hvarmit's Full Review: Michael Jackson's This Is It by Michael Jackson
I couldn't decide whether or not to pre-order this CD at first, because I knew it would contain songs from previous albums, so they were songs I already had. I reasoned that the others, the "extras", could be bought off of iTunes, or even found through youtube with a quick search. While all of that is true (except for This Is It, the single, which cannot be purchased separately), it was the promise of a 36 page commemorative booklet that had me clicking the "Add To Cart" button on Amazon.com.
This is a two-disc CD set featuring songs that are found in the concert rehearsal-documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It; a film that features the rehearsals of Michael and crew for Michael's final tour, This Is It (a tour that never got to be).
But, don't expect a soundtrack to the film. No, the bulk of this CD set is made up of previously released songs found on other albums.
Disc One
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' This is the song off of Michael's album, Thriller. It runs for 6 minutes and 3 seconds, making it the longest on the album (Thriller's album). It's one that I liked immediately, because of the beat and the memorable ending, which I believe I read was an African love chant. A sample of the lyrics are:
I took my baby to the doctor With a fever, but nothing he found By the time this hit the street They said she had a breakdown Someone's always tryin' to start my baby cryin` Talkin', squealin', lyin' Sayin' you just wanna be startin' somethin'
Jam This is the remastered version off of the Dangerous album and runs for 5 minutes and 39 seconds.This is a song that I always liked more in a live performance than just on the album, but it has a heavy beat, serious lyrics, hip hop sound, and Michael at full voice exertion. What's not to like, really?!
They Don't Care About Us This is the remastered version and from Michael's HIStory: Past, Present, & Future Book 1 album. It runs for 4 minutes and 44 seconds. On the film, This Is It, Michael used the changed lyrics for the song (taking out "Jew" and etc.), but this is the version of the song where it's been dubbed over with a loud bang on those words.
This song is my daughter's favorite Michael Jackson song, and the prison video, continues to be her favorite MJ video. Sure, she likes a few others (mostly the "love the earth and mankind" types of songs), but this one gets the most play time on her mp3 player. I like the song because the lyrics are great, but it's his voice here. He puts what I call "some stank" on the vocals, sounding like they come from deep inside of him.
Human Nature This song is from his Thriller album. It runs for 4 minutes and five seconds. This is a song that is best seen performed because of the movements Michael always put to them. For just an audio song, it's one of his prettiest, in my opinion. There are many songs that showcase his voice, and this is one of them.
Looking out Across the morning The city's heart begins to beat Reaching out I touch a shoulder I'm dreaming of the street If they say Why, why.. Tell them that it's Human Nature Why, Why Does he do me that way.....
Smooth Criminal This is off of Michael's album, Bad, and is the remastered radio edit version. It runs for 4 minutes and 17 seconds. This song, it's impossible for me to hear now without picturing Michael Jackson in a gangster-chic suit flipping a guy over, and doing his "Lean".
As he came into the window Was the sound of a crescendo He came into her apartment He left the bloodstains on the carpet She ran underneath the table He could see she was unable So she ran into the bedroom She was struck down It was her doom Annie are you okay? So Annie are you okay? Are you okay Annie?.................
It's catchy, it's fun, and it's one that's impossible to not move to.
The Way You Make Me Feel This is the remastered version, and came off of Michael's album, Bad. It runs for 3 minutes and 53 seconds. It's one of his most popular, and to me, represents the type of innocent "bubblegum" Pop that was so popular back then. It's a fun song, one that is easy to song along to.
The way you make me feel (The way you make me feel) You really turn me on (You really turn me on) You knock me off'a my feet now, baby (You knock me off my feet) My lonely days are gone (My lonely days are gone)
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) This is a remastered version of the song taken from The Jacksons' album, Destiny. I love these older songs the most because Michael's voice was so pure. This song, here on this CD set, has a clean sound (better clarity). It's a fun song, and it's one where Michael uses different ranges of his voice.
Ya tease me with your lovin' to play hard to get Cause you do know that I want ya' Ya walk around this town with your head all up in the sky And you do know that I want ya... Let's dance Let's shout (Shout) Shake your body down to the ground..........
I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You This is from Michael's album, Bad, and features the vocals of Siedah Garrett. It's the remastered version and runs for 4 minutes and 12 seconds. I love this song, but until the This Is It footage, I never thought he had a female lead that really sounded in sync with his voice. Siedah Garrett here, I do like better than when Sheryl Crow sang with him. It's a great song with sweet lyrics, but for me it's most notable because Michael put "some stank" on the lyrics near the end, pulling the words from his core, making them believable.
Thriller This is one of Michael's most recognizable songs, and comes from...surprise, surprise...his Thriller album. If you were around during the 80's, I'm sure you have heard this song play on the airwaves. If you're a new fan, this is probably one of the first ones you've heard when looking into his music and videos/short films.
The lyrics are a lot of fun, and remind me of the cult classic horror films I so enjoy, and it has a catchy beat; there is an undertone (do do do da do) that's deeper that acts as the heartbeat of this song's music. As far as vocals, Michael is at his best here, and puts in a lot of "Oooh's" and those vocal hiccups he was known for. And Vincent Price, too? I'm in heaven.
Beat It Beat It is a song from Michael Jackson's album, Thriller. It's one of his most acclaimed, and most recognized. It runs for 4 minutes and 17 seconds. It sounds crisp and clear, and is reminiscent of the 1980's and of Michael's hey-day.
Beat it Beat It No one wants to be defeated Showin' how funky, strong is your fight It doesn't matter who's wrong..who's right.. Just beat it.....
