MJSTAR去SONY查探内情

MkGenie

清晰大封面

MJSTAR网站在MJ歌迷群体里名声很臭。具体怎么回事就不细说。但是他的站长也跑到英国SONY音乐总部去了，了解了一些关于THRILLER 25和新专集的内情。我简单把要点列出来，就不细致翻译了，可参考： 1、MJSTAR认为新的混音都差不多是垃圾，尤其是PYT，是最垃圾。《For All Time》很好，SONY的公关官员都说强。MJSTAR问是否可能发行成单曲，但对方说，美国还在讨论是否把《For All Time》发行成第一只单曲，但在欧洲，基本上感觉它不会在榜上有很好的成绩，所以他们会发行《The Girl Is Mine》。SONY说，《The Girl Is Mine》卖得好不好，将决定他们以后是否还会发行更多的单曲。当然他们希望《The Girl Is Mine》能在榜上有不错的表现。 2、SONY说，重新包装发行这张历史上最大销量专集是困难的，但这回他们瞄准的是更年轻一代的市场，所以加了更有现代气息的混音在里面。说他们还瞄准着那些以前买过磁带和黑胶的人，也许他们想要换张新的。说做出各种版本的专集是有目的的，说豪华版是给铁杆歌迷买的，其他普通版是给普通消费者买的。说MJ老是因为错误的原因上头条，他们不想错过这个机会向世界提醒MJ是多么伟大。 3、虽然SONY和MJ在2002年的时候曾有过争端，但现在双方都放下成见，握手言和。SONY现在在全力支持THRILLER 25这个项目。SONY说，他们还会在电视上狂打广告，他们还重新设计了MichaelJackson.com，让歌迷可以在那里和iTunes等地方付费下载。他们还希望电台也能多多播放。他们还向MJ的管理层发了请求，希望他明年2月到伦敦来几天，一起宣传促销这张专集。不过英国SONY还没有得到回信。他们说由于现在MJ团队的主要人员老是变动，所以他们不知道MJ是不是会过来，但是很希望。 4、到伦敦来做什么？SONY想让MJ上电视选秀节目X-FACTOR（以前小报曾报道过 http://www.mjjcn.com/mjjcnforum/thread-36170-1-1.html）。SONY说MJ和他的阵营曾经比较感兴趣，所以Sony和SiCo(Simon Cowell的制作公司)也开始为这个事情而工作。很不幸的是，这个消息走漏给了媒体，MJ在细节还没有完成之前就读到了报道，于是他不爽就决定不上节目了。现在很多宣传计划都还在讨论中。一系列的宣传项目将可能在太平洋两岸发生。不少宣传计划简直太令人兴奋了，老歌迷可能都不会相信，甚至去质疑其真实性。 5、SONY唯一没有提到的，却是MJ明年可能在伦敦02体育场的系列演唱会。MJSTAR问SONY是怎么回事，SONY说，毫不怀疑他们在商议，但他不确定MJ是否还能表演。SONY说不是不尊重，但是MJ已经很多很多年没有上台和乐队一起表演了。不知道MJ是否准备好了，不知道他是否还愿意上台。SONY说当然很乐意看到MJ表演，他是我们见过的最卓越的表演中。他们希望看到，但不知道他是否准备好了。 6、至于新专集。SONY那人说不知道关于新专集的计划。SONY那人说他只负责老专集的行销。SONY说只知道他在工作，他在录音室里和THRILLER 25的那些制作人一起工作。SONY说只知道他还没有给美国SONY公司提交任何新作品，SONY也不知道他到底录了什么。看起来MJ似乎只打算到最后才提交一份已经完成的作品给他们。SONY说如果THRILLER 25成功了，那么这就是一个绝好的平台来发行一张新专集。不过SONY没有否认说将由他们来发行MJ的新专集。 7、MJSTAR认为虽然THRILLER 25是个懒惰的计划，混音也是垃圾，但是看起来是MJ想要为未来计划的实现所做的一个牺牲。THRILLER 25也许将是更大计划的先头兵。而SONY在全力支持。 原文： Thriller 25: The Selling-Out of a Superstar or the Beginning of a Beautiful Partnership? Charles Thomson visits Sony Headquarters to learn about Michael Jackson’s latest project, what the future holds for the King of Pop, and the truth about those X Factor rumours. In 1998 art house darling Gus Van Sant provoked outrage when he remade Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, ‘Psycho’. The move, which saw the director’s reputation decimated in a hurricane of negative publicity, was branded by America’s premier film critic Roger Ebert as ‘pointless’, ‘invaluable’ and lacking in conviction. Movie fans the world over were aghast at what seemed like an astonishing display of arrogance on Van Sant’s part; a genuine belief that he could improve on the seminal work of cinema’s greatest visionary. It came as no surprise when the film died at the box office and was savaged by fans and pundits alike, and at the time it was difficult to imagine a more misguided project. That is until I find myself at Sony BMG’s London Headquarters for an exclusive preview of a similarly hideous reimagining of an entirely different type of thriller. Having missed the official listening last week, I have been invited to Sony HQ for a private meeting with PR Officer Haydn Williams, who is spearheading the European marketing campaign for Michael Jackson’s latest offering, ‘Thriller 25’, a CD/DVD package released in two months’ time to mark the 25th anniversary of the album’s astonishing success. The package, postponed from November until February, will contain the original album in a digitally restored format, three previously released demos, one unreleased track and, worryingly, five remixes - by contemporary artists - of classic Jackson tracks. Among these remixes will be a reimagining of ‘The Girl Is Mine’ with Black Eyed Peas star Will.I.Am at the helm, Kanye West’s spin on ‘Billie Jean’ and a remix of Jackson favourite ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, which Haydn lines up on his stereo before hitting play... Whilst just as large and intimidating as one might imagine (the company base is not so much a building as a complex – a humungous orange block known as The Octagon) Sony HQ had otherwise differed from my expectations. I had anticipated swathes of sharp businessmen arriving at the front entrance in chauffeur driven Bentleys, strict security checks and perhaps an occasional glimpse of a VIP client. In reality the building was easily accessible and security was lax. Casually dressed employees drifted in and out without meriting even a glance