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What More Can I Give - A brief reappraisal

innuendo141

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Now that the full version of the MJ only sung What More Can I Give has somehow leaked online, I think it's a nice time to reassess this little unfortunate gem.

To be honest, it's always been a case of "there's a good song underneath there somewhere" for me. I always liked the song, but I've been very vocal in many of my posts about how I felt about "popular" music at the time. My biggest gripe was that I disliked most of the singers chosen for the recording. Also, the fact that it seemed like 5,000 people sung the song made it sound so muddled. To this day I don't know quite a few of their names. Nor have I any interest in finding out.

With We Are The World, each line was sung perfectly and when I hear the song I see the video in my head, knowing who sung what line and how. With WMCIG, I felt that everyone tried to sing the same way, mainly go for the Rn'B style of curdling every note. The voices on We Are The World all had a different character and sounded like they had a different story to tell, where as with WMCIG if sounded so manufactured and "plastic" which is a term I use a lot about that period.

The song itself has a gorgeous melody, and I think even if it was just MJ and an acoustic guitar it would sound absolutely gorgeous. The production for the song doesn't over do it, and listening to the simplicity of Michael sing the song on his own really does confirm that it's a gorgeous simple song with a beautiful message.

Even though just a rough vocal, Michael sings flawlessly and does not overdo any line. This is where the final version fails. It sounds like everyone is trying to impress reather than to make an emotional impact. Michael simply here sings the lines and lets the message do the talking.

What really strikes me, as it did with toda Para Ti, is how lovely the chorus is WITHOUT the N Sync part, which smothered the song, effectively making the chorus muddled. Imagine Stevie's ad libs during the first chorus of WATW? Impact GONE.

Interesting to see that the "Say the word, I''ll lay me down for you" (always loved the Simon and Garfunkel nod here) part is the same vocal take used for the broadcast of the live performance at the Concert for NY.

I hope this version is released in HQ some day so we can really appreciate the simplicity of a nice good natured song with massive intentions that sadly never reached its commercial potential for one thing or another at the time of supposed release.


 
This one is much better!
I always knew it would sound better with only Michael.
It wasn't a bad song in the first place, but I always felt as though there was just a bit too much going on due to the other celebs on the song to the point that the true song kinda got lost in the sauce so to speak.
Hope to get an HQ version of this soon.:D
 
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I like the finished version and official video. I appreciate all the hard work Michael and the other artists/producers put into it, including some very big stars (now and then!), such as Beyonce, Luther, Celine, Maria, etc.,etc.
 
Man, this is such a cool song, I love the chorus so much. It's so powerful!!! I'd love to see this song re-released in support of a future event. Both a supergroup of today's biggest celebrities and a solo version, I think it'd be wonderful!

It'd help suit Michael's original purpose for the song too! The original release was far too delayed and low-key to make any real impact so almost no-one knows of the song. It's perfect for re-recording/re-release!

Imagine that. A big disaster has happened... suddenly the Estate of Michael Jackson is releasing a "new" Michael Jackson song, recorded along with the help of today's biggest celebrities so that all proceeds go towards the victims and those effected... Man, that would top charts worldwide and would make MJ so, so proud.
 
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Blue Criminal said:
Wait when did it leak?
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Very, very recently it seems (like past day or so). From what I've read, it's the vocal guide sent to the other artists and apparently the voice you can hear is Beyonce reacting to the song, so someone must've recorded it when she was listening to it.
 
SmoothMJ said:
I like the finished version and official video. I appreciate all the hard work Michael and the other artists/producers put into it, including some very big stars (now and then!), such as Beyonce, Luther, Celine, Maria, etc.,etc.
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True, tremendous effort was put in, and the more stars, the bigger it would/should have sold.
 
innuendo141 said:
True, tremendous effort was put in, and the more stars, the bigger it would/should have sold.
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Agreed.

I personally like this version more though because it sounds more clean and stripped down.
It's kinda hard to explain, but it seems like with only Michael's vocals I can get a better feel of what the song really is. :)
Also for me it's always Michael's vocals>anyone else's vocals, so yeah. :lol:
In general I feel like the song is very underrated though. :(
 
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Pink Diamond Princess said:
In general I feel like the song is very underrated though. :(
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I'd say more unknown, than underrated. From what I've read in comments, those who hear it seem to rather like it (but then again, I'm reading the comments of Jacksons fans, so thats to be expected).
 
The word's out, they're doing wrong
Gonna leak em all, before too long


Much appreciated thread. About time some well-known scammers and file-sharers were stopped from continously ripping off other fans for their own benefit only (see my posting on MaxJax).

HIStoric said:
someone must've recorded it when she was listening to it.
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This is the audio of a small film section from an unreleased days-long full documentation of the recording sessions for a good cause.

