Michael Jackson HIStory - Past, Present And Future Book 1

That's the way I feel about Dangerous, and you could also apply that to Invincible, too.

 

I doubt it'll happen, but I hope we see a Dangerous/History/BOTDF deluxe set with a documentary.

 

Dangerous was far too long. HIStory is the same. But if you took the very best tracks from both and made one (long) album, you’d have an excellent record.

 

It'd be nice, but the MJ estate doesn't seem to be too interested in box sets for any of the albums (not counting the pointless 'This Is It' box).

 

Some interesting info on the FAQ page of the official MJ site. FAQ

Why don't you release everything in the vault?

Eventually more music will be released but there is nothing in the vaults that is finished and ready for release. We don’t and won’t release everything in the vaults based on the choices Michael made during his life.

We agree with LA Reid’s philosophy on Xscape: we prefer to start with those recordings on which Michael sang full vocals because we know those are the ones he put the most work into. We are criticized by some fans when we don’t release unreleased material. And we are criticized by other fans when we release unreleased material using top producers, many of whom worked with Michael, to finish the recordings. If we released demos by themselves, they would not be commercially successful because they are, by definition, unfinished.

Do You Ever Read Fan Critiques Of The Estate's Projects? How Do You Feel About Fans Commenting On The Estate Projects?

We love and appreciate the passion of Michael’s fans. We know how privileged we are to have known and have worked with Michael and we take seriously the trust he put in us to manage his assets and his legacy. We also know how fortunate we are that, with the King of Pop, “the greatest entertainer that ever lived”, comes an enormous, diverse and passionate fan community with varying and sometimes conflicting views about everything related to Michael. And that naturally includes the projects undertaken by the Estate. We therefore welcome the fans’ comments and great support as, even when there is criticism, it demonstrates a shared passion and love for Michael.

It is interesting to note that we were criticized by members of Michael’s family for the release of This Is It, which went on to become not only the most successful concert documentary in history, but a film that offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Michael’s true artistic genius. We were criticized by a few journalists for the show created with Cirque du Soleil, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour. The show went on to become one of the most successful touring shows of all time. Fortunately, we have not been criticized by virtually anyone for Michael Jackson ONE, the permanent show in Las Vegas, which has already been seen by more than 3.5 million people since its premiere and continues to one of the top shows in Las Vegas. These projects demonstrate the immense and enduring popularity of Michael Jackson.

The critiques we do receive remind us that we can’t please everyone all the time. We too are Michael fans and we do our best to create projects which we would like to see and hear. The purpose of creating these projects is to enhance Michael’s legacy, to please and excite wherever possible the existing fans, and to introduce Michael to new generations of fans. And rest assured, sooner or later we will get to many of the projects that we know the fans want, including anniversary albums and documentaries for Dangerous and HIStory.

 

I like both Dangerous and History.

To my ears I find that Dangerous flows really well and even though I understand the argument that a shorter album would have had a greater impact, I wouldn't change it at all. It feels like one of those albums where the sum is greater than it's parts. Indeed I remember he gave an interview at the time when he said he wanted to make a concept like The Nutcracker that would still be dissected after 100 years. I like the ambition.

I feel History has a similar sense of ambition. I find the lyrics are often extraordinary. I love the passion and anger. He addressed everything from institutional racism, media manipulation, greed, police brutality and politics.

 

There was big hype in the USA when this was released. Even though I had all of MJ's albums, I bought this day and date of release, got it on vinyl. I was going through my first "vinyl revival" at the time.

My favorite new song on the LP is "This Time Around", the one with the Notorious BIG rap in the middle.

 

What about Jam? You wouldn't make it shorter?

 

I think Dangerous is dangerously underrated.

Bad is my go-to MJ album but I love all the material on the two albums before that and when I think of his talent and success, I never forget the one guy who helped make it all possible.

Quincy Jones.

 

Agreed. Most things after Thriller were a bloated mess. He scored in snatches (Stranger is brilliant) but he produced a lot of dross too - too much really given how much money he spent making those records post-Thriller.

HIStory is a train wreck minus Stranger and Scream. I even like Money. The rest? Bloatware to my ears. As you said, he needed to be produced or at least have a strong co-producer at all times.

Don’t even get me started on Invincible.

Ed

 

According to Discogs, the 1995 vinyl is the only release on that format. Asking price for it starts at $150.

Michael Jackson - HIStory - Past, Present And Future - Book I (Vinyl, US, 1995) For Sale | Discogs

 

Let's not forget the "HIStory" official video:

 

Thriller is great, if a little overrated. Off The Wall and Bad are probably my two favourite MJ albums.

 

I'll always wonder what Dangerous and HIStory may have sounded like had Quincy produced them.

 

Me too, me too but I ain't complaining!

 

Off the Wall is the best thing he ever did. He was having fun and that fun is all over the record. Thriller is cold calculation but it had the songs to back it up. Bad had them too but some of the songs were very samey. The synclavier was all over it and the tunes suffered for it. Once Quincy and he parted, he listened only to himself and things got bloated and weird after that. He only had moments of brilliance, not albums full of it anymore.

Ed

 

To be honest, no. The thought never occurred to me.

 

Wow, I didn't know that. I just happened to have it near my desk so snapped a couple pics for you. I had forgotten about the great booklet that was included with the box. It's presented as a kind of box set.

 

I would prefer not sit 2 minutes waiting for “Will You be There” to start and another 2 minutes at the end that includes a spoken word part. I can appreciate the ambition but jeez.

I think Disc 1 cheapened it and as a result the new material got overlooked. Plus let’s not forget the price of 2-Disc CDs in the 90s.

 

The singles on this one were great. The album cuts...I can’t remember much about them, honestly.

 

I played Dangerous today, and found I actually skipped over Will You Be There because of the long intro.

Completely agree. That's why I didn't buy it upon release in 1995, being 14 and having no money!

 

The original plan was for MJ to deliver a couple of new songs to Sony, to be placed alongside his greatest hits in a one disc package.

But so fired up was he by his legal troubles, he wrote and recorded a whole new album of material.

 

Interesting, thanks.

That was one of the most frustrating things about being an MJ fan - waiting 4 + years for new material between albums, and then HIStory comes out as a double album, with a double album price.

 

Here's some recollections of the project from one of the engineers - Rob Hoffman.

He had nothing but respect for Michael -

Rob Hoffman: In the studio with Michael Jackson

 

I’m playing my original 1995 disc right about now! I wish I have my Aiwa back, though. I took it to Hawaii around 2001 or so and dropped it while hiking. Maybe I’ll look for a replacement, for fun.