from the male security guard, who was obliviously swapping furtive smiles and whispers with the receptionist. As I took my seat in the foyer and my 3.30 appointment became a 4.15, it became clear that I had arrived in the midst of a Christmas celebration. Chefs and security guards trod streamers and pine needles into the carpet as they ferried slices of cake and cooking equipment around the building. A toddler on a tricycle shrieked up and down the hallway as semi-clothed women air-kissed and loudly exchanged compliments, then dieting tips. Directly above my head a gaudy flatscreen TV blared generic R’n’B. Employees were filing out of the building with great frequency, clocking off early for Christmas. I couldn’t help but feel intrusive as a realised Haydn may have forfeited his early leave for our meeting, although it was taking him so long to come and fetch me that I felt sure he must be busy. At 4.15 the monotony of the television was broken when a man extended his hand to me. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said. “I’m Haydn. Shall we go upstairs?” I feel conspicuous as Akon fills the room and, quite probably, the entire corridor. I don’t worry too much, though – staff had been few and far between as we made our way through the PR department to Haydn’s office. It’s a slightly awkward situation... the two of us sat opposite each other as the track plays in its entirety – I’m not quite sure where to look. Haydn has turned away and started tapping out emails. My eyes settle on stack of cluttered shelves on the opposite wall, piled with CDs, books and DVDs. ‘We end up goin’ back to her place,’ whines Akon, ‘wish I could tell you what I saw... sexiest woman in a negligee...’ I spot a DVD, ‘The Sound Of Music’, sandwiched between a large pink book called ‘Vibrator’ and a brown book titled ‘Latex and Nudes’. I eye Haydn – he doesn’t look the type. The remix seems never-ending. Akon’s overt, sexual lyrics have robbed the song of its wit and subtlety and Jackson’s original vocals have been banished almost entirely, making way for Akon’s distinct and, frankly, grating tones. All five remixes had leaked two days previously, appearing first on an obscure hip-hop website and then on YouTube. Each vapid mess served as another knife in the side of Jackson’s legacy. Fergie’s tuneless vocals combined with Will.I.Am’s over-production leave ‘Beat It’ sounding like a hobo bludgeoning a dwarf with a sack full of wind-chimes. Meanwhile, if Kanye West’s uninspired remix of ‘Billie Jean’ doesn’t leave you rethinking your policy on involuntary euthanasia then you may very well not have a soul. Arguably the worst of the bunch, although it’s a tight race, is Will.I.Am’s reworking of Jackson’s ‘PYT’, which uses as its source material Jackson’s original demo – lacklustre vocals and mediocre sound quality intact – rather than the disco-funk masterpiece that appeared on the album. Perhaps the largest problem is the phenomenal quality of the original recordings; they’re just too good. Jackson’s unparalleled success has always been both a blessing and a curse. Whilst it secured him a place in history and record books alike, it also left him with a lot to live up to. ‘Thriller’ is as close to perfect as any of us has the right to expect and when inexperienced contemporary artists are given carte blanche to fiddle around with it; the quality is only going to go one way. Jackson was a veteran at twenty five, whilst his chosen contemporary artists of the same age have comparatively little experience and each of their final products borders on sacrilege. Respite comes only in the form of unreleased track ‘For All Time’, a subtle ballad and a perfect ending to the album as Jackson’s mesmerizing vocals reach a soaring crescendo and leave you on a high. As the track ends, Haydn hits stop, exhales loudly and says, “Wow... that was big.” I agree and ask him whether it could be released as a single. “I understand there is some discussion going on in the States as to whether it could be released as the first single,” he replies, “but the general feeling as that in Europe it wouldn’t be as chart friendly. The first single over here will be ‘The Girl Is Mine’. That will go to radio and become available for download on January 14th. The CD single will go to stores on January 28th. Whether or not it sells very well will determine whether we release anymore singles, but we are hoping that this product will chart very well, globally.” His expectations strike me as a little more than ambitious. 