Michael Jackson: the backing vocalist

two similar ballads that have a mix of duet/backing from Mike. like them both equally.


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Carole Bayer Sager - Just Friends
















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Minnie Riperton - I'm In Love Again













 
^ i don't like Mike's version as much as the one with Rebbie. i like the intro, but he cut out the backing vocals and the arrangement doesn't suit it at all.

Ahhhh! How could you!? That's like one of my favorite tracks from Michael. His voice is to die for! lol
 
I just love Michael's backing vocals! So smooth and harmonious in a way. I really love the way he does them too, just ahh. :wub::)

ASKDHAKFHKDHFVKSH;' :bugeyed So amazing.
 
this is one of my favourites. i especially like the climax towards the end when Mike layers "money makes the world go 'round" on top of the already spaced out vocals.

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Money (backing vocals)















download



A good one to do would be "Monkey Business" too. The backing vocals on that are so involved.
definitely a good one. there's too much going on with that, but i tried my best.

Monkey Business (backing vocals)















download
 
Oh man, thank you so much for posting those arXter. Those are incredible and you did an excellent job on "Monkey Business". I just can't get over this stuff. I mean, the way Michael layers his voice, singing the same phrase in both a higher and a lower register, and then putting them together so well, is just astounding. I always wondered what he was singing in "Money" near the end. That's one of my favorite songs as well. You would think with so many parts that it would never flow together or that certain elements would crash in to each other. But Michael just makes it all blend together so beautifully. I mean, his backing vocals are so complex and involved and intricate, and then on top of all what's going on there, he's got the lead vocal on top of it all. He's such a genius. Or if you listen to the extremes he can do with his voice in "Monkey Business", how he can control his voice and do whatever he wants with it, in terms of control and range and tonality. Wow. I'm just awe struck by his talent. And he's got that beatbox going in both of these examples as well, behind everything else. I'm totally blown away, lol. I'm sure you can tell.

I'm not sure if these have been done yet, but "In The Closet" and "Who Is It" would be awesome as well.

Thank you again arXter for taking the time to post these!
 
Wow. This thread is awesome. You get such an appreciation for Michael as a vocalist when you break his vocals down like this and separate the backing vocals from the lead vocals. I love it. Thanks to arXter and giddyup who uploaded all those backing vocal tracks.
 
Those were awesome giddyup! Thank you for sharing. It's amazing how even his tone is. I mean, even isolated, there's so many layers going on with his backing vocals that you really have to listen to pick each one out. I loved in "Beautiful Girl" how each progressive part got higher the the previous one. Pure genius.
 
i was waiting on your reply so i can just ditto you
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cheers, giddy mate for these. Nic, those Dangerous ones are coming,,, i think they may be his best from any other era.
 
i was waiting on your reply so i can just ditto you
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cheers, giddy mate for these. Nic, those Dangerous ones are coming,,, i think they may be his best from any other era.
 
lol, I can be long winded, but I guess it saves folks who agree from wasting their time typing, haha.

I can't wait to hear those from "Dangerous". They really are something else! Thanks to both of you guys for taking the time to do all this! You're what I would call real fans, lol. You appreciate his art and his genius.
 
You know, I love that breathing Michael does on "Dangerous". What also strikes me is how many layers Michael has to the timbre of his voice. He has such an extreme on both ends of high and low registers, and then everything in between too, and he can not only change the sound of his voice, but the texture too. I mean, when you compare "Dangerous" to "She Drives Me Wild", it's two totally distinct sounds. Or how he can go from being so smooth and clean with his voice to being so rough and grinding. Like that "I Can't let her goo oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ohoh" on "ICLHGA". That's so smooth and light sounding. And then on the "Who Is It" a capella you provided in the other thread, he can make his voice so dark and heavy sounding. Talk about a versatile vocalist. Whew. I love these two threads, lol.
 
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arXter, you are the coolest EVER! My internet connection is slow right now but as soon as it speeds up I'll download and listen to them. Thank you so much for making them. I can't wait to hear the one for "2 Bad".
 
I finally got around to listening to them. Awesome as usual. I really liked the backing parts in "Tabloid Junkie" when he's singing "Huh, huh, huhhhuh". Talk about smooth.

And you were right about "2 Bad" arXter. That is some seriously, outragiously amazing stuff right there. I always adored this song because of the background vocals. When he's singing "Hell all up in Hollywood", the way he sings so high and forcefully over a lower and middle register, and the way he really dips his voice low singing "Saying that she's got it good" under higher vocals. I swear, his backgrounds are so complex and have so many layers. And what's funny is, a lot of the time, he'll show his voice off in the backgrounds in a way he won't always do on the lead. Michael's just too talented.
 
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I love his vocals on Heaven Can Wait, I think he sounds heavenly(no pun intended), oh and Break of Dawn was nice. I forgot to add Whatever Happens (not sure if someone mentioned this song).
 
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Awesome!!!! Thanks All!! I appreciate it very much. You are angels

Love
 
arXter you the man! Thanx a bunch! This thread itself is a big education for me. If I meet MJ haterz who questions his musical ability, I got one more thing to tell them:punk:
 
reminds me of a couple of threads over at the gearslutz forum..... a few people who worked with him mentioned how professional he was in the studio and one also said he was the tiger woods of vocals.
 
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