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Thriller 40th Anniversary - Songs Discussion

I just love it when it is just Michael, a guitar or a piano. I understand why many people find this boring but I have a background of loving folk and singer songwriter music which might explain something.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
I'm listening to it now. It is there, you're right. It's everything after, the throwing rocks at me, that's missing. Because of the switching it around it admittedly is just harder to keep track lol. I just know there's a lot more humming. And I like the way he sings along with the robots.

Point is it's been altered a little. I think it's fair to say he's sung a lot but there's still a part or two that I could imagine him covering in a 2nd verse. It sounds like he's more so covering the vocal melody before the melody. The main reason to believe there's more than one take is because the main reason the song wasn't released was copyright issues. The 2010 version has a lot of reverb on the vocals too, maybe that makes sense because it's a demo, or it's just part of the effect.

But you are right, that 90% of it is there. And even a little extra fun bits that weren't included the whole time . I like how stripped down this demo is, and raw.
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There is definitely a more completed version of the track vocally but it appears they went with the original demo for this release. The second section of verse 1 is just a sketch on the demo, but it's complete on the 2010 remix. I'm under the assumption it is the later master that John McClain remixed for Michael and that would help explain why we have the song on this album the way it is.

Greg's version of the track has some entirely different verses. I wonder if Michael recorded those himself as well?
 
Does the demo of BTM use a different vocal take? I just assumed that they removed the parts with incomplete vocals for the remix and not that it was a different version of the song lol.
 
first impressions on the new tracks

Starlight
same as the leaked one

Who Do You Know
this sounds so "Destiny". Has a nice im so blue vibe. This was probably recorded along with tgim & pyt demos.

Behind The Mask
this is clearly a "home demo". A true gem that shows the creative process. I love this for what it is. But tbh, the Quincy produced album cut would have been a better choice. Maybe it gets released on T50 along with Hot Street & Nightline.

The Toy
drum machine is way too loud, apart from that I like this version. This version with the updated lyrics would have been dope.

What A Lovely Way To Go
clearly an experimental song. I hear Latoya, Janet & Randy on this.

She's Trouble
is this exactly the leaked lq version???
 
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ChanceToDance said:
Does the demo of BTM use a different vocal take? I just assumed that they removed the parts with incomplete vocals for the remix and not that it was a different version of the song lol.
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I don't think it is a different vocal take. I think it's the earliest version of the song. I think Michael made revisions to the track later on and that's why we have vocals we are already familiar with as well as vocals we haven't heard. I think what's missing here are the revisions.
 
Just heard disc 2 on Spotify and here are my thoughts:

Starlight - 5/10. Doesn't seem to have the issues with sound quality that a lot of people were complaining about earlier. But I must admit that my knowledge on mixing and mastering is very limited, so my ears will probably not be able to detect issues that other people can. As for the song, it is a decent song but thankfully, it was rewritten and we got Thriller.

Got The Hots - 3/10. I always thought this was a very average song and I still hold the same opinion.

Who Do You Know - 10/10. Easily the highlight of the whole Thriller 40 project. Michael's vocals are very emotive. I had tears in my eyes listening to this gem. This song gives me hope that there are more gems in the vault.

Carousel - 7.5/10. I have only ever heard the shortened version on Thriller 25, so I am glad that we got a more complete version. I really like it, but I must admit that I am glad that it was replaced by Human Nature.

Behind The Mask (Mike's Mix) - 6/10. This was better than I was expecting it to be, but clearly the 2010 Michael version is superior. Something feels missing in this version.

Can't Get Outta The Rain - 0/10. Instead of blaming the Estate for releasing this song on this project, I am going to criticise Michael for ever thinking that it was a good idea to record this mess of a song and release it. What was he thinking? This song is over 4 minutes long, but I literally skipped to the next song after 1 minute. I am not listening to this again. Why couldn't we have got Roll The Dice, Nite Line or Hot Street instead?

The Toy - 7/10. I actually enjoyed this one. Best of Joy is far superior but The Toy is solid as well. The only complaint I have is that it seems to end rather abruptly. Also, I must admit that it is a bit cringe hearing Michael sing "I am your toy, I am your boy." Thank God, he changed the lyrics.

Sunset Driver - 8.5/10. This has always been one of my favourites songs of The Ultimate Collection, and since I have no access to TUC on spotify, I am glad for this song's inclusion. Although I must admit that I am not buying that this song is from the Thriller era. This sounds like Off The Wall era song, in my opinion.

What A Lovely Way To Go - 5.5/10. I must admit that this song is a big disappointment. Maybe it will grow on me, but on first listen, I was disappointed. I only enjoyed the final minute of the song. And just like Sunset Driver, this song doesn't sound from the Thriller era but more from the Off The Wall / Destiny / Going Places / Jacksons era.

She's Trouble - 9/10. This song is so fun and I have glad to have the high quality release of the complete version.


