You missed part 4:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/michael-jackson-man-in-th_b_224603.html
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Regarding Michael being underrated — the answer, in my opinion, is YES.
Firstly, he doesn't get nowhere near enough credit for his vocals, which i will
never understand. Look at the way he 'morphed' his voice over the years. He adapted like a wild animal to a new environment, treading into new territory as an artist. He challenged himself vocally and came out a winner every time. Each of his albums have a different flavour, different sound. He lasted so long in the music industry not only because of his visual artistry (short films, concerts, dancing etc) but because his VOICE was incredible and people
wanted to hear it. If you strip away everything from Michael you are left with his most prized, God-given gift that i don't think
anyone can critize.
Secondly, his musicianship is incredible; the passion that exudes from his songs is sublime. You feel at one with the lyrics, the melody, the voice, because Michael embeds that factor into his art,
making you listen to every detail in his music. His songs aren't just songs, they're stories. Same goes for his videos — they tell a story, putting a visual to a melody. That's exactly why he called them 'short films'.
His songwriting and composing/producing skills are severly overlooked, too. People tend to think that Quincy Jones is the mastermind behind Michael's success and that's just bulls*it. Two minds are better than one in some cases and Michael knew that, so when he felt that another person should step in to further the development of a certain song, he welcomed it. He worked with people that would bring out the best of him in that particular song — whatever it may be. He also knew when his talents were capable of mastering a song on their own. Take "Billie Jean" for example: he wrote and worked on that BY HIMSELF. Christ, Quincy didn't even want it on Thriller! Can you imagine?!
So yeah, that is why i think Michael is underrated. Sure, his videos get recognition, as do his dancing skills — and so they should — but he is so much more than imagery for us. He is a talent so complex, with so many different abilities it's actually mind-boggling. I tend to think that because he has so much talent people can't register it all at once thus only focusing on a certain aspect of him. I think that
seeing something over
listening to something has more of an instant affect on people. If you see Michael on stage he completely captivates you, an instant connection happens. With his music, it's the same thing, but people seem to enjoy visual effect more, like watching his videos
for the song.
That's another layer of his talent — he is capable of attraching lovers of visual and lovers of music, making one become a lover of both, if they weren't already. He knew that someone may only like his videos, so he redefined the art. He knew that someone may only like his music, so he created masterpieces. He knew that someone may only like him in concert, so he put on a spectacle never to be forgotten. He knew that someone may only like his dancing, so he made his moves global phenomenons that people all over the world would imitate.
Michael Joseph Jackson was a genius and pioneer. Anyone who tries to dispute it is simply ignorant.