'Thriller’ has remained in stores for a quarter of a century and has already shifted in excess of sixty million copies. As is true of most classic albums, it can be found at a slashed price in almost any record store. The notion that people wouldn’t buy the original album from a discount Bower but would run out and buy a new version for twice the price seems somewhat illogical. “Obviously, this may seem like a difficult album to push,” says Haydn, “I mean, it’s the largest selling album of all time. However, that will be one of our selling points. Our aim is to market the album to younger generations who may not be aware of the album already – that’s what the remixes are for. They add a more contemporary feel to the tracks. “We understand that the album shifted a lot of its copies upon its original release, so we are also aiming this package at people who may have bought it on cassette or on vinyl and might want to upgrade it. We’re releasing a few different versions for different purposes. For the fans we’re releasing a deluxe edition, which is almost like a hardback book. For the more casual consumers we are releasing a normal version.” He shifts papers around his desk for a moment and eventually hands me a piece of paper with the artwork on it. “Michael is in the headlines all too often for all the wrong reasons,” he grimaces. “We felt this was too big an opportunity to miss, too large a milestone. This is the most successful album of all time, for God’s sake. We want to make this a success and remind the world just how great he is.” Despite Jackson’s high profile blow up with Sony in 2002, which saw him brand then Sony president Tommy Mottola ‘racist’ and ‘very, very devilish’, then commandeer buses in both London and New York and drive them around shrieking ‘Sony Sucks’ through a megaphone, it seems that both parties have put the debacle behind them. Jackson seems to have Sony’s full backing – the corporation will be pulling out all the stops to promote this latest product, regardless of its age. “Aside from the single release we will be making full-blown TV adverts promoting the album, so watch out for those. We’ve redesigned MichaelJackson.com and will be making the singles available for download from there as well as on I-Tunes and wherever else. We are hoping for a lot of radio airplay, too. We here at Sony London have actually put a request in to Michael’s management that he comes over for a few days in February to personally promote the album. We haven’t heard back from them yet. It’s very difficult staying in touch because major figures within Michael’s team seem to be changing on a frequent basis. We don’t know whether he will do any promotion at all, but we are hopeful.” “What would he be doing if he came to London?” I ask. “Well we would hope... this cannot be published,” Haydn says, interrupting himself. “We had this with ‘X Factor’, as you may know. There was some interest from Michael and his camp in appearing on the ‘X Factor’. So Sony and SiCo (Simon Cowell’s production company), who work out of here, started working on that. Unfortunately, that information got leaked to the press and Michael read about it before the details had been finalised. That put him off and he ended up not doing it. So none of the possible promotion I outline to you can be published. Everything is only in discussion stages at the moment.” Haydn outlines a series of exciting plans for the promotion of ‘Thriller 25’, on both sides of the Atlantic. But they seem perhaps a little too exciting. Seasoned Jackson fans are becoming more cynical with each passing year. Any rumour or report of a new album or tour is immediately dismissed as phoney. It seems odd in many ways that they remain fans at all, given that any trace of good news is naturally presumed false. The plans Haydn claims Jackson is interested in seem unlikely and out of