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Thriller 40th Anniversary - Songs Discussion

filmandmusic said:
I'd love it someone outside the pop world would give tribute in his/her own way. Imagine Metallica turning the lady in my life into a hard rock ballad for example lol
It's a better way to get attention and it widens the audience. Plus it would just be cool to see what they do with the material.
BUT they probably don't give a F*** about MJ's music lol
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I never did get around to reading this properly. And there's no-one here at the Metallica level, I don't think, so it doesn't really fall in with your argument but, hey ...

list of metal bands that covered Michael songs:

 
PurpleThriller said:
Is this better than Michael's version?🤯
Saying this as someone who always loved the song.
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Personally I think Adam Gontier’s (ex vocalist of the band) vocal range and tonality make the song better.


I wish Michael decided to sing it live once at least
 
Disagree so hard with saying those versions of Give In To Me are better than Michael’s version. I’m all for covers and alternate versions but those sound so generic and plain Jane. I’ve heard vocalists like that so much it borders on cliche. As opposed to Mike’s vocals which are unique, soulful and POWERFUL with an ability to emote like no one else.
 
PurpleThriller said:
Is this better than Michael's version?🤯
Saying this as someone who always loved the song.
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oh god, no. It's not better. The vocals especially are not even close. But I do genuinely love this. Well, OK, I had forgotten about it, lol. Haven't listened to it in ages. But I think it's great and I'm not keen on cover versions, generally. Especially not of Michael's stuff.

I think the guys did a great job with this.
 
filmandmusic said:
Imagine Metallica turning the lady in my life into a hard rock ballad for example lol

BUT they probably don't give a F*** about MJ's music lol
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Off-topic but need to defend my rock peeps a little bit here. Metallica haven't covered a Michael song, afaik. No idea what they think of him or his work. But rock peeps do 'get' Michael.

Chris Cornell - cover version of Ben as a tribute when Michael died
Faith No More - also did Ben. Didn't work since Mike Patton has the wrong type of voice for the song. But the intention was good
Fall Out Boy love Thriller (album)
Kurt Cobain wearing a Michael Jackson t-shirt
Did Dave Grohl also wear one? I think he did
Ben Gibbard covered Thriller (song)
Zach Myers from Shinedown and Rikki Rockett from Poison both issued heartfelt statements when Michael died
Slash, obvs!

f&m, I'm sure you know all of this already. I'm just checking, lol

filmandmusic said:
I'd love it someone outside the pop world would give tribute in his/her own way ... It's a better way to get attention and it widens the audience.
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I agree. I do love Billie Eilish's version of Bad. She did a great job, I think, and I don't even like cover versions, usually. Also love Jessie J's version of Earth Song. But, yeah, someone outside of pop would be great. After all, Michael didn't limit himself to pop, he did most of the genres. It's too predictable to always go for pop artists. It just reinforces the stereotype ideas that people often have about Michael.

Toby34 said:
They totally should. Hopefully not an MJ wannabe though like Chris Brown, Usher, or Timberlake. I know Celine Dion and Lady Gaga love MJ, Celine even recorded with him.
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Yeah, what is it with them always going for the MJ wannabe's? fgs! Give us a break from that! Lady Gaga at least would shake things up a bit.
 
james283126 said:
Disagree so hard with saying those versions of Give In To Me are better than Michael’s version. I’m all for covers and alternate versions but those sound so generic and plain Jane. I’ve heard vocalists like that so much it borders on cliche. As opposed to Mike’s vocals which are unique, soulful and POWERFUL with an ability to emote like no one else.
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It’s comes to me as no surprise that a certain member here would say that.
 
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zinniabooklover said:
Off-topic but need to defend my rock peeps a little bit here. Metallica haven't covered a Michael song, afaik. No idea what they think of him or his work. But rock peeps do 'get' Michael.

Chris Cornell - cover version of Ben as a tribute when Michael died
Faith No More - also did Ben. Didn't work since Mike Patton has the wrong type of voice for the song. But the intention was good
Fall Out Boy love Thriller (album)
Kurt Cobain wearing a Michael Jackson t-shirt
Did Dave Grohl also wear one? I think he did
Ben Gibbard covered Thriller (song)
Zach Myers from Shinedown and Rikki Rockett from Poison both issued heartfelt statements when Michael died
Slash, obvs!

f&m, I'm sure you know all of this already. I'm just checking, lol


I agree. I do love Billie Eilish's version of Bad. She did a great job, I think, and I don't even like cover versions, usually. Also love Jessie J's version of Earth Song. But, yeah, someone outside of pop would be great. After all, Michael didn't limit himself to pop, he did most of the genres. It's too predictable to always go for pop artists. It just reinforces the stereotype ideas that people often have about Michael.


