Marco Balletta · @B__Marco
7th Oct 2012 from Twitlonger
Posted online on a Forum by a user :
I've been fortunate enough to hear a number of unreleased Michael Jackson songs through a number of contacts, a few of which are recording engineers who worked on a few of Michael's later releases. (The Ultimate Collection, Michael, etc.) A long time ago my contacts instructed me not to talk about every single song I've heard (they named a few specific ones they would like me to keep to myself), but some didn't matter. I've been asked to share information on the songs I've heard with you. Again, I am not going to talk about EVERY single song I've ever heard; just the ones that I think the fan community think about the most.
PLEASE NOTE that I DO NOT have any snippets/full songs in my possession. I used to be a large collector of unreleased material before everything I had leaked to the public. (I had Stay, Soldier Boy, All I Need, Burn Tonight and snippets of all the Cascio demos, as well as Slave to the Rhythm, Do You Know Where Your Children Are and snippets of the Hollywood Tonight demo.) Also, please do not ask me for any e-mail or ooVoo account names of my contacts; out of respect, loyalty and their own privacy, they've instructed me not to give out any names, and I don't plan to. If I come into contact with any other unreleased song I'll be the first to update this thread.
ALSO, there are apparently multiple versions of each song that I've heard. (There are apparently two different demo versions of Ready 2 Win and All Right.) If any song that I list below leaks, it may not be 100% accurate. As is the case with multiple mixes of normally released songs and multiple takes of demos, an alternative version may be the leak.
BURN TONIGHT - The version of Burn Tonight that I've heard was an a cappella outtake, which features the vocalist's voice cracking during a later adlib. He sings, "We're makin' it bu--" His voice cracks halfway through burn, he coughs and begins to say something right before the vocal cut out. (It sounded like he was saying, "Damn.") It was most certainly NOT Michael talking.
HOLLYWOOD TONIGHT (DEMO) - This incarnation is both better than the album version and worse. My only complaint is that I prefer the instrumentation in the album version -- much stronger, more of a club banger. Overall though, this demo blows me away. Michael sings in high falsetto during the song's bridges that were never fully recorded, right before jumping into some beatboxing parts that aren't heard in the album version/are buried in the mix. He talks to Brad Buxer -- or whatever engineer may be in the studio with him. The Throwback Mix is the closest the general public will get to the demo if it doesn't leak, both musically and vocally. (Birchey's mix is also a contender.)
I AM A LOSER - Beautiful, beautiful song. This version was recorded back in 1999 and was on a very early incarnation of the Invincible album that was originally headed by Babyface and Teddy Riley (a few months before Rodney Jerkins signed on). Michael's depressed because of his girlfriend, who left him for someone else. Lyrically similar to I'm So Blue in some respects. Built on a piano, strings, bass and a drum beat reminiscent of Stranger in Moscow.
READY 2 WIN - As it's been stated, a total rip-off of On the Line. In my opinion, one of the worst Cascio tracks because of its unoriginality. (None of the songs are exactly "original," but Ready 2 Win is the worst.) Even with the high-energy ending with a choir, the lead vocals are still incredibly weak. I heard this song in pretty much the same general quality as the leaked snippet a few days ago (of the ending, not of the first verse) and I couldn't be sure, but I could swear that I heard a few "woos!" from Cry buried in the mix.
UNKNOWN BRAD BUXER TRACK - I don't know the title of this song, but from what I've heard, I'm guessing that it is the long-time speculated Bottom of My Heart. I've only heard about 25-30 seconds of it, though. It is similar to Heal the World and Cry in terms of music; a smooth drum track that is slightly buried under the strings, pianos and guitars. Lyrically, it leans towards What More Can I Give and We Are the World. It's a down-tempo ballad about a tragedy. (If my memory serves me correctly, it was aimed towards a Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2006.) Michael even borrows a few ad-libs from What More Can I Give in the song ("Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" and "Teaching, I'm preaching my brother!"). The version I heard was taken from the ending of the song, where I assume a choir would have been inserted; however, since it's an unfinished song, it's just multi-layered vocals of Michael. "Sending love from the bottom of my heart."
UNKNOWN NEFF-U TRACK - "To have and to hold/ To love and to let go..." This is one of the more beautiful tracks Michael's made in his later years. Again, I've only heard about 25 seconds of this track, but it nearly brought a tear to my eye when I heard it. I don't know the title of this song, but according to my contact it was recorded in late 2008 with Neff-U. It's built on a piano and strings (similar to All I Need) with drums, bass and guitar coming in later. It sounds like an anti-war track, with Michael singing about parents having to let their children go off to war; I don't know if this is the base of the entire track though. It's mostly in falsetto.
UNKNOWN REDONE TRACK - This 30-second snippet of a RedOne song was played to me over a phone conversation, so I couldn't really make out everything that Michael was saying. Sounded something like, "...wasting your time with a man... let's get on the floor, babe!" He talks to RedOne, referring to him by his actual name (Nadir), saying "Nadir, turn this up a bit... little more... alright!" Michael even busts out a "hee! hee! hee!" which he hasn't done since Privacy back in 2001. I really missed hearing him do that. Musically sounds like a mix of Pokerface by Lady Gaga and the rhythm of Speed Demon.
UNKNOWN WILL.I.AM TRACK - This 20-second snippet was taken from one of the unfinished songs. (I believe it was Can You.) It's a mid-tempo track about falling in love with someone and wanting to live your life with them. He scats through part of it (pretty much the same type of scatting he does on In the Back), but the only true lyric I heard him sing was, "No matter how I try, with everything I find it's you, you on my mind all the time." Very catchy melody, soulful harmonies. Sounds like a mixture of Butterflies and a Stevie Wonder song. Built upon piano, synths and something that sounds like a synthesized flute -- interesting choice.