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About Bill from the UK: I love Mariah more than you do. London Daydream Tour Attendee.

Shelly / the debut / hiatus (54,624) by Bill from the UK Hi Shelly, that was a sweet note thank you. I've been spending my time listening to the debut and the remixes I have from that era in celebration of the anniversary. The debut album is just so elegant, I love it. I loved the track by track commentary that was posted on this site, great to see the album getting some attention. I'm still holding out for the Legacy Edition to be released, which was rumoured and on release schedules several years back. As for the proposed break, is MC able to take a break? She's never really had a prolonged hiatus before, and we were all going nuts when MIAM was pushed back and no new music was forthcoming. I think if she's happy to keep making music, and it's what she loves (R&B), then carry on regardless. I don't think teaming up with Bruno Mars et al is wise for Mariah as they operate in two different genres and it would be as calculated and conceited as the duet with Westlife here in the UK. (Sips tea.) But that's none of my business, as Kermit (and Mariah) say. (Saturday 13 June 2015; 21:16)

First time hearing Mariah (54,544) by Bill from the UK Great topic. I was 10, my brother was watching the MTV Countdown, and it was the school holidays. I walked into the room in my bare feet, ice lolly in hand (and one to give my brother), and stopped in my tracks as I saw Mariah lying in a field singing Dreamlover. I was mesmerised. I saw the cassette single in a local record shop, but didn't have the money to buy it, and I remember when Hero came out, I had the money, but the local record shop never had it in stock because he couldn't order them in fast enough. When Without You entered the charts here at #1, my parents took me into the main town so I could buy the cassette single. I remember adoring the sepia cover and loving Never Forget You just as much as Without You. That cassette was my first Mariah purchase ever and it holds pride of place in my collection to this day. (Thursday 11 June 2015; 22:26)

Andrew and the art of letting go (54,481) by Bill from the UK What you need to remember though Andrew is this site's purpose. It is a fan site. It's supposed to be a place where MC's fans can talk about her latest album, performance, interview, project etc. with like minded people who are interested in discussing it. Mariah gets enough of a bad rap in magazines and in general around the Internet, so her fan site should be a place of refuge for her fans to just hang and have fun. I get being critical from time to time, but Andrew, with you it is relentless to the point that your posts have just lost their credibility. When Mariah does well, like at the Beacon and Vegas, you don't balance out your criticisms with any praise. You clam up and vanish and then crawl out of the woodwork again when it's time to take her down. I still cannot understand why you post here when you don't like Mariah, her music, her current direction, her voice, her fans, or seemingly anything about her. Maybe it's time to just accept she isn't what you want her to be, bow out gracefully, and relish the good memories you have of her. Letting go's not easy, it's exceedingly hurtful, but there's an art to it. (Wednesday 10 June 2015; 12:21)

Billy from Greece (54,351) by Bill from the UK Yes, her openers are always on point. Betcha Gon' Know is lyrically one of Mariah's best songs. She really paints the picture visually. My favourite album opener is probably Emotions from MTV Unplugged. Those two chords and the glorious gospel opening for me cannot be topped. (Monday 8 June 2015; 15:31)

Daydream singles (54,328) by Bill from the UK Just spending the day listening to my Daydream CD singles. Honestly, the UK were so lucky in the Sony days. Fantasy had one disc of the LP and Bad Boy mixes plus the amazing Def Club Mix, then a second disc of club mixes including the beautiful Sweet Dub Mix. One Sweet Day had the gorgeous acapellas, the Chucky remix and fantastic live version, and the second disc had the Joy To The World club mixes. Open Arms had the astonishing live renditions from the MSG concert and the second disc her most popular ballads in the UK. And lastly ABMB, disc one with the rap and reggae mixes, and then the brilliant club mixes on the second. So spoilt. And to think we got new vocals and lyrics and melodies with all the remixes. Thanks Mariah, this is just one of the reasons we all love you so much. Your output for us over the years is something I'll forever cherish. You could have sat back and conformed to the industry standard mixes (a la Make It Happen) but you rose well above and, as usual, set the bar for others to follow. (Sunday 7 June 2015; 16:14)

