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Name:		Bill
Country:		the UK

I love Mariah more than you do.

My All (99,514) by Bill from the UK
(Sunday 23 January 2022; 22:42)

I'm sitting in subdued lighting, listening to My All on my noise-cancelling headphones. What a song. Imagine being Mr. Jeter and having this song written about you. It's so subtle, but has so many layers. And those lyrics. It's just sublime.

12 likes

Re: I Am Free (99,498) (99,503) by Bill from the UK
(Saturday 22 January 2022; 12:19)

Well, I'm speculating. MC always said she felt I Am Free had the potential to be a great gospel song, and said she wanted someone from that arena to cover it. The news of her working with the Clarke Sisters, and that this "Butterfly lounge" may be her reworking her old catalogue, is me putting 2 and 2 together. And probably getting 5.

6 likes

Re: I Am Free (99,492) (99,493) by Bill from the UK
(Saturday 22 January 2022; 00:15)

I did like it, but my dad once heard me playing it and said it sounded like she was drunk, so now every time I play it I think of that comment and laugh lol. If she's re-imagined this song with the Clarke Sisters though I will die.

1 like

Re: Reimagining albums into 10 tracks (99,489) (99,491) by Bill from the UK
(Friday 21 January 2022; 21:16)

Hah, you pretty much removed all my favourite songs lol.

3 likes

Re: Reimagining albums into 10 tracks (99,477) (99,481) by Bill from the UK
(Wednesday 19 January 2022; 17:08)

Haha well done. I think originally articles called To the Floor "Tonight" as it leaked around the same time as Say Somethin' did. Personally I think Tonight is the better title.

3 likes

Re: Reimagining albums into 10 tracks (99,472) (99,475) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 18 January 2022; 23:51)

Bobby, don't deny yourself a great Mariah track over one bad encounter with somebody. Reclaim Circles as yours. Absolutely not worth letting somebody like that live rent-free in your head, and to take something that you, by rights, should love. Give Circles another chance and put all that nonsense out of your head and enjoy the song for what it is.

I had the same thing with Never Forget You. I couldn't listen to it for ages because of the line "I should of said I love you, why didn't I just tell you?", those words cut straight through me. Someone I loved very, very much passed away and I spent years wishing I had told them I loved them. I never did and it pained me so much that they died not knowing. Then I thought to myself, they wouldn't want to ever deprive me of something I love. They knew I loved Mariah, and I realised at the same time, they knew I loved them. So now when I listen to that song, as sad as it is, it fills me with a certain joy for the time we had together and the lyrics speak to me in a different way now. Indeed, I'll hold onto the memories and never leave them behind.

8 likes

Re: Reimagining albums into 10 tracks (99,464) (99,468) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 18 January 2022; 17:15)

Did you mean Your Girl instead of Yours? Yours is from Charmbracelet. I agree with this list but would axe Joy Ride in favour To the Floor (which I think you've called Tonight), to give the album more "edge".

3 likes

Re: Through The Rain/AYNAF (99,461) (99,467) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 18 January 2022; 17:13)

TTR I get not performing well. Mariah's reputation had taken a pretty big hammering, her image was all over the place, and as much as I like the song it wasn't really radio friendly. It had too slow a build to the "money shot" of the bridge and end chorus, and I think it would have done better with live instrumentation, instead of the clinky Casio keyboard, some strings, a choir etc. It was as if the blueprint was there but it wasn't really coloured in.

As for AYNAF, it's a mystery to me how that didn't reach the top ten. It made it to #8 in the UK, following the #1 Without You of course which probably helped its performance. The remixes for that track are some of her best. The manic C&C Club Mix with the scatting at the end, gospel vocals, and then that gorgeous Soul Convention Remix. Beautiful.

8 likes

Re: Original title for Somewhat Loved? (99,457) (99,458) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 18 January 2022; 00:10)

Hmmm. I prefer the shorter albums myself. Don't forget the debut was supposed to be 10 tracks. And the US versions of Music Box and Merry Christmas are 10 tracks. Rainbow is 10 tracks if you remove the remixes and interludes (and Did I Do That lol). As much as I love it, the deluxe version of TEOM doesn't seem to ever end, and Memoirs is like one continuous 90 minute track, and Charmie outstays its welcome as well. My issue is the frequency of releases, but that's because we got spoiled with an album a year in the early days. I get she has kids and all that, so the gap between albums will be longer, but I was hoping shorter albums would mean a smaller space between albums, but here we are.

