Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix

Performer: Michael Jackson
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR: HISTORY IN THE MIX features eight remixed tracks from HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE along with five new songs. Personnel includes: Michael Jackson (vocals, guitar, drums, percussion); Janet Jackson (vocals); John Forte (rap vocals); Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam (various instruments); Bryan Loren (guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, programming); Slash, Wyclef Jean (guitar); Robert Chausow (violin); Juliet Haffner (viola); Larry Williams, Jerry Hey, Kim Hutchcroft (horns); Brad Buxer (piano, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, programming); Teddy Riley, Doug Grigsby (keyboards, synthesizer, programming); Te-Bass (bass); Alex Breuer, Matt Carpenter, Andrew Scheps, Rob Hoffman, Jeff Taylor (programming); Andrae Crouch Singers (background vocals). Producers include: Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, R. Kelly. Engineers include: Teddy Riley, Dave Way, Mick Guzauski. BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR nearly snuck into record stores, preceded by a strange absence of hype. The implicit message of its five new songs, like that of the non-marketing campaign for the album, seems to be: enough already, let's get back to the music. The title song, a colder re-write of the Jackson classic "Billie Jean," draws you in, but Jackson quickly gets to the heart of the album with two astonishing songs that address his public image. "Ghosts" has an icy, metallic beat, while "Is It Scary" has the dramatic flair of a big pop ballad, but they feature nearly identical opening verses about ghosts and ghouls behind the walls and under the bed. In the former song, the ghouls are the paparazzi snapping pictures of Jackson's baby, and he asks of them, "Who gave you the right...Are you the ghost of jealousy?" In the next song, the ghosts turn out to be the many public faces of Michael Jackson, and he turns the image around, suggesting that ghoulishness is in the eye of the beholder: "If you wanna see eccentricalities/I'll be grotesque before your eyes...Is that scary for you, baby?" It's a declaration of self-confidence, and Jackson follows with feisty remixes of songs from HISTORY, including a version of "2 Bad" peppered with a sample of "Beat It," and a Madonna-like disco mix of "Stranger In Moscow."

Spin (8/97, p.113) - 6 (out of 10) - "...Jackson's stuttering thwocks and plunks have become an utterly unique form of funk. If the 47-minute HISTORY IN THE MIX part of this record--remixes from his flop 1995 album--fails almost entirely, it's because the remixers take out the best parts, Jackson's individualized beats..." Q (6/00, p.122) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Tones down some of the original's more overwrought elements with 8 remixes from dance heavyweights such as David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Todd Terry....Most bizarre, but most effective."

In the spotlight since the age of four, Michael Jackson rose to fame as the lead vocalist for the Jackson Five. In the late 1970s, Jackson embarked on a solo career as a young adult with the Quincy Jones-produced OFF THE WALL. With one hit album under his belt, Jackson proceeded to bring R&B to a whole new audience with his massive THRILLER release--one of the top-selling pop albums of all time--and his innovative videos, not only broke an unspoken color barrier, but began to dominate the newly founded MTV network. Although his personal life would become the ultimate fodder for the tabloids, the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" remained one of the most successful and influential recording stars worldwide until his sudden death in 2009 at 50.

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