Dangerous (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dangerous | ||
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| Studio album by Michael Jackson | ||
| Released | November 26, 1991 | |
| Recorded | June 25, 1990 - October 29, 1991 | |
| Genre | Pop Dance Pop/Rock R&B New jack swing |
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| Length | 76:58 | |
| Label | Epic Records EK-45400 |
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| Producer(s) | Michael Jackson Teddy Riley Bill Bottrell |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Michael Jackson chronology | ||
| Bad (1987) |
Dangerous (1991) |
HIStory (1995) |
Dangerous is an album released by singer-songwriter Michael Jackson in November 1991.
[edit] Album information
In March 1991, Michael Jackson signed an all new 15 year, 6 album deal to Sony, that November he delivered his first - Dangerous. Jackson ended his association with Quincy Jones, and enlisted the producing talents of new jack swing inventor Teddy Riley. The RIAA certified Dangerous at 7x Platinum, and internationally it has sold an estimated 29 million copies,[1] tying it with Bad as the second best-selling album of Jackson's career. The album spawned seven top ten hit single's in the UK - Jackson's best in the UK. The album gained a total of 73x Platinum certifications throughout the world. The major hits included "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Heal the World", "Who Is It", "Jam", and "Will You Be There".
As was becoming the standard for Jackson, the album's music videos were among the most costly and innovative of their time. Several of the music videos taken from the Dangerous album had complex storylines and dance sequences, and featured cameo appearances by celebrities. The video for "Jam", directed by David Kellogg, showed Jackson and Michael Jordan playing basketball and dancing together, while "Remember the Time" was set in an ancient Egyptian palace, and starred Eddie Murphy and Iman as the pharaoh and his queen. The video also featured a cameo by NBA player Magic Johnson. "In the Closet" featured Jackson and supermodel Naomi Campbell as lovers. The director of the video was photographer Herb Ritts, who also photographed Jackson in a series of promotional shots for the release of the Dangerous album.
"Black or White" was originally over ten minutes long, it premiered simultaneously on November 14, 1991 on MTV, VH1, BET, and FOX. The video is extremely noteworthy for featuring one of the earliest examples of computer-generated morphing. The last four minutes of the video also induced much controversy, as it depicted Jackson smashing store windows and destroying a car with a crowbar. This destructive behavior had an important message of anti-racism, however. MTV and the other music video networks decided to excise the last four minutes of the "Black or White" video for all subsequent airings, and Jackson issued a statement apologizing to anyone who had been offended, and explaining that he tried to interpret the animal instinct of panthers into a dance. The video featured Macaulay Culkin (among others) and was directed by John Landis, also the director of the "Thriller" short film.
The album cover was by Mark Ryden. On November 20, 1991, a group of armed men stole 30,000 copies of Dangerous from a terminal at Los Angeles Airport due to its immense popularity.[citation needed]
Jackson would not release another full-length album of only all new songs for 10 years, with Invincible in 2001. HIStory, released in 1995, did contain a full disc of new material, but was only available in a double-disc set, the first CD containing previous hits.
A Special Edition of the album appeared in 2001. The Special Edition was digitally remastered and included a slipcase, revised artwork and previously unseen photos. Because of the constraints of Dangerous' running time, previously unreleased songs were not included, however many of them were eventually leaked onto the internet along with various demos of other tracks that appeared on the album. In 2004, some of these leaked tracks were officially released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection (namely the Dangerous Demo and Monkey Business).
[edit] Limited First Print
The first printing of the album was released as a large box with a picture of Michael Jackson's eyes, which folded open to reveal the normal cover, in pop-up card, with the CD, and booklet in the bottom.
