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All The Songs
Michael Jackson, La Totale: Les 263 chansons et 41 clips expliqués
Please note: this edition is text only and does not contain images.
This is the full story of every single song that Michael Jackson recorded and released during his long and remarkable solo career.
With fascinating stories and detailed information on every track - as well as key early songs with The Jackson Five and his legendary dance moves and videos - All the Songs is the complete history of one of the greatest musical legacies of all time.
Arranged chronologically by album, expert authors Lecocq and Allard explore the details behind early hits such as ABC and I Want You Back, to solo masterpieces such as Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Black or White, This Is It and more - including outtakes, duets and rare tracks.
Explore the magic behind the King of Pop's music with this in-depth, captivating book.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
608 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 26, 2018
Complete review
My rating: 4.5/5
A great deal of any book's success lays in whether the author(s) respect their subject enough or not; to respect your subject –therefore your readers– is be motivated to leave no stone unturned for the sake of fair and factual research.
Richard Lecocq and François Allard done just that in their search for the philosophy behind Michael Jackson's musical career; both of the expert authors are well-rounded about the totality of his career and their knowledge shine brightly.
The absorbing element of All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Song, Every Video, Every Dance Move is the smooth writing that offers valuable historical outset on all-things-MJ.
This sets the book's mood from the beginning. The key figures who assisted in shaping his artistic vision when he was still a child prodigy –whose ambitious had no limit but the sky– are being presented as an introductory which creates an anticipation that heightens the readers' excitement for Michael Jackson emerging to the story as the independent genius that he had became as an adult–after he spent the majority of his young years drinking all of the knowledge he could possibly take. The background presentations add depth to the analysis, and expand one's understanding of Jackson's artistry by looking at those that inspired him or were there to guide and nourish his obvious genius.
All the Songs branches into short but resourceful birth of each era in which the specified album was released then chronicles the album individually track by track.
It's composed in a simple manner that facilitate going back and forth time and time again, for the book is meant to be returned to as a source material by both academics and the casual reader. It's easy to navigate between chapters looking for what you want to learn about without getting caught up or feel like you're missing out in process; could be read as a whole or in no systematical order.
All the Songs offers enough information but without dulling the readers or giving away too much that it prevents further research, in fact, the particulars unfold the prodigious of his artistic cannon, and the fluidity motivates additional exploration on the individuals' end –the resourceful Bibliography is a bonus.
However, one part that, in my humble opinion, could've and should've been treated a little bit better and that is Invincible. They give a much-needed and limitless attention on his musical career expect for Invincible which is handled with a subtle disregard; the chapter is rushed and with scant information. This is the reason why I had to deduct half a star from my rating.
All in all, the book is loaded with almost all the available facts on all of the songs lightened with anecdotes, easy navigation between chapters, and neat language. Without a doubt, the reader will understand Michael Jackson's artistry some more and appreciate all over again the artistic work he left us to devour.
November 2, 2018
This beautiful, 600+ page book is the perfect gift for any Michael Jackson fan. Beautifully bound, the gray cover has a pixelated black and white image of Michael Jackson from the “Bad” years on the front and a full-color image of Michael Jackson during the “Off the Wall” years. There is a sturdy dust cover that covers this. The paper used is this book is sturdy, top-quality. This beautiful volume is filled with color and black and white images starting from the beginning of Jackson’s career in the Jackson Five, All the way up to Jackson’s last album, Xscape. I love the tabs along the pages that mark off the years from 1968 through to 2014, when his last album, a collection of work released as a tribute to him five years after his death. It also includes This Is It, a wonderful single, the first released after his death. This is the book that tells the story behind every song that the King of Pop ever performed. It also examines every dance move, album, and video.
I can’t say enough about this amazing book! It is well worth the $50 list price and for the sale price, it is a steal and sure to please!
I can’t say enough about this amazing book! It is well worth the $50 list price and for the sale price, it is a steal and sure to please!