HIStoric said:
I hope this version is released in HQ some day
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That ain't gonna happen anytime soon, the legal situation with this song is a total mess that has never been resolved.
 
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jibrail has the full days long documentation of it and offered it to me. but too much money, i cannot afford it.
 
Glanni said:
jibrail has the full days long documentation of it and offered it to me. but too much money, i cannot afford it.
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Nope, he doesn't, you are being way too naive. jibrail is only trying to purchase it - with no success. MJForeverLand and jibrail have been looking for people dumb enough to send them that much money.
You should really cut your ties with these people. All they have offered you is material doomed to leak, such as this file. Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Their other stuff is just around the corner, too.
 
HIStoric;4178831 said:
Imagine that. A big disaster has happened... suddenly the Estate of Michael Jackson is releasing a "new" Michael Jackson song, recorded along with the help of today's biggest celebrities so that all proceeds go towards the victims and those effected...
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I think such calamities should not be relied on some sales of charity singles that come out every now & then. On the contrary, such physical disasters (when they strike) have to be treated in a more consistent, effective & serious way.

But even in the case of those charity singles, we can never be sure if all those revenues eventually “go towards the victims” & or get lost inside various complex distribution channels, often ending up on the wrong hands (such as, on various shadowy non-governmental organizations).

I would even say that the artists are eventually the ones who really benefit (great publicity, for example), rather that the affected people who need those money, not to mention that many celebrities’ stance (in relation to that matter) quite often borders on hypocrisy, instead of coming from pure compassion & sympathy.
 
mj_frenzy;4178843 said:
I think such calamities should not be relied on some sales of charity singles that come out every now & then. On the contrary, such physical disasters (when they strike) have to be treated in a more consistent, effective & serious way.
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It doesn't hurt to have these come out though. It encourages people to contribute something, which is better than nothing. I see this method of helping as "icing on the top" (for lack of better words?), it's not needed and there are better ways of contributing I'm sure, but hell it's better than nothing.

mj_frenzy;4178843 said:
But even in the case of those charity singles, we can never be sure if all those revenues eventually “go towards the victims” & or get lost inside various complex distribution channels, often ending up on the wrong hands (such as, on various shadowy non-governmental organizations).
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Well that's another thing all together, but it shouldn't necessarily shut down the idea.

mj_frenzy;4178843 said:
I would even say that the artists are eventually the ones who really benefit (great publicity, for example), rather that the affected people who need those money, not to mention that many celebrities’ stance (in relation to that matter) quite often borders on hypocrisy, instead of coming from pure compassion & sympathy.
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It'd still financially help people in the end though, which I think is the ultimate outcome.
 
Maybe it's because of the quality and the fact that this was recorded with a phone but Michaels voice sounds reaaally processed. It must be because of the quality.

I have to admit, I was never a big fan of the song. The solo version is nice but my stance is the same after hearing it.
 
HIStoric;4178848 said:
It doesn't hurt to have these come out though. It encourages people to contribute something, which is better than nothing. I see this method of helping as "icing on the top" (for lack of better words?), it's not needed and there are better ways of contributing I'm sure, but hell it's better than nothing.

It'd still financially help people in the end though, which I think is the ultimate outcome.
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I am afraid ‘better than nothing” approaches are what perpetuate such problems (of inadequate aid to needy people after disasters).

Also, considering that honesty has to be one of their most important traits, personally I find it very hypocritical that many artists try to pass themselves off as being benevolent & caring characters.

Anyway, I think artists should not take advantage of such circumstances for their own (publicity) interests.
 
Themidwestcowboy said:
Maybe it's because of the quality and the fact that this was recorded with a phone but Michaels voice sounds reaaally processed. It must be because of the quality .
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I think it could be processed too... Or it's just that because he sings in a different tone than as usual!
 
SmoothMJ said:
But who would process a phone recording demo, and why?
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That's not a phone recording demo lol, and the actual MJ's voice sounds different even if it's not the HQ clear song, so it could be processed
 
HIStoric said:
Very, very recently it seems (like past day or so). From what I've read, it's the vocal guide sent to the other artists and apparently the voice you can hear is Beyonce reacting to the song, so someone must've recorded it when she was listening to it.
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It's taken from an unreleased video of her listening to it apparently.
 
Also, I agree, it sounds like it has a lot of processing on it. You can tell by how he sounds when he says certain words.
 
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Love it! Another sad reminder of a track scattered to the winds. So much potential. I kinda wish he recorded this solo and used it on an album. He had such a talent for writing these anthems. Some One Put Your Hand Out is another masterpiece that flew under the radar and was wasted on the Pepsi promo or fan club or something. All MJ had to do was put 12 tracks he was sitting on together as one album and he would have had an incredible album. Sigh.
 
Not into this song myself. I like the solo version better than the released one though.
 
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