Michael Jackson's Moonwalker - version with Thriller music

[MtothaJ]

Apparently there is a version with Thriller music playing in the graveyard ('Woods') stage instead of Another part of me?
Can anyone confirm or otherwise and point in the direction fo the appropriate rom version?
Initially I thought that Thriller was on the Japaneese cart of the game but I since have got that and it just has ANother Part of me as do the other versions that I played.

[midnightrider]

I believe it's that the 00 revision has the beginning of Thriller, when you dance with the zombies.

[MtothaJ]

I believe it's that the 00 revision has the beginning of Thriller, when you dance with the zombies.

THanks, so I take it that the Thriller music is not the stage music but just the tune that plays when you are using your special 'everybody dance with me' move?

[midnightrider]

Yeah. I'm sure someone around here knows, but I have no idea why they removed it.

[IrishNinja]

i used to think it was the occult bullshit (there's a warning before the full video due to the "controversy" of the early 80's) but ive since read it was something to do with licensing, because quincy jones didn't write the track? i forget why, but despite my love for another part of me, everyone knows that level is all about thriller.

this youtube video is the single best piece of info ive found on the revisions (one has it in automatically, another you have to hold buttons): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFO9Z1Yc-_A

i & my neighbor had like near-launch copies in the day & they clearly weren't the first ones, cause i wish idve seen that. ive been looking for the first version of Revenge of Shinobi for a while now, but at least with that one i can ask if the person can play it to level 3 & let me know if the flamethrower dudes look like rambo (granted, only on forums...shops & ebay, people never do it haha), but this one is gonna be a bitch for me to find cause the game itself isn't cheap, even loose. i've thought about making another add in the sonic bazaar thread to find one but i figure so few people know about it that anyone with it is likely gonna wanna keep it for collecting's sake or just sell it for whatever they can get...i'm just a huge MJ fan that's wanted to see that bit since i was a kid, heh.

[Barone]

Apparently there is a version with Thriller music playing in the graveyard ('Woods') stage instead of Another part of me?
Can anyone confirm or otherwise and point in the direction fo the appropriate rom version?
Initially I thought that Thriller was on the Japaneese cart of the game but I since have got that and it just has ANother Part of me as do the other versions that I played.

It's possible that you got the rev00, thing is you don't know how to use it.

I believe it's that the 00 revision has the beginning of Thriller, when you dance with the zombies.

Yep.

THanks, so I take it that the Thriller music is not the stage music but just the tune that plays when you are using your special 'everybody dance with me' move?

It's not that simple. It's kinda hidden.
You have to hold button B (I'm considering the default button mapping) prior to start holding button A to execute the final dance at the first stage of the zombies' level. Then you'll here a rendition of thrillers intro.

Yeah. I'm sure someone around here knows, but I have no idea why they removed it.

Legal/copyright issues. Thriller would cost a ton of money to be licensed and Sega didn't want to pay for that.

[MtothaJ]

It's possible that you got the rev00, thing is you don't know how to use it.

Its possible - I'll give it a try and report back. Any way I can tell without playing through the actual game e.g. by opening the cart?

Legal/copyright issues. Thriller would cost a ton of money to be licensed and Sega didn't want to pay for that.

Dunno if thats the reason - they featured a lot of the other top tunes like Bad and Smooth Criminal. And as things were the benefits were kind of mutual - it was free advertising for MJ especially in the teenager / kiddie segment (no innuendos please ) potentially leading to further music sales.
EDIT: read up that MJ had a cowriter on THriller so I guess there may be truth in that using the song they would have to have the guy in on the deal.

[Barone]

Its possible - I'll give it a try and report back. Any way I can tell without playing through the actual game e.g. by opening the cart?

IDK but the answer is probably "no".

Dunno if thats the reason - they featured a lot of the other top tunes like Bad and Smooth Criminal. And as things were the benefits were kind of mutual - it was free advertising for MJ especially in the teenager / kiddie segment (no innuendos please ) potentially leading to further music sales.

None of those music tracks were nearly as successful as Thriller (its clip, for an example, changed the industry forever) and, unlike all other tracks featured in the game, it's not written by Michael Jackson but by Temperton... They had a contract with Michael but note with Rod Temperton.

[IrishNinja]

Its possible - I'll give it a try and report back. Any way I can tell without playing through the actual game e.g. by opening the cart?

why yes, as a matter of fact - i highly recommend sending i to IrishNinja; if you get it back, it was not the right version.

[MtothaJ]

why yes, as a matter of fact - i highly recommend sending i to IrishNinja; if you get it back, it was not the right version.

To be honest having an everdrive I am not really too concerned for the actual carts - I only have a handful anyway and even if it turns out to be the ver 00 its unlikely to have lottery winning ticket effects - probably be worth a 10 or 20 bucks mroe than a standard cart, if that.
I watched the video and thriller doesn't even sound that much liek thriller - that said it would be awesome if that stage had the proer soundtrack to it.

[Silanda]

The right's issue is probably a dead simple one: the game is a license of the film Moonwalker, and the license probably included the soundtrack. Thriller isn't in the movie so therefore they didn't have the rights to use it.

[Barone]

Another Part Of Me isn't in the movie soundtrack.

[IrishNinja]

^quite right, but from what i remember of Captain Eo, i bet those rights were/are worth about 4 loose copies of Comix Zone

[Silanda]

True. Hmm, I would have expected that as Moonwalker seemed to have been originally intended to be a promotional vehicle for Bad, and so the license may have included all of the songs off that album. Then there's Billy Jean and Beat it though. Yeah, I didn't think this one through properly.

[BoostedGR33K]

Its weird for me, cause Ive always had the thriller music play in every version of Moonwalker Ive ever played.... never had the other song playing. Guess I got lucky, huh?