools and came to know every bar of every song very intimately. I found places where songs could be tightened up and came up with many suggestions. On the night of mastering, I was put in a room at Bernie Grundman's with my Sound Tools rig, and in this room, I would have to "negotiate" with Michael about what to take out. I'll never forget this night...Michael came in, and Bruce told MJ that we would have to remove either 1) one whole song or 2) edit the others to fit onto a CD. We chose the latter...I started with song one and played Michael my edits, "Oh no, we can't take THAT out...it's my favorite part of the album!". OK. Let's try another, "Oh no, we MUST keep those four bars". OK...let's go to the vamp, which carries on for two minutes...how about removing these eight bars, "Oh no, that's my favorite part of the vamp!". Well, you get the picture. Meanwhile, Jimmy Jam was in with us, telling Michael that all these edits were killer and actually make things better. And over the course of about 5 hours, we got it down. By this time, it was probably 3:00am, and I was wiped out. Bruce walked in..."Okay, John, I want you to make all these edits on the 1/2" masters right now!". My first thought was, "You've GOT to be kidding!" I had used some crossfades in Tools and such, plus I was worn out from "bartering" with Michael. But, into Bernie's room we went, and with Bruce over my shoulder, I cut the 1/2" tapes. As I recall, this took a couple of hours, and we were done. By the way, video footage of my "bartering session" with Michael exists, although I was never able to get a copy. Perhaps someday!
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How would you know the cuts were from Money and This Time Around from reading that?
 
Prince Of Pop said:
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For my HIStory 2.0, I'm removing This Time Around, DS, Money, Come Together, Childhood & Tabloid Junkie.

I'm adding BOTDF, Morphine, Ghosts, Is It Scary, and On The Line (which IMO should have been on BOTDF, not on the Ghosts boxset).

IMO the songs removed are the weakest of the bunch. Come Together I love, but it's longer version is better then the chopped up album version, and doesn't fit on HIStory. It's only on there because Why got booted off when 3T fell in love with it, and MJ gave it to them. Tabloid Junkie IMO is a poor man's Leave Me Alone, DS is meh, and I don't care for MJ's rapping on Money.

On The Line is awesome and should have been promoted heavily. Should have been the anthem of the album.
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I can only agree with removing Come Together. No one should touch Tabloid Junkie or catch these hands, catch this fade, on my mama.
 
Agonum said:
How would you know the cuts were from Money and This Time Around from reading that?
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Details were posted somewhere else. Can't find it after a quick online search. (I might have saved the source on my PC. Have to look through my backup drives.)

From memory: Scream, TTA, Money, CT & YANA were all edited.
 
Fuzball said:
Details were posted somewhere else. Can't find it after a quick online search. (I might have saved the source on my PC. Have to look through my backup drives.)

From memory: Scream, TTA, Money, CT & YANA were all edited.
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2 Bad was also way, way, way, longer.
The full version of CT was released on the RTT Singles thankfully.
 
I would not have added any of the BODTF tracks simply because they don't thematically fit, imo. HIStory is not a concept album. But the subject matter is all related to the allegations and MJ's feelings of rage/solitude or the general feeling of injustice/the history of man and life.

Allegations/His Story
Scream
Stranger in Moscow
This Time Around
D.S
Money
Childhood
Tabloid Junkie
2 Bad
Smile
Injustice/Broader Feelings
They Don't Care About Us
Earth Song
Come Together (?)
You Are Not Alone
HIStory
Little Susie

Now out of all these. Come Together does not fit. It is a nice cover so it goes with Smile and the lyrics are vaguely applicable but I don't have a lot of mercy for this track. The best thing I could say is most people wouldn't have heard it unless they bought that Remember The Time single or else watched Moonwalker a lot. But I would replace it.

All of this is to say that the BOTDF tracks are way more, aggressive, wild, and playful. And, I guess, Dangerous. While HIStory feels a bit more restrained, polished.

The song "Faces" would have been much more interesting on the album. I have a lotta fascination with that song, so I'd love to hear it completed and put out. It'd be an amazing anthem.

Secretly 2 Bad also doesn't exactly belong either. The fact it's basically a BOTDF track to most people compliments that. But it sequences well enough.

filmandmusic said:
Because I'm not fond of the track. It is the blandest kind of r&b possible to my ears but it is possible that the horrible video has clouded my judgement slightly :p
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Maybe now at this point of time it has more historical value, the video.
 
NeoGardiV8 said:
2 Bad was also way, way, way, longer.
The full version of CT was released on the RTT Singles thankfully.
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Basically, the ratio of edited to unedited tracks goes like this (All edited tracks are presented in bold):

1. Scream: 5:14 (versus the album version's 4:38)
2. They Don't Care About Us: 4:45
3. Stranger In Moscow: 6:12 (versus the album version's 5:45)
4. This Time Around: Unknown, though it may have been five to six minutes long (versus the album version's 4:21)
5. Earth Song: 6:48
6. D.S: 4:49
7. Money: 5:00 (versus the album version's 4:42)
8. Come Together: 5:27 (versus the album version's 4:03)
9. You Are Not Alone: 6:02 (versus the album version's 5:47)
10. Childhood: 4:28
11. Tabloid Junkie: 5:28 (versus the album version's 4:33)
12. 2Bad: 6:22 (versus the album version's 4:50)
13. HIStory: 6:38
14. Little Susie: 4:51 (extended to 6:15 by using "Pie Jesu" as an interlude leading into the song)
15. Smile: 4:56
 
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