Like finding a treasure. A treasure of voice and rhythms buried for years in a storage unit. That's what happened to a retired officer from the California Highway Patrol, who made a surprising and invaluable discovery, several unpublished songs by the late American pop king Michael Jackson, as reported by Hollywood Reporter.
The former officer Gregg Musgrove obtained the recordings in a storage unit in the city of Van Nuys purchased by an associate, reports Afp. The unit had belonged to music producer Bryan Loren, who also worked with artists like Whitney Houston or Sting.
Inside were 12 cassettes as well as digital audio tape (DAT) recordings of 12 unpublished songs by Jackson before releasing his Grammy-nominated album 'Dangerous' in 1991.
Sadly for many Jackson fans, a lawyer hired by Musgrove who contacted the Jackson Estate, which manages the singer's legacy, was informed that they own all copyrights to his recordings and musical compositions, and they cannot be made public.
Jackson Estate later clarified to Hollywood Reporter that they also own the originals of those tapes, and that "no commercial or other use can be made of the DAT copies". Some tapes include the voices of Jackson and Loren in an apparent discussion about the songs and the creative process.
"Listening to Michael Jackson speak and joke was really cool," said Musgrove.
The collection of songs includes one titled 'Don't Believe It', an apparent reference to rumors of alleged sexual abuse by Jackson against minors. And another one 'Truth on Youth' where Jackson appears to participate in a rap duet with LL Cool J.
The former officer Musgrove plans to offer the tapes to major auction houses. In 2012, singer Lady Gaga bought 55 pieces of Jackson memorabilia that supposedly included one of his crystal gloves. A jacket he wore on his 'Bad' tour was sold for $240,000.