October 25, 2024
This book aims to cover every single piece of music that Michael Jackson was involved in, from his early days recording with the Jackson 5 through to his meticulously produced, record breaking solo albums along with anything else, whether that be writing for a family member, nipping into an adjacent studio to record backing vocals for a fellow musician & a whole host of rarities that have somehow found their way to release.
It’s a volume in a series of books on major artists & having read pretty much everything I can get my hands on covering Michael’s music, this is hands-down the best book produced of this type. It’s huge, detailed, meticulous in its subject matter & beautifully put together with photographs that perfectly accompany the text, something that is often lacking in anything not produced in conjunction with the artists Estate.
As well as being a masterful account of Michaels body of work, the tone in which the authors write befits the work. Whilst they are clearly fans of the artist, there’s a mature balance that permeates the text which is often lacking in much of this type of work.
This is the definitive book to accurately represent Michael Jackson’s body of incredible work & whilst I read it from start to finish, I will undoubtedly lift it from my bookshelf as the years roll by & I listen to certain tracks looking to dig back into its backstory & creation.
It’s a volume in a series of books on major artists & having read pretty much everything I can get my hands on covering Michael’s music, this is hands-down the best book produced of this type. It’s huge, detailed, meticulous in its subject matter & beautifully put together with photographs that perfectly accompany the text, something that is often lacking in anything not produced in conjunction with the artists Estate.
As well as being a masterful account of Michaels body of work, the tone in which the authors write befits the work. Whilst they are clearly fans of the artist, there’s a mature balance that permeates the text which is often lacking in much of this type of work.
This is the definitive book to accurately represent Michael Jackson’s body of incredible work & whilst I read it from start to finish, I will undoubtedly lift it from my bookshelf as the years roll by & I listen to certain tracks looking to dig back into its backstory & creation.
September 15, 2023
A good book written with nice details, but it has some little mistakes regardings dates:
- the MJ's will was signed in 2002, not 2000
- MJ's first child was born in 1997, not 1996
- Hollywood Tonight was conceived way before 2001 (around 1999)
- Rodney Jerkins was indeed called by Michael for Ireland sessions in 2006 (there is a photo with both of them in the studio - Rodney was slimmer during that time - and he confirmed about Ireland in an interview)
- MJ and Paul Anka worked on 3, not 2 songs ("It Don't Matter To Me" must be covered in a future edition)
I hope these mistakes will be edited in a future edition, which must include details about recent leaks ("Chicago 1945", "Family Thing", etc.), but also some older ones, like "I Am A Loser" and "Days in Gloucestershire".
- the MJ's will was signed in 2002, not 2000
- MJ's first child was born in 1997, not 1996
- Hollywood Tonight was conceived way before 2001 (around 1999)
- Rodney Jerkins was indeed called by Michael for Ireland sessions in 2006 (there is a photo with both of them in the studio - Rodney was slimmer during that time - and he confirmed about Ireland in an interview)
- MJ and Paul Anka worked on 3, not 2 songs ("It Don't Matter To Me" must be covered in a future edition)
I hope these mistakes will be edited in a future edition, which must include details about recent leaks ("Chicago 1945", "Family Thing", etc.), but also some older ones, like "I Am A Loser" and "Days in Gloucestershire".
November 15, 2018
This piece of memorabilia is simply amazing it is the ultimate encyclopaedia for life long Michael Jackson fans such as myself whom now have the opportunity to read the backstory behind every song he ever produced starting from his days as a boy in Steeltown Records to when he and the Jackson 5 hit it big in Mowtown through to his very successful solo career before his untimely death in 2009.. this is so comprehensive and detailed, I love and cherish this so much - it’s never leaving the house!! Special thanks to Hachette Publishers for sending me this beautiful gem for review!!! Love you always and forever!!!
July 30, 2020
This book is nothing short of incredible. Treat it more as a reference book though, as it can be a hard slog to read from start to finish.