Overall, this is the best re-issue of Thriller. Is this project perfect? No, far from it, but there are some positives, such as Who Do You Know, Sunset Driver, The Toy, She's Trouble, Carousel. Who Do You Know is in my top 3 favourite posthumous tracks. I am glad that we got to hear this gem.
 
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Ok so I listened to carousel on Spotify and it doesn’t sound sparkling, it is dull and somewhat muffled. I don’t remember the song like this so I listened to the version T25 again on Spotify. The difference is hugely in favor of T25.
Who can explain me what went wrong on T40 in simple English?

Starlight: I like it sound seems decent enough for my untrained ears. Glad it changed into Thriller though, I don‘t know who made that decision but… well done! 7/10

Got the hots: superb song one of the best songs that never made an album. Cruising down the highway blasting this song loud, sun on my bald head. Sounds like a thing to do… 9/10

Who do you know: cheap sounding drum machine, don’t like that. Love the vibe and pace of the song, lyrics seem unfinished. I’m not the biggest fan of remixes but this could be turned into a r&b slow jam and I wouldn’t protest it. 8/10

Carousel: great song sounding bad and cut short missing the intro, missing the extended guitar break, damn it 3/10

Behind the mask: 0/10

CGOOTR: 3/10 not a song, it’s a warming up track for the studio musicians, pointless unless heard with you can’t win

The toy: 5/10 bland but ok it’s the demo I guess

Sunset driver: I can’t grasp why nobody thinks this is a thriller outtake. Ok it was demoed for OTW perfeclty possible but it seems it was finished for this album and not off the wall. 7/10

What a lovely way to go: sounds like an afterthought, an experiment, purely made on the spot without much preparation. Interesting but ultimately just odd 6/10

she’s trouble: 10/10 absolute blast, fully completeld lyrically and musically, sounds awesome, adore this bridge, adore the vocals, loving the extended outro. Understandable that it was once part of the tracklist imo

Overall a very underwhelming effort
 
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filmandmusic said:
Ok so I listened to carousel on Spotify and it doesn’t sound sparkling, it is dull and somewhat muffled. I don’t remember the song like this so I listened to the version T25 again on Spotify. The difference is hugely in favor of T25.
Who can explain me what went wrong on T40 in simple English?
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Crap mastering, and that's saying something because the T25 versions doesn't sound all that great either lol.
 
Nite Line said:
Habe gerade Disc 2 auf Spotify gehört und hier sind meine Gedanken:

Sternenlicht - 5/10. Scheint nicht die Probleme mit der Tonqualität zu haben, über die sich viele Leute früher beschwert haben. Aber ich muss zugeben, dass mein Wissen über das Mischen und Mastern sehr begrenzt ist, sodass meine Ohren wahrscheinlich nicht in der Lage sein werden, Probleme zu erkennen, die andere Leute können. Was das Lied betrifft, es ist ein anständiges Lied, aber zum Glück wurde es umgeschrieben und wir haben Thriller bekommen.

Bekam die Hots - 3/10. Ich dachte immer, das sei ein sehr durchschnittlicher Song, und ich bin immer noch der gleichen Meinung.

Wen kennst du - 10/10. Einfach das Highlight des gesamten Thriller 40-Projekts. Michaels Gesang ist sehr emotional. Ich hatte Tränen in den Augen, als ich dieses Juwel hörte. Dieses Lied gibt mir Hoffnung, dass es noch mehr Edelsteine im Tresor gibt.

Karussell - 7,5/10. Ich habe bisher nur die gekürzte Version auf Thriller 25 gehört, daher bin ich froh, dass wir eine vollständigere Version bekommen haben. Ich mag es wirklich, aber ich muss zugeben, dass ich froh bin, dass es durch Human Nature ersetzt wurde.

Hinter der Maske (Mike's Mix) - 6/10. Das war besser als ich erwartet hatte, aber die Michael-Version von 2010 ist eindeutig überlegen. Etwas scheint in dieser Version zu fehlen.

Kann dem Regen nicht entkommen - 0/10. Anstatt dem Estate die Schuld für die Veröffentlichung dieses Songs bei diesem Projekt zu geben, werde ich Michael dafür kritisieren, dass er jemals gedacht hat, dass es eine gute Idee war, dieses Chaos von einem Song aufzunehmen und zu veröffentlichen. Was dachte er? Dieses Lied ist über 4 Minuten lang, aber ich bin buchstäblich nach 1 Minute zum nächsten Lied gesprungen. Ich höre mir das nicht noch einmal an. Warum hätten wir nicht stattdessen Roll The Dice, Nite Line oder Hot Street haben können?

Das Spielzeug - 7/10. Ich habe diesen wirklich genossen. Best of Joy ist weit überlegen, aber The Toy ist auch solide. Die einzige Beschwerde, die ich habe, ist, dass es ziemlich abrupt zu enden scheint. Außerdem muss ich zugeben, dass es ein bisschen erschreckend ist, wenn Michael „I am your toy, I am your boy“ singt. Gott sei Dank hat er den Text geändert.

