The Joe Vogel Thread

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Here is where we will post all that is written about Michael Jackson by Joe Vogel!

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A Piece of History: Michael Jackson Live at Wembley Stadium
Posted: 09/13/2012 3:32 pm
By: Joe Vogel

Twenty-five years ago in the late summer of 1987, Michael Jackson released his long-anticipated follow-up to Thriller, the Bad album. Bad went on to produce five No. 1 hits, several classic short films, and a record-setting world tour. To date, it has sold an estimated 30-45 million copies. To celebrate the milestone, the Estate of Michael Jackson and Epic/Legacy Recordings will release a three-CD package (Bad 25, out September 18), which includes the remastered original album, an album of bonus tracks, including demos and remixes, and a live album from his Bad World Tour.

Along with the new songs, the highlight of the Bad 25 box set is undoubtedly the "Live at Wembley" full concert DVD. This is a remarkable piece of history that might have been lost if not for a fortuitous discovery among Jackson's belongings. The Wembley shows are the equivalent of the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. But make no mistake: Jackson's performance here eclipses even his most talented predecessors.

Unfortunately, in spite of an extensive search through the pop star's storage archives, Jackson's estate was unable to locate the original Umatic master tapes for the Wembley shows. Perhaps one of these days, they will show up somewhere. What they did find was a personal VHS copy of the concert from the singer's own video collection. "Even finding this VHS felt like a miracle to us," says estate co-executor John Branca.

A consummate perfectionist, Jackson often watched tapes like this of his shows to ascertain whether the "magic" was being captured and what could be improved not only in his own performance, but that of the rest of the crew. This was his viewing copy for the legendary July 16, 1988 performance, attended by 72,000 people, including Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

While the sourced footage remains "pre-HD, 1988 videotape quality," it has been restored by a team that has also treated recovered footage for NASA. The result isn't a perfect high definition picture, but for me, at least, took little away from the enjoyment of the experience. Watching the DVD is like being transported in time. It feels like the era it comes from. Generally, it seems the closer and mid-range shots are much sharper, while the distant shots can sometimes be a bit blurry. Fortunately, because the camera work is so good, we get many brilliant close-ups of Jackson that might almost be mistaken for high-definition. Add to that that the original audio was captured on multi-track and presented in 5.1 audio, and it is hard to complain about the results.

The Bad World Tour began in September 1987 in Japan and concluded nearly sixteen months later in January 1989 in Los Angeles. It became the highest-grossing and most attended concert series in history. Jackson played to an estimated 4.4 million fans in fifteen countries. It was also his first and last solo tour in North America.

The London shows came in the midst of the second leg of the tour. Michael-mania was sweeping through Europe. In Vienna, Austria, the Associated Press reported that over 130 people passed out during the concert. By the time he reached London excitement had reached a fever pitch. All seven concerts at Wembley Stadium sold out, shattering a record previously held by Madonna and Bruce Springsteen.

Watching the July 16 show on DVD 24 years later one can still feel that visceral energy and excitement in the stadium. When Jackson finally appears out of the smoke and starts into the opening number, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'" the crowd erupts. This is Michael Jackson at the height of his performing powers.

Yet part of what makes the performance so enjoyable is how stripped down and spontaneous it is (by Jackson's standards), from the stage design, to the costumes, lighting and overall presentation. Music director Greg Phillinganes heads up a dynamic band, elevated just behind the stage, while Jackson is flanked, on many of the choreographed numbers, with a talented group of androgynous, Blade Runner-esque dancers (including Lavelle Smith).

The minimalist approach allows Jackson's talent -- as a dancer, singer and performer -- to shine through. He is loose and exuberant, like he's simply having a great time, and we're there to watch in. Jackson sings live throughout most of the show, and improvises to brilliant effect in certain parts. At the conclusion of "I'll Be There," for example, he begins ad libbing like a gospel preacher possessed by the spirit. He does call and response with his backup singers and with the audience. "Can you feel it!" he exclaims. Dripping with sweat, the music pulsing through him, he begins rhythmically tapping his foot, then scatting, before launching into the next number.

