| The Original Soul of Michael Jackson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Remix album by | ||||
| Released | October 1987 (1987-10) | |||
| Recorded | September 1969 – March 1975; 1984–87 (overdubbing, remixing) | |||
| Length | 39:11 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | Hal Davis | |||
| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Original Soul of Michael Jackson | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[1] |
The Original Soul of Michael Jackson is a remix album by American singer Michael Jackson. It features songs recorded early in his career mainly during the 1970s and remixed in 1987 before its release that year by Motown.
While the album claims that it "contains music never before released", the only new song available was a re-dubbed cover of Edwin Starr's 1970 hit "Twenty-Five Miles", sung by the Jackson Five and solely credited to Michael. The original recording of the song was included on the 2009 set Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection. Some songs were newly edited on the album, with a newly dubbed version of "Dancing Machine". "Ain't No Sunshine" was also slightly different in the vocals and a modern drum machine was added to "Twenty-Five Miles". "Melodie" was planned for a single in an effort to promote the record in the US, but was scrapped for a promo-only single "Twenty-Five Miles"/"Up On The Housetop".[2]
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990), Robert Christgau wrote, "Once you get past the slipshod cynicism of Motown's catalogue exploitation, you have to admit that this mostly remixed, sometimes synthed-up mishmash has its charms and even uses—that in fact it's superior to the 'real' 1975 best-of the label long ago deleted. I love the previously unreleased 'Twenty-Five Miles' and the preteen-sings-the-blues 'Doggin' Around,' could live without the two J5 non hits, and will no doubt pull this down when I want to remember 'Dancing Machine' and 'Rockin' Robin.'"[1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twenty-Five Miles (1987 Remix)" | Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Edwin Starr | New release | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Dancing Machine (1987 Remix)" | Hal Davis, Don Fletcher, Dean Parks | G.I.T.: Get It Together and Dancing Machine | 3:50 |
| 3. | "It's Too Late to Change the Time (1987 Remix)" | Pam Sawyer, Leon Ware | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Melodie (Edited Version)" | Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, Deke Richards | Farewell My Summer Love | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Ain't No Sunshine (1987 Remix)" | Bill Withers | Got to Be There | 3:05 |
| 6. | "Got to Be There" | Elliot Willensky | Got to Be There | 3:22 |
| 7. | "Doggin' Around (Edited Version)" | Jackie Wilson | Music &Me | 2:19 |
| 8. | "Rockin' Robin" | Leon Rene | Got to Be There | 2:30 |
| 9. | "If I Don't Love You This Way (1987 Remix)" | Pam Sawyer, Leon Ware | Dancing Machine | 3:24 |
| 10. | "You've Got a Friend (1987 Remix)" | Carole King | Got to Be There | 4:36 |
| 11. | "Forever Came Today (Edited Alternative Version)" | Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Edward Holland Jr. | Moving Violation | 5:54 |
| Total length: | 39:11 | |||
