Almost 35 years after the original recording dates, new unreleased songs from michael jackson was discovered on cassette tapes. Jackson was known for being a very prolific artist, something that is evidenced by the sheer volume of unreleased songs that continue to surface long after his death in 2009. Still, the majority of these songs were ones that fans already knew. , and which the Jackson Estate discussed or even refined to release to the public.
The latter has happened on several occasions, most notably in the form of Jackson's 2014 posthumous album. Xscape. The Jackson Estate released remixed versions by producers such as Timbaland and the original versions in a collection for fans to enjoy, although it has since been considered controversial by Jackson fans. More recently, the Jackson Estate formally added some of Jackson's previously unreleased music from the making of action movie to celebrate the album's 40th anniversary. Now, an impressive array of previously unreleased Jackson songs have surfaced once again.
New Michael Jackson songs have been found
The recordings are from the Dangerous album sessions
As reported by THRa man named Gregg Musgrove found a collection of cassette tapes and DAT tapes that contain unreleased Jackson songs that were recorded between the years 1989 and 1991 – when Jackson was working on his Dangerous album. There are 12 completed songs included in totalthat could compose a small album of their own. The tapes were found in a warehouse in the San Fernando Valley, as the unit once belonged to record producer Bryan Loren, with whom Jackson likely recorded these tapes.
Musgrove even said he approached fan sites to see which of the songs were well-known and which weren't, and was shocked to discover that some fans – even the biggest fans – had no idea about some of the names on the list. While some fans may know the titles of other songs or hear small leaks over the years, These tapes even include the full versions of these songs that no one has heard before. This is an absolutely remarkable discovery, especially so long after Jackson's untimely death.
All the unreleased Michael Jackson songs that have just been discovered
12 completed songs in total, but also some bonus tracks
Among the 12 complete new songs there is surprising variation from track to track. “She Got It”, “Work That Body” and “Serious Effect” are well-known tracks among fanswith many having heard these leaks over the years, but there are also many new names. Below is the full list of songs discovered on these tapes, plus some incomplete creations as well.
Every Unreleased Michael Jackson Song on the San Fernando Valley Tapes |
|
---|---|
Song title |
Full? |
“Don't believe it” |
Yes |
“Seven digits” |
Yes |
“I can't go back” |
Yes |
“Son of Suspense” |
Yes |
“The Truth About Youth” |
Yes |
“She understands, darling” |
N/A |
“All the truth you need” |
Yes |
“Turn off” |
Yes |
“She understood” |
Yes |
“man in black” |
No (chorus only) |
“Work that body” |
Yes |
“A pretty face is” |
No (chorus only) |
“To satisfy you” |
Yes |
“Pressure” |
Yes |
“Serious effect” |
Yes |
Musgrove provided some details about some of these songs, citing that the experience of listening to them gave him “shiver“, thinking that no one else had heard it before. He cited that “Don't Believe It” seemed to be aimed at the public, especially the media and tabloids, which was a popular theme for Jackson at that time – when he was also writing songs like “Why You Wanna Trip on Me” and, a few years later, “Tabloid Junkie”. As for “Seven Digits”, this presumably darker track concerns identifications of bodies in a morgue.
A new song features something Michael Jackson never did
Jackson always delved into new genres
There is one new song, however, that stands out from the rest, mainly because it shows Jackson doing something he's never actually done in an officially released song: rapping. On the track “Truth on Youth”, Jackson is heard rapping with LL Cool Jthe latter of whom confirmed that he had previously worked with Jackson on the song. While Jackson certainly delved into the rap genre in creative ways on albums like History, Blood on the dance floorand Invinciblehe never fully committed to performing a rap performance.
Apparently, that's not the case on this unreleased track. Based on the title alone, it's easy to imagine someone like Jackson rapping about the state of youth at that time, as he was very passionate about acknowledging current issues – especially those that concerned children and their childhoods, as he never really had one of your own. He would continue to sing about topics like this in future tracks, such as Invincible'The lost children'. Of course, It's a lot like Jackson tried to do this with this topic in a rap songto attract more young people.
Why Michael Jackson's Unreleased Songs Will Never Be Released
Jackson's estate is strict about what goes and what doesn't
Unfortunately, it's very unlikely that these Jackson songs will ever be released, something that has a lot to do with Jackson's heritage. The Estate is known for keeping Jackson's unreleased songs locked away in their own vault, saving them only for very special occasions – as seen in Xscape, Bad 25and Suspense 40. It may be that for an upcoming milestone anniversary of Dangerousthe Estate chooses to release some of these songs to celebratebut for now the public will not be able to listen to these tracks.
Since Jackson never authorized their release while he was still alive, and made the executive decision not to include these songs on his original album, it stands to reason that he would intend for them to remain private forever.
Interestingly, Musgrove even alerted the Estate to the existence of these tapes, but refused to purchase them, at the same time reminding Musgrove of the copyright they still held in the music on the tapes. This is because The Estate confirmed that it had all of the original original recordings in the aforementioned vault. The Estate, however, seems certain that these songs will remain in their vault for a long time, even if there is still hope that fans will be able to hear all of these songs one day.
Perhaps it's best that these songs remain in Jackson's vault, continuing an important conversation about new music created by deceased artists. Since Jackson never authorized their release while he was still alive, and made the executive decision not to include these songs on his original album, it stands to reason that he would intend for them to remain private forever. At the same time, however, fans are eager for new material from michael jacksonalthough they may still have to wait a little longer.