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Immortal (Michael Jackson album)

Immortal is a remix album of music originally recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released on November 18, 2011, by Epic Records. The album is also a soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, which debuted on October 2, 2011, in Montreal.[1] It was preceded by the release of the title track in the form of a megamix: "Immortal Megamix: "Can You Feel It" / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" / "Billie Jean" / "Black or White" which features the songs: "Can You Feel It", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Billie Jean" and "Black or White".

Immortal
Soundtrack album and remix album by
Michael Jackson
ReleasedNovember 18, 2011 (2011-11-18)
Recorded
  • 1968–2007 (original tracks)
  • 2011 (additional mixes and overdubs)
Length
  • 76:34 (standard edition)
  • 106:09 (deluxe edition)
Label
Producer
  • Michael Jackson
  • Kevin Antunes
Michael Jackson chronology
Michael
(2010) 		Immortal
(2011) 		Bad 25
(2012)
Singles from Immortal

Background and release

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On October 3, 2011, Sony Music Entertainment announced that over 40 of Jackson's original recordings had been redesigned and reimagined by producer Kevin Antunes (Justin Timberlake, Rihanna) after working with original multi-track master recordings in the studio for a year.[2] Immortal continued in the production vein of soundtracks from previous Cirque du Soleil shows: namely, 2006's Love, featuring the remixed music of the Beatles (for the show of the same name); and 2010's Elvis Presley-themed remix soundtrack Viva Elvis (for the show of the same name).

Being released by Epic Records in conjunction with the estate of Michael Jackson,[3] Immortal featured an alternative version of the Jackson 5 song "ABC",[1] as well as a series of mashups and remixes, such as a choir-assisted rendition of "They Don't Care About Us".[4] Despite over 60 songs having been used for the stage show, the album release is available only as either a 20-track album or deluxe 27-track album.[1]

Immortal is the eighth Jackson album to be released by Sony and Universal Motown since Jackson's death on June 25, 2009. It is also the third set of remixes of Jackson's music that has been released posthumously, following two 2009 collections: The Stripped Mixes, Jackson's early songs with most of the rhythm section edited out; and four EPs under the common title The Remix Suite.

Promotion

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The debut track from the album, "Immortal Megamix", composed of four of Jackson's greatest hits—"Can You Feel It", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Billie Jean" and "Black or White"—was unveiled on AOL Music on October 31, 2011.[5] Following the premiere on AOL, the track became available to stream at Jackson's official website[6] and Facebook page.[7] On November 1, 2011, the track became available as a digital download on iTunes[5] and Amazon.[8] There was no television promotion or radio airplay.

The week before the soundtrack's release, several tracks were unveiled on SoundCloud and Billboard:

Antunes, the musical designer for Immortal, said, "There are jewels throughout this entire CD ... put there so you can truly appreciate Michael's musicality," adding, "It lifts you up, it challenges, it makes you feel. Being a super-fan myself, having the ability to work on this music is a true honor."[19] The entire album was unveiled via NPR on November 18, 2011.[20]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, an early estimate predicted Immortal would sell 50,000 copies in its first week.[21] The album opened with 43,000 copies sold, debuting at No. 24 on the Billboard 200. Immortal's opening week was more successful than the troupe's previous Viva Elvis, which had debuted and peaked at No. 48 in 2010 with 13,000 sold in its first week.[22] In Japan, 150,000 CD copies of Immortal were sold during the first week of its release.[23]

Immortal was ranked number 174 on the list of the 200 best-selling albums of 2012 from the year-end charts of Billboard. It was also ranked number 35 on the top-selling 100 R&B albums of 2012. It is currently the second-best selling Cirque show release, after Love.