6 likes

Re: How Greatest Hits should've played out (99,452) (99,455) by Bill from the UK
(Monday 17 January 2022; 13:55)

Yes. Please deliver me my jazz album before my time here is over. And Rarities 2 with more 90s tracks I am banging at the door for. As for Greatest Hits, yes, far too soon after #1's and everything screamed "end of contract". The only reason to buy was that Endless Love was finally on a Mariah album, the remix of AIWFCIY and the UK edition had the Westlife version of Against All Odds on it. I've always felt #1's is the superior album. Beautiful cover, and a concentrated track list really helps keep the record accessible, in spite of some obvious omissions. The UK edition is great with the addition of Without You and Mahogany.

4 likes

Re: Caution (99,442) (99,444) by Bill from the UK
(Sunday 16 January 2022; 16:08)

I'll never understand why MC dragged Caution. Everyone, fans and critics alike, rated it as a really concise, tight, clever album that actually presented her correctly in terms of vocals. MIAM before it was like a Frankenstein album, pitched up and spliced and auto tuned and manufactured to the point that it didn't even sound like Mariah anymore. Caution was a really moody, somewhat dark album that I loved. Giving Me Life, The Distance, Stay Long Love You etc. The only misstep for me was GTFO. Whilst sonically I loved it, lyrically it was the worst thing she ever did. Even Crapfinity was better. Wait, no it wasn't. My playlist has the instrumental of it, and adds I Don't and Unforgettable, which actually go really well alongside the other tracks.

5 likes

Re: Forbes fail (99,423) (99,427) by Bill from the UK
(Friday 14 January 2022; 20:04)

Hmmm. They weren't number one though. I don't see the article as bashing or negative. Just a fun tidbit. I wouldn't get that wound up over it.

3 likes

Re: Forbes fail (99,420) (99,422) by Bill from the UK
(Friday 14 January 2022; 12:45)

I think it's mainly because it goes from Number 1 to completely out of the chart, which is more newsworthy than if it was at, say, number 48 or 76 like some of the other Christmas tunes.

3 likes

Re: The Christmas Princess (99,411) (99,414) by Bill from the UK
(Thursday 13 January 2022; 12:54)

(Sips sugary Butterfly drink and nibbles on Christmas cookie, whilst wearing an Automatic Princess t shirt, as Why You Mad plays in the background.)

Failed venture of Mariah's? I don't know what you mean.

8 likes

Re: We're Not Making Love Anymore (99,402) (99,405) by Bill from the UK
(Sunday 9 January 2022; 18:04)

Where did you hear that Mariah and Michael were going to duet I'll Be There for Emotions? First I've heard of that. Not sure that is true.

The I'll Be There lore is that Mariah originally wanted to sing Vanishing, but MTV insisted on a cover song, as every artist on Unplugged usually does that. In a last minute decision they all decided on I'll Be There and rehearsed it only moments before the show started filming. It was only due to the heavy rotation MTV gave the programme, and how quickly radio picked up on the song, that it then became a single and the EP released shortly afterwards.

5 likes

Re: Blending eras (99,398) (99,400) by Bill from the UK
(Saturday 8 January 2022; 12:17)

CB is a strange fish. It was the first Mariah album I was indifferent about. Like I wasn't overwhelmed like I was with Daydream and Butterfly, neither was I underwhelmed like I was with MCIIY and Memoirs. I was just, whelmed. If that exists. I remember, on first listen, getting more and more frustrated with the whispering as the album progressed, especially by the 32nd chorus of Lullaby. Nowadays, I see it for what it is, which was quite rightly put earlier as a premonition of what TEOM would be. A subtle nudge towards it, to test the water. It's definitely a "mood" album, where I have to be feeling a particular way, or the air feel a certain way, for me to book out the afternoon to listen to it (it's a long arse album as well), but when I do I always enjoy it now. Except Boy of course.

8 likes

Re: There's an album somewhere (99,394) (99,395) by Bill from the UK
(Friday 7 January 2022; 18:00)

Do we know if the Brandy collab is a duet or just MC writing and "coaching" Brandy with how to sing it?

2 likes

Re: Blending eras (99,388) (99,389) by Bill from the UK
(Friday 7 January 2022; 00:06)

The debut/Emotions/Unplugged era is my favourite and the best blended era in my view. I completely agree that the E=MC2 to Memoirs era was the most jarring. Her look, vocals, style, energy, everything was completely different. Amazing given the short gap between the albums.

6 likes

Re: Never Forget You (99,370) (99,372) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 4 January 2022; 21:12)

"Oh, OK. I'm sorry."

Apology accepted.

"I forgot this music industry is all about women and how they are treated respectfully and honored."

Exactly. Mariah is one of the most highly awarded artists out there. As are Beyonce, Whitney, Adele, Celine, Alicia etc. Pioneering women in the industry such as Aretha, Carole King, Tina Turner etc. have had shows dedicated to them and Broadway shows written about their careers. Sometimes people look for problems that simply aren't there.

"How they can dress the way they want, how they can age the way they want and how they can eat the way they want. I guess I really didn't hear myself."

That's understandable. After all, nobody has told Mariah what to wear since 1997. People are allowed to state whether her outfits look good or not, as they do with anybody. Mariah has looked flawless, elegant, and incredible on countless occasions. She has also, every so often, chosen outfits that do not do her justice. The leotard phase during the Nightmare Era is a good example of that, or when she chose to wear lingerie in public.

"This things never happened. Imagine someone coming on the board and saying Mariah can't talk on interviews or how Mariah's dresses are making her fat and the urgency we have for a man to take control over her. Imagine that. We should all petition for Mariah's conservatorship to begin since she can't handle shit. Walter and Tommy should be her conservators."

This is a really stupid statement and I think even you know that. Mariah's most successful points in her career was when she was guided and managed by men. That's a fact and there's nothing you or I can do about that.

Her management under Stella was awful. Would you rather Stella over LA Reid simply because she's a woman? Come on now. Tommy and LA were businessmen who treated the industry as such. Mariah is a creative who is best left to oversee and manage the creative element of her career. What is wrong with that? It has clearly worked in the past. If an equally competent female manager was to appear on the scene I'd be as delighted as the next person.

Mariah has said she's working with a man she's worked with in the past so she is clearly happy and comfortable about that. Why you and Nikki have turned this into a witch hunt against Walter Afanasieff is beyond me.

9 likes

Re: Never Forget You (99,366) (99,368) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 4 January 2022; 16:24)

"Mariah is always treated here like an incapable person and her talent are always diminished because she is a woman. She is always in need of a man to 'keep her in track' or to get a hit. Even suggesting Tommy to come back."

I've never seen anyone do that. I think l, as fans, we all recognise Mariah's talent as a singer and a songwriter. But to completely attempt to erase one of her key collaborators from the past simply because you don't like him is immature. Most of Nikki's posts are made up, speculative rants with no sources, truth or integrity behind them and someone needs to bring everything back down to earth sometimes.

No one here has ever diminished Mariah, and certainly if people have criticised her, it wouldn't be just because she is a woman. Honestly, can you hear yourself?

10 likes

Re: Never Forget You (99,365) (99,367) by Bill from the UK
(Tuesday 4 January 2022; 16:18)

"If you'll recall - the public doesn't buy anymore."

Tell that to Adele lol.

"Mariah was 'asked to choose'? Seriously? She didn't approve of Ben's removal and had no association with Walter prior to Tommy setting him up with her according to Walter."

Not true. If you read the memoir, Mariah goes into detail about how her writing partnership with Margulies ended, and it was because of the contract he had made her sign which he refused to be bought out of. Mariah then had to find another collaborator from the debut line up. She indicated in later years that she did not work well with Narada Michael Walden, and also felt Ric Wake and Rhett Lawrence overproduced the songs, and that the demos were better, so opted to work with Walter for the Emotions album, and C&C Music Factory were suggested by the record company for the other half of the album.

"Do we also recall that Mariah primarily did the songwriting? Or the fact she wrote several songs solo, but Walter automatically got a writer's credit? Or was he sleeping with Mariah and Tommy when she wrote Looking In? What of the fact Mariah states in her book that Walter only helped write the bridge of AIWFCIY?"

