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Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller
Release Date: 2008-02-12
Sales rank: 2
The Biggest Album Ever just got bigger. The 25th Anniversary Edition of Thriller celebrates this ground-breaking album with 7 bonus tracks, six of which are previously unreleased. The new tracks include exclusive remixes from Kanye West, Fergie, will.i.am and Akon along with a previously unreleased track from the Thriller sessions, "For All Time," newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson. Also included is a BONUS DVD with new, digitally restored versions of the three videos from the album as well as the Michael Jackson's groundbreaking performance of "Billie Jean" on the "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" television special (first broadcast on NBC May 16, 1983). Also included in all versions of the release is a new personal greeting from Michael Jackson to his fans penned exclusively for this special release.Should several of the tracks on the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller find their way onto your MP3 player, you're going to have to admit: the music holds up. "Beat It" is not about to go stale, at least not without a rumble, and neither are "Billie Jean" and "P.Y.T." Even if you put the record-hurtling hits aside, you're still left with the realization that without MJ, there might not have been a JT [Justin Timberlake], never mind a Ne-Yo (listen closely to "Human Nature" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"). The bonus DVD bundled with the expanded CD includes a digitally redone version of the famous title-track video, among other clips, and it still astonishes with its choreography and attitude. As for the new tracks--Fergie inserts herself into "Beat It," Will.i.am takes on "The Girl Is Mine" and "P.Y.T.," Kanye West remixes "Billie Jean" (with characteristically subtle brilliance), Akon duets with M-Jack on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," and the unreleased ballad "For All Time" (from the original Thriller sessions) is shined up and tacked on--they will suck you in like it was pop music's hugest year, 1983, all over again. Start brushing up on your moonwalk now. --Tammy La Gorce |
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Off the Wall
Release Date: 2001-10-16
Sales rank: 1
Given the pace of Michael Jackson's post-Thriller release schedule, it's striking that Off the Wall appeared between two albums with his brothers, Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980), on which the twentysomething phenomenon was also fully engaged. Aided by richly detailed but not overdone production, Off the Wall redefined how much Michael might do. Tracks like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock with You," the title cut (all Top 10 singles), and "Burn this Disco Out" not only consolidated his dance-floor power, but showed just how soulful and varied his vocals could get on uptempo material. Artistic role models like James Brown and Jackie Wilson echo through the mixes, but these were Jackson's leaps forward. The addition of pure pop confection--Paul McCartney's "Girlfriend," Stevie Wonder's "I Can't Help It"--further fleshed out the star's young-adult persona and helped make Off the Wall among the most fondly remembered of all his solo work. This special edition features two magic home demos and entertaining, insightful interviews of producer Quincy Jones and "Rock with You" composer Rod Temperton. --Rickey Wright |
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Bad
Release Date: 2001-10-16
Sales rank: 3
"We wanted a tough album," producer Quincy Jones recalls in a bonus interview on this special edition of Bad. Though the 1987 blockbuster would appear to be Michael Jackson's most personal statement to date--9 of its 11 cuts were written solely by him--its appeal also rested more on craft than the idiosyncratic art of Thriller and Off the Wall. At the same time, most of Bad has aged well in spite of its digital brittleness and MIDI treatments of gems like Jimmy Smith's organ solo on the title track. While the third best of his first three Epic solo discs, Bad carries a lot of what people love about Jackson's music. This disc also benefits from two fine outtakes, the exciting, uptempo "Streetwalker" and the Carpenters homage "Fly Away." Either could easily have extended the record's run of hit singles. --Rickey Wright |
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Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection
Release Date: 2004-11-16
Sales rank: 4
Japanese pressing of 2004 compilation includes four bonus tracks, 'Blame It On The Boogie', 'Human Nature', 'The World', & 'One More Chance'. This five disc set is limited to 20,000 pieces & includes a DVD (NTSC/Region 2). CBS. 2004. |
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Dangerous
Release Date: 2001-10-16
Sales rank: 6
Michael Jackson was still going for pop hits with 1991's Dangerous, but he also front-loaded the album with six straight Teddy Riley-assisted cuts. This half-hour swoop of tense, aggressive, often angular funk was Jackson's most interesting music since Thriller, and still sounds, well, invincible on this remastered edition. After that, the record's uneven, but there's nothing embarrassing about it, either. "Gone Too Soon," a non-Jackson composition about teen AIDS casualty Ryan White, is a quiet statement (particularly played next to the choir-laden "Heal the World," "Keep the Faith," and "Will You Be There") showing that the star doesn't always have to get showy. The sprightly "Black or White" is explicitly pro-interracial romance, an angle its video didn't go near, and the urgent "Give In to Me" is almost scary. Scary good, that is. --Rickey Wright |
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Number Ones
Release Date: 2003-11-18
Sales rank: 5
Like the Beatles and Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson is one of the handful of artists that can release an album of their number one singles. Number Ones includes his solo chart toppers in the UK and abroad from the period beginning with his Off the Wall album right up to the new song "One More Chance", a collaboration with R Kelly. The remaining 17 songs on the album are all classics drawn from the disco-soul Off the Wall, the funky Thriller, the good Bad, the safe Dangerous, the semi-best-of History and the weak Invincible. Regardless of whether the bulk of Number Ones has appeared on other greatest hits albums, this is still an incredible selection of Michael Jackson's best music. --Georgina Collins |
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The Essential Michael Jackson
Release Date: 2005-07-19
Sales rank: 7
The 2CD The Essential Michael Jackson takes you on a journey from budding star, to iconic legend and allows you to immerse yourself in the musical and emotional development of each track defining the story of a global superstar. Michael Jackson needs no introduction, as part of the Jackson 5 he helped make up a remarkable musical family and one of the biggest pop phenomenons of the early 70s. The Jacksons' infectious brand of funky soul and now iconic stage presence reached out globally and made them and Michael international stars. As the success of the band grew, Michael branched out with his own solo career first launching with "Got to be There" and then "Rockin' Robin". The momentum started to grow with the release of more successful singles and, as the hype surrounding the Jackson 5 slowed down towards the late 70s, Michael continued to develop and grow as an artist. With the release of Off the Wall, an immaculately crafted set of funky disco-pop, smooth soul, and lush, sentimental pop ballads, Michael cemented his place as a global star. The 1980s were a career-defining period with his instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power Michael Jackson was unstoppable. The 1982 album Thriller became the biggest selling album of all time and combined his musical genius with an exceptional and ahead of its time music video epic. Bad (1987) was released with enormous public anticipation and spawned another succession of hit singles with "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror." |
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Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour
Release Date: 2005-07-26
Sales rank: 3
Studio: Sony Music Release Date: 07/26/2005 |
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The Ultimate Collection
Release Date: 1996-01-23
Sales rank: 8
It's hard to think of a more quintessential pre-disco-era supergroup, and this really is the ultimate collection of the Jackson 5's finest. From the super-sweet "I'll Be There" (which went on to become one of the most-covered songs in recent history) to the peppy pop of "I Want You Back," the period's essence is in every single high note. The Afros, the bell-bottoms, Michael pre-identity crisis, it's all there and so much more fun than anything any of the clan has done since. This is a great party album: classics like "ABC," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and "Rockin' Robin" sit alongside more jazz-influenced tracks like a cover of the Isleys' "It's Your Thing," and are guaranteed to keep all feet on the dance floor. --Rebecca Wallwork |
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Michael Jackson - Vol. 1-Greatest Hits History
Release Date: 2001-11-13
Sales rank: 9
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