Critical reception

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The debut song, "Immortal Megamix", received mixed reviews from music critics. Scott Shetler from PopCrush said the original songs were "left intact on this remix with only slight musical embellishments, such as a 'Michael! Michael!' chant that appears during 'Billie Jean'". While Shetler felt that other mixes, such as the "HIStory Megamix" that preceded Jackson's 1995 double album, were better, he also felt that, "with [Jackson's] legacy of musical gold, it would be nearly impossible to create a bad mix."[24]

The album itself also received mixed reviews. Ann Powers from NPR said the soundtrack "adds another dimension to the Jackson omnibus" and "crafts a new version of Jackson's life story through remixes of his biggest hits and a few obscurities, as well as his own stated favorite songs."[20] Randall Roberts from the Los Angeles Times gave the album two and a half stars out of four, stating, "the soundtrack is beholden to the Cirque/Immortal storyline and therefore sequenced not for the dance floor but for a Las Vegas-style production."[25] Chad Grischow from IGN observed that "the collection at least does a fine job pulling from the various eras of his career", even though "most of the songs are simply clipped into a shorter version of themselves, with the occasional sound effects to enhance the choreography left feeling odd without it."[26]

Gary Trust and Keith Caulfield from Billboard pointed out that "consumers surely didn't seem that interested in the mash-up style album."[22] Nekesa Mumbi Moody from The Associated Press said, "much of the album seems disjointed. Some songs are oddly chopped up, others are spliced together without much finesse, and there are a myriad of sound effects — bullets firing, glass shattering, the whistle of a train, basketballs bouncing — that just sound like noise". Moody concluded that, "on stage, it probably all makes sense beautifully ... but without that visual picture, the listening experience is a disappointment."[27]

Killian Fox of The Observer noted that "not much here is new", adding that "the album tries to justify its bulky existence" but ultimately "add[s] little to a catalogue of music that has already been superbly produced."[28] Arwa Haider from Metro said, "the original songs are obviously fantastic", but "without the accompanying Cirque du Soleil acrobatics, these slightly spooky mixes don't add much to his canon."[29] Michael Langston Moore from African American Entertainment Examiner said the album was "deemed to be a bit sacrilege".[30]

Track listing

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All tracks are subtitled (Immortal version).

Standard edition
No.TitleAdditional artist(s)Length
1."Workin' Day and Night" 3:36
2."The Immortal Intro"The Jackson 5; Janet Jackson3:07
3."Childhood" 4:35
4."Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" 3:07
5."Dancing Machine/Blame It on the Boogie"The Jacksons4:49
6."This Place Hotel"The Jacksons2:08
7."Smooth Criminal" 1:59
8."Dangerous" 2:41
9."The Jackson 5 Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save"The Jackson 53:45
10."Speechless/Human Nature" 3:18
11."Is It Scary/Threatened"Rockwell; 50 Cent5:05
12."Thriller" 3:32
13."You Are Not Alone/I Just Can't Stop Loving You"Siedah Garrett6:07
14."Beat It/State of Shock"The Jacksons and Mick Jagger3:09
15."Jam"Heavy D2:37
16."Planet Earth/Earth Song" 4:04
17."They Don't Care About Us" 3:36
18."I'll Be There"The Jackson 51:53
19."Immortal Megamix: "Can You Feel It" / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" / "Billie Jean" / "Black or White" (Immortal Version)The Jacksons9:08
20."Man in the Mirror" 4:17
Total length:76:34
Deluxe edition, disc 1
No.TitleAdditional artist(s)Length
1."Workin' Day and Night" 3:36
2."The Immortal Intro"The Jackson 5; Janet Jackson3:07
3."Childhood" 4:35
4."Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" 3:08
5."Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"The Jacksons2:27
6."Dancing Machine/Blame It on the Boogie"The Jacksons4:04
7."Ben" 3:44
8."This Place Hotel"The Jacksons2:08
9."Smooth Criminal" 1:59
10."Dangerous" 2:41
11."The Mime Segment: (I Like) The Way You Love Me/Speed Demon/Another Part of Me" 2:52
12."The Jackson 5 Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save"The Jackson 53:45
13."Speechless/Human Nature" 3:20
14."Is It Scary/Threatened"Rockwell; 50 Cent5:03
15."Thriller" 3:37
Total length:53:42
Deluxe edition, disc 2
No.TitleAdditional artist(s)Length
1."You Are Not Alone/I Just Can't Stop Loving You"Siedah Garrett6:08
2."Beat It/State of Shock"The Jacksons and Mick Jagger3:09
3."Jam"Heavy D2:37
4."Planet Earth/Earth Song" 4:01
5."Scream/Little Susie"Janet Jackson4:45
6."Gone Too Soon" 3:23
7."They Don't Care About Us" 3:37
8."Will You Be There" 4:56
9."I'll Be There"The Jackson 51:50
10."Immortal Megamix: Can You Feel It/Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black or White"The Jacksons9:08
11."Man in the Mirror" 4:14
12."Remember the Time/Bad" 4:39
Total length:52:27