Other highlights abound. Jackson's locking, popping, miming rendition of "Human Nature" and its ethereal cries directed outward to the audience. The intro to "Smooth Criminal," in smoky silhouette, which gives way to the now-famous, but still captivating high-art choreography. The extended drum-solo postlude to "Billie Jean" that allows Jackson to improvise to the beat -- gyrating, kicking, tapping and gliding. Part of what makes Jackson so compelling as a performer is how his body is constantly in motion and completely in-sync with the music. For the entirety of the show, he becomes, as he often said, "the medium through which the music flows."

One of the most enjoyable moments actually comes at the end as Jackson playfully introduces his backup singers, guitarists and band. It gives a sense of his humor and joy in being a part of a creative collaboration. He also allows a group of children on stage, who earnestly try to imitate their idol's dance moves.

The show concludes with a breathtaking encore performance of "Man in the Mirror." As Spike Lee (who ended up using the performance to conclude his Bad25 documentary) says, "If you look at that performance, he's somewhere else. That's one of the great performances ever. You see the way Michael's singing that song -- he's not of this world. He's somewhere else."

Jackson played a total of seven shows in London to an estimated 500,000 people. Ticket demand was so strong it was estimated he could have done at least 10 more sold-out Wembley concerts if he had desired. Everyone wanted to witness the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson.

On September 18, after years of gathering dust in storage, the world will finally have the chance to experience the magic again.

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[beardedirises]

This review makes me want to get the Bad 25 just for the DVD alone! I think I wiil wait until the 11/22 broadcast of Spike Lee's documentary.

[Admin]

@beardedirises: Just have to say-the Wembley Stadium show is phenomenal! It is on sale on Amazon for 11.99 last I checked-it is SO worth every penny and more! Did you see the 3 videos from that show that are posted in the 'Music, Videos and Players' Forum? There are several of the demos (audios from the CD's) also there and more in Bad 25 forum-if you haven't yet-you gotta check those out!

BTW - It is great to see you here!

[midangerous]

@beardedirises u should get it, it's awesome!

[Admin]

Featuring Michael Jackson: Collected Writings on the King of Pop
by Joseph Vogel

Book Description
Publication Date: July 4, 2012

Vogel's prodigious collection of essays -- Featuring Michael Jackson -- is both a poignant deconstruction and ardent retrofit of the greatest entertainer that ever lived. Vogel presents an honest and beautiful tableau-vivant of this Super-"Man In The Mirror" that will reflect in our collective consciousness for years to come." -Barry Michael Cooper, Award-winning journalist for the Village Voice and screenwriter for New Jack City

In this slim new collection, critically-acclaimed author and journalist Joseph Vogel (Man in the Music) gathers together some of his most informative and provocative pieces on the late King of Pop. Featuring ten articles and a previously unpublished bonus chapter, this fascinating mosaic explores a wide range of subject matter: from the impact of race on Jackson's career, to the ways he challenged and expanded the definition of "pop," to behind-the-scenes histories of his songs. Based on original research and personal interviews with the singer's close collaborators, Featuring Michael Jackson is a book no fan or music history buff will want to be without.

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[Admin]

The Story Behind Michael Jackson's Infectious, Newly Released Song
By Joseph Vogel

Jun 5 2012

The demo of "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" is among dozens of unreleased tracks from the Bad sessions, and provides insight into King of Pop's songwriting and recording process.

It's been 25 years since Michael Jackson was in Westlake Studio in Los Angeles putting the finishing touches on his classic 1987 album, Bad. Today, a demo of a never-before-heard song from those sessions will finally get an audience when Sony's re-release of Bad's original lead single, "I Can't Just Stop Loving You," hits Wal-Mart shelves. The B-side, an infectious rhythm track called "Don't Be Messin' 'Round," provides a glimpse into Jackson's creative process—and to his incredible profligacy as a songwriter.


