Michael Jackson Michael Jackson/Bad Sessions Vol.5

Vol.4 was a compilation of recordings from 1985, and among them we picked "Al Capone," a song thought to be the prototype of "Smooth Criminal." The demos of "Smooth Criminal" were recorded at Hayvenhurst from October 1, 1985 to July 15, 1986. This song was derived from another song by Michael Jackson, "Al Capone," which has a mafia and crime theme. It is true that "Smooth Criminal" was formed later, but "Al Capone" was also completed to a certain extent, and it seems that these two similar songs were actually made in parallel. "Smooth Criminal" was completed during the recording of the A-Team, which began on July 10, 1986, with Quincy Jones and others participating, but we have collected demos that seem to have been made up to that point. First, the 1984 Demo Mix, a fan-made mix that uses "State Of Shock" for the drums and definitely gives the feeling that it was made during the "Victory" sessions. There is a lack of sounds and the use of different vocals, making it feel unfinished. In fact, Michael is said to have come up with the idea for the song "Smooth Criminal" in 1984. And the FANMADE Demo, this one has a very simple sound and is finished like a demo. It would be more reliable if they said this was made around 1985. The Early Mix is ​​said to be a leaked recording, not a fan-made one. It has a husky voice and shouts. The backing is also different in places and it feels unfinished. It seems to be the real thing. The Rare Demo Mix, this one is also not fan-made. The voice is very vivid and clearly different from the studio version. It feels very demo-like. There are parts of the backing that are different, and at the end there are footsteps by Michael, and it feels like he is dancing to the song. It seems to be quite authentic. The 1985/1986 Demo, this is a fan-made one by someone called Bluefire Sorcerer. It uses secretly recorded audio from seminars, and although it has lost the snippet feel, the sound is bad and the transitions are not smooth. All the tracks from the 6th onwards are snippets. Only the sixth track (Demo) is confirmed to be a genuine leaked recording. The tempo is a little slower, which confirms that this is the recording from before "Bad" which has a higher pitch to make it more powerful. It's interesting that the voice of "Are you okay, Annie?" has been changed. The sound is bad but there is a Demo Snippet with sounds I've never heard before, the Original Seminar Demo has a bad sound quality and it's unclear whether it's really Michael, the Rare Demo Snippet has a rough sound but sounds like a cross between a studio and a live performance, Demo 3, Demo 4, and Demo, which are instrumental tracks that give you an idea of ​​what's going on inside the song. The unknown Rare Demo has a narrator-like voice repeatedly chanting "Michael Jackson," the good-sounding rhythm-focused Studio Number 3, the Unreleased Rare Demo has poor sound quality and is treated as a fake using the Moonwalker version that has been around for a long time, and a Demo Snippet with a different lead vocal. "Make or Break" was revealed in November 1993 during Michael's testimony in Mexico. According to John Barnes, the song was written before another unreleased song, "Alright Now," while Bill Bottrell said it was written in December 1985. "Michael had done some reference vocals, bridges and backing vocals. There was an opportunity to make it more innovative, but he didn't put much effort into it because he prioritized other songs." John Barnes: "It was very strong, had a great hook, but it never got finished." Matt Forger: "I remember doing "Make or Break" at Havenhurst. Probably December '85." Bill Bottrell: "Make or Break is a song that Michael and I wrote. It never got finished. There are unfinished vocal demos. There are some lyrics. It was the third song I did on the Synclavier. I think it had potential as a song. He didn't make it on 'Bad.'" John Barnes However, contrary to Barnes' statement, Joe Vogel claims that Michael actually completed the vocals for "Make Or Break" on February 6, '24. Bottrell also says that the song was produced during the "Dangerous" sessions at Record One. "We were just messing around with it a little bit. It wasn't very good." Bill Bottrell This is an unfinished demo of "Make Or Break," which is thought to be from the "Bad" period, but since it's an instrumental, we don't know if it's true or not. And the other one is the "Make Or Break" with Michael's