MJ Alternatives

Sorry for the ambiguous title, but this is another MJ post, and I simply can't come out and announce who or what I'm posting in the title or labels because it will get yanked very quickly otherwise. So, with that unfortunate detail added to what will otherwise be a good post, here we go...

A few weeks ago I posted a collection of MJ rarities that have popped up in the last year which were assumed to be considered for release on the first posthumous album Sony would be releasing under MJ's name. Since that time, several of the tracks have leaked in better quality and some friendly people have pointed me towards other alternative versions, so I figured it would be a good idea to post an updated collection of these unreleased tracks and alternate versions for your enjoyment. A little tweaking has been done to some of these files to improve their quality so this collection is mostly transcoded, but the quality is still very good and I'm sure no one will have any issues. If you do want the non-transcoded versions, let me know and I may make a separate post with those for download. Big thanks to Cappie, Jacob The Boss, Pointrox and everyone else at the MJJ Community forums.


Michael Alternatives

01 Hold My Hand (Rough Version)
This is the version that leaked in 2008. It's clearly unfinished and Akon's vocals have been changed a bit in the final version.

02 Keep Your Head Up (Alternate Mix)
I'm not certain that this is a true alternate mix but it does seem a bit different, so please forgive me if the label isn't completely accurate. This is one of the Cascio co-written tracks that some people are claiming aren't really MJ on vocals. I think that's ridiculous, as it's clearly him on vocals, but it's a free world, believe what you want to. That said, I wish this had been left off the album. The schmaltz here is so thick!

03 Blue Gangsta
This was probably recorded around 1996 or 1997 as there is a Refugee Camp remix which would point to that era. I don't think this track is worthy of an official release as it's a bit off the wall (see what I did there? okay, it wasn't funny, sorry) compared to most of MJ's officially released tracks, but I do think it's stronger than schmaltz like Keep Your Head Up or Best Of Joy.

04 Blue Gangsta (Refugee Camp Remix)
This is the aforementioned Refugee Camp remix. I don't know when this leaked but it was well before the standard version did.

05 Love Never Felt So Good
This was understandably considered for the Michael album, but there are plenty of reasons it could have been left on the cutting room floor. Paul Anka co-wrote it which is an issue after the This Is It controversy, the multitracks might not be available, or any number of other factors could have killed it's appearance. Regardless, this is an incredible performance with MJ multitracking his vocals with piano as his only accompaniment and who knows, it could still see release eventually. This version of the track is the same performance as the previously leaked version but the quality of the recording is far superior, so less hiss, more bliss!

06 The Way You Love Me (Original Version)
This track received an official release on MJ's Ultimate Collection box set, though additional production was added to the version which appears on Michael. I actually prefer the Michael version but this is still a beautiful track regardless. MJ must have held it in some esteem as it did receive an official release in his lifetime, even if it did not appear on any of his albums.

07 Monster (Teddy Riley Rough Mix)
Teddy Riley stated that upon receiving the multitracks for this song, he sped up MJ's vocals and rebuilt the backing track. The pre-Riley version is not circulating but this unfinished mix is interesting nonetheless as 50 Cent is not present and not all of the effects have been added to the track. This is one of my favorite tracks from Michael and while 50's rap is okay, it's great to hear a slightly stripped version without him. Kinda strange to think about the excessive number of paparazzi angered songs in MJ's catalog. Don't get me wrong, I understand his disdain over negative publicity and in turn his want to write songs about his experiences, but you have to admit there are A LOT of anti-paparazzi songs in his discography.

08 Stay
Another Cascio track which some people are claiming doesn't contain MJ's vocals. Again, I disagree, it's clearly him. Otherwise, not much else to say as I don't have any information regarding when this or the other Cascio co-written tracks were composed or initially recorded.

09 Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
This was recorded during the Dangerous era. It doesn't necessarily sound complete to me, but that would explain why it never received an official release. Apparently many of MJ's best known studio musicians were hired by Sony to provide additional session work for this and several other tracks in consideration for the Michael album, though I have no knowledge whether this track features their embellishments or not.

10 Breaking News (Acapella)
This was posted on Sony's official site in response to questions regarding whether MJ's vocal was legitimate or not. While I'm sure it's him, his vocals do sound a bit different from what I'm used to regarding his voice and tone. Anyway, this is more interesting if you've ever wondered what went into producing a posthumous vocal track. There is a shout used repeatedly throughout the track which I believe is sourced from Don't Stop Til You Get Enough.

11 Slave To The Rhythm
When I previously posted this track, it was notably incomplete. The full version has since leaked and is presented here for your listening pleasure. This track is too repetitive in my opinion, but MJ's vocals are clearly top shelf material. I suppose this could see an eventual release with the backing track re-produced.

12 Xscape
This may not have been considered for Michael but I've included it anyway as I'd be surprised if it weren't at least on an early shortlist. The people involved with the album reportedly complained that there might not be enough MJ tracks in a state complete enough for even three posthumous albums, so a finished track from the Invincible era would have to be at least considered at one point or another.

13 (I Can't Make It) Another Day (Rough Mix)
Like Keep Your Head Up, this is reportedly a rough mix but I can't confirm that. Lenny Kravitz wrote, produced and played almost all the instruments on this track with Dave Grohl playing drums. An unfinished snippet leaked after MJ's death that Kravitz stated was unmixed, but is otherwise the same track. I'd like to hear that unmixed version, but this isn't it, although this doesn't seem to be a final mix.

14 Behind The Mask (Pointrox Mix)
This is a blend of the vocals from the Michael version of Behind The Mask with the backing track from Greg Phillinganes' version of the song recorded in the eighties. I've seen some people claim this to be MJ's original version but it was created IN FACT by a talented fellow named Pointrox. All credit to him for his excellent efforts! Regarding the original version of this song, it was probably recorded during the Off The Wall sessions or early in those for Thriller. Quincy Jones has been reportedly contracted to produce a fully remastered version of Off The Wall with bonus tracks galore, so maybe we'll get lucky and hear the original version eventually.

15 All I Need
Another Cascio co-written track.

16 Much Too Soon (Original Version)
This doesn't bare much of a difference to the version released on Michael, but if you listen closely you will notice that additional embellishments have been added to that version. This was recorded during the HIStory sessions and apparently held in high esteem by all who heard it at that time. It's a truly beautiful song and extremely deserving of release, so even with the additional production I'm glad it made it onto an official compilation.

Bonus: Hold My Hand (Alternate Mix)
This was released on the import single for Hold My Hand. I thought it was appropriate to include since it is a little different from the released version and was mixed by Mark "Exit" Goodchild whereas the album version was mixed by Serban Ghenea. Brings up great questions regarding the lengths Sony went to in completing the Michael album, questions that probably won't be answered any time soon.