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tuna55
tuna55 UltimaDork
3/5/15 10:04 a.m.

Yes, I am serious.

To start, let me assure you that I am not a huge fan of his music, in a "Hey, I want to listen to that today" fashion. It is only recently that I discovered how good of a performer he was.

We all know about the moonwalk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6pomaq30Gg

And TONS of other dancing bits that were fairly revolutionary, but recently I was listening to a cover of "Smooth Criminal" (by accident, Youtube did some automatic playlist deal) and noticed that the cover band did the lean.

Then I wondered, "how did he do that, anyway?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVkMbtOa0j4

Turns out the dude got a patent for some trick shoes.

http://www.google.com/patents/US5255452

And that is very cool.

Gary
Gary HalfDork
3/5/15 10:20 a.m.

I agree he was a sensational performer and put out a ton of excellent work. However, after his cosmetic work I couldn't look at him. And when his personal life went south, I couldn't stand listening to him. But I wish he had aged gracefully and let his appearance and voice mature naturally. What a performer he would have been today. It's a shame.

Wally
Wally GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/5/15 10:22 a.m.

Without him far fewer people would know who Weird Al Yankovic is so he has that going for him too.

tuna55
tuna55 UltimaDork
3/5/15 10:32 a.m.
Wally wrote: Without him far fewer people would know who Weird Al Yankovic is so he has that going for him too.

Indeed!! His videos were often better, too.

wbjones
wbjones MegaDork
3/5/15 10:35 a.m.

I never found anything about him to appreciate … so I guess maybe I shouldn't have posted on this thread

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
3/5/15 10:42 a.m.

I never listened to his music. Then, in after giving up on the same 100 songs "classic rock" station, a new "we play anything not from this decade" station came along and would occasionally play MJ. I'll have to say, he was the king of pop. I see why they called him that now. He was quite talented. And a good example of what happens when you have "Too Much Money."

Cone_Junkie
Cone_Junkie SuperDork
3/5/15 10:47 a.m.

Seems appropriate

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/5/15 10:52 a.m.

Dude could dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBWi96vEMuY

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/5/15 11:05 a.m.

There's a reason he was so popular. I still listen to his stuff, including the Jackson Five. Never stopped.

The
The HalfDork
3/5/15 11:12 a.m.

Just Beat It... it had to be said, so there.

neon4891
neon4891 UltimaDork
3/5/15 11:28 a.m.

I enjoy his work on occasion.

I recall cracked did a really good celebrity conspiracy article. the part on him was about how he was given an anti acne medication that had the side effect of chemical castration. He never went through puberty, his voice never dropped, and his brain didn't "mature". What would you expect a rich celebrity with the mind of a child to do with that kind of money.

Klayfish
Klayfish UltraDork
3/5/15 11:29 a.m.
Keith Tanner wrote: There's a reason he was so popular. I still listen to his stuff, including the Jackson Five. Never stopped.

This. His personal issues aside, from a musical standpoint, he was a genius. Like Keith said, there was a reason he was so popular. Remember, he was in the days before YouTube, music downloads, etc... If you liked him, you listened to the radio or bought the records/8 tracks/cassette tapes. I often find it funny how many people who are now in their 40s or 50s say "I never liked him". I was a HUGE fan back in the 80's. I even had the zipper covered leather jacket...which I still have stashed away in a closet. I don't listen to a ton of music these days, but when I hear his songs I still listen and smile.

nderwater
nderwater PowerDork
3/5/15 11:37 a.m.

"There are reasons why I laugh when people say he wasn’t a real musician... As Jackson couldn’t fluently play any instruments, he would sing and beatbox out how he wanted his songs to sound by himself on tape, layering the vocals, harmonies and rhythm before having instrumentalists come in to complete the songs."

"One of his engineers (Robmix) on how Jackson worked: “One morning MJ came in with a new song he had written overnight. We called in a guitar player, and Michael sang every note of every chord to him. “here’s the first chord first note, second note, third note. Here’s the second chord first note, second note, third note”, etc., etc. We then witnessed him giving the most heartfelt and profound vocal performance, live in the control room through an SM57. He would sing us an entire string arrangement, every part. Steve Porcaro once told me he witnessed MJ doing that with the string section in the room. Had it all in his head, harmony and everything. Not just little eight bar loop ideas. he would actually sing the entire arrangement into a micro-cassette recorder complete with stops and fills.”

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
3/5/15 11:38 a.m.

Without him Weird Al wouldn't have had a carrier.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
3/5/15 11:38 a.m.

Although he was undeniably talented, his music was never my thing. He changed popular music that's for sure.

He was also a twisted, sick individual.

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
3/5/15 11:43 a.m.

