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From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Michael Jackson Poll !!
Message-ID: <320@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Oct-83 10:08:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.320
Posted: Fri Oct 21 10:08:01 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Oct-83 13:43:37 EDT
References: <647@ihuxm.UUCP> <141@lzmi.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Piscataway
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I'm not usually the one who rises to the defense of the pantheons of the
music industry, but Michael Jackson has really put together a lot of very
good stuff.  Though Quincy Jones often gets a lot of the credit for Michael
Jackson's new success, a quick look at the "Thriller" album (and the even
better "Off the Wall") shows that Jackson gets production credit for most of
the best songs on the albums, and at least arranging credit on many others.
And from what I've seen he IS quite a performer.  Remember that on the Motown
reunion TV special, the Jacksons were the only group to actually *move* on
stage (well, I guess the other groups are a lot older now).

My own favorites are "Wanna Be Startin' Something", "Rock With You", "Don't
Stop Till You Get Enough", and "Working Day and Night".  I think it's really
funny that 1) so many people have said "I never really liked Michael Jackson
before, but "Thriller" is really great"; interesting in that he's only put
out one other album on his own [not including his "solo" work while he was
still with the Jacksons/Jackson 5], and in my opinion that one had much of the
same style but was really done better overall; and 2) one person said "I'm
a heavy metal freak and classical music buff, and I even like Thriller, but
I can't stand that song my kids always play--"Beat It"; interesting in that
Jackson was attempting a funk-heavymetal fusion (partially with the help of
Steve Howe on guitar---ONLY KIDDING!!!!! It was Eddie van Halen) that took
an anti-macho stand against gang violence.  It still ranks as the grandest
of MTV videos, and remember for months *they* had refused to play it because
it was "too black" for them.

The Jackson 5 produced one really great song ("I Want You Back"), and as the
Jacksons they did some work that anticipated Michael's current style.  I think
the Jacksons (as a group) are no more.  Is this true?

One more interesting item:  the person who originally started this poll was
apparently trying to get a consensus deriding Michael Jackson.  Apparently,
the consensus seems to have gone just the other way.  "Thriller" is some sort
of megaplatinum monster hit, and is probably going to be one of those albums
that *everybody* owns ("Dark Side of the Moon", "Led Zeppelin IV", etc.).
My own opinion is that it will probably not stand the test of time.  It is
very contemporary, and very well done, but it is somehow a little too slick for
me to keep listening to it into my old age.  Come to think of it, so are most
of the other albums on my "everybody-owns" list.  I guess that says something
for music that "everybody" likes.		Rich