Yeah, what is it with them always going for the MJ wannabe's? fgs! Give us a break from that! Lady Gaga at least would shake things up a bit.
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Metallica covered a bit of Beat It in 2003 at some MTV award show, along with 7 Nation Army and Are You Gonna Go My Way
 
I wonder how much the Behind The Mask demo is really a demo, without any further editing and adding stuff.

It was super interesting for me that Behind The Mask (Michael album) had Michael singing the SAME part like in La Toya's "Night Time Lover"
So I always wondered if that was added later, in Behind The Mask (Michael album), or if Michael just reused it.

BUT now we also have this part in the Mike's Mix Demo version. Amazing!

always loved that part ( 3:10)

 
james283126 said:
Disagree so hard with saying those versions of Give In To Me are better than Michael’s version.
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Oh, I am definitely not saying that. Let's be very clear. Not having a go at anyone who thinks this but this is not me.

james283126 said:
I’m all for covers and alternate versions but those sound so generic and plain Jane. I’ve heard vocalists like that so much it borders on cliche.
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I don't disagree with this. The TiV version is much better musically, imo, than it is vocally. In fact, the vocals kinda let it down. His voice is fine, imo, but fairly standard. Nothing amazing. He's no Layne Staley, that's for sure. His vocal delivery works for me but the band are definitely stronger. I like the production on his vocals. I love the rhythm section. There is something here for me which I don't get from Michael's version but I don't have the vocab for talking about music so can't explain myself, lol. I don't listen to this very often but I do get a lot out of it. That said, it is dispensable. If I never heard it again I wouldn't miss it and I wouldn't say that about, say, Jimi Hendrix doing All Along The Watchtower.
 
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I had also heard about the Metallica cover. But as far as I know it was only couple of seconds long as far as tributes go that is really short :p

I'd absolutely love if an artist makes a tribute album for MJ. There has been one by a Dutch female singer Trijntje Oosterhuis, she is pretty famous there but I don't know her and I didn't hear it but this was her tracklist.
The album title was fittingly "never can say goodbye"
  • 1. Never can say goodbye
  • 2. Baby be mine
  • 3. Music & me
  • 4. Lady in my life
  • 5. I want you back
  • 6. One day in your life
  • 7. I just can't stop loving you
  • 8. Don't stop till you get enough / Working day & night / Wanna be startin' somethin'
  • 9. Can't help it
  • 10. Rock with you
  • 11. Humane nature
  • 12. Gone too soon
  • 13. I'll be there
  • 14. You were there
Awesome tracklist imo
 
filmandmusic said:
I'd absolutely love if an artist makes a tribute album for MJ. There has been one by a Dutch female singer Trijntje Oosterhuis, she is pretty famous there but I don't know her and I didn't hear it but this was her tracklist.
The album title was fittingly "never can say goodbye"
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Or the standard tribute album where a whole bunch of bands and musicians each do a cover version of a song by whichever artist is being celebrated. I don't love those things but some seem to work really well. And it's more about the message it sends out.

Just listened to Music and Me by your woman here. Very nice. She sings beautifully and does a lovely job but I wouldn't choose to listen to it. The voice of a young male singer, late childhood or early teens, has a particular tone and sound. The purity can't be replicated by a female soprano voice, imo. Plus, with Michael's version, there is such an emotional impact. Both from his vocal delivery but also from the context of those lyrics in his personal story. Nothing else could bring the same edge, meaning, heart-shaking emotional impact to that song. At least, I can't imagine it.

Her version is very lovely though. What I really liked was the guitar. It's an acoustic version. Don't know if that's her on the guitar but it was beautifully played. Really gorgeous.
 
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back to topic:
any other thoughts about DISC 2 here?
 
@zinniabooklover Apparently the entire album is acoustic. Maybe I have to check it out.

Anyway I would love a jazz ensemble to make an MJ tribute album, as well as a hard rock/metal band (preferably a famous one lol)
A symphonic tribute would be nice too

The Jazz cover of lady in my life I posted a few weeks ago is so beautiful. Listened to that a lot. Same for the classical piano cover of she's out of my life. Simply beautiful!
 
I really want What A Lovely Way To Go to grow on me but it's just not happening at the minute. It feels like a pre Destiny recording and the overdubs seem really out of place.

Surely this wasn't the same Lovely Way Mark Ronson worked on in 2010? At least not the same vocals
 
SmoothCriminal1995 said:
I really want What A Lovely Way To Go to grow on me but it's just not happening at the minute. It feels like a pre Destiny recording and the overdubs seem really out of place.
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Listened to it on Disc 2, got halfway through and then decided to leave it for another time. It wasn't really working for me. Heard it on the radio last night and it completely blew me away.
 
SmoothCriminal1995 said:
I really want What A Lovely Way To Go to grow on me but it's just not happening at the minute. It feels like a pre Destiny recording and the overdubs seem really out of place.

