Collection - Michael Jackson > Reviews (1)

Michael Jackson - The Collection is a 5 disc CD set containing 5, remastered, full and separate albums from The King Of Pop. These albums are Off The Wall (Originally released 1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987) Dangerous (1991) and Invincible (2001). A collection of outstanding music spanning four glorious decades!

Michael Jackson - A Short HIStory

Michael Jackson (August 29 1958 - June 25 2009) started out his singing career as the lead singer in The Jackson Five in 1964 aged 6. From here, both he and the group gained massive popularity and success, enjoying hits such as ABC, I Want You Back and The Love You Save. Michael then went on to have a massive solo career, having hits in all corners of the globe.

Jackson's first major success was the album Off The Wall which he followed up over the next 12 years with three of the other four albums contained in this set. With his 1982 album Thriller becoming the biggest selling album of all time, currently at over 110 million copies worldwide, and with tracks including Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller it is no surprise why!Jackson's personal life has always been shrouded in both mystery and controversy. With rumours circulating that his father used to abuse him as a child, his constant denial of plastic surgery operations, the child abuse allegations against him and finally the circumstances of his death. Undoubtedly, in terms of musical ability he was nothing short of being a genius, however, one must wonder how his mind worked, and how true the rumours forever circulating him were/are. Being constantly hounded by the media and being a true "global megastar" must have taken its toll and magnified any problems that he had originally. The infamous baby dangling is a perfect illustration of this, with Jackson holding his baby out for the press to see. He was clearly excited to give his fans and the media a glimpse of what they desired, however, the way in which he did it would leave some parents shocked. It seems everything he did, would have repercussions in the media, perhaps this is a price he had to pay for his success. Finally we come to his death, again, another example of an instance in his life creating worldwide controversy. In many ways it is a tragedy that his life was ended early, but you cannot help but think, how would the upcoming tour have been? Would he be able to perform on all 50 dates? Would it be a success. Now all we can do is speculate. Michael Jackson - The Collection disregards his personal life completely, it is a focus and celebration of his life in music. The talent that has touched so many fans around the world (no pun intended) is showcased beautifully in all of the albums included.

Price

The price for the set online ranges:

• Zavvi - £12.45
• The Hut - £14.00
• ASDA - £14.93
• Tesco - £14.97

Prices then hover around £15.00 from other suppliers including WH Smith, Argos and HMV. There is also a supplier by the name of 991.com who would charge you the princely sum of £42.19.

I bought my copy from my local HMV for £18.

00

(All prices included P+P and are correct on 22/03/2010, using www.find-cd.co.uk)

The Albums

Each of the albums comes in a cardboard sleeve, with the original artwork on the front, the disc is contained in a plain black cardboard sleeve. They come in a carboard box, with a few iconic poses painted on. The box means they can all be stored easily and looks good amongst a CD collection.

Off The Wall

1. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
2. Rock With You
3. Workin' Day And Night
4. Get On The Floor
5. Off The Wall
6. Girlfriend
7. She's Out Of My Life
8. I Can't Help It
9. It's The Falling In Love
10. Burn This Disco Out

The version of Off The Wall contained in this collection also has some bonus material at the end, these are as follows:

• Interview with Quincy Jones 1 - 0:37
• Introduction to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - 0:13
• Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Unheard Studio Rehearsal Version) - 4:48
• Interview with Quincy Jones 2 - 0:30
• Introduction to Workin' Day And Night - 0:10
• Workin' Day And Night (Unheard Home Demo Version) - 4:19
• Quincy Jones Interview 3 - 0:48
• Rod Temperton (Songwriter) Interview - 4:57
• Quincy Jones Interview 4 - 1:32

The album has a massive mixture of track styles on it, the likes of Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and Workin' Day And Night, both showcasing the roots of Michael Jackson, with a funky, mo-town and disco beat and rhythm. They are both up-tempo songs and you get a real feel of the enjoyment Michael gets from singing this type of song. There are also slower, ballad type tracks like the title track Off The Wall and She's Out Of My Life. They are two well known tracks and give Michael a chance to show off his soft singing voice. They are perfectly placed in terms of the track order on the album. After hearing a few party tunes we are slowed down by these tracks, and it is a sobering feeling listening to how the tracks are performed, with the massive difference between them. A true exhibition of the talent that he has.