character. One glaring omission from Haydn’s proposed promotion is a series of gigs Jackson is rumoured to have booked at London’s O2 arena, about which I probe him. “I don’t doubt that discussions are going on,” he says. “But I don’t know if he can perform anymore... I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way at all. I mean that he hasn’t done so – hasn’t sung live with a band – for a number of years. I don’t know if he is ready for it yet and nobody knows if he’s still up to it... they have no reference point. We here only know as much as we read in the papers. Of course, we would love to see Michael performing. He’s the best performer we’ve ever seen. It’s something we’d love to see in the future, but we really don’t know if he’s ready.” The O2 gigs have become somewhat of a mystery in recent weeks. Whilst AEG sources insist that discussions are ongoing, Jackson’s manager R@ymone B@in has failed to issue and official statement but denied any knowledge of the concerts in an email to a fan, implying that somebody else may be speaking on Jackson’s behalf, a situation upon which Haydn does not comment. However, his earlier comments that members of Jackson’s team were changing would appear to confirm these suspicions. Fox columnist Roger Friedman reported recently that Jackson had ditched his manager in the autumn and gone to stay with family friends for three months. Finally, I turn my attention to the rumoured new album, and ask Haydn what he knows. There have been whispers from insiders that the album will be distributed by Sony in summer 2008. “I don’t know of plans surrounding the new album... I deal with catalogue releases. New releases require major promotional campaigns so that would go upstairs. I do know that he is working; that he’s in the studio with some of the collaborators from ‘Thriller 25’. I know that he has not submitted any work to Sony New York and is not keeping them abreast of what he has or has not recorded – it seems like he intends to just hand in a finished product. If ‘Thriller 25’ is as successful as we are hoping then it will certainly a perfect platform for the launch of the new album.” Whilst Haydn is sketchy on the details, one thing is clear. He has not denied that Sony will distribute the new album. Indeed, he has implied that Jackson intends to submit a finished album to Sony New York at some point in the future. As I say my goodbye and exit the Sony building I mull the situation over. Yes, ‘Thriller 25’ is a disappointment. Yes, the remixes would fill any educated music lover with murderous rage... But maybe there is method to this madness. The album was always going to be a means to an end. But is it merely a money making exercise, as many have speculated, or is it a stepping stone in part of a larger, more intricate plan? When Gus Van Sant decided to work on ‘Psycho’ he took a risk. Although the project appeared doomed from the outset, it served another purpose. It ingratiated Van Sant with the studio bosses who had previously considered him a surrealist oddball; too niche and too risky to ever bestow a hefty budget upon. Similarly, in 1989 Tim Burton agreed to direct ‘Batman’. Had he refused, studio bosses would never have awarded him funding for ‘Edward Scissorhands’, which many consider his greatest work, the following year. Sometimes artists have to make sacrifices in order to pave the way for better things. Whilst ‘Thriller 25’ may appear to some fans to be a lazy project, and the remixes may seem disrespectful to the album and the artist’s legacies, it may have been a sacrifice Jackson was willing to make in order to see his future visions achieved. With a new album in the works and a rumoured 2008 release, ‘Thriller 25’ may be a mere precursor to greater things. Having a corporation like Sony on his side is Jackson’s best shot at a comeback. With their money and connections behind him Jackson could still reclaim his position as the ultimate musical force to be reckoned with. ‘The Girl Is Mine’ will become available for download from I-Tunes and http://www.michaeljackson.com on January 14th 2008. The CD single will be in stores on January 28th 2008. ‘Thriller 25’ is released on February 11th 2008.