Surely this wasn't the same Lovely Way Mark Ronson worked on in 2010? At least not the same vocals
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It is the same version and vocal take indeed. The only difference is that Ronson pitch-corrected his vocals.
 
zinniabooklover said:
Listened to it on Disc 2, got halfway through and then decided to leave it for another time. It wasn't really working for me. Heard it on the radio last night and it completely blew me away.
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It just feels very raw, it reminds a lot of Blues Away. I'm sure it'll grow on me with more listens but right now I'm not keen on it

Thanks @dethorro mate. I'm surprised about that to be honest, because some of the lyrics feel nonsensical, like Michael is just finding the melody. I'm surprised Ronson wasn't given a stronger song to work with
 
C’mon guys it is clearly just a first take of a demo. Of course it is all over the place, this is as demo as a demo can be. It wouldn’t surprise me it was never meant for any album at all. It just captured a fun moment in the studio, almost like how give in to me was created just on the spot without any preliminary preparations or writings.
That‘s how it sounds to me anyway.

The comparison with blues away eludes me as that is clearly a finished and well produced track.
 
filmandmusic said:
I had also heard about the Metallica cover. But as far as I know it was only couple of seconds long as far as tributes go that is really short :p

I'd absolutely love if an artist makes a tribute album for MJ. There has been one by a Dutch female singer Trijntje Oosterhuis, she is pretty famous there but I don't know her and I didn't hear it but this was her tracklist.
The album title was fittingly "never can say goodbye"
  • 1. Never can say goodbye
  • 2. Baby be mine
  • 3. Music & me
  • 4. Lady in my life
  • 5. I want you back
  • 6. One day in your life
  • 7. I just can't stop loving you
  • 8. Don't stop till you get enough / Working day & night / Wanna be startin' somethin'
  • 9. Can't help it
  • 10. Rock with you
  • 11. Humane nature
  • 12. Gone too soon
  • 13. I'll be there
  • 14. You were there
Awesome tracklist imo
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Jennie Lena, another (more or less famous) Dutch singer also did a MJ tribute album and toured with it:

  • 1. I Wanna Be Where You Are - Jennie Lena
  • 2. Another Part Of Me - Jennie Lena
  • 3. Lady In My Life - Jennie Lena
  • 4. I Just Can't Stop Loving You - Jennie Lena
  • 5. Rock With You - Jennie Lena
  • 6. Heartbreak Hotel - Jennie Lena
  • 7. P.Y.T. - Jennie Lena
  • 8. Ben - Jennie Lena
  • 9. Got To Be There - Jennie Lena
  • 10. Earth Song - Jennie Lena
  • 11. Dirty Diana - Jennie Lena
  • 12. Beat It - Jennie Lena
  • 13. Who's Loving You - Jennie Lena
  • 14. Rock With You (acoustic) - Jennie Lena
  • 15. With A Childs Heart - Jennie Lena
 
SmoothCriminal1995 said:
I really want What A Lovely Way To Go to grow on me but it's just not happening at the minute. It feels like a pre Destiny recording and the overdubs seem really out of place.

Surely this wasn't the same Lovely Way Mark Ronson worked on in 2010? At least not the same vocals
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Same. What A Lovely Way To Go sounds like a song Michael recorded with his siblings while they were doing chores around the house. It doesn't sound like a proper song to me.

I really want to hear Mark Ronson's version, because WALWTG can surely do with an updated version.
 
SmoothCriminal1995 said:
I really want What A Lovely Way To Go to grow on me but it's just not happening at the minute. It feels like a pre Destiny recording and the overdubs seem really out of place.

Surely this wasn't the same Lovely Way Mark Ronson worked on in 2010? At least not the same vocals
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Same....its almost like a just cringe everytime I try to like it...every since someone here said it sounded like he was drunk... I cannot stop picturing him drunk singing this song...I know it's a mumble demo but wtf is "give me some loving & I won't make it everything I do" & then the OOOOOOOHA part....I never thought I'd dislike anything mj so much but that song right there....& it's far from thriller. I have studied this man to the point I can tell what era of vocals it comes from. He had quite a formula when it comes to certain era where he would do certain ad libs. Jackson's era had alot of adlibs, otw did as well. But thriller & etc kinda weren't to formulated
 
Nite Line said:
Same. What A Lovely Way To Go sounds like a song Michael recorded with his siblings while they were doing chores around the house. It doesn't sound like a proper song to me.

I really want to hear Mark Ronson's version, because WALWTG can surely do with an updated version.
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The version I remember leaking had drums on it. The version we got sounds copy & pasted on the 1st line
 
wonderouzmj said:
I have studied this man to the point I can tell what era of vocals it comes from. He had quite a formula when it comes to certain era where he would do certain ad libs. Jackson's era had alot of adlibs, otw did as well. But thriller & etc kinda weren't to formulated
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ooh, did not know that. Interesting.
 
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