His voice did change. If you dig, you will find references from people who spoke with him while not "in character." He had a normal, deep male voice. The high pitch thing was part of his act.

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/5/15 11:44 a.m.
Joe Gearin wrote: Although he was undeniably talented, his music was never my thing. He changed popular music that's for sure. He was also a twisted, sick individual.

Bam. I hated him in the 80s because he was so popular and I was a contrarian teenager who put his nose up at pop music. As I got older, I learned to appreciate a few of his songs and recognize his undeniable talent. But the nonstop freak show that was his personal life made it difficult to be a true fan.

I do think that the reason he was so messed up is how his father treated him (and his siblings) in his younger days. He never had a real childhood, his dad was so busy pushing him to make music and tour. So, in a sense, all the weird behavior was not his fault. Overall, his life was pretty tragic.

mtn
mtn MegaDork
3/5/15 11:53 a.m.
nderwater wrote: "There are reasons why I laugh when people say he wasn’t a real musician... As Jackson couldn’t fluently play any instruments, he would sing and beatbox out how he wanted his songs to sound by himself on tape, layering the vocals, harmonies and rhythm before having instrumentalists come in to complete the songs." "One of his engineers (Robmix) on how Jackson worked: “One morning MJ came in with a new song he had written overnight. We called in a guitar player, and Michael sang every note of every chord to him. “here’s the first chord first note, second note, third note. Here’s the second chord first note, second note, third note”, etc., etc. We then witnessed him giving the most heartfelt and profound vocal performance, live in the control room through an SM57. He would sing us an entire string arrangement, every part. Steve Porcaro once told me he witnessed MJ doing that with the string section in the room. Had it all in his head, harmony and everything. Not just little eight bar loop ideas. he would actually sing the entire arrangement into a micro-cassette recorder complete with stops and fills.”

Looking at the voice as an instrument, he's probably in the top 10 all time, if not top 3.

Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter PowerDork
3/5/15 12:35 p.m.

Everything I like about Michael Jackson was really the work of Quincy Jones. There's your genius.

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
3/5/15 12:53 p.m.

Less controversial than politics, I guess

I was raised in a mixed race household. He fit right in.

rob_lewis
rob_lewis GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/5/15 12:54 p.m.
Tim Baxter wrote: Everything I like about Michael Jackson was really the work of Quincy Jones. There's your genius.

Or, every success Quincy Jones found was in utilizing talented people......

I was as much of a male teenager fan in the 80's could be for MJ without being "wierd". Yeah, his personal life was a mess, but we didn't hear about it as much until the internet was popular and journalism changed to "journalism". Maybe it was all true, maybe it was hype to sell ads, maybe a combination of both. I'd argue most popular people are a mess if you dig enough. I do think his situation (family/fame) turned him into what he was. It's the same story you hear today, but just on a MUCH larger scale.

I think I need to download his hits album....

-Rob

thatsnowinnebago
thatsnowinnebago GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/5/15 12:54 p.m.

I always though he was rather... Bad.

I'll be here all day.

rcutclif
rcutclif GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
3/5/15 12:54 p.m.

I wish more people would take his advise on changing the world:

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror"

bastomatic
bastomatic SuperDork
3/5/15 1:01 p.m.

Funny I was just talking about this today at work.

PBS just showed Motown 25, the reunion that happened in 1983, including the full Jackson 5 lineup. Amazing that they got MJ to perform live with the Jacksons after Thriller came out.

He did a few Jackson 5 songs, doing some amazing moves and singing incredibly well. Then he did a solo performance of Billy Jean and debuted the Moonwalk. The guy was spellbinding.

The no-doubt star of the evening, and this was a night with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, on and on.

06HHR
06HHR HalfDork
3/5/15 1:06 p.m.
Tim Baxter wrote: Everything I like about Michael Jackson was really the work of Quincy Jones. There's your genius.

Quincy Jones brought out the best of Michael Jackson, but the talent was there long before Quincy Jones started producing Michael's work. If you listen to the early Jackson 5 records, while Jermaine was technically the lead singer, Michael's voice is what drove everything. At a young age the guy's vocal gifts were just way beyond his years, he truly was a vocal prodigy. It's unfortunate that he couldn't find the balance in his life that he developed in his voice and he became as much the King of Dysfunction as he was the King of Pop. But, make no mistake, Michael Jackson was a star before Quincy worked with him. I know this makes me sound like i'm a rabid MJ fan and keep a glove and sunglasses in my dresser drawer (and the penny loafers with white socks..), i'm really not. But he's easily one of the 10 greatest vocalists in the history of popular music. Nobody out today in the pop music world even comes close. This is coming from a die-hard Prince fan..

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