Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> > Jim Henderson wrote:
> > > Now as to whether MJ was a genius or not, well, personally, I don't think
> > > so.  His music always struck me as rubbish pop.  But that's just my
> > > tastes against his style.
>
> > I think it's not unreasonable to look to the dozens of other famous
> > performers and composers who cited him as inspirational and geniusly talented.
>
>   I must admit I haven't looked if MJ composed his songs himself, or whether
> he just performed them. AFAIK he personally composed at least *some* (if not
> most) of the songs he performed.
>
>   IMO regardless of whether or not one *likes* the songs in question, one
> cannot reasonably claim that they don't show compositional talent. Many of
> the songs are quite complex in structure and content. So complex in fact,
> that it can be very difficult for the average person to perform them even
> nearly as well as he did. Yet they still manage to be good-sounding and
> catchy.
>
>   The music of the songs is also often complex and well-composed, IMO.
> If you tried to play them eg. with a guitar, it would be quite difficult.
> I'm thinking about songs like Billie Jean, Beat It and Black Or White.

Yes, excellent response.

No, I don't think he was the composer, he was mainly a lyricist and performer.
Perhaps melody and basic harmonic progression was his doing, but the detailing
and complexity of the arrangements and orchestration was left to real
musicians, like Quincy Jones and special guests like Eddie Van Halen or Paul
McCartney.

Regardless, I never said he was a musical genius -- while I truly do enjoy some
of his songs from a musical standpoint alone.  He was a performatic genius,
whatever that means.  He's also pretty much an embodiment of the 80's and left
a huge influence on whatever came after, specially on street dance.

I'm mostly a music snob, but having met Michael before the classicals may be
what has proven his music so enduring with me.  I still find his offerings much
better than most of the majority of pop music.

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