Mimi L (54,271) by Bill from the UK What a great post, I second every word of it. You said exactly what I wanted to say about this whole drama. Thank you. (Saturday 6 June 2015; 13:44)

Skipped songs (54,204) by Bill from the UK It is so weird reading songs people skip. Forever, Always Be My Baby, To The Floor. I love all these songs lol. B, love how you put entire albums in your list haha. Glitter has a lot of great tracks on it. Loverboy and If We are brilliant. Try giving them another shot. (Thursday 4 June 2015; 22:28)

Worst songs (54,171) by Bill from the UK 1. Boy (I Need You) - I didn't like the Cam'Ron song and this was a rehash of it. Don't really rate Cam'Ron much either, and I think Mariah's vocal is, for the first time ever, somewhat uninspired. 2. Didn't Mean to Turn You On - Again, never a big fan of the original. I get it is supposed to be a homage to the time period but all those 80s sound effects throughout grate on me. 3. Against All Odds - Mariah only version is fine but the Westlife version is beyond reproach. A calculated move to score a hit, and Mariah's vocals just highlight how untalented those boys are. 4. Did I Do That - Softening to this one over time. The lyrics are great, I think it's the jarring "Ain't My Fault" sample that gets to me. 5. I'm That Chick - I love MJ, love Mariah, how I didn't love this baffles me still. I think the lyrics are a bit questionable. RJJ12, I can't believe this but in my youth (10 years old), I always used to skip Vanishing and AYNAF from their respective albums. Those songs are now my favourites from their albums and my go to tracks from those eras. Sometimes I spend a whole day with just one of them on repeat. Tastes change with time I guess. (Thursday 4 June 2015; 11:14)

Alejandro / Morgan (54,139) by Bill from the UK Alejandro, yep sure I'll hit you up on Skype sometime would be good to talk remixes as I have virtually all of them from the Sony days and love listening to them. The Morgan article was probably blown out of proportion. We're believing tabloids now? Didn't this same publication say MJ slept in an oxygen tent all those years ago. Alexis Super Cali Fragil Istic Expi Ali Docious, chill. (Wednesday 3 June 2015; 23:51)

Is the video that bad? (54,074) by Bill from the UK Well the knives are out it would seem. I think the video's fine and Mariah looks amazing. The suitors at the door brought a smile to my face and I quite like the fact there are shots of her on the Vegas stage. Maybe these days, rather than diving into swimming pools and being hoisted up into helicopters and cat fighting your evil twin, a stunt is MC walking down the stairs without the side of a couple of burly men? I'm just playing of course. I like the video and it's miles better than HATEU, YME and the like. (Tuesday 2 June 2015; 21:01)

Alejandro / top remixes (54,025) by Bill from the UK My gosh, just three? That is such a tough one. Love your choices. UTS drifting remix is divine and MC's scatting on the AYNAF remix is awesome. There are so many iconic remixes like Fantasy with ODB and the Def Club Mix of Dreamlover. However, if I had to choose, it would be the following (in no particular order): 1. Dreamlover (Bam Jam Soul) - Apparently this was the original version of the song before Sony asked Walter to make it more pop and less street. It sounds so much freer and relaxed to me. Much more care free and breezy than the version we all know and love. 2. I Still Believe (Pure Imagination Remix) - Wow. This is a masterpiece, it is literally a completely different song. The only resemblance to the original is the title. I think this is a wonderful track, so dreamy and mellow. 3. One Sweet Day (Sweet Acapella) - This is just a beautiful, beautiful rendition of the song. Such a joy to listen to. The harmonies between MC and Boyz II Men are spellbinding. So many honourable mentions though. The Joy To The World club mixes, the Mr Dupri Mix of ABMB, My All/Stay Awhile, and two mixes I must highlight. The Bossa Nova versions of both Butterfly and DYKWYGT are stunning. What a great topic but so incredibly hard to come up with just three. (Tuesday 2 June 2015; 0:04)

Beyoncé (54,013) by Bill from the UK I'd sooner have Boy (I Need You) on repeat all day over a Beyoncé song. The only song of hers I ever really liked was "To the Left", or whatever the official title may be. (Monday 1 June 2015; 19:29)

