Sources : My personal research, Wikipedia, Michael Jackson: For The Record by Chris Cadman & Craig Halstead, Twitter account of Damien Shields and the amazing archives of the MJCast.
ERA
2005-2009 : The last recordings
RECORDING DATE
Recorded in 1998-1999 (first mix), 2004 (second mix) and in 2008 (third mix)
According to producer Dr. Freeze, the version of “A Place with No Name” that leaked is the final version Michael heard and approved in 2008, which is credited as the original version in the deluxe edition of Xscape. The track is based on British rock band America’s 1972 number-one single “A Horse with No Name”.
STUDIO(S)
Los Angeles (California)
Hit Factory Criteria (Miami)
Milkboy Studios (Philadelphia)
Sterling Sound (New York)
Jungle City (New York)
SONGWRITER(S)
Michael Jackson
Elliot “Dr. Freeze” Straite
Lee Martin Bunnell
PRODUCER(S)
Michael Jackson
Elliot “Dr. Freeze” Straite
RELEASE DATE :
Posthumously on May, 9 2014 (“Xscape” album).
Posthumously on August 12, 2014 (single)
A 24- second snippet of the full song was released posthumously by website TMZ.com on July 16, 2009, three weeks after Michael’s death. The full version leaked online on December 3, 2013. The song was contemporized by Norwegian producers StarGate for Xscape, along with the original version. “A Place with No Name” was released to American urban adult contemporary radio on August 12, 2014.
LABEL
MJJ Music
Epic Records
Legacy Recording
Sony
LENGTH
3:58 (single version)
4:56 (original version)
ALTERNATE VERSIONS RECORDED BY MJ (covers and remixes by other artists are not included)
A Place With No Name (1999 mix) : The song was recorded between August and October 1998. A first mix was done in February 1999 at Record One studio in Los Angeles. Mix completed in May 1999 at the Hit Factory in New York City by engineer Paul J. Falone. Remains unreleased.
A Place With No Name (2004 mix). Mix completed in January 2004 at Michael’s Neverland Valley Ranch home studio. Remains unreleased.
A Place With No Name (2008 mix). Mix completed in 2008 at Michael’s rented manson in Palomino in Las Vegas. The property was equiped with a home recording studio. The mix was worked with Brad Buxer and when Brad left, Neff-U took over. The original version of “A Place With No Name” that appears on the Xscape album is one of the final versions that Michael heard during those 2008 collaborative sessions with Michael Prince & Neff-U.
MUSICIANS
PEAK ON HOT 100 BILLBOARD :
Not released as a single in the US
SHORT FILM (filmed by MJ during his lifetime)
No short film
LIVE PERFORMANCES ON TV SHOWS
Never performed on a TV show
LIVE PERFORMANCES IN CONCERTS
Never performed in concerts
Jackson Dynasty 