The bonus material on the disc is definitely worth listening to. We gain an insight into the relationship between Quincy Jones and Jackson through the various interview clips included. However, the more exciting and intriguing tracks are the two unheard versions of his songs. The first Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough has percussion, played by Michael, Randy and Janet and is, as the introduction says "The original 1978 demo recording". We get a real feel of enjoyment and love through the music, and it is truly amazing at how talented, not only Michael, but his siblings are. It is a very raw version of the song and gives you a different perspective to it when you listen again. The other "bonus track" is "a behind the scenes peak at Michael's 1978 home demo of Workin' Day And Night" it features Michael, Randy and Janet again on percussion and is again a glimpse of the Michael Jackson that lives and loves music, a true illustration of his talent.

The interview with Rod Temperton, gives us an insight into working with Michael Jackson, showing us how much of a perfectionist and born performer that he was.

There are some quite funny anecdotes included, however it is only worth listening every so often, rather than every time you listen to the album.

Overall, the mixture of tracks on the album gives it a very good feel. There are some of the more well known tracks and some of the lesser known ones from Michael Jackson's early career. Each track that comes on is special in it's own way and evokes a different emotion, they can be listened to over and over again without getting bored. I would give this album 8/10 when compared to others in the set.

"Life ain't so bad at all, if you live it off the wall"

Thriller

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine (With Paul McCartney)
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady In My Life

The album Thriller needs no formal introduction, known universally as the biggest selling album of all time, with 7 of the 9 tracks being released as singles and all being top 10 hits in the U.S. An amazing achievement, that more than likely, will never equalled or beaten.Right from the off the intro for Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' has got to be one of the most famous of all time. The drums and funky guitar kicking in straight away and then the famous tune is continued throughout the track. This is one of my favourite Michael Jackson songs, it is in a style that only he could perform and can never be replicated. For anyone who has seen the film This Is It, you know that he is passionate about this track from a particular instance where he demonstrates how funky he wants the track to be played.

Another of the great tracks from the album is the duet with Paul McCartney on The Girl Is Mine. The two stars' voices perfectly complimenting one another throughout.

The middle three songs are probably the most famous tracks released by Michael Jackson Thriller the title track, with its amazing video and the dance to go with it, just makes you stop and think, how much of a genius he was. In terms of the track itself it gradually builds up to a crescendo and then breaks to an instrumental, then the creepy "narrator" voice kicks in to see the track out. How can this track be followed on an album like this. With Beat It. Another of Michael Jackson's songs with a famous and instantly recognisable introductions. This is another classic track from Jackson with another great video. A song that you cannot help yourself to, just going through it in your head, humming it, singing it or whatever you feel. It is a song that grips you from start to finish. Things just keep getting better with Thriller as the next track up is Billie Jean. An iconic song that to my mind has reached cult status, and was definitely one of the instigators of Jackson's future success. From the first beat, we have the trait of the instantly recognisable song. With tracks like these on the album, it is no wonder that it is such a massive success around the world.My overall opinion of Thriller is that it is an amazing album, and has not broken records for no good reason.

With a mix of tracks, each of them being massive hits and recognisable within seconds I have to give it a score or " 10/10" . The album is nothing short of genius, and will continue to grow in popularity even after the death of The King Of Pop.

Bad

1. Bad
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Liberian Girl
4. Just Good Friends
5. Another Part Of Me
6. Man In The Mirror
7. I Just Can't Stop Loving You
8. Dirty Diana
9. Smooth Criminal
10. Leave Me Alone

Bad is the other album in the set that has added, bonus material, these are:

• Introduction To Streetwalker and Quincy Jones Interview 1 - 4:03
• Streetwalker - 5:49
• Introduction and Quincy Jones Interview 2 - 2:53
• Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu (I Just Can't Stop Loving You) 4:04
• Quincy Jones Interview 3 - 2:30
• Introduction To Fly Away - 0:08
• Fly Away - 3:26

The album Bad once again, and unsurprisingly, contains more of Michael Jackson's greatest successes. Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In The Mirror and Smooth Criminal are the most notable hits from the album, but it includes many other great songs. Including my personal favourite Leave Me Alone. It seems that at this point in his career, Michael Jackson could only make great albums and great songs. The album starts with it's title track, and as usual, starts with a bang and instantly recognisable introduction, an excellent start to the album as a whole. The song is full of attitude, but Michael also gets to showcase his vocal talents throughout and the backing singers accentuate his voice beautifully.

