RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, Interpretations & Covers…
Filed under: Michael Jackson, R&B, R.I.P., RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, podcasts/mixes, soul
This is the 3rd and final part (final for now that is, I have a couple of ideas for another MJ mix for a future date, most likely around his birthday in August) of our 3-part Michael Jackson tribute mix here on RIBS. I like to think of them collectively as “Memories of Michael”. In case you missed them here are the links to part 1, Michael Jackson, R.I.P. and part 2, Michael Jackson, Ballads & Love Songs.
For this mix I wanted to do something a little different. As I mentioned in the post for part 1, I know that over the past week (and probably for the next couple until MJ is laid to rest) you’ve been inundated (more like saturated {smile}) with Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 music on the radio and TV. The problem is that these commercial mediums have no creativity any more. While their intentions may be good, mostly all they are playing are the same 10-20 MJ/J5 songs that we are already well familiar with. Come on, play along with me here… how many times during the past 9 days have you heard the following songs:
- P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)
- Billie Jean (O.K., have to admit I never get tired of this one!)
- Thriller
- Rock With You
- Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough
- Beat It
- Got To Be There
- Never Can Say Goodbye
- ABC
- Dancing Machine
- The Love You Save
- Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
- Man In The Mirror
- Human Nature
- Bad
See what I mean? Nodding your head in agreement while reading that list weren’t you? {smile}
Now please don’t get me wrong, I LOVE these songs. As I mentioned previously MJ’s music is a large part of the “Soundtrack of My Life”. I just think that if you are going to honor what is arguably the most gifted entertainer in our lifetime then you need to dig a little deeper into the catalog to present a fuller picture of his talent.
Fortunately that is what many of us music podcasters do. We dig deeper. We set aside the very familiar and well known songs and we pull out the little known and/or lesser played tracks that we feel you would enjoy just as much as the monster hits.
So… now that I got all of that off my chest {smile}, this mix focuses on cover versions that Michael and/or the Jackson 5 did of other artists’ songs AND MJ/J5 songs covers by other artists. For example, the playlist includes the J5 doing La La (Means I Love You) originally by the Delfonics, and Stand! and I Want To Take You Higher by Sly and the Family Stone. On the other side I have a lovely version of The Lady In My Life by Silk, a reggae version of Don’t Stop till You Get Enough by Derrick Laro And Trinity, Weird Al Yankovic doing his classic parodies Eat It and Fat, and the crown jewel of the mix (IMHO) a cover/interpretation of Smooth Criminal by Carlos Santana!
And…don’t mean to beat a dead horse but if you want the best MJ/J5 information and commentary, without any of the negativity, check out this post: Remembering The Time. Michael Jackson (1958-2009) [Audio, Video Links] over on HoneySoul.com for a large list of MJ tributes on the ‘Net.
RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, Interpretations & Covers
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Right-click here to download .MP3 file (108Mb, 1:17:15)
Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)
Playlist: (song - artist - album [time])
- Ain’t No Sunshine – Michael Jackson – Music & Me [4:12]
- Never Can Say Goodbye – Isaac Hayes – Black Moses, Michael [5:11]
- Reflections – Jackson 5 – G.I.T: Get It Together [2:55]
- La La (Means I Love You) – Jackson 5 – ABC [3:29]
- Standing In The Shadows Of Love – Jackson 5 – Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 [3:33]
- Come Together – Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I [4:02]
- Fat – Weird Al Yankovic – Even Worse [3:37]
- Rock With You – Quincy Jones ft. Brandy – IQ’s Jook Joint [4:09]
- I Want To Take You Higher – Jackson 5 – Goin’ Back To Indiana [2:09]
- Stand! – Jackson 5 – Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 [2:36]
- Eat It – Weird Al Yankovic - In 3D [3:21]
- Smooth Criminal – Carlos Santana - Live at Sunrise [6:11]
- My Girl – Michael Jackson – Ben [3:10]
- Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough - Derrick Laro And Trinity – Hustle! - Reggae Disco Kingston [7:31]
- Ready Or Not (Here I Come) – Jackson 5 – Third Album [2:34]
- Human Nature – Miles Davis – You’re Under Arrest [4:31]
- Lonely Teardrops – Michael Jackson – The Best Of Michael Jackson, Disk 2 [2:45]
- I’ll Be There – Mariah Carey – Greatest Hits, Disk 1 [4:28]
- The Lady in My Life – Silk – Always And Forever [5:08]
- You’ve Got A Friend – Michael Jackson – Got To Be There [4:53]
Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.
Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: soul, RIBS, TPTD, Rhythms In Black Satin, playlist, mp3, mp3blog, soul music, MJ, Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, Jacksons, King of Pop, J5, Jackson Five, The Jacksons
RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, Ballads & Love Songs…
Filed under: Michael Jackson, R&B, R.I.P., RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, podcasts/mixes, soul
This is part 2 of our 3-part Michael Jackson tribute mix here on RIBS. Even tough all 3 mixes are going to end up with different names, I like to think of them collectively as “Memories of Michael”.
In part 1 of the mix, Michael Jackson, R.I.P., I listed several “memories” I’ve thought about over the past week after Michael’s death. However, late last night I realized I missed a couple of very important ones…
Memories Of Michael (addendum)
- Breaking the “color barrier” on MTV. It’s no secret that black artists and R&B music were virtually non-existent on MTV during the first couple of years after it’s debut. Michael and the “Thriller” video changed all of that… forever.
- Speaking of music videos, MJ was one of the first to produce a music video as a “mini-movie” with a storyline/plot (so to speak) as opposed to the glorified “concert footage” of the majority of pre-Thriller videos.
O.K., let’s get to the music. OBTW, remember to check out this post: Remembering The Time. Michael Jackson (1958-2009) [Audio, Video Links] over on HoneySoul.com for links to the best MJ tributes on the ‘Net.
RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, Ballads & Love Songs
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Right-click here to download .MP3 file (108Mb, 1:16:37)
Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)
Playlist: (song - artist - album [time])
- Music & Me – Michael Jackson – Music & Me [2:38]
- Dear Michael – Michael – Forever, Michael [2:38]
- I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (Spanish) – Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett – Bad [2:09]
- Good Times – Jacksons – The Jacksons [4:58]
- Liberian Girl – Michael Jackson – Bad [3:53]
- The Way You Love Me – Michael Jackson – Diverse [4:30]
- Touch – Jackson 5 – Skywriter [3:01]
- Break Of Dawn – Michael Jackson - Invincible[5:32]
- Destiny - Jacksons – Destiny [4:53]
- I’ll Be There – Jackson 5 – Third Album [3:59]
- To Know – Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows [3:22]
- With A Child’s Heart – Michael Jackson - Music & Me [3:30]
- Don’t Say Goodbye - Jackson 5 – G.I.T: Get It Together [3:40]
- Find Me A Girl - Jacksons – Goin’ Places [4:32]
- Maria (You Were The Only One) – Michael Jackson – Got To Be There [3:43]
- All I Do Is Think Of You - Jackson 5 – Moving Violation [3:09]
- I’ll Come Home to You – Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life [3:02]
- If I Don’t Love You This Way – Jackson 5 – Dancing Machine [3:28]
- 2300 Jackson Street – Jacksons – 2300 Jackson Street [5:06]
- Gone Too Soon – Michael Jackson – Dangerous [3:23]
Remember, don’t forget to check back here for part 3 of the Rhythms In Black Satin “Memories of Michael” mixes!
Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.
Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: soul, RIBS, TPTD, Rhythms In Black Satin, playlist, mp3, mp3blog, soul music, MJ, Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, Jacksons, King of Pop, J5, Jackson Five, The Jacksons
RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, R.I.P.
Filed under: Funk, Michael Jackson, R&B, R.I.P., RIBS, podcasts/mixes, soul
Hey folks, how is everybody doin’ today?
Note: This is part 1 of a 3-part MJ mix here on RIBS (parts 2 & 3 will be available over the next 24-48 hours). Try as I might there just were not enough hours in the day (nor days in the week) for me to get an MJ mix posted last weekend as I originally intended. Now I know that commercial radio has played MJ/J5 music to death over the past week and that everybody and their mother are posting MJ tribute mixes, but to be a music fan/podcaster and NOT celebrate his life at a time like this just wouldn’t be right. Hopefully there are a few things in these RIBS Michael Jackson mixes that you haven’t heard 100 or more times this past week and that the combination of songs chosen is pleasing to your ear.
Oh, and one more thing… I must give a shout out and major BIG props to Honey over on HoneySoul.com. She has done a great job providing information and links to the many, many MJ tribute mixes, video and information that have been posted online. If you want to find good music and info about the “King of Pop” (without all of the negativity those other sites are giving you) check out: Remembering The Time. Michael Jackson (1958-2009) [Audio, Video Links] over on HoneySoul.com
Well, as we are all well aware, Michael Jackson left us one week ago today. It’s still very hard to think of him as being gone. I, like so many others, was really looking forward to his planned tour later this year to see if he could stage a comeback in his career after all of the mess that he had been through these past several years.