[edit] Certifications
Total Certified Sales - 16,460,000 copies world-wide
[edit] Track listing
- "Jam" (Rene Moore, Bruce Swedien, Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley) – 5:39
- "Why You Wanna Trip On Me" (Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle) – 5:24
- "In the Closet" (Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley) – 6:31
- "She Drives Me Wild" (Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley. Rap lyrics by Aquil Davidson) – 3:41
- "Remember the Time" (Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle) – 4:00
- "Can't Let Her Get Away" (Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley) – 4:58
- "Heal the World" (Michael Jackson) – 6:24
- "Black or White" (Michael Jackson. Rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell; features guitarist Slash) – 4:15
- "Who Is It" (Michael Jackson) – 6:34
- "Give In To Me" (Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell) – 5:29
- "Will You Be There" (Michael Jackson) – 7:40
- "Keep the Faith" (Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett, Michael Jackson) – 5:57
- "Gone Too Soon" (Larry Grossman, Buz Kohan) – 3:23
- "Dangerous" (Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley) – 6:57
[edit] Outtakes
Known outtakes from Dangerous:
- "A Baby Smiles"
- "Bottle Of Smoke"
- "Dangerous" (early version, appeared on The Ultimate Collection)
- "Fever"
- "For All Time" (leaked online)
- "Girls Of Another Love"
- "If You Don't Love Me" (leaked online)
- "Men In Black" (unshared snippet)
- "Monkey Business" (appeared on The Ultimate Collection)
- "Planet Earth"
- "Pretty Faces"
- "Satisfy You" (Duet with Brian Loren, leaked online)
- "Serious Effect" (with LL Cool J) (leaked online)
- "Seven Digits"
- "She Got It" (snippet leaked online)
- "Someone Put Your Hand Out" (Released on Pepsi promo cassette, also later included on The Ultimate Collection)
- "Trust About Youth"
- "What About Us" (later became "Earth Song")
- "Work That Body" (snippet leaked online)
On a recent ITV documentary The One And Only Michael Jackson, collaborators stated that Jackson started Dangerous with 60 songs, suggesting that there are far more outtakes than those leaked online or released subsequently.
[edit] Music samples
- Jam (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- written by Michael Jackson
- Black or White (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- written by Michael Jackson
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Credits
[edit] "Jam"
- Music by Rene Moore, Bruce Swedien, Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
- Song and lyrics by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Dave Way
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Arrangement by Michael Jackson, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Rene Moore
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Rap performed by Heavy D
- Keyboards: Rene Moore, Teddy Riley, Bruce Swedien and Brad Buxer
- Synthesizers: Teddy Riley, Rhett Lawrence, Michael Boddicker and Brad Buxer
- Drums: Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien
- Guitar: Teddy Riley
[edit] "Why You Wanna Trip On Me"
- Written and composed by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle
- Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley, Dave Way and Jean-Marie Horvat
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Keyboards, synthesizers and guitar: Teddy Riley
- Guitar intro: Paul Jackson, Jr.
- Sequencing and programming: Wayne Cobham
[edit] "In the Closet"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
- Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley, Jean-Marie Horvat and Dave Way
- Duet: Michael Jackson and Mystery Girl
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Synthesizer arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Keyboards and synthesizers: Teddy Riley
- Sequencing and programming: Wayne Cobham
[edit] "She Drives Me Wild"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
- Rap lyrics by Aqil Davidson
- Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley, Dave Way and Jean-Marie Horvat
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Synthesizer arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Keyboards and synthesizers: Teddy Riley
- Sequencing and programming: Wayne Cobham
- Rap performed by Wrecks N' Effect
[edit] "Remember the Time"
- Written and composed by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Bernard Belle
- Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Dave Way
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Synthesizer arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Keyboards and synthesizers: Teddy Riley
- Sequencing and programming: Wayne Cobham
[edit] "Can't Let Her Get Away"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
- Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley, Dave Way and Jean-Marie Horvat
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Synthesizer arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Keyboards and synthesizers: Teddy Riley
- Sequencing and programming: Wayne Cobham
[edit] "Heal the World"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson and Marty Paich
- Produced by Michael Jackson
- Co-produced by Bruce Swedien
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Matt Forger
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Ending solo vocal: Christa Larson
- Playground girl: Ashley Farell
- Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Orchestra arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson and John Bahler
- Choir arrangement by John Bahler, featuring the John Bahler Singers
- Keyboards: Daivd Paich and Brad Buxer
- Synthesizers: Michael Boddicker, David Paich and Steve Porcaro
- Drums: Jeff Porcaro
- Percussion: Bryan Loren
- Prelude composed, arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
[edit] "Black or White"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell
- Produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Recorded and mixed by Bill Bottrell
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Drums: Bryan Loren
- Percussion: Brad Buxer and Bill Bottrell
- Bass: Bryan Loren (moog) and Terry Jackson (bass guitar)
- Keyboards: Brad Buxer, John Barnes and Jason Martz
- Guitar: Bill Bottrell
- Heavy metal guitar: Tim Pierce
- Speed sequencer: Michael Boddicker and Kevin Gilbert
- Rap performed by L.T.B.