I don't know what this has to do with anything. I didn't state Walter wrote more or less of the songs in my post. I don't think your statement is true about Mariah writing songs solo, can you provide your source for that? To my knowledge the only solo Mariah composition is the Vulnerability interlude on Rainbow. Mariah cannot play an instrument competently enough to be able to write solo, and she has stated this several times. Part of AIWFCIY's appeal is the music programming, for which Walter was entirely responsible.

"The songs Mariah likes has little to do with Walter."

Um, he co-wrote all of them with her.

"How many gospel tracks has Walter done since MC? You'll also notice how most of the songs you listed weren't singles and only a few hits with Walter were successful. Remind me, how many years of success did Walter have after Mariah left?"

Walter's post-Mariah accomplishments have been listed on this website many times, and his Wikipedia page tells you that he is an incredibly successful songwriter and producer to this day. Successful hits that had Walter's involvement: Love Takes Time, Can't Let Go, I'll Be There, Dreamlover, Hero, Without You, Anytime You Need a Friend, Endless Love, All I Want for Christmas Is You, One Sweet Day, Open Arms, Butterfly, My All. That is pretty much a list of Mariah's signature tunes, minus We Belong Together.

"After all, if people on YouTube don't represent today's public, than Walter's numbers should reflect how much the public truly loves his work, right?"

I think Walter has a bit more clout in the industry than a reactor on YouTube.

Happy New Year.

11 likes

Re: Vinyls (99,356) (99,359) by Bill from the UK
(Monday 3 January 2022; 16:45)

Yes I must say The Rarities vinyl is probably the best one. I love the presentation of the whole thing. I also have that promo box set called 12's that was released in 1998. At the time, MC said that #1's was going to be the hits on 1 disc and a 2nd disc of remixes. I wonder if 12's is what the 2nd CD would have consisted of? Either way, we eventually got The Remixes and then all the MC30 EPs so we got remixed out. Even though, for those of you that remember my little remix series I was running at the time, several did not make it onto the EPs. #JusticeForTheReggaeSoulMixesofABMB

4 likes

Re: Vinyls (99,345) (99,353) by Bill from the UK
(Sunday 2 January 2022; 17:10)

Hi Matty. I have all the original vinyl releases (debut through to joining Def Jam) except Glitter and #1's. You're right, Glitter is super rare and I was really disappointed it wasn't re-issued for the 20th anniversary. I then got the re-releases when they came out for MC30 as the vinyl quality is much better. I avoided the colour versions as black vinyl both wears better, lasts longer, and sounds better. I was pleased they were all faithfully replicated from the originals, except that the original Butterfly vinyl release opened with the Bad Boy Mix of Honey, not the original.

In terms of singles, I have pretty much everything from the debut through to Rainbow, except Without You 12", which very rarely appears and when it does, is in awful condition and far too expensive. It's not as if "I can't live, if living is without the 12 inch vinyl release of Without You", so that gap in my collection doesn't annoy me too much.

Bobby A was kind enough to get me the bottle green version of the debut when it was released. A beautiful item that I got purely because it looks so attractive. Like Mariah.

6 likes

Re: Mariah surprises fans (99,335) (99,336) by Bill from the UK
(Friday 31 December 2021; 23:08)

Lol, that was one giant ad for McDonalds. I'm very nervous about her messing with The Roof. That song is perfection. Why paint a peacock?

11 likes

Re: Never Forget You (99,316) (99,320) by Bill from the UK
(Wednesday 29 December 2021; 16:17)

Again, not true. Mariah was asked to pick from the producers from the debut after Margulies was axed, and she chose Walter as the one to work with. She has said her favourite song from Emotions was And You Don't Remember (Afanasieff), her favourite from Music Box is AYNAF (Afanasieff), her favourite from Merry Christmas is AIWFCIY (Afanasieff), her favourite from Daydream is Underneath the Stars (Afanasieff) and her favourite from Butterfly is Close My Eyes (Afanasieff).

And of course, if a nobody reactor on YouTube doesn't like Music Box then that must be reflective of the record buying public.

20 likes

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