Michael Jackson - The Essential Michael Jackson

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." Album Description

Blame it on the boogie

This cd was the bomb and i love both disks! Even the one with the group on it. "Blame it on the Boogie" is my number one song. I love to dance and i get down on that song. Great condition..I love it and thanks again. March 18, 2008

Michael Jackson CD

This is an excellant product for those of us who grew up with Michael Jackson. The selections take you from his years with Jackson 5 up until the present. March 3, 2008

If you grew up in the 80's this CD is for YOU...

I'm one of the great '69 babies. I purchased this c.d. last year and gave it to a friend of mine who lives on the west coast before I had even listened to the second disc, and before I had a chance to load it on my Itunes. This c.d. is priceless. I procrastinated and life got hectic, as it does sometimes. But I was driving to work last week and all of a sudden "Can You Feel It?" popped into my head! I remember when my brothers and sisters came home from The Jacksons concert. They couldn't stop talking about it! And last week I could not get that song out of my head. I was immediately remorseful for having taken so long to repurchase The Essential Michael Jackson. I jumped on Amazon and had it in my hands two days later (courtesy of Amazon Prime). I have NOT stopped playing it. I've seen people driving next to me looking into my car as I'm singing to the top of my lungs, moving my hands and my body. This is what good music is all about. Thanks Mike, and thanks to the whole Jackson family for giving us consistently good music for decades. My c.d. player honors you. December 4, 2007

Even Better Than "The Ultimate Collection"

When I first saw this CD, I just rolled my eyes and thought how sad it was that ANOTHER Michael Jackson greatest hits album was made. I mean, wasn't HIStory, Number Ones, and The Ultimate Collection enough?

However, two years after that, I was convinced to buy this CD and I was blown away! All those previous greatest hits albums that I mentioned are fine, but failed to include some of my favorite songs that are (in my opinion) better than a lot of the songs that made it into the Top 10. ALL of my favorite songs are on here! And most of them weren't even included in the "Ultimate Collection" box set! "Will You Be There", "In The Closet", "Heal The World", "Leave Me Alone", "Another Part Of Me", "Can You Feel It", "Blame It On The Boogie", "Rockin' Robin", plus the original versions of "Who Is It" and "Dangerous."

I'm telling you, even if you have all the MJ greatest hits albums out there, GET THIS ONE!!! It's the best one yet! Your money will not be wasted. August 17, 2007

The "international" version differs little from the US version

In 2005, Sony released without much or any fanfare the terrific "Essential Michael Jackson", which easily is the best Michael Jackson compilation available these days. It also released a slightly different international version, which I recently picked up while in China. No, I didn't buy it from a pirated-CD hawking character on some street corner. In fact I bought it in a regular CD store in Shanghai, for all of 39 RMB (about US$ 5.50), if you can believe that.

The international version of "The Essential Michael Jackson" (2 CDs, 38 tracks, 156 min.) differs only slightly from the US version:

1. The Jacksons' "Can You Feel It" replaces "Enjoy Yourself" (an improvement);
2. Somehow "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (from "Bad") is lumped along with (and in the middle of) the "Thriller" songs on CD1, obviously not an improvement;
3. The title track from "Dangerous" is left off, and instead 2 tracks from 1995's "HIStory" second CD of new material are added ("Earth Song" and "They Don't Care About Us"), a wash as far as I'm concerned although "Earth Song" remains a greatly underappreciated tune. How "They Don't Care About Us" ended up on the "essential" list, is a head-scratcher (although I like the song).

Would I have bought this again if it wasn't for the ridiculous low price in China? Almost certainly not. But I am glad I did, if nothing else, because it is just another memento from my trip to China (the Chinese version comes with Mandarin characters on the cover). That aside, "The Essential Michael Jackson" is a terrific album, whether you buy the US version or the international version, and it really showcases Michael Jackson at his best. April 9, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...