Loverboy / Merry Christmas re-release (53,945) by Bill from the UK I think the reason Loverboy may sound different to the rest of Glitter is because, if you remember, Mariah had to quickly re-sing the song over the new sample of Candy following J.Lo using the Firecracker sample MC was originally using for the song. I'd like to hear the Firecracker version too. There is a glimmer of it though on the remix. When Da Brat sings "hate on me much as you want to, you can't do what the (cough) I do, just be emulating me daily", she is singing it to the tune of Firecracker. A pretty obvious stab at J.Lo if ever there was one. As for the re-release of Merry Christmas, I'm not against it. It is a classic album that deserves some special treatment as it has given MC what is arguably her most well known song ever. So long as it has some new material, like a separate disc/DVD of one of the Beacon shows would be great. (Sunday 31 May 2015; 13:11)

RJJ12 / Damizza's book (53,900) by Bill from the UK RJJ12, thank you for posting the link to Damizza's book. I read the Mariah chapter and it was very interesting indeed. I was absolutely stunned to read at just how close MC came to being killed in the plane, reading that part sent a wave of terror right through me. And in spite of everything, I was actually very saddened when I got to the end of the chapter. Just knowing MC kept on trying to contact him and he kept blocking her out was just heart wrenching. Don't Forget About Us indeed. (Saturday 30 May 2015; 15:55)

DYKWYGT and Whenever You Call (53,864) by Bill from the UK So I was browsing through Spotify (UK) today and saw that DYKWYGT and Whenever You Call with Brian both now have single releases (1 track, but with unseen before artwork). They are also on iTunes to buy. I guess this is due to the original #1's being deleted/out of print. Sweetheart and When You Believe are still available on The Essential and Greatest Hits. (Friday 29 May 2015; 22:07)

JCS / tea though (53,753) by Bill from the UK I think it's a reference to the Kermit meme. There is an Internet meme featuring a picture of Kermit the Frog sipping tea which usually has a statement on the top line followed by "but that's none of my business" on the bottom line. If you google it you'll get an idea. I think that's what she's referencing but I could be wrong. (Sunday 24 May 2015; 23:54)

Damizza/ Thank God I Found You (53,738) by Bill from the UK I've said it before, so I will say it again. Whilst everybody in the world was (and some still are) convinced Thirsty is about Nick, I always thought it was about Damizza. He changed his name, he was forever @-ing her on IG and Twitter, and uploading old pictures of the pair of them and doing interviews name dropping her all the time to try and reignite his career. He even thought so himself lol. I don't know what sort of relationship they had or how deep they got into things, but I always found it odd that Pure Imagination never made it onto The Remixes album. After knowing of their fall out, it then made perfect sense why she wouldn't want to highlight their work together or indeed give him any royalties lol. It's a real shame because all their collaborations were top shelf. LC, thank you for posting that TGIFY performance. I agree it is a great rendition, and I actually think this and the tracks from the debut have been the best performed songs during the residency. I'm glad she changed the song up and gave a whole new take on it. It kind of makes me wish she'd do a whole album of her songs re-imagined in this kind of free, jazzy, spontaneous manner. Love it. (Sunday 24 May 2015; 11:03)

Anytime You Need A Friend (53,714) by Bill from the UK I awoke this morning with the urge to play AYNAF and have had it on repeat all day long. I've been YouTubing the performances from over the years as well. The best live rendition in my view is from Wembley Arena in London whilst on the Daydream tour, if only because I was there that night and it was the perfect end to what was a perfect day. I can't tell you how thankful I am to the Lord for allowing me to attend that concert all those years ago, it was one of the best days of my life. I also want to join all of you with saying how marvellous the Kelly and Michael performance was. She looked and sounded amazing. MC seems to be in a really great place at the moment and I couldn't be happier to see her so content and happy. I love her so much. (Saturday 23 May 2015; 14:44)

Walter / I Don't Wanna Cry (53,647) by Bill from the UK I thought Mariah and Narada wrote the song, because Mariah once eluded to it not being a very pleasant experience. She's not written with him since and their collaboration was just to get some big names on the record. I understood that Walter produced the song, as he was Narada's protege at the time, but received no production credits (they went to Narada), and instead Tommy made it up to him by signing him to Sony as a writer/producer and paired him all of their top artists. (Friday 22 May 2015; 0:04)