Jackson had a habit of writing and recording dozens of potential songs for each new project. This was especially the case for the Bad era, a prolific period in his career. At one point, he considered making Bad a triple-disc album given the amount of quality material. So it's fitting that later this fall, Sony Music and Jackson's estate will put out a full album of previously unreleased material from the Bad sessions. While the track list has not yet been finalized and will not be made public until closer to the September 18 release date, more than 20 new, unheard demos from the Bad sessions are currently being considered for the album. The songs being evaluated include a number of real gems and a few titles previously unknown to the most ardent Jackson aficionados.


Jackson would pull out the song again during both the 'Dangerous' and 'HIStory' sessions. Clearly, it was a song he liked. But it never found a home.
A team of Jackson collaborators and caretakers—including estate heads, Sony VP John Doelp, producer Al Quaglieri (who oversaw the excellent 2004 box set, Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection) and recording engineer, Matt Forger—combed through the vaults to see what was viable for the Bad 25 release. The criteria used for identifying potential songs were simple: They had to be recorded during the Bad era (1985-1987), and they had to be developed enough to feel like a complete track.

The Michael Jackson estate and Sony Legacy are leaving Jackson's work raw and unembellished this time around, in contrast to the King of Pop's first posthumous album, 2010's controversial Michael. The tracks will thus be less polished but more authentic, organic and true to what Jackson left behind. Similar to the critically acclaimed 2009 documentary, This Is It, the goal is to provide an intimate glimpse of the artist in his element. The listener, in essence, is brought into the studio with Michael Jackson as he works out a variety of musical ideas in his follow-up to the best-selling album of all time.


"Don't Be Messin'" illustrates this concept well. In the track, we can hear Jackson giving instructions, vocally dictating instrumental parts, mapping out where to accent words or add percussion, scatting and ad-libbing many of the unfinished lyrics. "One of the main intentions is to show that these are works in progress," says Matt Forger, a sound engineer and longtime Jackson friend and collaborator. "To pull the curtain back. To actually see Michael in his natural work environment, how he directs, his sense of humor, his focus."


The finished product, then, is intentionally unfinished and spontaneous. "You can just hear him having fun," Forger says. "His spirit and emotion are totally there. He knew in demos he didn't have to be totally perfect in his execution. So he'd be loose. He'd throw in ad libs and dance or sing or pop his fingers or clap his hands. You just hear him enjoying himself."


Jackson first wrote and recorded "Don't Be Messin'" during the Thriller sessions with engineer Brent Averill. Around this time he was working on a variety of musical ideas, including demos of "P.Y.T." and "Billie Jean." "Don't Be Messin'" features Jackson himself playing piano ("He could do more than he ever really let people know," Forger says.) He also produced, arranged, and guided many of the instrumental parts, including the cinematic strings, Jonathan Maxey's piano part in the bridge, and David Williams funky guitar licks.


Ultimately, since "Don't Be Messin'" wasn't fully developed and so much other strong material was coming in for Thriller, Jackson decided to put the song on the back burner, having in mind to revisit it for his next album. "That was kind of how Michael developed ideas and songs," explains Forger. "He let the song unfold in its own time. Sometimes a song wasn't ready or didn't quite fit the character of an album or a project and it would stay in the vaults. And then at a certain point of time, he would pull it out again."


In this case, the track re-surfaced in 1986, during the early stages of the Bad sessions. Jackson worked on the song primarily with recording engineers Matt Forger and Bill Bottrell in the "laboratory," the nickname for his renovated home studio at Hayvenhurst. As was typical for Jackson rhythm tracks, the song was quite long (nearly eight minutes) in its early phases. "Michael loves a song to be long," Forger says. "He loves it to groove because he gets to dance to it—which is a big thing, because when Michael feels the music is making him dance it means the groove is in the pocket."


