If you're one of the few dozen people who still reads Rolling Stone's Web site, the late-breaking "exclusive" that a new Michael Jackson compilation of outtakes is due in November sounds like a great bit of news.
But oops! Looks like RS got beaten to the punch by a four-month-old press release. But they've got quotes, so it's legit, right? What's that? The quotes were taken from articles from 2009? Oh. Whoops.
It's sad that Roger Friedman has to be the closest to a journalistic authority in this case. The only new info to be gleaned from any source is:
- It's going to be a short, ten-track album (per the RS story - complain all you want, but I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters was 11 tracks and it was awesome)
- Rodney Jerkins, who produced Jackson's worst solo album, is working on compiling the set (also from RS)
- Longtime Jackson associate John McClain is also working on the set, but Jackson's ace recording engineer Bruce Swedien is not (that's from Friedman's story)
Based on the gristle of information that's come our way - things like how will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas and Akon will make appearances on the tracks (both produced material for Jackson before his death) - it's safe to guess that this new comp will focus on latter-day material, with the fun, vintage outtakes to be saved for the inevitable reissues of the classic Epic LPs. Call it slick if you want, but at least fans won't have to get the two Jacksons - the effortless hitmaker and the chipped trend-follower - intertwined.
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For starters, I don't think that ANY piece of journalism related to Michael Jackson, or his music, should contain the words "Wacko" or "Jacko". He didn't appreciate being belittled in such a manner while he was here, so we could at least show some courtesy now that he's no longer with us. Second of all, I disagree with the idea that Invincible is either Michael's worst album, or that it was an effort simply trying to capitalize on music trends. One day, people will realize how good an LP it is.
Well, ten years later, that day hasn't arrived for me. The best version of its best track isn't even ON that album (the radio mix of "Butterflies").
To each their own...but Rodney Jerkins should be kept away from any unreleased Jackson product, IMO. Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien should be installed as curators, by virtue of their stellar track record on Jackson records that actually sold a TON...and were musically and sonically superior as well. Again, IMO.
It's not Jackson being referred to as "Wacko." It's the slipshod reportage on Rolling Stone's part. For a once-venerable music magazine to pass off a four-month old sentence from a press release as some sort of exclusive is embarrassing.
A friend of mine steadfastly believes (and I agree) that Invincible would have been stronger with a different/shorter track order (maybe a bit better mixes too). But even so, there's no way it could stand up to the holy trilogy of Epic LPs (Off the Wall/Thriller/Bad) or even the most trend-following album of his career, Dangerous (which also suffered from filler amidst its standout tracks). The non-remix tunes from Blood on the Dance Floor get more play from me than even the singles from Invincible (of which "Butterflies" is obviously the strongest).
Everyone has an opinion of course - and I'm not trying to discourage anyone's thoughts on Jackson, easily one of the most influential entertainers of the century. But the bottom line here is a) there shouldn't be such weak mainstream reporting on his posthumous career, and b) there shouldn't be such weak output from Sony's part (i.e.: latter-day outtakes instead of the likely richer vintage vault material).
I thought that the unreleased tracks that were featured on MJ's box set, "The Ultimate Collection", were outstanding. For example,I believe the song "Fall Again" would have been a hit single if it had been properly promoted. The songs, were, to me, of the highest quality, and might have even deserved a single-disc release. I am looking forward to this new collection of songs-I hope it's one of the big hits of the fall, and that people are reminded once more how genius MJ's music is.