The authors have a habit, however, of injecting their own opinion on the music. Some songs are not even discussed. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) was given short shrift, all because the authors disapproved of the remixes. As a curator of knowledge of the music, it was incredibly insulting that this should happen.
That said, the majority of fanmade books are inherently opinionated. This is just another example of that.
The authors have a habit, however, of injecting their own opinion on the music. Some songs are not even discussed. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) was given short shrift, all because the authors disapproved of the remixes. As a curator of knowledge of the music, it was incredibly insulting that this should happen.
That said, the majority of fanmade books are inherently opinionated. This is just another example of that.
August 15, 2019
Out of all the Michael Jackson books I've read, this is the most informative.
November 16, 2022
This would've been my bible if it existed when I was a teenager and I would've pored over it endlessly*. I'm less of a Jackson fan these days, but I had a lot of fun revisiting his music whilst reading along to this over the past few months. While I've given it 5 stars, there are actually a couple of downsides to it.
Firstly, it glosses over, and sometimes outright skips, much of the earlier Jackson 5 tracks especially ones where Michael isn't lead, but later on will devote a page to say Quincy Jones' The Dude where Jackson contributed an inaudible backing vocal buried deep in the mix somewhere. Secondly, it's somewhat poorly written sometimes when it comes to descriptions of the songs themselves. There are a lot of meaningless, filler words used.
Still, there's a ton of information here that I didn't know, and I appreciate the huge efforts that went into this book. Loved all of the info on various releases, edits and remixes.
* Instead, that bible was the pocket size The Complete Guide to the Music of Michael Jackson & The Jackson Family by Geoff Brown. Would easily recommend this if wanting bitesize, but musically literate reviews of Jackson's songs up to 1996.
Firstly, it glosses over, and sometimes outright skips, much of the earlier Jackson 5 tracks especially ones where Michael isn't lead, but later on will devote a page to say Quincy Jones' The Dude where Jackson contributed an inaudible backing vocal buried deep in the mix somewhere. Secondly, it's somewhat poorly written sometimes when it comes to descriptions of the songs themselves. There are a lot of meaningless, filler words used.
Still, there's a ton of information here that I didn't know, and I appreciate the huge efforts that went into this book. Loved all of the info on various releases, edits and remixes.
* Instead, that bible was the pocket size The Complete Guide to the Music of Michael Jackson & The Jackson Family by Geoff Brown. Would easily recommend this if wanting bitesize, but musically literate reviews of Jackson's songs up to 1996.
March 12, 2021
Iv read many Michael Jackson books in the past, but I have to say, this book is definitely in my top 3. Its packed with lots of information about each song and it also has some information on what was going on during the time. I really liked the 'For Jackson Addicts' boxes on some of the pages. They gave some fun information about other things Michael would do like commercials at the time or versions of cds and records. There were also lots of great pictures that I think really reflected how he grew as an artist. I also enjoyed how this book included everything fro Jackson 5 era to unreleased songs to things that were released after his death. But there is an error in the book. They missed a song on, I believe, the Xscape album. This book does not say much about his life though, which I expected based on the title, but if thats what your looking for this is the wrong book. I would definitely recommend this book for any Michael Jackson fan out there who is looking to learn about his music.
April 2, 2023
PERFEITOOOOOOOOO
Esse é um dos melhores livros sobre o Michael que eu já li.
Os autores abordam faixa por faixa contando a história de todas as músicas que o Michael já fez, lançou, cantou, compôs, produziu, ou simplesmente participou como backing vocal para outros artistas.
É um livro super completo que vai desde o início da sua carreira ainda na Motown com o Jackson 5 até 2014 com o lançamento do álbum póstumo Xscape, abordando inclusive músicas que nunca foram lançadas oficialmente, mas que estão disponíveis na internet devido a vazamentos.