Jackson's grooves, however, were unusual in that they often lacked the predictable repetition of much dance music, surprising with strange beat patterns, textures and nuances. "Some of these long versions of ["Don't Be Messin'"] really sound very interesting because there's different things happening in different sections," Forger says. "It's really not like you're sitting there for eight minutes thinking it's terribly long, because things are happening within that length of time that make it feel like, 'Yeah, this is cool.' It's actually satisfying to listen to the rhythm."


Cutting the song down was often a brutal process for Jackson, especially the intros and outros. As with other songs on Thriller and Bad, though, Jackson tried to trim it down into the four-to-five minute range, which is where the new mix of "Don't Be Messin'" clocks in.


Jackson continued to work on "Don't Be Messin'" into late 1986, at both his home studio and at Westlake. However, once Quincy Jones came on board, the serious paring began and "Don't Be Messin'" was left on the cutting room floor. Jackson would pull out the song again during both the Dangerous sessions and HIStory sessions, updating its sound and adding new elements. Clearly, it was a song he liked. But ultimately it never found a home.

The version Matt Forger mixed was the last version Jackson worked on during the Bad sessions in 1986. Forger feels it is the purest, most emotionally satisfying version: "It's exactly how Michael dictated it at the time. It's precisely Michael saying, 'this is how it has to be.'"


The 1986 demo isn't a groundbreaking song. The vocal is only partial-strength, the lyrics aren't finished, and the production isn't close to what it would be had it been fully realized by Jackson and Quincy Jones. However, it is a solid addition to the growing list of quality Bad-era outtakes (a list that also includes "Streetwalker," "Fly Away," and "Cheater"). "It's such a catchy underlying melodic hook," Forger says. "And it has a rhythmic feel that syncopates in such an interesting fashion." In a 2009 interview legendary recording engineer Bruce Swedien cited the track as one of his favorite unreleased Jackson songs. "It's just beautiful," he said . "Oh my God, there's nothing like it."


Like much of his work, the track doesn't fit neatly into a single genre, fusing flavors of Latin, jazz, and pop. With its breezy Bossa Nova rhythm and layers of interwoven hooks, it is a song that easily gets stuck in the head and makes you want to move—yet it also rewards multiple listens with its sophisticated syncopation and complex rhythm arrangement ("Music is like tapestry," Jackson once said. "It's different layers, it's weaving in and out, and if you look at it in layers you understand it better.")


For Forger, working on the track triggered memories of a simpler time in Jackson's turbulent career: "It just brought all the feelings back of what it was like in that era. Michael was just this exuberant, happy person. He wanted to challenge the world and make wonderful, great music."


What was Forger's goal in resurrecting the track?


"Just to make it authentic. Something Michael would enjoy and be proud of. It's got his charm and energy. If people appreciate it and enjoy it for what it is then I'll feel great. All I want it to be is enjoyed for the simple thing that it is."

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[Capricious Anomaly]

Joe Vogel is a joy to read isn't he? It is so refreshing remembering that there are a few meaningful author's that celebrate Michael Jackson for the sake of truth and respect. He also is so kind to MJ fans and shows his love for the community! Love the VOGEL!!

[Admin]

I thought I had posted this before-perhaps and just don't see it but here it is again - by Joe Vogel:

"Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus"

"Michael Jackson was alone in his hotel room, pacing....he was in Vienna, Austria, music capital of the Western world. It was here where Mozart’s brilliant Symphony No. 25 and haunting Requiem were composed; where Beethoven studied under Haydn and played his first symphony. And it was here, at the Vienna Marriott, on June 1, 1988, that Michael Jackson’s magnum opus, “Earth Song,” was born.

The six-and-a-half-minute piece that materialized over the next seven years was unlike anything heard before in popular music....Inside its swirling scenes of destruction and suffering were voices—crying, pleading, shouting to be heard (“What about us?”).

“Earth Song” would become the most successful environmental anthem ever recorded, topping the charts in over fifteen countries and selling over five million copies. Yet critics never quite knew what to make of it. Its unusual fusion of opera, rock, gospel, and blues sounded like nothing on the radio. It defied almost every expectation of a traditional anthem.

