DISCO FRIDAY!
On June 25, 2009, the world lost Michael Jackson, one of music’s true greats.
Five years after his death, we remember the King of Pop as a pioneer whose work remains a huge part of our cultural consciousness. We miss you Michael!
“You Can’t Win” is an R&B, pop and soul song performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, who played Scarecrow in the 1978 musical film The Wiz, an urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The movie featured an entirely African American cast and was based on the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz.
After the original soundtrack version was recorded, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones went back into the studio and re-recorded the track. It was the re-recording that was released in January 1979 as the second single from The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, following the release of “Ease On Down the Road” in 1978, and was Michael’s first solo chart single on Epic Records. The 7″ version included “You Can’t Win, parts 1 & 2″. The full length version was released on 12”.
The single only charted in the United States, where it reached number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 42 on the R&B singles chart. Since its release, the song has been well received by music critics. The song has been performed by contemporary singers such as Jill Scott and Charles Grigsby.
In 1982, part 2 of the song, in which Michael Jackson repeatedly sings “Can’t Get Outta The Game”, was dusted off, given a couple of vocal overdubs, was renamed “Can’t Get Outta The Rain” and became the B-side of the first single of his landmark album Thriller: “The Girl Is Mine”.
SIDE A:
You Can’t Win (Part 1) 7:14
SIDE B:
You Can’t Win (Part 2) 2:58
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company)
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | You Can’t Win | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #81 |
| 1979 | You Can’t Win | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #42 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – 28-50658
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
CREDITS:
Arranged By [Horn] – Jerry Hey
Arranged By [Rhythm] – Greg Phillinganes
Co-producer, Arranged By [Vocals] – Tom Bahler
Mixed By – Soulvang
Producer – Quincy Jones
Written-By – C. Smalls*
NOTES:
Produced for Quincy Jones Productions
Demonstration Not For Sale
from “THE WIZ”
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