Acho que esse é o livro mais completo que eu já li sobre a carreira dele, tem muita informação boa, curiosidades, histórias e fatos que eu não fazia ideia, relatos de pessoas que trabalharam com ele ao longo dos anos e nos mostram um pouco de como era o processo criativo dele, como era o Michael Jackson no estúdio e como ele criava magia para cada uma de suas músicas, o que me deixou ainda mais encantada por cada pedacinho de sua obra.
Aborda também alguns aspectos de sua vida pessoal que em certo momento acabou se misturando com a profissional e que é necessário o entendimento para a compressão de sua arte, mas foi tudo bem pontual e esclarecedor, derrubando por terra inclusive muitas mentiras que a mídia inventou sobre ele.
Todos os fãs do Michael deveriam ler esse livro porque é muito INCRÍVEL. É como redescobrir ele de novo, mas agora por um ângulo diferente e com muito mais detalhes inexplorados. A cada página lida eu me apaixonei mais e mais por esse homem.
Amei também as mini biografias dos profissionais mais importantes que trabalharam com ele, muita gente eu só ouvia falar, mas não tinha ideia da grandiosidade. E ele se tornou o que se tornou e criou tudo o que criou foi porque ele trabalhou só com os melhores dos melhores dos melhores.
Michael eu te amo, obrigada por tanto! ??
LEIAM!!! a minha nota é UM MILHÃO.
Ps: tem disponível no kindle unlimited
Esse é um dos melhores livros sobre o Michael que eu já li.
Os autores abordam faixa por faixa contando a história de todas as músicas que o Michael já fez, lançou, cantou, compôs, produziu, ou simplesmente participou como backing vocal para outros artistas.
É um livro super completo que vai desde o início da sua carreira ainda na Motown com o Jackson 5 até 2014 com o lançamento do álbum póstumo Xscape, abordando inclusive músicas que nunca foram lançadas oficialmente, mas que estão disponíveis na internet devido a vazamentos.
Acho que esse é o livro mais completo que eu já li sobre a carreira dele, tem muita informação boa, curiosidades, histórias e fatos que eu não fazia ideia, relatos de pessoas que trabalharam com ele ao longo dos anos e nos mostram um pouco de como era o processo criativo dele, como era o Michael Jackson no estúdio e como ele criava magia para cada uma de suas músicas, o que me deixou ainda mais encantada por cada pedacinho de sua obra.
Aborda também alguns aspectos de sua vida pessoal que em certo momento acabou se misturando com a profissional e que é necessário o entendimento para a compressão de sua arte, mas foi tudo bem pontual e esclarecedor, derrubando por terra inclusive muitas mentiras que a mídia inventou sobre ele.
Todos os fãs do Michael deveriam ler esse livro porque é muito INCRÍVEL. É como redescobrir ele de novo, mas agora por um ângulo diferente e com muito mais detalhes inexplorados. A cada página lida eu me apaixonei mais e mais por esse homem.
Amei também as mini biografias dos profissionais mais importantes que trabalharam com ele, muita gente eu só ouvia falar, mas não tinha ideia da grandiosidade. E ele se tornou o que se tornou e criou tudo o que criou foi porque ele trabalhou só com os melhores dos melhores dos melhores.
Michael eu te amo, obrigada por tanto! ??
LEIAM!!! a minha nota é UM MILHÃO.
Ps: tem disponível no kindle unlimited
June 11, 2023
This book is soooo interesting. I love the dept of ever MJ album and every MJ song ❤️
April 29, 2019
It is a must read for any Michael Jackson/ Jackson 5 fan out there. It really does cover every song, including duets, Jackson 5 and even known unreleased songs the world was already familiar with. It also changes your understanding behind many of your favourite songs and short films of his too. So yeah this is definitely one I would recommend (and not a afraid to admit it).
May 5, 2024
This was rather informative, likely very informative. It feels like the author(s) left no stone unturned, giving facts instead of assumptions; I'm assuming it's facts but it could be half truths, honestly. Invincible was kind of rushed through, it feels like. I think all the later albums were rushed through in this book, actually.
February 26, 2020
Gold ❤️🥇😎
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews