Wernham Hogg Forum

RChappo · Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:21 pm Michael Jackson / Cleethorpes.

Quiet board and I'm bored so...

In my younger days I was a bit of a Michael Jackson fan. Not a huge fan but I could appreciate his work.

I even have ticket scans to prove it:

I still think that 'Off The Wall' is a fine fine album and while 'Thriller' is not as good in my opinion there is no denying it was groundbreaking in a lot of ways..and it has some moments of brilliance.

In fact put most tracks of 'Off The Wall' on and you might even catch me twitching my hips or at least tapping my foot in a dance stylee. It's that good an album.

Plus it has 'She's Out Of My Life" on it, which I have to say had me pretending I had something stuck in my eye when I listened to it on my mp3 player at work the other day.

What I really find amazing about this is that one of the masterminds behind both of those classic R&B albums is a white bloke from Cleethorpes. His name is Rod Temperton and he wrote the title tracks of 'Off The Wall' and 'Thriller' plus other tracks like 'Rock With You' and 'Burn This Disco Out'. Pretty amazing that this guy is virtually unknown to most people but he wrote the title track to the biggest selling album in history. All that creepy spoken word Vincent Price rap at the end of 'Thriller'?....he wrote it in a taxi on the way to the studio just before it was recorded. So pretty much a successful British songwriter I'd say.

Shame Jacko has lost his marbles really and is now working with no talent like Akon, Fergie and Kanye West to try and claw back some credibility with "the kids".

I'd say he'd be better off giving his old mates Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton a call and make a decent old school Disco/R&B album with some proper songs on it, but I think his moment has past.

There you go. I was having an "i miss the early 80's" moment the other day.

Dananiel · Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:39 pm

i have heard that jackson has a few moments of glory in his back catalogue, but i'm always put off for obvious reasons. the same goes for kiss.

RChappo · Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:11 pm

Go on! Join the Kiss Army...you know you want to!

Dananiel · Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:12 pm

i'm not sure i'm ready for the face paint just yet.

Elliott · Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:06 pm

Dananiel wrote: i'm not sure i'm ready for the face paint just yet.

same reason i don't listen to gary glitter any more.

BILLY V2.0 · Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:33 pm

i've been listening to loaaaaads of jackson lately. one of my friends is an MJ impersonator. it's fantastic! i always thought he was a bit overblown beforehand, but man his stuff is great. the jackson 5 are as good i reckon. ABC is probably the most uplifting song ever.

Dananiel · Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:19 pm

oh yeah, i want you back is just the greatest pop song ever. doesn't get any better.

RChappo · Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:26 pm

'ABC' is ace and so is 'I Want You Back' in fact lots of those Jackson 5 singles are fantastic, 'The Love You Save'....'I'll be There'...the list goes on.

Some of the later Jackson's stuff is brilliant too. I've never taken drugs or 'owt like that but to me 'Can You feel It' and it accompanying video is as close a thing to a cocaine rush that I think I'll ever experience. It's just got that kind of feel to it. The late 70's and disco and Studio 54 and all of that.

He was overblown I suppose but it was only because he was doing stuff that no-one had done before...like his videos and his moonwalking etc etc.
He was never going to live up to it of course.

Turtlebonce · Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:11 pm

Quote: He was overblown I suppose

oh COME ON chappo

nospam · Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:09 am

I love him I love him I LOVE HIM

Delphi · Fri May 09, 2008 12:41 am

Jackson is THE SHIT and let no one tell you differently.

That's some interesting reading there Chappo...I'm always wondering who the mastermind is behind those blockbuster songs out there.

Sometimes, when I'm musing to myself here and there, I imagine I'd like to be the one in the shadows crafting those kick-ass tunes...I wouldn't really want the limelight really...but it'd be great to be the one producing those gems. :)

Anyway, Billy Jean (great tune), Thriller (awesome), and personally, I think one of my all-time favorite Michael tunes is "The Way You Make Me Feel" - hmmm...I wonder who wrote that one?

Pah. · Thu May 15, 2008 6:07 pm

i didnt realise you were from leeds, chappo.
miss it much?

RChappo · Fri May 16, 2008 12:44 pm

I'm not from Leeds. I just went therea couple of times.

Funnily enough I do miss Leeds though.

nospam · Sun May 18, 2008 2:20 pm

I've always enjoyed my times in Leeds.

RChappo · Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:25 pm

I was listening to the Jackson Five classic "I Want You Back" today. I've always loved the song but I've realised that there is one moment in it that just makes me so happy. It is only in the standard single version as far as I'm aware.

It happens during the first pass of the chorus:

Oh baby give me one more chance
Wont you please let me
Back in your heart

I just LOVE the way he sings that line in bold in the first chorus. He sings it just a fraction behind the beat but it sounds teriffic. He doesn't sing it that way on the subsequent choruses. It's one of those little musical moments that you can't really describe but that physically moves you in some way. Good stuff.

:)