七七

真希望明年快快来，我想知道MJ会有什么样的计划

yourfan

For All Time发行单曲。感觉比 the girl is mine强。

月之暗面

SONY对MJ在做什么也不是很清楚~更希望是For All Time发行成单曲

Janetlee

SONY说只知道他还没有给美国SONY公司提交任何新作品，SONY也不知道他到底录了什么。看起来MJ似乎只打算到最后才提交一份已经完成的作品给他们。

也许他也是考虑到泄露这一可能性吧~~

Q阿姨

SONY说，《The Girl Is Mine》卖得好不好，将决定他们以后是否还会发行更多的单曲。当然他们希望《The Girl Is Mine》能在榜上有不错的表现。看来我们还是要买这个单曲，它决定了整个专辑的大方向！也决定了我们以后能否听到更多的单曲！！ 虽然SONY和MJ在2002年的时候曾有过争端，但现在双方都放下成见，握手言和。他们现在的合作很敏感也很小心哦！纪念专辑的成败有可能决定了以后的合作计划 SONY说不是不尊重，但是MJ已经很多很多年没有上台和乐队一起表演了。不知道MJ是否准备好了，不知道他是否还愿意上台。SONY说当然很乐意看到MJ表演，他是我们见过的最卓越的表演中。他们希望看到，但不知道他是否准备好了。从案件结束到现在，养精蓄锐也差不多了吧？ SONY说如果THRILLER 25成功了，那么这就是一个绝好的平台来发行一张新专集。不过SONY没有否认说将由他们来发行MJ的新专集。成败在此一举，至少新专辑的进程和发行时间，都要看这次纪念专辑发行的情况！ THRILLER 25也许将是更大计划的先头兵。而SONY在全力支持。我说过，纪念专辑只是药引子，真正的猛药还在后面呢！！ [ 本帖最后由 Q阿姨 于 2007-12-25 12:09 编辑 ]

MJ_Kinki

原帖由 Keen 于 2007-12-25 11:01 发表 说MJ老是因为错误的原因上头条，他们不想错过这个机会向世界提醒MJ是多么伟大

这倒是一句让人温暖的话....

duck

mix倒是挺赖听的，至少俺这儿是这样觉得

Parisongs

我倒觉得WBSS比the girl is mine更容易打榜内 for all time我也不是太看好了，跟the girl差不多了，也不是新曲目 不过MJ大张旗鼓地宣传25肯定还是为了新专集铺路

winniejessie

原来小报的人也不都是吃干饭的:lh 可是这次又被他们搅黄了！

迈迈的公主

我挺喜欢PYT的，天那，真理还是掌握在少数人手里。

maikuraki

原帖由 Q阿姨 于 2007-12-25 11:59 发表 SONY说，《The Girl Is Mine》卖得好不好，将决定他们以后是否还会发行更多的单曲。当然他们希望《The Girl Is Mine》能在榜上有不错的表现。看来我们还是要买这个单曲，它决定了整个专辑的大方向！也决定了我们以后 ...

如果SONY一高兴把剩下的混音都发成单曲，就不发《For All Time》那就更惨。。。SONY还真不是有人性的东西。。。

小不奌兒

商人的口气,大家都很谨慎.其实也是情理之中的.

nanhu

我很喜欢The　ｇｉｒｌis　ｍｉｎｅ！！！！

marryjj

谢谢ＫＥＥＮ的翻译！ 衷心希望ＭＪ的纪念版能大获成功！