Man In The Mirror is one of the greatest songs in terms of singing performance from Michael Jackson. It seems to be a really heart-felt song and has very passionate lyrics, with Jackson leading a gospel choir, who provide the backing lyrics. It is a feel good song, which, when released received different receptions, both here, and across the pond. Reaching chart positions 21 and 1 respectively. Now, in 2010, I think it is a timeless classic, and means as much today as it did when it was released 23 years ago.

The bonus material on this disc is similar to that found on Off The Wall. The introductions to the songs, are simple, explaining what is going on in the tracks. The interviews with Quincy Jones, again give an insight into the working mind of Michael Jackson, showing him once again in the environment that he loved and thrived in. The bonus tracks are worth listening to also. There is a Spanish version of I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You, which for those who have seen it, is featured in the This Is It film. As with the previous bonus material, it is worth listening to the tracks, but the interviews and intros are not worth listening to every time.

There is a massive difference in styles between tracks on Bad, the songs I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You and Dirty Diana, two tracks that are heard after one another perfectly prove this point. A slow ballad type song followed by heavy guitar riffs and solos, once again shows how versatile a performer Jackson was. The album works extremely well, with the up-tempo tracks being broken up with ballads, and then a rock-esque tune being thrown in for good measure.

This album gets a "10/10" from me. Some of the best tracks are on here and it is an album that was released at the peak of Jackson's career, an immense album by anyone's standards.

"If you wanna make the world a better place, Take a look at yourself then make a change"

Dangerous

1. Jam
2. Why You Wanna Trip On Me
3. In The Closet
4. She Drives Me Wild
5. Remember The Time
6. Can' Let Her Get Away
7. Heal The World
8. Black Or White
9. Who Is It
10. Give In To Me
11. Will You Be There
12. Keep The Faith
13. Gone Too Soon
14. Dangerous

Dangerous is another of those timeless Michael Jackson albums that will never be forgotten, it includes some of his most well known hits. Kicking off with the first track Jam with its unmistakable introduction and hard hitting melodies, another Michael Jackson song that will never again be replicated. We head further on into the album and then reach two songs in quick succession that show the softer side to Michael's songs. Heal The World and Black Or White show Michael Jackson seemingly trying to use his fame to portray a message of love and unity throughout the world. The lyrics of both songs indicate that he himself was troubled with situations around the world. Black Or White also preaches unity, but in a different way, it is a much more upbeat song and we hear the very distinctive vocals that we have come to love from Jackson. It is one of those songs, that you cannot help but whistle/hum/dance/sing or just enjoy, something that again, Michael Jackson is unique in doing with so many of his releases.

The song Why You Wanna Trip On Me , with a few alterations, could easily be released again today, under the pseudonym Justin Timberlake. This is a very catchy tune and would not be unfamiliar in comparison to other songs that have been released by more recent artists. This is tribute to the ability of Michael Jackson, to be able to make a song 20 years ago, that would not seem out of place now. (I know that music trends change, but just look at other artists from the same era, they would sound dated).

Again this album has a massive mixture of tracks and style. There is a much more alternative feel to Dangerous and it shows how versatile of a performer Michael Jackson was to be able to be so diverse. There are a lot of tracks which feature some lengthy guitar solos Give In To Me and Black Or White among them. I enjoy listening to all of the tracks on the album, they each have a different feel to them and are all distinctly Michael Jackson at the same time. Overall Dangerous gets a 9/10 rating from me.
"Heal the world, make it better place, for you and for me and the entire human race"

Invincible

1. Unbreakable
2. Heartbreaker
3. Invincible
4. Break Of Dawn
5. Heaven Can Wait
6. You Rock My World
7. Butterflies
8. Speechless
9. 2000 Watts
10. You Are My Life
11. Privacy
12. Don't Walk Away
13. Cry
14. The Lost Children
15. Whatever Happens
16. Threatened

This album, contains mainly lesser well known tracks from Michael Jackson, with only three of the tracks being released as singles. The most memorable of these was You Rock My World which featured a cameo role from the actor Chris Tucker, with the other two releases being Butterflies and Cry.