This is sort of an anti-violence song, screaming to just walk away, it's not worth losing your life in the end. But, all wrapped in up a thumping pop sound with added electric guitar.
The remaining songs are: Black or White (remastered, from Dangerous) Earth Song (remastered, from HIStory) Billie Jean (single version, from Thriller) Man in the Mirror (remastered, from Bad)
And then the next two are This Is It. The first is the one that was released for a brief time before the CD release, and sounds a lot like a demo. The second version is the Orchestra Version, and has a sharper sound and features Michael singing with violins and violas.
This Is It was co-written by Paul Anka, and was recorded in 1983, intending to be used as a duet between the two. This song was also one that Sa-Fire sang for one of their albums (I Wasn't Born Yesterday).
When it was released to the public a few weeks back, quite a lot of people went from "This Is It!" to "Is This It??" because it wasn't anything "new", or, it wasn't a song we hadn't heard before. But, we hadn't heard Michael singing it.
It's a soft song, like a ballad, with lyrics such as:
This is it Here I stand I'm the light of the world I feel grand Life is Love I can feel And I know, yes for sure, it is real And it feels as though I've seen your face a thousand times.........
In the first version, we hear Michael counting down before starting the song. The second is essentially the same song, only it starts with an orchestra getting ready to play and a conductor tapping out for the strings to get ready. It ends with strings. The song, overall, is one I enjoy because it is breathy, it has passion, and it is one that showcases his voice.
Disc Two
This disc features four tracks, all previously unreleased material.
She's Out Of My Life This is a whole new take on the song. It's essentially the same lyrics and all, but it is sung with an acoustic guitar. Michael starts by telling whomever "Do it one more time. [I] sung the wrong lyrics", and then the song starts. This is a song from his album, Off The Wall written by Tom Bahler, and is one that usually ends with Michael choked up (but not here). It's a soft ballad, and the clarity of the sound is great. It was neat hearing it sang in this way, sort of like Michael Jackson: Unplugged.
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' This song is also a demo, but has a lot of instrument behind it. One thing I notice is that there are a few different notes played in this version. Also, there is a bit of giggling in the song, as well as different verses. The chorus is the same, but he completely reworked the lyrics for the final song. This version was "good enough", but "good enough" apparently wasn't, well.... "good enough" for Michael. This was a treat, this song, and it's one of the reasons I would recommend buying either this album, or this song via iTunes or Amazon's mp3 service.
Beat It This is also a demo, and it's not the song, but is rather the harmonies on the vocal chorus of the song. It only runs for 2 minutes and 5 seconds, and starts with Michael saying "Okay, this is the harmonies....and the vocal harmonies on the choruses..of...uh...Beat It. Um..I'll do the verses then, then I'll do the choruses". He then counts down and starts to sound out the beat for the lyrics of the song as the backup add the deeper harmonies and "Tsch-kows". The chorus is in perfect harmony here, and this is a wonderful addition to this CD, or just to have in one's possession, because with everything going on in the final song, the perfection of the harmony here can get lost in the background.
Planet Earth This is not a song, but is instead a spoken poem that Michael wrote. The words were featured on the liner notes of Michael's Dangerous album, and I believe it was in his book Dancing the Dream. It is a lengthy (3 minutes and 15 seconds) about the planet Earth and how much he loves "her".
A snippet:
Planet Earth My home, my place A capricious anomaly In this sea of space Planet Earth Are you just, floating by A cloud of dust A minor globe About to bust A piece of metal Bound to rust A speck of matter In a mindless void A lonely Spaceship A large asteroid............
It's a nice poem, and speaks about things that Michael has shared over the years, in how he feels. Frankly, he could have written something akin to Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham here, and I would have listened to it just the same. It's breathy, it's clear and loud, and it's another reason to purchase either this CD, or the single from ITunes or Amazon's mp3 store.
In addition to the songs, there is a 36 page booklet built into this CD set. There is no plastic case here, it is instead made of a thick cardboard and opens up to reveal a photo of a smiling Michael on stage with the This Is It words set lit up behind him. This also acts as a casing for the first CD disc. Then, there are many pages full of photos from the rehearsal footage, some fairly large, and some only inches high. It not only shows Michael, but others such as Michael Bearden, Kenny Ortega, the dancers, and even some of the tech pieces that were to be used in the concert tour. The last page features Michael in the cherry picker wearing the jacket he was to wear while doing the Beat It set. This also houses the second CD disc.
The back of the CD set shows the dedication of the album. This time, it is dedicated "to Michael's children Prince Michael, Paris, and Prince Michael II (Blanket)"
If you're a completest, I would definitely recommend getting this CD set because of the photo booklet, as well as for the double versions of This Is It and the demos. The occasional fan may choose, instead, to just buy the mp3s of selected songs. This would also be great for the posthumous fans that don't have the songs listed on the first disc already. The CD casing is attractive enough it would make a great gift. (It's also fairly inexpensive for a double disk CD set, at Amazon.com for $9.99) So yes, I would recommend it.
As far as rating, I would give it two stars because Sony coyly slipped us yet another compilation Cd of songs we already have several times over, and added a small handful of new songs just to get us to bite. But, I add two stars because of the casing, the booklet, and because of the demos they chose to give us, which I think are wonderful. So, 4 stars!
The Music That Inspired the Movie Michael Jackson's This is It Souvenir Edition 2 CD SET includes: - The brand-new song THIS IS IT - Unreleased Rare T...More at Walgreens
This Is It features the music that inspired Sony Pictures forthcoming film Michael Jackson s This Is It. This two-disc album will be available October...More at Buy.com
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