Thrift Store Finds: DeBarge, Nina Simone & Michael Jackson on Wax

My latest trip to the thrift store was a great one. I found three great albums that any lover of "black" music would enjoy having in their music library. And I was so pleased to finally find "Thriller" in its complete package at an affordable price.

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Reminisce: Janet Jackson ft. Heavy D. "Alright" 1990 & Michael Jackson ft. Heavy D. "Jam" 1992

RIP Heavy D.

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Record Collection: Michael Jackson "The Early Years"

This album features 10 of young Michael's most memorable songs. Tracks include "Got to be There," "Ben," "The Love You Save," and "Never Can Say Goodbye."Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

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Reminisce: Michael Jackson "Another Part of Me" 1987

Here's one of my favorite MJ songs during his amazing Bad era.  Happy Birthday Michael!

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Reminisce: Michael Jackson "Off the Wall (Medley)" 1996

I will never forget.

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Video: Michael Jackson "Elizabeth I Love You"

So happy that she and Michael are together again. Rest in Beauty Elizabeth Taylor.

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ooh vs. eww: Michael Jackson's "Hollywood Tonight" Video

Ok, I'm going to state everything that I enjoy about this video/song first.  I love the concept, I love the dancing (especially the dance sequence towards the end).  I also enjoy the song--but-- I don't enjoy the fact that in my heart of hearts I can't fully put my faith into believe that it's Michael's voice singing on this track.  I own 95% of his work and that also includes albums from the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons.  I could be several feet away and pick-up on his voice.  But on this song I don't hear it at all.  I even tried to tell myself that maybe his vocals were altered a bit to make him sound more edgy, but I still can't fool myself.

So take a listen to the song and vote for yourself: ooh la la or eww la la.

• ooh la la (1 vote)
• eww la la (1 vote)

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Deal: 40% Off Michael Jackson's "The Experience"

Michael Jackson's "The Experience" is the featured Deal of the Day at Amazon.com. This offer is valid today only, February 23, 2011, and while supplies last. [The] Deal of the Day price is just $29.99--40% off the regular price of $49.99.Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

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Ramona's Top 10 of 2010

Here's a list of the Top 10 things that I will associate with 2010--in no specific order.

1. Finishing Rutgers! (Here's a picture of myself and friend Frances on our last day.)

2.  Being a Groom's Lady in my cousin Alejandro's wedding.

3.  My two-week stay in Guyana.  (My cousin Rhonda and I in GT.)

4.  Getting into the Zac Posen for Target event as a "guest on the list," buying this beautiful dress, then wearing it to a good friend's wedding before it actually hit stores.

5.  Sitting down and interviewing the amazing Pete Rock for an NJPAC event.

6.  Seeing M.I.A. perform not once, but TWICE.  The first time was in the summer at HARD (if you're a web head, you know how that turned out).  But the second time at Brooklyn Bowl was amazing!! It was a free show, I got to dance on stage with her, and when she crowd surfed her butt was on my face. LOL

7.  Meeting my boo, aka, my *Snoop voice* neffew, bka Baby Jackson.

8.  Interning at SELF Magazine.

9. Becoming a cooking and baking queen thanks to Bethenny Frankel Hoppy. (Pictured are her Not So Red Velvet Cupcakes.)

10.  And having the time of my life at the Michael Jackson "MICHAEL" listening party.

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Mtv News Shares the Latest on JT, Em, K-O and MJ

1.  Justin Timberlake has a new "club-ready tune [...] reportedly produced by the Neptunes."  The single "Take You Down," has leaked onto the web, and although I haven't heard it yet, I love when the 29-year-old singer joins forces with the comic producers.

2.  Another song leaked onto the internet, "Difficult" by Eminem, pays tribute to his former group mate and best friend Proof.  The song is described as being "somber" and during Em's sober time, I'm sure the song is purely heartfelt.

3.  Guess which married couple is getting their own reality show?  Why Khloe Karadashian Odom and her L.A. Lakers hubby Lamar Odom of course.  What more can you expect when Lamar signs to his mother-in-law's  (Kris Jenner) management team?  I'm telling you, the Kardashian, Jenner, and now Odom clan are going to rule the reality world!

4.  And lastly, prosecutors in the Michael Jackson and Dr. Conrad Murray case believe that Dr. Murray's legal team will say, "Jackson self-administered lethal dose of propofal," and thus caused the singer to die.  Everyone who knows me well are highly aware of my love for MJ, and to be honest, I hate to relay this story because all I want is for his spirit to bathe in peaceful bliss.  But on another note, the truth needs to be revealed and I'm sure there are fans who want to know what is going on with this case.  Murray's court trial is set to begin on January 4th.