The best way for me to describe MJ is this:
“He was one of the cornerstones of the foundation of the "Soundtrack of My Life"
I mean I’m not that much older than Michael, and from the early days with his brothers in the Jackson 5, to their move to CBS Records as The Jacksons, and of course his enormously popular and influential solo career his music was always there somewhere during all of the various trials, tribulations, happiness, sadness and discoveries of my life.
He was, without question, one of the best (if not THE BEST) entertainers that I’ve had the pleasure to see in my lifetime. I say "entertainer" and not just singer or singing artist because MJ could do it all: singer, dancer, actor (a little {smile}), songwriter, producer. The only person who I think comes close in comparison to Michael (that I can think of) is Sammy Davis, Jr. Hmmmm, MJ vs. Sammy, that could make for an interesting discussion in the comments section!
One of things I have been doing during the past week as the reality of Michael’s death has slowly been sinking in is thinking of the various memories that I have of him…
Memories Of Michael
- 7th grade music class with Mrs. Hoffman. She had us singing "ABC" by the Jackson 5
- Buying the UK pressing of the Maybe Tomorrow album over in London on the 9th grade class trip during Spring vacation. (forever grateful to my maternal grandfather, God rest his soul, for helping pay for the trip so I could go)
- How BIG of a J5 fan Jolene White was (girlfriend in 9th grade); she was one of the few girls I knew at that time that liked Marlon better than Michael
- Seeing the Jackson 5 in Madison Square Garden in 1971 (with Jolene). Opening act: The Commodores! (Hmmmm, wonder whatever happened to THEM? {smile})
- Watching the Jackson 5ive cartoon (nope that’s not a mis-spelling) on Saturday mornings
- Hating The Osmonds and the song "One Bad Apple" as they blatantly (but, I have to admit all these years later, very smartly) modeled themselves after the J5 and went on to quite a bit of success themselves during the 70s
- Hoping and praying that Michael’s solo albums would not cause the Jackson 5 to break up (hey, I was young then. I didn’t know anything about the music business)
- The changing sound of the group (as the boys naturally grew older) on the albums G.I.T.: Get It Together, Dancing Machine and Moving Violation
- The Jackson 5 leaving Motown (for CBS Records) and having to change their name to The Jacksons
- Jermaine leaving the group and staying at Motown due to his marriage to Motown founder Berry Gordy’s daughter Hazel
- Youngest brother Randy joining the group to replace Jermaine
- Michael playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz
- The monster success of the Off The Wall album (only to be surpassed by the Thriller album)
- The Motown 25 television special and Michael’s performance of Billie Jean! My favorite MJ moment/performance of all time.
- We Are The World (song and recording session)
- Watching the first airing of the Thriller video. Wow!
- Watching and listening to Marc Jones (a friend I had a short-lived mobile DJ business with after college) mix Billie Jean. Nobody could mix that song like he could!
- …and so many, many more!
Hopefully Michael is at peace now. Though we mourn his passing, we will always celebrate his life and the happy times he gave us all. He will continue to live on in our hearts and minds and ears via the wonderful legacy of music he has left behind.
RIBS TPTD: "Michael Jackson, R.I.P."
RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, R.I.P.
Alternate (if you have a problem using the javascript pop-up): Click here.
Right-click here to download .MP3 file (111Mb, 1:18:48)
Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)
Playlist: (song - artist - album [time])
- I Am Love, pts 1 & 2 – Jackson 5 – Dancing Machine [7:29]
- Walk Right Now – Jacksons – Triumph [6:29]
- Forever Came Today – Jackson 5 – Moving Violation [2:09]
- Can You Feel It (Disconet mix) – Jacksons – Triumph [7:44]
- Mama I Got A Brand New Thing – Jackson 5 – G.I.T: Get It Together [7:11]
- Feelin’ Alright – Jackson 5 – Goin’ Back To Indiana [4:12]
- Man In The Mirror (Instrumental) – Michael Jackson – Instrumental Version Collection [5:06]
- Dirty Diana – Michael Jackson - Bad [4:41]
- Money - Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future [4:42]
- Doctor My Eyes – Jackson 5 – Lookin’ Through The Windows [3:11]
- Lookin’ Through The Windows – Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows [3:38]
- Don’t Want To See Tomorrow – Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows [2:40]
- Corner Of The Sky - Jackson 5 – Skywriter [3:40]
- Maybe Tomorrow - Jackson 5 – Maybe Tomorrow [4:48]
- Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing - Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows [2:28]
- Can I See You In The Morning - Jackson 5 – Third Album [3:09]
- It’s Too Late To Change The Time - Jackson 5 - G.I.T: Get It Together [4:00]
Remember, don’t forget to check back here for parts 2 & 3 of the Rhythms In Black Satin “Memories of Michael” mixes!
Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.
Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: soul, RIBS, TPTD, Rhythms In Black Satin, playlist, mp3, mp3blog, soul music, MJ, Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, Jacksons, King of Pop, J5, Jackson Five, The Jacksons
RIBS TPTD: Outlaw 2009…
Filed under: R&B, RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, blues, music, podcasts/mixes, soul
You know, sometimes we get attached to something and it always has a special place in our hearts. You know the kinds of things I mean… your first car, those old jeans you like to lounge around in on the weekends, your baseball glove from high school, that big, oversized Valentine’s Day card you got one year… yeah those things.
Well, music is like that too (for me at least and, I expect, for many of you out there also). Today’s playlist is a perfect example of this fact. I originally made this mix sometime back during the college days. At the risk of dating myself that is over 25 years ago. For some reason that I still can’t really explain, it has always been one of my favorite collection of songs and this tape (the original mix was on a 90 minute cassette tape, TDK as I recall) has logged many a mile with me up and down the highways and byways of my life.
The bad news, unfortunately, is that the original cassette tape has been missing for the past several years. The good news is that I did actually write down the songs that comprised the playlist (can’t say that for quite a few other old cassette tapes I still have lying around. Many a ‘mystery’ song or two on those! But I digress…) So even though the original mix has been lost (I still hope it turns up one of these days if/when I ever pack up and move again. I’ve found so many ‘lost’ items that way, haven’t you? *smile*) with the playlist in hand and today’s computer technology the mix could be easily recreated. No problem, right? I wish it were that easy. As my luck would have it I was able to collect EVERY song for the playlist… except one, the Taj Mahal cut “Why?…And We Repeat/Why?…And We Repeat” (in case you are interested, this song is found on a relatively obscure TM album called Music Keeps Me Together
Undaunted, over the years I have recreated the mix using other songs as a substitute for the Taj Mahal cut. I’ve tried “Love Is The Message” by MFSB, “Spiral” by the Crusaders, and a few others. And while it was nice to have the mix again (this time on CD, of course) as a traveling companion, it really was just not quite the same. Something was missing, the flow was just not quite the one I remembered, enjoyed and, above all wanted.
The irony of this story is that I actually had the Taj Mahal song all along… on vinyl. Yep, every time I would play around with another variation of the mix that Music Keeps Me Together album would be peeking over my shoulder at me. It’s like it was whispering in my ear, “you know the song you want is right here, all you have to do is convert it to MP3 format”. Problem was… no turntable, well no working turntable I should say. Out of four units I owned, each one had some kind of a problem: no stylus on one, no belt on the other, the motor on the third one would speed up and/or slow down at various times during the playing of a record. And the fourth one? I could never locate the box I stored it in during the last move. *sigh* So close, so close…
To wrap up this tale, a month ago I found the fourth turntable! I was looking for something else (of course) when the discovery happened (isn’t that always the case?). Well, I wasted no time in hooking that thing up the the computer system and digitizing that Taj Mahal disc! And now the mix, my traveling buddy, is back whole again in all its original glory. So to celebrate my good fortune and happiness, I am pleased to share with and present to you…
“Outlaw 2009″
RIBS TPTD: Outlaw 2009
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Right-click here to download .MP3 file (112Mb, 1:19:55)
Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)
Playlist: (song - artist [time])
- Outlaw - WAR [4:00]
- Why?… And We Repeat/Why?… And We Repeat - Taj Mahal [7:28]
- Running With The Night - Lionel Richie [4:09]
- Burnin’ Up - Imagination [4:42]
- Walk In The Night - Junior Walker & The All Stars [4:13]
- Working Day And Night - Michael Jackson [5:14]
- Machine Gun - Commodores [2:38]
- Magic Carpet Ride - Creative Source [3:13]
- Let Your Mind Be Free - Brother To Brother [3:32]
- Life In The Fast Lane - Eagles [4:47]
- Fast Lane - Gil Scott-Heron [4:52]
- Street Player - Rufus ft. Chaka Khan [4:54]
- What Can I Do for You - Labelle [4:02]
- Flying High - Commodores [3:49]
- Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Inner Life [10:28]
- Is It Love You’re After - Rose Royce [5:05]
- Risky Changes - Bionic Boogie [7:14]
Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.
Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: soul, RIBS, TPTD, Rhythms In Black Satin, playlist, mp3, mp3blog, soul music, WAR, Taj Mahal, Lionel Richie, Imagination, Jr. Walker, Michael Jackson, Commodores, Creative Source, Brother To Brother, The Eagles, Gil Scott-Heron, Rufus, Chaka Khan, Inner Life, Rose Royce, Bionic Boogie
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