Tag Archives: Dan Villalobos

146: Cascio Tracks Removal Roundtable

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On November 8, 2010, Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson unveiled the first song from their new Michael Jackson album in a worldwide premiere via michaeljackson.com. The song, called “Breaking News,” was said to have been written and produced by Eddie Cascio, James Porte and Michael Jackson. But there was one problem… The Jackson family, several of Michael’s former collaborators, and thousands of fans around the world believed the track was fake, with vocals sung by an impostor.

Five weeks after the premiere, “Breaking News” and two other songs also believed to be fakes were commercially released on the album, simply titled “Michael”. Despite the ongoing protests of fans around the world (including The MJCast), the album would remain commercially available in music stores, via online retailers and on streaming platforms for nearly twelve years. One fan in particular, Vera Serova, filed a class action lawsuit against the Estate, Sony, Cascio, Porte and their production company in 2014, which remains unresolved to this day.

Finally, in 2022, the three tracks in question have been removed from digital platforms.

In this conversation, host Jamon Bull is joined by author and Cascio track expert Damien Shields, studio engineer Dan Villalobos, award-winning journalist Charles Thomson, and Friends of the Show James Alay and Samar Habib. The panel discusses the impact of the Cascio Tracks, the long-running lawsuit to have them removed, emerging news that the songs have been removed, and also a statement from the Michael Jackson Estate’s online team that they have removed the songs from sale not because of their legitimacy, but because they have been distracting fans from buying more posthumous products.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Participants
• Jamon Bull
• Damien Shields
• Dan Villalobos
• James Alay
• Charles Thomson
• Samar Habib

Additional Links
• The MJCast’s Remove the Cascio Tracks Now campaign
• #TheMJCast067: Joseph Vogel Special
• Damien Shields’s website, with a section dedicated to the Cascio Tracks.
• Damien’s upcoming Faking Michael podcast
• Damien’s book, Michael Jackson: Songs & Stories From The Vault

Connect with us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

Episode 025 – Right Place, Right Time… Black Magic

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Episode 025 - Right Place, Right Time... Black Magic YouTube Art

On this episode of The MJCast, there’s plenty of news and discussion on Michael Jackson and the Jackson family. Jamon and Q are joined by Paul Black, a long time Michael Jackson fan and Q’s first ever ‘MJ mate’. Paul’s been fortunate to have had some great Michael Jackson experiences, both here in Australia and in Los Angeles, including meeting Michael, doubling for Michael, and singing a Michael Jackson song on stage with none other than the legendary Prince. In this episode, the guys talk about Miguel’s performance of She’s Out of My Life at the Grammy’s, some rough cut Captain EO leaks, more ‘making of’ footage leaks from the set of Black or White and Ghosts, a new snippet of Michael Jackson’s Ghosts (including never before heard ad lib vocals), the passing of Jackson family friend Majestik Magnificent, Donald Trump’s ‘interesting’ thoughts on his friendship with Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson’s future performance at the Dubai World Cup, why the Michael Jackson Estate is suing the owner of KingOfPop.com and Quincy Jones‘ lawsuit against the Estate and Sony going to trial in June.

This episode’s main discussion topic is all around friend of the show Paul Black and his experiences with Michael Jackson, seeing Michael live and even meeting him.Thanks so much for listening to the internet’s premiere podcast on all things Michael Jackson and the Jackson family. We hope you enjoy this episode of The MJCast!

News

Discussion Topic

  • Paul Black’s Michael Jackson experiences

Finds of the Week

Additional Links

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If you have any thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the show, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

Episode 015 – Brad Sundberg Special

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Episode 015 - Brad Sundberg Special YouTube ArtOn this special episode of The MJCast, Michael’s trusted Technical Director and studio engineer of eighteen years, Brad Sundberg joins Q and Dan Villalobos (a studio engineer himself) to discuss all things Michael, in honour of his birthday. Topics include Brad’s history in the recording industry, his work with Michael as Technical Director and studio engineer and of course his involvement with sound and lighting installations throughout Michael’s Neverland Valley Ranch. We then delve into a fascinating discussion around Brad’s views on how Michael’s art has been handled posthumously and finally the latest chapter in his incredible career, the critically acclaimed In the Studio With MJ seminars.

As mentioned on his official website, “Brad Sundberg joined Michael’s Jackson team during the production of Captain EO in 1985, and remained with Michael as one of his engineers and Technical Director for nearly 18 years.  Brad was actively involved in the studio production of four of Michael’s studio albums: BAD, Dangerous, HIStory, and Blood On The Dance Floor. He also worked on remixes and edits for countless singles, short films, and tour preparations associated with these projects.

Beyond the studio, as Michael’s incredible Neverland Valley Ranch grew from dream to reality, he brought Brad in to design and install music and video systems in virtually every corner of the property. In addition to Michael’s personal listening and dance studio systems, Brad created incredible outdoor sound effect systems throughout the grounds with the exact same attention to detail. Michael chose the music, but he trusted Brad’s technical expertise to make it sound great.

Now Brad is sharing these unique experiences with the public through his In The Studio with MJ seminars. The idea was born from the intense desire that people have to know more about how these incredible projects came to life.”

Author Damien Shields discusses one of Brad’s seminars on his website. “The atmosphere in the studio was great. All in attendance had an amazing seat and view of the projector screen, which was quite large; probably six by six feet. You could pay more for a VIP pass, which allowed you priority entry and a seat in the first rows. VIP attendees also had the privilege of spending an additional hour or so with Brad where you could get more information, ask questions and even share Michael’s favourite meal. Fans, of which there were approximately forty in total, were eager, hanging on Brad’s every word. He brought along a fourteen-layer digital multitrack of Bad and spent fifteen minutes playing with it, showcasing Michael singing leads and backgrounds separately. He isolated, the horns and even David Williams on guitar. ‘He created the most amazing remix right in front of your eyes. It was thrilling,’ said one of the attendees.” Whether you’re speaking with Huffington Post journalist Charles Thomson, studio engineer Dan Villalobos or anyone else who has attended Brad’s seminars, their remarks are always the same…In the Studio With MJ is unmissable.

Stay tuned at the end of this show to hear about Brad’s upcoming seminars through the end of 2015 (Chicago – August 30th, Orlando – September 5th and Las Vegas – October 10th) and click here to purchase tickets. Happy Birthday, Michael! We hope listeners of The MJCast enjoy this podcast as much as we did conceiving and recording it.

Links
Brad Sundberg’s website and his Facebook and Twitter pages
Dan Villalobos’ website and his Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and Instagram pages
Xscape Origins author Damien Shields article on the In the Studio With MJ seminars

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If you have any thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the show, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Michael it’s your Birthday. Happy Birthday, Michael!