Customer Reviews

Michael Jackson: Before He Was King

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I received this book today. It is a beautiful display of photos featuring Michael and the Jacksons. I opened the book and could not put it down while I read and ooh'd and aahh'd at the photos. The work is quality and professional. I have seen some of the pictures before online, but many I have not and the quality of the photos and the book is excellent. There is a good mix of concert and behind the scenes action, as well as personal moments.

I love this era. This is the Michael Jackson I fell in love with (late 70's.) I am 10 years younger than Michael and I have an affinity for this time period in his life, and it reminds me why I came to love Michael and his music. Michael's music is the soundtrack of my life. I like all the Atlanta references. I grew up in Atlanta, so knowing he was there for many of these pictures made me happy, and sad, because he was sooo close.

The author also shared his experiences as he took these shots, they were a good read and not filled with fluff and opinions, but facts, positive facts about a man, a man who rightfully and deservedly so, became the King of Pop, no, music -- no, King of Entertainment.

Thank you to the author for publishing this beautiful piece of art!

This book would be a nice addition for true Michael Jackson fans, young and old. I think it would be a great Christmas gift and/or conversation piece. Buy it!

It's easy to feel sad about the life that Jackson ultimately lead. A boy robbed of a childhood, surrounded by "yes men", a challenging family life and a conflicted self image. It seems that money & fame didn't guarantee happiness. We all know this, but to most fans it doesn't detract from his music and how it effected our lives. Michael Jackson's music brought excitement and enjoyment to people all over the world and his fans want to remember that part of him. I can't say I was a mega fan, but I still have "Off the Wall" in my iTunes playlist, and who can resist "Thriller" when it's played at a party?

So when I saw the images in this book, I was taken back. My first thought was, "When is the last time I saw Michael Jackson genuinely smiling?" In these photos he looks like he is really enjoying himself. There is a vitality to his face, his expression, his carriage that we haven't seen in decades. Most of these photos have never been published before, so they aren't the same old stock images crammed into a book, last minute.

Over the past few months, when I have seen the news items that divulge every detail possible about his health, his last days, his death-- I wonder what it must be like to be his family, his children? Well, if I was to give a gift to his kids, it would be this book.

This is a *must* for MJ fans.

Todd Gray's book is a thoughtful compilation of poignant images that every Michael Jackson fan would want in their collection.
These spontaneous, unguarded photographs tugged at my heartstrings and made MJ seem very much alive.
The King of Pop lives on through his music and through the work of talented photographers like Gray who looked through their lenses to capture a youthful, carefree spirit.
A real treasure for my holiday gift list!

If you are say, 35 years or older, I'd venture to guess that when Michael Jackson died, you immediately drew on an image of him that you'd almost forgotten. One that you now prefer to keep in your head forevermore. This image is probably worlds away from the way Michael looked or acted in the last 10 or even 15 years of his life. I'd guess it is a pure image, of a young and vibrant boy-man -- handsome, un-marred by surgery, super-talented, with a 1000 watt smile that hasn't yet been tainted or jaded or beaten into submission by the destructive forces of unsurpassed fame or man's inhumanity to man. If you can identify with such an image of Michael -- and if that image puts a smile on your face -- buy this book. There were never more beautiful images than Michael as he looked on the cusp of his solo superstardom. No one had a clue of what was to come -- the ruinous plastic surgeries, the devastating effects of vitiligo, the prescription drug addiction, the child molestation charges -- they were all in the distant future. Instead, you'll be reminded of Michael as he was -- a beautiful young black man with a talent that almost defied imagination. A young man who was fascinated with the world, had boundless energy, was completely dedicated to his craft, laughed easily, and found solace and comfort in the company of family and close friends -- people who loved him for more than just his fame.