Track elements

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Credits adapted from the album booklet liner notes.[31]

Charts

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Release history

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List of release dates, showing country or region, record label, and format
Region Date Label Format
Austria[51] November 18, 2011 Sony Music
Netherlands[52] Digital download
Germany[53][54]
  • CD
  • digital download
November 21, 2011
United Kingdom[55]
France[56]
United States[57] Epic
Spain[58] November 22, 2011 Sony Music
Italy[59]
Japan[60] November 23, 2011 Sony Music Japan CD
Australia November 25, 2011 Sony Music
  • CD
  • digital download
Indonesia[61] December 22, 2011 CD
China[62] March 30, 2012 Sony Music China

See also

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Notes

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  • ^[note a] The three tracks are actually separated on the album but were joined together as one mix on SoundCloud.
  • ^[note b] Separated as two tracks on the album —"Is It Scary / Threatened" and "Thriller" —but joined together on SoundCloud.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Schneider, Marc (October 4, 2011). "Michael Jackson's 'Immortal' Won't Be His Last Album, Says Estate". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  2. ^ "IMMORTAL, the highly anticipated musical tapestry for Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour". Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  3. ^ Clarke, Suzan (October 3, 2011). "New Michael Jackson Album, 'Immortal', to Be Released". ABC News. abc.go.com. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  4. ^ Kaufman, Gil (October 3, 2011). "Michael Jackson Immortal Album Due November 21". MTV.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Peter Fowler (October 31, 2011). "Michael Jackson "Immortal Megamix" Released". Newsroom America. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  6. ^ "Listen to the "Immortal Megamix" Now!". SonyMusic. The Official Michael Jackson Site. October 31, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  7. ^ "Listen to "Immortal Megamix" – the debut track from the upcoming album IMMORTAL now and let us know what you think!". October 31, 2011. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  8. ^ "Amazon.com: Immortal Megamix: Can You Feel It/Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black Or White (Immortal Version): The Jacksons;Michael Jackson: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  9. ^ "You Are Not Alone/I Just Can't Stop Loving You by MJImmortal on SoundCloud". Sony Music. SoundCloud. November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  10. ^ "Listen to a Brand New Track from IMMORTAL". Sony Music. The Official Michael Jackson Site. November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  11. ^ "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' by MJImmortal". Sony Music. SoundCloud. November 15, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  12. ^ "Listen to Another Track from IMMORTAL", Sony Music, The Official Michael Jackson Site, November 15, 2011, retrieved November 15, 2011
  13. ^ "I'll Be There by MJImmortal on SoundCloud". Sony Music. SoundCloud. November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  14. ^ "Listen to "I'll Be There" from IMMORTAL", Sony Music, The Official Michael Jackson Site, November 16, 2011, retrieved November 16, 2011
  15. ^ "Dancing Machine/Blame it on the Boogie by MJImmortal". Sony Music. SoundCloud. November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  16. ^ Erika Ramirez, N.Y. (November 16, 2011). "Michael Jackson Song Premiere: 'Dancing Machine/Blame It On The Boogie' - The Juice". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  17. ^ "This Place Hotel/Smooth Criminal/Dangerous by MJImmortal on SoundCloud". Sony Music. SoundCloud. November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  18. ^ "Is It Scary/Threatened/Thriller by MJImmortal on SoundCloud". Sony Music. SoundCloud. November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  19. ^ Carly Mallenbaum (November 16, 2011). "Exclusive: Michael Jackson 'Immortal' remix – USATODAY.com". USA Today. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  20. ^ a b Ann Powers (November 18, 2011). "First Listen: Michael Jackson, 'Immortal' : NPR". NPR. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  21. ^ "Jingle Buble All the Way". Hits Daily Double. November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  22. ^ a b Gary Trust, N.Y.; Keith Caulfield, L.A (December 1, 2011). "Chart Moves: Lady Gaga's 'Marry' Moves Up, Michael Jackson Misses With 'Immortal', Divas Duke It Out". Billboard.biz. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  23. ^ a b "CDアルバム 週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. November 28, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  24. ^ Scott Shetler (November 3, 2011). "Michael Jackson, 'Immortal Megamix' – Song Review". PopCrush. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  25. ^ Randall Roberts (November 21, 2011). "Album Review: Michael Jackson's "Immortal"". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  26. ^ Chad Grischow (November 21, 2011). "Michael Jackson: Immortal Review - MJ tribute too cluttered, chopped to offer good look at his career". IGN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  27. ^ Nekesa Mumbi Moody (November 28, 2011). "Album reviews: Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Daughtry". The Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2011 – via northjersey.com.
  28. ^ Killian Fox (November 20, 2011). "Michael Jackson: Immortal – review". The Observer via guardian.co.uk. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  29. ^ Arwa Haider (November 21, 2011). "Michael Jackson's Immortal is full of hits but a bit of a circus". metro.co.uk. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  30. ^ Michael Langston Moore (November 21, 2011). "Michael Jackson's 'Immortal' review: Good album or money-grabbing scheme?". African American Entertainment Examiner. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2011 – via Examiner.com.
  31. ^ Epic Records (2011). Immortal (CD liner notes). Michael Jackson. Epic Records. 88697993942.
  32. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  33. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Michael Jackson – Immortal" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson – Immortal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson – Immortal" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  36. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Jackson – Immortal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  37. ^ "Lescharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Jackson – Immortal" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  39. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Michael Jackson". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  40. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  41. ^ "Hot 100｜JAPAN Charts｜Billboard JAPAN". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  42. ^ "Charts.nz – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  43. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  44. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  45. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  46. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Michael Jackson – Immortal". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  47. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  48. ^ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  49. ^ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  50. ^ a b "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums -2012 Year End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  51. ^ "iTunes - Muziek - 'Immortal (Deluxe)' von Michael Jackson". Sony Music. iTunes.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  52. ^ "iTunes - Muziek - 'Immortal (Deluxe)' van Michael Jackson". Sony Music. iTunes.com. November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  53. ^ "iTunes - Musik – "Immortal (Deluxe)" von Michael Jackson". Sony Music. iTunes.com. November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  54. ^ "Immortal: Michael Jackson: Amazon.de: Musik". Sony Music. Amazon.de. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  55. ^ "Immortal by Michael Jackson - Preorder Immortal on iTunes". Sony Music. iTunes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  56. ^ "Immortal de Michael Jackson - Pré-commander Immortal sur iTunes". Sony Music. iTunes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  57. ^ "Immortal by Michael Jackson - Preorder Immortal on iTunes". Sony Music. iTunes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  58. ^ "Immortal de Michael Jackson - Pide por anticipado Immortal en iTunes". Sony Music. iTunes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  59. ^ "Immortal di Michael Jackson - Ordina in anteprima Immortal su iTunes". Sony Music. iTunes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  60. ^ "Amazon.co.jp： イモータル デラックス・エディション(初回生産限定盤): マイケル・ジャクソン: 音楽". Sony Music. Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  61. ^ Disc Tarra
  62. ^ "迈克尔•杰克逊:不朽(CD)-音乐-卓越亚马逊". amazon.cn. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
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