This is the MJ I will try to remember him as.....

So it's clear there's at least some sort of vocal track playing in the background (in the parts where there's his voice saying something, and he is concurrently opening his mouth and saying something else).

But did michael jackson play live or was it all canned?

Classic... It's funny how many times I tried to moonwalk as a kid and how it seems like it's been forever since then. I'll have to give it a shot. I just hope I don't hurt myself.

Btw, this was 1983, not 1984.

(DailyMotion source in case of dupe.)

http://www.videosift.com/video/QI-The-Moonwalk

He made it popular, but it wasn't his move.

People derided him, called him wacko jacko, made play of his face, and skin, and voice, and lifestyle.

But they forget - this guy was truly talented! he deserved every cent of his fame and fortune! Boy can he move! He's like Fred Astaire combined with Elvis - he's really entertaining to watch and listen to!

Who amongst the modern over hyped pop bimbos has such talent?! Beyonce? Britney? Rhianna? Worthless record company hacks! None of them deserve their fame. Showing your ass and tits and dancing like a hooker is not talent - while your out of tune voice is auto tuned does not compare.

</end one and only MJ rant in this stupidly frenzied media circus>

>> ^lucky760:
Classic... It's funny how many times I tried to moonwalk as a kid and how it seems like it's been forever since then. I'll have to give it a shot. I just hope I don't hurt myself.
Btw, this was 1983, not 1984.
(DailyMotion source in case of dupe.)


Fixed the date. Thanks!

Michael Jackson always lip-synched when performed Billie Jean, because he needed to devote his full attention to his dancing.

>> ^osama1234:
So it's clear there's at least some sort of vocal track playing in the background (in the parts where there's his voice saying something, and he is concurrently opening his mouth and saying something else).
But did michael jackson play live or was it all canned?


ugh, for gods sakes.

When he sings with his vocal track, he maxes out the mic so it distorts. Its clearly live. Plus its 1983...HE DOES IT LIVE!

This post has been removed from the Rocknroll channel by channel owner rasch187. Please review the FAQ to learn about appropriate channel assignments.

You can't help but be exhilerated and moved into this, you really, really can't.

God damn but he was good, it's my honour to have been alive and been able to appreciate him, maybe not in his prime, but about 6-7 years after this was done. I was just too young, but i was there for BAD!

>> ^Raaagh:
>> ^osama1234:
So it's clear there's at least some sort of vocal track playing in the background (in the parts where there's his voice saying something, and he is concurrently opening his mouth and saying something else).
But did michael jackson play live or was it all canned?

ugh, for gods sakes.
When he sings with his vocal track, he maxes out the mic so it distorts. Its clearly live. Plus its 1983...HE DOES IT LIVE!


If he is doing it live, it's done pretty well. The live version has been sped up by 1% compared to the original. Heres the live performance synced to the track from the Billy Jean video.

http://rapidshare.com/files/253469581/mjcompare.mp3

>> ^Raaagh:
>> ^osama1234:
So it's clear there's at least some sort of vocal track playing in the background (in the parts where there's his voice saying something, and he is concurrently opening his mouth and saying something else).
But did michael jackson play live or was it all canned?

ugh, for gods sakes.
When he sings with his vocal track, he maxes out the mic so it distorts. Its clearly live. Plus its 1983...HE DOES IT LIVE!


WRONG! I have heard this song at least 2000 times, this was a lip sync. No-one and I mean no-one can mimic exactly a studio performance when singing live. And this vocal was exactly as the studio recording.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's almost impossible to sing and dance like that without it affecting your vocals.

This is lip-sync people. It is standard practice for a high-energy dance show to be lip-sync'd, and every major performer who dances while singing has done lip-sync, so it's not a put-down. The only people who never lip-sync are the "stand there and sing" kind of performers.

The biggest give away is that you never hear him breathing. The second biggest is that he maintains a steady volume throughout the performance instead of fading in and out while moving. And third, he seems to maintain a steady voice while jumping up and down, which simply isn't physically possible.

Again, this is not meant as an insult, every performer at this level does lip-sync or uses supporting recorded vocals of some kind. It's much more obvious when they don't.

Edit: Compare with this live performance of Thriller. You hear him break off the long notes to breath as the song gets going, and the volume shifts slightly depending on where the mic is. You can even hear notes that are slightly off pitch if you have a good ear. In my opinion, it's the little imperfections that make a live performance human and really draw you in.

Ya know... only MJ could dance like MJ. Everyone else looked stupid doing it.




Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus

>> ^siftbot:
This post has been removed from the Rocknroll channel by channel owner rasch187. Please review the FAQ to learn about appropriate channel assignments.


*rocknroll

Not trying to be a jerk, but "Billie Jean" was listed as one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

http://www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs-gj/

If that isn't a reason to add it to the channel I don't know what is. MJ brought his voice to 4 songs on that list, 2 on his own and 2 with the Jackson 5.

Invocations (rocknroll) cannot be called by Razor because Razor is not privileged - sorry.

One more cue : You can even hear the music track fading out at the end.
Impressive dancer however. Shame that he had to lip-sync ; common practice or not, it sucks.

I'd rather listen to someone sing for real (with more conservatives movements) then watch someone dance on some studio track. Not much different then what Britney Spears and the rest are doing really...

Wow 1983. That's way earlier than I thought. Also, Moonwalk tribute: Eternal Moonwalk

Didn't they show a clip on QI a couple of seasons ago with some old jazz performance from the 40s or 50s and the dude was moonwalking?

I have this full concert on VHS and MJ's performance is the highlight of the show. Awesome stuff.

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