Todd Grey really captures the Michael that all of us of a certain age want to remember. When I leafed through these pictures, I almost cried, mainly because I'd almost lost sight of the Michael who stared back at me. Those were the days, and Todd captures them beautifully. Also enjoyable are Todd's personal stories (short, but sweet) that accompany several of the photos. Michael's terrific sense of humor shines through as Todd describes the day his (Todd's) mother delivered a set of proofs to MJ at the studio. It made me wish that all of those people who really knew Michael the person (not the superstar) would get together and compose a book of these kinds of uplifting and human stories.

My only complaint about this book is that it's a tad annoying to flip to the back every time you want to read a caption. But I assume this was done on purpose so the pictures (all of them full-page) would be unmarred by text. I agree with other reviewers that it is refreshing and poignant to see Michael in a state of pure joy and happiness -- emotions sorely missing from any pictures taken in the last years of his life.

One of my alltime favorite movies is "Peggy Sue Got Married" with Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage. It's about a woman who goes back in time in the hopes of preventing herself from making so many of the destructive mistakes one tends to make in one's youth. At one point in the movie, Peggy encounters her mother in the past, and is visibly moved at the sight. She (Peggy) explains, "Oh mom! I'd forgotten you were ever this young!" That's how I felt when I viewed these endearing pictures of Michael. I'd gotten so used to seeing his world-weary, sad, beaten-down, plastic-surgeried, accused self, that I'd forgotten there was a time, many years ago, when just about everyone alive adored this young man and held him (and his talent) in their sentimental hearts. A time when he looked alive and ready to conquer the world rather than ready to leave it. Looking at these pics lets me remember the reasons why Michael will always be King.

Buy this book if you're a longtime MJ fan and want to remember. Or even if you're not, and want to know what all the fuss was about in the first place. It's a great pictorial keepsake, and the images will put a huge smile on your face. Visually, this is exactly the way Michael Jackson should always be remembered. Bravo to Todd Grey for capturing this rare sliver of time with such care. In my own opinion, it was probably one of the happiest times of Michael's short life.

I had pre-ordered this book and forgotten all about it by the time it was delivered. When it arrived I literally ripped open the box, closed my office door, and went through every single page. What a treasure!

Not only are the pics some of the most beautiful ones I've seen (some never seen before, at least by me), but Todd Gray does a wonderful job of describing Michael as a beautiful person with a pure soul, very similar to the experiences of others who worked with or new Michael at around this time. The book spans the late 70s to the early 80s ending with pics from the Beat It video shoot. Michael looks happy, innocent, reflective, and of course absolutely electric on stage. The pics are high quality. My **only** complaint is that some of the pics take up two pages so the binding of the book cuts them off and sort of takes away from their epicness. I'd rather have had them smaller pics but only taking up one page instead of two.

I still LOVE the book though and I've told several of my friends that it is a MUST HAVE! Overall this book gets a definite thumbs up from me and is a must if you are a collector or, like me, just have a massive LOVE for Michael during this period in his life.

This book is really an exceptional treasure for all MJ fans it has some of the most beautiful photographs of Michael and his brothers that I have ever seen. It chronicles pics from 79' to 82' Todd gives us some of his personal experiences with MJ and The Jacksons it is truly a remarkable work of art...

Thank you Todd for your beautiful book MJ would have been proud!!!

I received my book earlier this week. I've gone through it several times since then and all I can say is great job Todd Gray. I fell in love with Michael back in the early 70's during his Jackson 5 days and I've followed his career and bought all of his music since then. Like a previous reviewer stated this is also my favorite MJ era. In my opinion the Off The Wall/Thriller eras were his best along with the Triumph era with his brothers. Looking through this book you can certainly see the happiness in Michael's eyes during this time period.

This book is a must have for MJ fans, especially those who want to see pictures of Michael during the early 80's.

A must-have for any MJ fan! Michael is shown in a period before the world turned against him - where the INNOCENCE in his eyes can be seen behind every photo. When first opening the book, you will find that the author and photographer, Todd Gray, holds Michael in high regards and truly has respect for him, both as an artist, and as a man. Michael is shown performing in several concerts, where his true PASSION had been captured by Todd's camera. He is also shown during several random (yet wonderful) moments, as well as being photographed in a beautiful photoshoot the two had planned. The captions are interesting, detailed, and at times very funny. This photobook truly shows Michael as a loving and passionate human being. I promise - you will not regret the buy!