Invincible has a much more urban/R&B feel to it, and the style of track would not be something that Jackson is known for. However, when his vocals kick in you instantly know who the artist is. In my eyes, this seems to be an attempt at Michael Jackson becoming a more modern artist, in a sense, trying to replicate what was popular a the time. It does not seem, in most parts, to be a natural step for him to take. The singles he released were successful in their own right, but when compared to some of his classics, they can seem average.

It is understandable why Jackson and his record company decided to release the three tracks that they did, as these are easily the best on the album. You Rock My World reached number 2 in the U.K. charts, which is not a bad position for an average track. I think that this was helped by the video, which saw a classic performance from Michael Jackson, dancing, singing and fighting to get his girl. It is, to me, the only song that you would instantly know was a Michael Jackson song from the album. His unique style, again being a contributing feature to its success.

If you want to see the epic video from Michael Jackson there are some versions on youtube, a shorter version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVmLSwNeQ​yo and a longer version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJxCBoHMT​7Q at 13 minutes long, it is almost a short film. Chris Tucker is so funny, reeling of puns of Michael Jackson's previous hits.

My overall opinion of Invincible is that Jackson was trying too hard, towards the end of his extremely successful career, and although it is enjoyable to listen to, it is not something I would choose to listen to on a regular basis. I would certainly choose his earlier albums before this one. I would give it a "7/10" overall, as there are some good tracks on it, but it is not in the style that I know and love.

Conclusion

My overall conclusion of Michael Jackson - The Collection is that it is an amazing collection of albums, from an amazing artist. Whilst trying to deliberate which would be my favourite of the albums, but I couldn't come to a decision. Each of the albums has something different to offer, and they all have classic tracks on them. The only album that does not, in my eyes, have the potential to be the best of the bunch is the 2001 release Invincible. It is great to be able to have 5 massive albums in one collection and I am very pleased with my purchase, as I have all the songs, not just "greatest hits". Every time I listen to any of Jackson's songs I enjoy them, as if I had never heard them before, and although there are some songs that I enjoy more than others. I can honestly say that there are none, that I do not enjoy. His style of music caters for everyone, there is something on each of the albums that will be to your tastes and Michael Jackson - The Collection is a great celebration of all the music from The King Of Pop.

My overall rating for _Michael Jackson - The Collection is a resounding "10/10" .

He is undoubtedly The King Of Pop, and this collection of five of his albums is definitely the best musical purchase I have ever made!

Recommendation

Having had Michael Jackson tickets in the bag for his This Is It tour. I was truly excited that I now had the chance to see one of my musical idols. I never thought in my lifetime I would have had the chance to see him perform live. Sadly, I never did get my chance. Now a few months on, and after recently seeing Thriller - The Musical in London, I have re-kindled my love for his music. _Michael Jackson - The Collection_ is a celebration of his best songs. I am glad that I bought it and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys his music, even slightly. Which has to be 99% of people? It is a good way to hear a diverse range of his music and you also get some bonus material as-well. At just under £13.00 (a similar price to what you could pay for one album) you can get FIVE Michael Jackson albums, which are all amazing. Something to consider adding to your collection? I would think so.

One last point...
In the specific criteria section when writing this review, Ciao asks for a rating on originality and how does it rate alongside the competition I would just like to make the point, in my personal and probably biased opinion, that Michael Jackson is probably the most original artist and performer ever. He has influenced and inspired many of the modern musicians we have today and created groundbreaking songs, dances and even fashion trends. As for rating it alongside the competition, to me, Michael Jackson is incomparable as an artist to anyone else.

P.S. The music category that this product lies in is House/R&B/Soul and Rap, however I believe that Michael Jackson has such a wide variety of songs on the albums, that it cannot be categorised into any one genre. His appeal stretches across many different genres and reaches the fans in all of these and more.