 

mtv.com

 

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Record Collection : The Jackson 5 "Christmas Album" 1970

'Tis the season for holiday cheer and some great music!

I love this album for many reasons, even though there's a crack on the record and tends to skip around, I still let it play like it's flawless.

I love all of the songs featured on this record--they are soulful and fun and definitely bring you into the Christmas spirit.

(Favorite songs: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Up on the Housetop," "Give Love on Christmas Day," "Someday at Christmas") 

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"MICHAEL" Listening Party in NYC

Last night die-hard Michael Jackson fans braved the bitter cold for hours just to get a listen of his first posthomous release.  Held inside the Roseland Ballroom, people came together in the midst of what seemed to be a heaven for MJ fans.  DJ Cassidy kept the music going while dressed in a Billie Jean inspired outfit, Jackson's biggest hits "Thriller," "Billie Jean," and "Beat It," came with full on choreography sequences by in house dancers, and in every part of the room there was a poster, video, wall, cup and napkin that read, "MICHAEL."

Besides the music from the new album (which honestly you could understand why the King Of Pop never released on his watch) the real beauty of the night was how so many different people came together for one man.  While standing in the midst of it all, a thought came to mind and I wondered how MJ would've felt looking down on it all.  I honestly doubt that he would've cared about the event circling around him, but I do think that he would've been more happy just knowing that he was touching everyone and in a small corner of the world, people were united while enjoying the madness and the music.

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Reminisce: Michael Jackson "Who Is It?"

Although there's another version of this video, this is the version I grew up seeing. I love how it shows his best moves from the "Thriller" years through the "Dangerous" era. It was popular in the 90s to have artists come out with a music video that was a mash-up of all their previous ones. However, this one is definitely the best one.

Enjoy!

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Reminisce: Michael Jackson "Earth Song" 1995

With all the misfortune going on in Haiti, this song has been replaying in my mind. Although the tragedies seen in the video aren't exactly what happened in Haiti, the words in the song share the same sentiment as to what the people over there may be feeling. And to think, this was released 15 years ago.


Make donations to UNICEF; every little bit helps, and this is a tragedy that could happen to any part of the world. At the end of the day we are all human and we are all on the same earth.

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Haper's Bazaar Magazine: Janet Jackson, October 2009

Above is the cover subscribers will receive, and below is the cover that will be featured on newsstands.  

In Janet Jackson's first interview since Michael's passing, she talks about her strength, the term "Princess of Pop", and her brother's love of all things shiny.

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This Is SO It!

Today I was blessed to finally find the UK Q magazine at Barnes & Noble. It was the LAST magazine MJ posed for before he passed on. The mag printed the article in the present tense and then followed up with some tribute pages. This will be a bittersweet read because it's safe to assume this was done to promote his comeback tour in London.

After a long stint at B&N listening to the "Off the Wall" album being played in the Starbucks section then catching a classical instrumental rendition of "Smooth Criminal" as I perused for books, I came home and found an Amazon.com box waiting for me. I knew I recently ordered ONE item and it was a pre-sale item due to be released in August. To my delight it was the biography of MJ's life, "The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story". The 700+ page bio is written by an author/journalist who's known Michael since he was 18 and interviewed him and his family numerous times. I can't wait to start reading this and hopefully it will put to rest my MJ obsession.

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OK!: MJ's Kids and Janet On This Week's Cover

First off, I'd like to go on the record and say that in no way am I trying to gossip or trash talk. All I'm doing is giving my opinion and I hope that I don't offend anyone who happens to read this.

So, in the new issue of OK! magazine, their cover story is saying that Michael Jackson's three children want to stay/live with their Aunt Janet. The mag reports that Prince, Paris and Blanket “...just melt into [Janet's] arms when she walks into the house.” Honestly, I think that Janet taking them on would be a wise choice. She's the youngest of the Jackson siblings and she doesn't have any other children to care for, therefore she would be able to give them the attention that they need.

Although MJ's wishes involved his mother Katherine and Diana Ross, my opinion is that he looked at those women as maternal figures because that's what they were to him [at one point he said he and his brothers stayed with Diana for a while] ]and they made him feel comfortable. So, it was a natural choice on his part to nominate them as the guardians for his children.