vocals that was recently leaked in '25. It's not said to have been made with AI, and it has a bit of an "Another Part Of Me" vibe, and the song is pretty complete and great. I included it here because it doesn't seem like it was made during the "Dangerous" period. "Liberian Girl" was first recorded at Can-Am Recorders on December 21, '83, during the sessions for the Jacksons' album "Victory." It was then re-recorded on January 28, 1986 at the early "Bad" sessions at Hayvenhurst, and again in August at the main sessions at Westlake Recording Studios. The song is dedicated to Michael's late longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor. "I wrote this song in my game room at home. I was playing pinball or something, and it just popped into my head. So I ran upstairs and put it on tape and it became "Liberian Girl." It just came to me, without any thought." Michael Jackson This time we have a very rough short demo, and a recording demo of Michael singing backing vocals, high and low, layered on top of each other. These may be from '83, but I've taken the '86 version for now. "Price Of Fame" was recorded at Havenhurst from January 20, 1986 to January 3, 1987, produced by Bill Bottrell and Michael. It was supposed to be on the album "Bad," but it didn't make it. Here are some notes from Michael about the song. "Girls who are so crazy about me that they chase me and make me want to kill them in my car. Girls who would give their lives to do something with me, to see me. They would do anything. It would break my heart. It would drive me crazy. It would destroy my relationship with my girlfriend, my family. That's the price of fame." From Michael Jackson's notes. Includes the original version, the instrumental version, and a remastered version with AI separating and balancing the instruments and vocals. Also includes two remixes that cleverly incorporate "Billie Jean," the Classic MJ Remix that also uses "Billie Jean," and a bouncy remix. "Turnin' Me Off" was written and recorded by Michael from January 29 to March 9, 1986, and produced by John Barnes and Bill Bottrell. It was not included on the album "Bad." Michael also acknowledged the existence of the song in Mexico in 1993. "It had this crazy mix of sounds, it had this electronic sound. We used three different synthesizers. We didn't have the bass because the synths were punchy enough," said John Barnes. Matt Forger also called it "one of Michael's more edgy experiments." He also said it was "very groovy and quite interesting." Bottrell, on the other hand, called "Turnin' Me Off" "kind of weird. I really dislike it." "I started tracking Turnin' Me Off on January 29, '86. I didn't record the lead vocals. I didn't get to do the backing or the tracking. I got bored of that song. If (engineer) Brad Sandberg has a DAT (with vocals), it's probably Westlake's. He couldn't get in there until the last day I worked at Hearst. He showed up late at night and took all the tapes. To take them to Westlake. That's why I bought a padlock locker for Dangerous." Bill Bottrell: This time we've included three types of recordings: a snippet of what is unclear whether it is Michael's voice, a version that is likely created by AI, and an instrumental piece that is said to be in the style of "Xscape." 1.Smooth Criminal (1984 Demo Mix Fan Made) 3:14 2.Smooth Criminal (FANMADE Demo) 3:57 3.Smooth Criminal (Early Mix) 4:28 4.Smooth Criminal (Rare Demo Mix) 4:14 5.Smooth Criminal (Rare Demo 1986) 3:54 6.Smooth Criminal (Demo) 1:27 7.Smooth Criminal (Demo Snippet) 0:30 8.Smooth Criminal (Original Seminar Demo) 0:17 9.Smooth Criminal (Rare Demo Snippet) 0:38 10.Smooth Criminal (Demo 3) 0:45 11.Smooth Criminal (Demo 4) 0:46 12.Smooth Criminal (Demo) 1:07 13.Smooth Criminal (Rare Demo) 0:23 14.Smooth Criminal (Number 3) 0:46 15.Smooth Criminal (Unreleased Rare Demo (Snippet)) 0:36 16.Smooth Criminal (Demo Snippet) 0:48 17.Make Or Break (Unfinished Demo) 2:26 18.Make Or Break (2025 New Leak) 3:22 19.Liberian Girl (Demo) 0:13 20.Liberian Girl (Recording Background Vocals) 1:15 21.Price Of Fame (Original Version) 4:33 22.Price Of Fame (Instrumental) 4:40 23.Price Of Fame (Remastered) 4:31 24.Price Of Fame (Back To Billie Jean Mix) 4:33 25.Price Of Fame (Back To Billie Jean Alternate Mix) 4:33 26.Price Of Fame (Classic MJ Remix) 4:32 27.Price Of Fame (Remix) 4:42 28.Turnin' Me Off (Rough Demo Filtered)0:24 29.Turnin' Me Off (AI Version?) 3:04 30.Turnin' Me Off (Xscape Instrumental-Style Beat) 3:42