This book is an absolute must-have! What a fascinating era of his life this was.

Leaving adolescence, with independence and ambition taking hold, he wanted to step out on his own and soar, rocket to new heights. At this point, everything he'd ever done had exceeded expectation. His every attempt had been met with massive success. Imagine the freedom that gives you, being limitless. "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"

All of the charisma, the magnetism, the electricty and the force inside him that led to the explosion of Thriller can be glimpsed here, it was present even at this point, but it was bubbling, just barely below the surface, about to boil over at any moment. And that excitement, catching someone on the verge of mad brilliance is, what I can only imagine to be, a photographer's dream.

Todd Gray has captured everything I love about Michael. Minus the superstar persona that he became inextricably bound to, this is him.

Todd Gray, Michael Jackson personal photographer and friend from 1979 until just after "Thriller," presents the private and public Michael in a stunning array of candid and posed shots at home, in the studio, and on stage. Gray's pictures show us the expected intensity of a Jackson 5 performance (and these, aside from a few intentionally blurred crowd shots, are outstanding in their composition and energy). More importantly, Mr. Gray presents a family album of Jackson as a young adult, with recognizable physical and facial emotional expression: Enthusiasm, boredom, anticipation, big (yes, sometimes impish) smiles, and even some awkward, gangly-looking poses.

Although it seems almost impossible, even in retrospect, to get a fix on Jackson, Gray at least gives us a broader--if not deeper--look at him, one not totally controlled by performance and publicity demands. Aside from the exciting concert shots (including beautifully composed pictures of Michael alone, or with his brothers in background, a sensational close-up of Michael dancing on black patent leather shoes, his signature sequined white socks in dramatic tension-filled contrast, and Michael's sweating face underscoring his ethic of hard work underneath the glam concert outfits), the best photos are the plainest ones. Perhaps Mr. Jackson will never embody "Everyman" for us, but Gray's pictures of the non-performing Jackson are perhaps the most compelling. It is where he seems most natural, most like the rest of us, a quality that would get lost somewhere along the way later.

Gray's relationship and work with Jackson reached its height between around 1979 and the release of "Thriller." There are some tantalizing photos of Jackson from before 1979 (including a teen Jackson almost receding into the background before Stevie Wonder at the keyboards), and a few from the set of the "Beat It" video, but most photos were taken during a relatively short time period.

Gray does not go into detail about his departure from the Jackson entourage post-"Thriller." Of one of the last pictures in the book, Gray writes, "This is one of the last pictures I took of Michael, and was...the last time I saw him." He graciously--perhaps too graciously--explains, "I suppose he didn't want his associates resting on their laurels, and that he wanted the incoming team to challenge and surpass the achievements of the outgoing one." Although Gray only briefly references Jackson's future problems, we sense them in the glowering presence of Michael's dad, and in Grey's polite reference to the entourage of "managers, lawyers, and accountants" that seemed to change with each new triumph.

Gray writes well--one wishes he had written more text instead of lumping so many of his memories into a very inconvenient concluding section labeled "selected captions"--but the text is from a friend and fan. There are some amusing, sometimes revealing anecdotes, but the book is pretty light on any new insights. That's fine. There are and will be plenty of books purporting to give us the real Michael Jackson. Gray is content with sharing his photographs and some personal observations, and those have an authenticity about them. In fact, the photos that worked least well for me (but that Michael apparently enjoyed very much), are a series showing a very posed-looking Jackson in a posh hotel lobby. They have the look of artiface rather than art, and, personally, I'd rather see Michael smiling in a T-shirt that going for a "look." I'm not sure how close we get to the "real" Jackson, but Todd Gray's photos and unassuming text make us feel that we have.