EU booklet (53,646) by Bill from the UK So does anybody else's booklet on the EU edition cut off the lyrics to "We Belong Together" after "I'm tryin' (to keep it together)"? Pretty horrific oversight from whoever signed off the proofs. I hope later pressings correct it. (Thursday 21 May 2015; 23:57)

Top 3 #1s (53,618) by Bill from the UK This is incredibly hard to do. Can I do a top 18 instead? Lol. This will no doubt change the more I think of it, but I'm going to go with: 1. Fantasy - Released at the height of my giddy teenage love for her, I was pumped when this was released and completely wowed by it, and its incredible remixes. Not only did it pioneer a whole genre, but it still, twenty years later, is one of her greatest compositions. 2. Without you - I know it wasn't a US #1 but this is the first Mariah song I bought (cassette single) and it started a collection of thousands of CDs, cassettes and vinyl. I love her rendition of this song. 3. Vision of love - The first and fairest of them all. No debut single will ever match just how perfect of an introduction this was. The unsuspecting public at the time heard what would go on to be the voice of a generation, inspiring thousands and thousands of singers both professional and hobbyists afterwards. It showcased all her range, her technique, and sheer stamina as a singer. She made a grand entrance into the music world and I don't think any debut single will ever top it. (Thursday 21 May 2015; 16:26)

Shelly / Fantasy (53,608) by Bill from the UK Shelly, regarding your question about Fantasy, there were several remixes that differed slightly, all of which can be found across the two CD singles issued in the UK. The original #1's, The Remixes and The Collection all feature the "Bad Boy with ODB" version. #1 To Infinity features instead the "Bad Boy Fantasy" version which retains the chorus from the original. There was also the "Bad Boy Mix" which removed ODB's rap, "Puffy's Mix" which is nearly identical to the ODB remix but the only difference (that I can hear) is the removal of the echo from the "jump jump" line. Finally there was "Puffy's Club Mix" which removed the acapella intro. I love the Fantasy singles and the remixes. Those Bad Boy Mixes coupled with the divine Morales club versions was just brilliant. The "Sweet Dub Mix", 8 minutes of MC cooing and ad libbing, still remains one of my favourites to this day. (Thursday 21 May 2015; 0:19)

Shelly (53,604) by Bill from the UK Thank you so much Shelly. Here's the UK tracks: Without You: My mother used to sing Harry Nilsson's "Without You" to me when I was a baby. I think she even sang it when she was pregnant with me. Years later I heard the song when I was sitting in a restaurant and realised that it could be a worldwide hit all over again for a new generation of people who had not heard it yet. That's where the idea to remake "Without You" came from. Endless Love: I remember hearing "Endless Love" when I was a little girl, and I loved the duet between Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. It was an honour to sing with the great Luther Vandross. Against All Odds: "Against All Odds" was one of my favourite songs growing up. Phil Collins is a fantastic writer and an incredible artist. I was very happy to perform the song with Westlife. I remember recording in Capri, which was one of the first times I met Simon Cowell. He saw me producing in the studio and we worked very well together, all of us there in the beautiful studio in Capri where I recorded so many songs. I'm really proud of the fact that this song went to number one in England. (Wednesday 20 May 2015; 21:55)

Shelly (53,597) by Bill from the UK Thank you for transcribing for us Europeans Shelly. Would you also be so kind as to let me know what she's written about Thank God I Found You, as that also got ousted from the EU version. If you'd like to know what was written about Without You, Endless Love and Against All Odds then let me know and I'll return the favour. Good to see you back. (Wednesday 20 May 2015; 19:19)

J.Lo (53,524) by Bill from the UK In this day and age who can be away from their smartphone for more than 30 minutes. I don't think J.Lo was deliberately being rude, certainly her applause seemed enthusiastic and she was clearly nodding her head to the beat which would indicate she was into it. The Loverboy debacle was 15 years ago, everyone's moved on, particularly J.Lo and Mariah. Really excited for the video, loved the clip on Ellen and Mariah looked fantastic. (Tuesday 19 May 2015; 13:38)

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