- "Intro":
- Special guitar performance by Slash
- Directed by Michael Jackson
- Composed by Bill Bottrell
- Engineering and sound design: Matt Forger
- Son played by Andres McKenzie
- Father played by L.T.B.
[edit] "Who Is It"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Recorded and mixed by Bill Bottrell
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Drums: Bryan Loren and Bill Bottrell
- Bass: Bill Bottrell (synthesizer) and Louis Johnson (bass guitar)
- Keyboard arrangement by Brad Buxer and David Paich
- Keyboard performance and programming: Brad Buxer, Michael Boddicker, David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Jai Winding
- String arrangement by George del Barrio
- Concertmaster: Endre Granat
- Solo cello: Larry Corbett
- Soprano voice: Michael Jackson and Linda Harmon
[edit] "Give in to Me"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Recorded and mixed by Bill Bottrell
- Guitars recorded by Jim Mitchell; Assisted by Craig Brock
- Special guitar performance by Slash
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Bass, drums, mellotron and guitar: Bill Bottrell
- Guitar: Tim Pierce
[edit] "Will You Be There"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson
- Co-produced by Bruce Swedien
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Matt Forger
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and Greg Phillinganes
- Orchestra arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Choir arrangement by Andrae and Sandra Crouch, featuring the Andrae Crouch Singers
- Keyboards: Greg Phillinganes and Brad Buxer
- Synthesizers: Michael Boddicker
- Synthsizers and synthesizer programming: Rhett Lawrence
- Drums and percussion: Brad Buxer and Bruce Swedien
- Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
- Prelude: Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Opus 125: Presto
- Performed by the Cleaveland Orchestral Chorus
- Directed by Robert Shaw
- Performed by the Cleaveland Orchestra
- Conducted by George Szell
- Performed by the Cleaveland Orchestral Chorus
[edit] "Keep the Faith"
- Written and composed by Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett and Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson
- Co-produced by Bruce Swedien
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Arrangement by Glen Ballard, Jerry Hey and Rhett Lawrence
- Choir arrangement by Andrae and Sandra Crouch, featuring the Andrae Crouch Singers
- Background vocals: Siedah Garret and Shanice Wilson
- Piano and bass: Jai Winding
- Drums, percussion and synthesizer: Rhett Lawrence
- Drums and percussion: Bruce Swedien
- Synthesizers: Michael Boddicker
- Guitar: David Williams
[edit] "Gone Too Soon"
- Music by Larry Grossman
- Lyrics by Buz Kohan
- Produced by Michael Jackson
- Co-produced by Bruce Swedien
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
- Solo vocal: Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by David Paich
- Orchestra arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
- Keyboards: David Paich
- Synthesizers: David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Michael Boddicker
- Bass: Abraham Laboriel
- Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
- Prelude composed, arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
[edit] "Dangerous"
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell and Teddy Riley
- Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
- Recorded by Jean-Marie Horvat, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Thom Russo
- Mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
- Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Synthesizer arrangement by Teddy Riley
- Synthesizers: Teddy Riley, Brad Buxer and Rhett Lawrence
[edit] Technical credits
- Executive producer: Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Bill Bottrell
- Technical directors: Brad Sundberg and Thom Russo
- Additional engineering by Dave Way, Matt Forger, Jean-Marie Horvat, Richard Cottrell and Kevin Gilbert
- Assistant engineers: Brad Sundberg, Bart Stevens, Thom Russo, John Chamberlain, Rail Rogut, Dan Bosworth, Julie East and Elaine Anderson
- Mastered by Bernie Grundman
