Sony pulls 3 of MJ's posthumous releases

[Optimal Saint]

If you’re a fan of Michael Jackson’s 2010 eponymous, posthumous album, Michael, then you may notice that a couple of songs are no longer available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music.

That’s because on Wednesday, Sony Music pulled three songs, namely “Monster,” featuring 50 Cent, “Breaking News,” and “Keep Your Head Up.” While the giant media company didn’t give a specific reason as to why they did that, per Complex, the decision comes amid ongoing rumors that Jackson may not be singing on them after all.

Questions surrounding the lead vocals on those songs first began to erupt nearly eight years ago, when diehard fans filed a suit against Sony Music and the Jackson estate for using fake vocals on the tracks. A judge eventually ruled in 2018 that neither party could prove exactly who the voices actually belonged to, subsequently making Sony nor the estate not liable.............

Sony Music Pulls 3 Michael Jackson Songs From Streaming Platforms Amid Allegations, Confusion Over Lead Vocals [[msn.com)

[mysterysinger]

Was it Valerie Simpson?

[jboy88]

Was it Valerie Simpson?

���� Good one!

[jobucats]

���� Good one!

I agree...that's definitely a good one, mysterysinger. Looks like a lot of the Motown catalogue might need to be pulled since a lot of the recordings contain background vocals which are either augmented with or replaced by studio singers. I know how I felt when I learned my favorite Motown groups' recordings were not completely performed by them. I'm just sayin'

[kenneth]

Was it Valerie Simpson?

Now let’s not get into that debate again… I think it’s been at least a week since we had that debate in another category ��

[144man]

Just to settle the rumors, it wasn't me!

[carlo]

Thanks for the heads up on this, Optimal Saint. I remember when this Michael Jackson album came out and I said the exact same thing...it didn't sound like him on some of the songs. I remember "Monster" being one of them. There was a Michael Jackson impersonator [his name now escapes me] who was called in to complete parts with missing vocals. Some songs barely contained any real MJ vocals at all. Fans were upset about it and called Sony's bluff, right away. I remember posting about it on social media, and possibly even on here, at the time. I'm not surprised that they've now pulled these songs.

I just saw that the Wikipedia page for this album gives the following explanation:

"On June 30, 2022, the Jackson website spokesperson reported that 3 of the 10 tracks from the album are no longer available on YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify as a result of a continual distraction to all listeners."

[mysterysinger]

Seems odd that they've now decided to pull those tracks.

[Optimal Saint]

Came across this
=============
Controversy

The authenticity of the vocals on the tracks "Breaking News", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Monster" is disputed. The tracks, along with nine other unreleased songs leaked online, are known as the Cascio tracks. They are attributed to Jackson, Eddie Cascio and James Porte and were allegedly[according to whom?] recorded in the Cascios' basement in 2007.[37][38] Doubts over whether the vocals were by Jackson have been raised by his mother Katherine Jackson, his children Prince and Paris,[39] his sister La Toya,[40] his nephews T.J., Taj, and Taryll,[41] music producer will.i.am,[42] and fans.[43] Jackson's brother Randy Jackson claimed that family members were not allowed at his studio where the album was being completed.[44] According to Randy, when producer Teddy Riley played him some of the tracks, "I immediately said it wasn't his voice".[44]

Before the premiere of "Breaking News", Sony Music Group stated it had "complete confidence in the results of our extensive research, as well as the accounts of those who were in the studio with Michael, that the vocals on the new album are his own".[45]Producer Riley, Frank DiLeo and Jackson's estate defended Sony's claims that the song is authentic.[46] On December 6, 2010, the Cascio family appeared on Oprah, where Eddie Cascio insisted the songs were sung by Jackson, and showed the studio where he had allegedly recorded the songs. Riley, who had worked on "Monster" and "Breaking News", said that the confusion had come about as a product of processing Jackson's vocals using software such as Melodyne.[47] In September 2013, almost three years after the album release, Riley wrote on Twitter that his participation in the project had been "set up".[48][better source needed]

Fans have suggested that Italian-American R&B singer Jason Malachi recorded vocals for the tracks, but this was denied by the Jackson estate's lawyer.[46] On January 16, 2011, a statement appeared on Malachi's Facebook page "confessing" to recording the vocals;[49]however, Malachi claimed on MySpace that his Facebook and website had been hacked. Malachi's manager Thad Nauden stated that "Jason wants everyone to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, he did not sing a single note on the album".[50]

On June 12, 2014, a consumer who had purchased Michael filed a class-action lawsuitagainst Sony Music, the Jackson Estate, MJJ Productions, Cascio and Porte for violation of consumer laws, unfair competition and fraud. The complaint was based on an expert report prepared by forensic phonetician Dr. George Papcun that contested authenticity of the vocals. According to the lawsuit, the report had been peer-reviewed and supported by a second well-credentialed independent audio expert.[51] Sony, the Estate, Cascio and Porte raised First Amendment defense, claiming that regardless of the songs' authenticity, they had a constitutional right to attribute them to Jackson.[52] On June 30, 2016, the judge refused to grant defendants' motion and ordered that the case proceeds to class certification. On August 23, 2018, some sources reported that Sony had admitted in court that the vocals on the Cascio songs were not performed by Jackson. The next day, Sony lawyer Zia Modabber dismissed the reports, stating that "no one has conceded that Michael Jackson did not sing on the songs".[53]

[stupidactingsmart]

I'm amazed that they are now reissuing the CD version of this album with just 7 tracks. [[I mean... they hardly bother with CDs anyway and when do they ever correct mistakes?)

That said, even as someone who is not into anything MJ post-the classic years; it's OBVIOUS that he wasn't the vocalist on the three dodgy tracks.