In place of nationalism, it envisioned a world without division or hierarchy. In place of religious dogma or humanism, it yearned for a broader vision of ecological balance and harmony....In place of a jingly chorus that could be plastered on a T-shirt or billboard, it offered a wordless, universal cry.

Jackson remembered the exact moment the melody came.

It was his second night in Vienna. Outside his hotel, beyond Ring Strasse Boulevard and the sprawling Stadtpark, he could see the majestically lit museums, cathedrals, and opera houses. It was a world of culture and privilege far removed from his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana. Jackson was staying in spacious conjoining suites lined with large windows and a breathtaking view. Yet for all the surrounding opulence, mentally and emotionally he was somewhere else.

It wasn’t mere loneliness (though he definitely felt that). It was something deeper — an overwhelming despair about the condition of the world.

Perhaps the most common trait associated with celebrity is narcissism. In 1988, Jackson certainly would have had reason to be self-absorbed. He was the most famous person on the planet....While Jackson enjoyed the attention, he also felt a profound responsibility to use his celebrity for more than fame and fortune...“When you have seen the things I have seen and traveled all over the world, you would not be honest to yourself and the world to [look away],” Jackson explained.

At nearly every stop on his Bad World Tour, he would visit orphanages and hospitals....While performing or helping children, he felt strong and happy, but when he returned to his hotel room, a combination of anxiety, sadness, and desperation sometimes seized him.

Jackson had always been sensitive to suffering and injustice. But in recent years, his feeling of moral responsibility grew....He read widely, watched films, talked to experts, and studied issues passionately. He was deeply invested in trying to understand and change the world.

In 1988, he certainly had reason for concern. The news read like chapters from ancient scripture: there were heat waves and droughts, massive wildfires and earthquakes, genocide and famine. Violence escalated in the Holy Land as forests were ravaged in the Amazon and garbage, oil and sewage swept up on shores. In place of Time‘s Person of the Year, 1988′s cover story was dedicated to the “endangered earth.” It suddenly occurred to many that we were literally destroying our own home.

Most people read or watch the news casually, passively. They become numb to the horrifying images and stories projected on the screen. Yet such stories frequently moved Jackson to tears. He internalized them and felt physical pain. When people told him to simply enjoy his own good fortune, he got angry. He believed completely in John Donne’s philosophy that “no man is an island.” For Jackson, the idea extended to all life. The whole planet was connected and intrinsically valuable.

“[For the average person],” he explained, “he sees problems ‘out there’ to be solved… But I don’t feel that way — those problems aren’t ‘out there,’ really. I feel them inside me. A child crying in Ethiopia, a seagull struggling pathetically in an oil spill… a teenage soldier trembling with terror when he hears the planes fly over: Aren’t these happening in me when I see and hear about them?”

Once, during a dance rehearsal, he had to stop because an image of a dolphin trapped in a net made him so emotionally distraught. “From the way its body was tangled in the lines,” he explained, “you could read so much agony. Its eyes were vacant, yet there was still that smile, the ones dolphins never lose… So there I was, in the middle of rehearsal, and I thought, ‘They’re killing a dance.’”

When Jackson performed, he could feel these turbulent emotions surging through him. With his dancing and singing, he tried to transfuse the suffering, give it expression, meaning, and strength. It was liberating. For a brief moment, he could take his audience to an alternative world of harmony and ecstasy. But inevitably, he was thrown back into the “real world” of fear and alienation.

So much of this pain and despair circulated inside Jackson as he stood in his hotel room, brooding.

Then suddenly it “dropped in [his] lap”: Earth’s song. A song from her perspective, her voice. A lamentation and a plea.

The chorus came to him first — a wordless cry. He grabbed his tape player and pressed record. Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh.

The chords were simple, but powerful...He then worked out the introduction and some of the verses. He imagined its scope in his head. This, he determined, would be the greatest song he’d ever composed…"

[Capricious Anomaly]

I remember you posted this back awhile too admin. Maybe it was the 'old' site.

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