Sonnenuntergangsfahrer - 8,5/10. Dies war schon immer einer meiner Lieblingssongs von The Ultimate Collection, und da ich keinen Zugriff auf TUC auf Spotify habe, freue ich mich über die Aufnahme dieses Songs. Obwohl ich zugeben muss, dass ich nicht glaube, dass dieses Lied aus der Thriller-Ära stammt. Das klingt meiner Meinung nach nach einem Song aus der Zeit von Off The Wall.

Was für ein schöner Weg zu gehen - 5,5/10. Ich muss zugeben, dass dieser Song eine große Enttäuschung ist. Vielleicht wächst es mir ans Herz, aber beim ersten Hören war ich enttäuscht. Ich habe nur die letzte Minute des Liedes genossen. Und genau wie Sunset Driver klingt dieser Song nicht aus der Thriller-Ära, sondern eher aus der Off The Wall / Destiny / Going Places / Jacksons-Ära.

Sie hat Probleme - 9/10. Dieses Lied macht so viel Spaß und ich bin froh, die hochwertige Veröffentlichung der vollständigen Version zu haben.


Insgesamt ist dies die beste Neuauflage von Thriller. Ist dieses Projekt perfekt? Nein, weit gefehlt, aber es gibt einige Positive, wie Who Do You Know, Sunset Driver, The Toy, She's Trouble, Carousel. Who Do You Know ist in meinen Top 3 der beliebtesten posthumen Tracks. Ich bin froh, dass wir dieses Juwel hören durften.
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Yes, I have to admit what a lovely way to go, I would have imagined it to be better, maybe the new mix by Mark Ronson is the better one he would have made for the Michael album
 
Simijacksonfan said:
Yes, I have to admit what a lovely way to go, I would have imagined it to be better, maybe the new mix by Mark Ronson is the better one he would have made for the Michael album
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I am hoping that Mark Ronson's mix is released someday. What A Lovely Way To Go sounds like a song that needs a bit of remix to take it to another level or two.
 
SmoothGangsta said:
Crap mastering, and that's saying something because the T25 versions doesn't sound all that great either lol.
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Makes me wonder how fucking great carousel can sound at its best because I really love it on T25

But tell me you have heard how bad it sounds on T40 too, my mind isn’t playing tricks on me right?
 
So who leaked the extended version of carousel? I checked the Italian KoP edition and carousel is the same song as on T40.
That version I love so much isn’t fan made is it?
 
filmandmusic said:
So who leaked the extended version of carousel? I checked the Italian KoP edition and carousel is the same song as on T40.
That version I love so much isn’t fan made is it?
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It isn't, but they just never release it at full length. But hey, Billie Jean was longer before Thriller the album. And so was Wanna Be Startin Somethin. Cutting track lengths isn't so rare.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
Because the estate only wanted 6 songs, and to pad out the rest. Can't exhaust that vault by putting out more than 10 at a time, am I right?
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You are right. Maybe they are saving some for Thriller 50, which will definitely happen. Maybe they are saving Hot Street for a future posthumous album, as it is one of the best songs left in the vault, in my opinion.
 
Nite Line said:
You are right. Maybe they are saving some for Thriller 50, which will definitely happen. Maybe they are saving Hot Street for a future posthumous album, as it is one of the best songs left in the vault, in my opinion.
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Hot Street is definitely going on the next album. If they can make a hit out of Love Never Felt So Good, then Hot Street will easily make it.

For Thriller 50 (Still hard to even fathom as a thing tbh), they could put out loads more tracks and bundle everything else up too.
 
They will clearly never opt for a comprehensive anthology series of releases so I fear it is for T50 they’re going to use hot street and nite line. They can probably pull some rabbits out of their hat with tracks like spice of life, slapstick, she’s trouble demo etc

Since my prefered option won’t ever happen my second fave option is going all out one final time for a big”new” album release. This including Chicago 1945, dream away, hot street, nite line, Buffalo Bill (assuming it is completed), scared of the moon and hopefully other tracks of that era
 
filmandmusic said:
They will clearly never opt for a comprehensive anthology series of releases so I fear it is for T50 they’re going to use hot street and nite line. They can probably pull some rabbits out of their hat with tracks like spice of life, slapstick, she’s trouble demo etc

Since my prefered option won’t ever happen my second fave option is going all out one final time for a big”new” album release. This including Chicago 1945, dream away, hot street, nite line, Buffalo Bill (assuming it is completed), scared of the moon and hopefully other tracks of that era
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Nah mate. Every good song is going on the super duper Dawn FM competitor. We will get an MJ album that directly challenges the Weeknd and you are gonna like it! Buddy!

Let Daft Punk produce it though
 
filmandmusic said:
So who leaked the extended version of carousel? I checked the Italian KoP edition and carousel is the same song as on T40.
That version I love so much isn’t fan made is it?
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The version on King Of Pop/Thriller 40 is the edit that was supposed to appear on Thriller (Special Edition) from 2001 until it got cut down to 1:49.

The leak that’s full length is legitimate. I’m thinking it came from a cd or a dat consisting of material that was under consideration for one of the Thriller reissues.
 
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