I don't have any doubt that Katherine could handle those kids. Except for Blanket, the older two are at an age where they can help. Not for nothing, but Prince will be able to legally drive in about 3 years. My point is, they aren't infants and I'm not saying that their age and being able to help outweighs their emotional state.

But as I said before, I honestly do think Janet would be the best fit for them if anything at least after Katherine feels as though she could not handle it anymore.

Now, on a lighter note , after going back and listening to some MJ songs on his album "HIStory" and watching his interviews where he's bashing the "tabloid" media I won't be purchasing this magazine. The "Be Our Mommy" caption makes me cringe because I know this is a far cry from the truth of the matter. But I do believe that where this is smoke there is fire, and most of the time these rags are the smoke and fire. So I guess we will have to see how this all plays out.

MJ's fans just want what is best for the kids, and I think that would be for them to remain with the Jackson family-sans Joe...I'm just saying.

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Reminisce: Michael Jackson "They Don't Care About Us"

But if Michael Jackson was livin', he wouldn't let this be....

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RIP Michael Joseph Jackson

I haven't commented on Michael Jackson's passing sooner because it finally hit me today how much of a reality it is. Earlier on the day of his death, I had made a comment on twitter along the lines of "First Ed now Farrah, only one more to go." Never did it cross my mind that only an hour or so later it would be MJ. The second the news broke my whole body had a chill. I'm not going to say that I was his #1 fan; to be honest I had put him on the back of the shelf for the past few years.  But the moment the radio said his death was official, all of the memories of him and his music crossed my mind.

Born in 1982 I was lucky to experience Thriller the first time around. And for the four decades that he has made music, I feel as though 90s Michael was "my" Michael. At that time I bought "my" MJ cassette and CDs, put up "my" MJ poster, and recorded "my" MJ music videos off of the TV.

But after watching his memorial today I saw more than just the man on stage that everyone loved-I saw the person. His humanitarian efforts were tremendous and the outpouring of love people had for him was large as well. Tonight I expressed on my facebook status that I "never knew I could feel so much for a man who didn't even know I existed...". How could one man make so many people feel the same way at the same time in the world?

When I was younger I would hear the song "Man In the Mirror" a lot in my house. Growing up it was never one of my favorite songs and as I child I always wondered, "What man is in a mirror?" Such an innocent question at that age, but now as an adult I know that "man" is me.

Thank you Michael for being the only artist in the world that my father, mother and myself could listen to. Thank you for making me want to make any effort that I can to make this world a better place. And I will continue to listen to your music and share it with others.

When history and music teachers are discussing his legacy in classes around the world, we can be blessed to say that we lived and experienced it in this life.

Meet you in paradise MJ.







"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change)
(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
(Washed-Out Dream)
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me
(Starting With Me!)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Ooh!)
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change His
Ways
(Change His Ways-Ooh!)
And No Message Could've
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .)
Change!

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror,
(Man In The Mirror-Oh
Yeah!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Better Change!)
No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make The Change)
(You Gotta Get It Right, While
You Got The Time)
('Cause When You Close Your
Heart)
You Can't Close Your . . .Your
Mind!
(Then You Close Your . . .
Mind!)
That Man, That Man, That
Man, That Man
With That Man In The Mirror
(Man In The Mirror, Oh Yeah!)
That Man, That Man, That Man
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Better Change!)
You Know . . .That Man
No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah
(Oh Yeah!)
Gonna Feel Real Good Now!
Yeah Yeah! Yeah Yeah!
Yeah Yeah!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah
(Ooooh . . .)
Oh No, No No . . .
I'm Gonna Make A Change
It's Gonna Feel Real Good!
Come On!
(Change . . .)
Just Lift Yourself
You Know
You've Got To Stop It.
Yourself!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
I've Got To Make That Change,
Today!
Hoo!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Got To
You Got To Not Let Yourself . . .
Brother . . .
Hoo!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
You Know-I've Got To Get
That Man, That Man . . .
(Man In The Mirror)
You've Got To
You've Got To Move! Come
On! Come On!
You Got To . . .
Stand Up! Stand Up!
Stand Up!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Stand Up And Lift
Yourself, Now!
(Man In The Mirror)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Aaow!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Gonna Make That Change . . .
Come On!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know . . .
(Change . . .)
Make That Change.

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a "Thriller" of a deal

iTunes is giving a great deal this week. you can download Michael Jackson's best selling album "Thriller" for just $4.99. this purchase also includes the scary a** video with the same name. any MJ fan would and should take advantage of this.

ps.
i know the title of this post is wack... but i tried ok. lol.

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