Before the mutilations began...
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Michael Jackson died of heart failure at fifty ending one of the most perplexing and bizarre lives ever to become such a universally known figure. One cannot ponder the life of this great entertainer without two equally powerful images competing for the final word on his life First, few figures ever mastered the entertainment industry with the absolute mastery Jackson revealed as he matured as a member of the family ensemble, the Jackson Five to being the omnipresent pop star of the early 80’s. However, the second factor is almost the complete opposite. Michael Jackson was a genuine freak, a troubled man unable to live in the real world of humanity seeking out a child-like existence that became evermore perverted and disturbing as his youth gave way to middle age.
While the Jackson Five was a huge Motown success, Michael Jackson became a star of the highest order at the peak of the Disco era in 1979 when he teamed up with producer/arranger, Quincy Jones, to release the album, Off the Wall. While the hits, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You” were mega-hits that fit right in with the disco style, they had a richness and substance that went far beyond the passing trend in music of the day. The album went far beyond just a collection of dance songs, “She’s Out of My Life” struck gold as a mellow soulful ballad compatible with the mellow soul trends that would be furthered by producers like Babyface through the 90’s.
Three years passed and the music scene underwent a dramatic transformation. Disco was dead while the 80’s gave way to driving hard rock evolving into heavy metal, synthesizer drenched, rhythmic pop music that many would identify as the 80’s sound, and the street dance scene provided the precursor to hip-hop. The music scene could not have been more eclectic in 1982 as these styles, classic rock, punk, funk, and even a hipper form of country music all competed for attention on the pop charts, but it wouldn’t be styles of music that would be the story in 1982, it would be a new medium. With the rise of cable TV came MTV and the dawn of the video age. It wasn’t sufficient for pop music performers to have the right sound, but they had to have the right look or be able to come up with some formula that translated well to the video format.
Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, entered the crowded music market and skyrocketed to become one of the most successful albums ever. “Billy Jean” was the album’s first giant hit. Its video gave Jackson the ability to show off his dancing moves but would hardly give a hint of what would lie ahead. “Beat It” the album’s second hit made Thriller a universal pop hit featuring a sizzling guitar solo courtesy of one of rock’s hottest guitar heroes of the day, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson became one of the few African-American artists to get regular airplay on rock radio since Jimi Hendrix.
As “Beat It” was inescapable on the radio and MTV, the world was aware one of the great legends of pop music, one with the same breakthrough power as the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, the Eagles’ Hotel California, or the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever featuring the Bee Gees.
Thriller’s biggest thrill came next. Teaming up with film producer, John Landis, Jackson and Landis devised the ultimate big production video for the album’s title tune based on old 50’s style horror flicks, complete with a myriad of special effects, costuming, and makeup to propel a lavishly choreographed video, and if that wasn’t excitement enough, MTV and other video outlets would broadcast a short mini-documentary on the Making of Thriller. The album’s success and massive pop culture penetration continued to grow and the album wasn’t through yielding more charting topping hits with numbers like “Human Nature,” “Want to be Starting Something” and “Pretty Young Thing” adding to the massive collection of gold.
As the Thriller phenomenon was peaking though, the world was starting to get a glimpse that maybe there was something just a little bit off about Mr. Jackson. His conduct went beyond just ordinary eccentricity into something far darker. As part of his success, he became valuable to Madison Avenue as a pitchman. Pepsi quickly embraced the pop star and a commercial was in production. The pyrotechnics malfunctioned burning Jackson’s hair, and it would appear that from that point forward, the unraveling began.
By the time his third album hit the streets with Bad in 1985, he was surely known as a bit of a freak, and from that point forward things kept getting worse to where entering the decade of the 1990’s all his weaknesses were hanging out for the world to see. He had one last mega-hit album with Dangerous in 1992. From that point forward, the King of Pop was in freefall with charges of child molestation and bizarre conduct spreading through out the media.
The fall from grace ended on this day in June, 2009.
While the Jackson Five was a huge Motown success, Michael Jackson became a star of the highest order at the peak of the Disco era in 1979 when he teamed up with producer/arranger, Quincy Jones, to release the album, Off the Wall. While the hits, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You” were mega-hits that fit right in with the disco style, they had a richness and substance that went far beyond the passing trend in music of the day. The album went far beyond just a collection of dance songs, “She’s Out of My Life” struck gold as a mellow soulful ballad compatible with the mellow soul trends that would be furthered by producers like Babyface through the 90’s.
Three years passed and the music scene underwent a dramatic transformation. Disco was dead while the 80’s gave way to driving hard rock evolving into heavy metal, synthesizer drenched, rhythmic pop music that many would identify as the 80’s sound, and the street dance scene provided the precursor to hip-hop. The music scene could not have been more eclectic in 1982 as these styles, classic rock, punk, funk, and even a hipper form of country music all competed for attention on the pop charts, but it wouldn’t be styles of music that would be the story in 1982, it would be a new medium. With the rise of cable TV came MTV and the dawn of the video age. It wasn’t sufficient for pop music performers to have the right sound, but they had to have the right look or be able to come up with some formula that translated well to the video format.
Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, entered the crowded music market and skyrocketed to become one of the most successful albums ever. “Billy Jean” was the album’s first giant hit. Its video gave Jackson the ability to show off his dancing moves but would hardly give a hint of what would lie ahead. “Beat It” the album’s second hit made Thriller a universal pop hit featuring a sizzling guitar solo courtesy of one of rock’s hottest guitar heroes of the day, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson became one of the few African-American artists to get regular airplay on rock radio since Jimi Hendrix.
As “Beat It” was inescapable on the radio and MTV, the world was aware one of the great legends of pop music, one with the same breakthrough power as the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, the Eagles’ Hotel California, or the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever featuring the Bee Gees.
Thriller’s biggest thrill came next. Teaming up with film producer, John Landis, Jackson and Landis devised the ultimate big production video for the album’s title tune based on old 50’s style horror flicks, complete with a myriad of special effects, costuming, and makeup to propel a lavishly choreographed video, and if that wasn’t excitement enough, MTV and other video outlets would broadcast a short mini-documentary on the Making of Thriller. The album’s success and massive pop culture penetration continued to grow and the album wasn’t through yielding more charting topping hits with numbers like “Human Nature,” “Want to be Starting Something” and “Pretty Young Thing” adding to the massive collection of gold.
As the Thriller phenomenon was peaking though, the world was starting to get a glimpse that maybe there was something just a little bit off about Mr. Jackson. His conduct went beyond just ordinary eccentricity into something far darker. As part of his success, he became valuable to Madison Avenue as a pitchman. Pepsi quickly embraced the pop star and a commercial was in production. The pyrotechnics malfunctioned burning Jackson’s hair, and it would appear that from that point forward, the unraveling began.
By the time his third album hit the streets with Bad in 1985, he was surely known as a bit of a freak, and from that point forward things kept getting worse to where entering the decade of the 1990’s all his weaknesses were hanging out for the world to see. He had one last mega-hit album with Dangerous in 1992. From that point forward, the King of Pop was in freefall with charges of child molestation and bizarre conduct spreading through out the media.
The fall from grace ended on this day in June, 2009.
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