Michael Jackson - Joy (1990)

After the success of his seventh album 'Bad' in 1987, Michael Jackson wanted more independence and control over the creative process, so he separated from longtime producer Quincy Jones to avoid the perception that his success depended on him. Jackson began working on new tracks in 1989 for an album that was conceived as a greatest-hits collection, 'Decade', with a handful of new songs, similar to Madonna's 'The Immaculate Collection'. It was scheduled for a late 1989 release but was delayed several times, and after a November 1990 release date failed to materialise it was dropped entirely, and Jackson determined that his new material would constitute a full album, to be called 'Dangerous'. He enlisted Bryan Loren to co-produce, and throughout 1989 he recorded rhythm tracks with Loren at Westlake Studios, where they taped 'Work That Body', 'She Got It', 'Serious Effect', 'Do Not Believe It', 'Seven Digits', and 'Man In Black'. Loren wanted to recapture the organic R&B feeling of Jackson's albums 'Off The Wall' and 'Thriller', while Jackson was keen to add hip-hop to the record, and so invited LL Cool J to rap on 'Serious Effect' and 'Truth About Youth'. Although Loren's material was strong, it was not up to Jackson's standards, as he was searching for a newer sound that would be as compelling as 'Rhythm Nation' by his sister Janet, and so in the end none of Loren's recordings made the album. Jackson discovered new jack swing, a more aggressive and urban sound, and in June 1990 he hired Teddy Riley to co-produce, and work carried on at Ocean Way Record One in Sherman Oaks, reworking some of Loren's work such as 'She Got It' and 'Serious Effect', and continuing work on 'Jam' and 'Dangerous'. The release date was set for 28 November 1991, Thanksgiving Day, and of the roughly 60 to 70 songs that were recorded for for 'Dangerous', fourteen ended up on the record, while some were released later, including the environmental anthem 'Earth Song', and 'Superfly Sister', 'Ghosts', and 'Blood On The Dance Floor' were released in the remix compilation 'Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix'. Another Loren co-write that was recorded in 1989 was 'Mind Is The Magic', which was written for magicians Siegfried & Roy's 'Beyond Belief Show' in Las Vegas. When they released their German album 'Dream And Illusions' in 1995, Jackson gave them permission to include the song, and it was later released as a single, reaching No. 80 in France in 2010. By adding that to the other Loren out-takes mentioned earlier we can make up an album that would have slotted in perfectly between 'Bad' and 'Dangerous', featuring songs that carried on the sound of 'Bad' and 'Thriller', before Jackson reinvented it to give 'Dangerous' the new jack swing that he wanted.  

Track listing

01 Bumper (Intro)
02 Mind Is The Magic
03 Serious Effect (feat. LL Cool J)
04 Work That Body
05 Someone Put Your Hand Out
06 She Got It
07 Joy
08 If You Don't Love Me
09 For All Time
10 Monkey Business