Plays on iPod® and all MP3 players The Essential Michael Jackson

Whoa!!!!! Where did this come from? Without any hype or media attention, Sony has just released "The Essential Michael Jackson" (37 tracks, 157 min.), perhaps the ultimate Michael Jackson compilation.

CD 1 (20 tracks, 79 min.) cover the period up to and including the "Thriller" album, starting with the best known Jackson 5 singles such as "ABC" and "I Want You Back", then shifting to the Jacksons. It would have been better to include "State of Shock" or "Lovely One" instead of "Enjoy Yourself". CD1 finishes off with 7 of the 9 "Thriller" album tracks (the other 2 being "Baby Be Mine" and "The Lady in My Life"; it's still hard to believe how successfull that album really was, and how many hits were relased from it, in the days when "radio tracks" meant actual vinyl single releases). This was of course Michael at his absolute best, now 23 years ago.

CD2 (17 tracks, 78 min.) compiles 8 tracks from "Bad" and 7 from "Dangerous", and finishes off with "You Are Not Alone" from HIStory and "You Rock My World" from Invincible. In other words: only 2 tunes from the post-1992 era, and rightfully so, even though the HIStory and Invincible albums are not nearly as bad or mediocre as many would like you to believe. The only track that arguably should be on here (but, at 78 min. already, at the expense of what other track then?) is "Scream", the No. 1 duet with sister Janet.

In the end, this "essential" compilation is better than any other compilation available (HIStory Vol. 1; Number Ones, etc.) as it covers both the Jackson 5/Jacksons era and his solo output. It's very strange to me that this was released without any hype or advertizing campaign, but the main thing is that it's out and available. Hihgly recommended!

In Memory Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour

Yesterday. I enter Circuit City at Union Square in NYC with my wife, who is from Japan, and this DVD is on three modestly sized plasma TVs a the top of the escalator--which is crowded with mesmorized viewers.

We could not help it. The show was so awesome that we found ourselves standing there, entranced.

My wife put it correctly when she said to me in Japanese, "Whatever he does in life, people will always be facinated with his performances," meaning no matter what freakish things he does to or with his body, it just plain wont effect the fact that he truly is the King of Pop (though I must then appoint Prince as the Emperor of Pop--sorry Michael).

That really summed it up; we were watching one of the all time great masters of performance, and indeed were lucky to be alive when his career was in full swing.

Michael Jackson is one of the all time greats--like Harry Houdini, Fred Astaire, Jimmy Hendrix, or Miles Davis. He's a master of the stage, and--though I protest with myself--has a fantastic musical ability that can't help but mesmorize.

On this DVD, there is of course a lot of lip synching. This isn't so much a music concert as a stage show. And as a stage show, it's one of the greatest of all time. Just seeing Jackson dance to his own music is worth your money.

*****There was one musical break that was facinating, though it wasn't performed by Jackson. At one point in the performance, he shares the stage with a solo guitarist--apparrently just for effect--but the guitarist completely takes over the stage. Jackson points him out to a stage hand, who tries to stop the solo, and the guitarist just keeps going with a fantastic, mad, crazy solo.

It's pretty rare to see a solo like that unless you're in the biz. I immediately thought of Mike Stern--who this was not--totally dominating the show. Jackson should have let him go a bit longer, but instead started the next bit and had the guitarist's plug pulled.

Bottom Line: I suppose that says a lot about Jackson's way of performing--he's a perfectionist; it's all planned out, and it follows the plan exactly. Other performers would have played counterpoint to that solo (as the guitarist was starting to do when Jackson 'interrupted), shared the limelight, and acknowledged that this is what musical performance is really all about--that there's really no such thing as a solo artist, unless of course you're Michael Jackson.

Anyway, I can't help but give this DVD 5 stars on sheer greatness.

Michael Jackson - Video Greatest Hits - HIStory (1995)

This is a review of the VHS video "Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits HIStory" Vol. 1. Whether or not you are a fan of Michael Jackson, this is an essential video because it shows how good music videos can be. BILLIE JEAN is a striking video that broke down color barriers on MTV; THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL has a loose improvisational feeling to it which makes it fun to watch; BLACK OR WHITE is modern masterpiece complete with morphing and the controversial "panther dance" sequence. In the original version of this video, Michael smashes in a car windshield that has racist grafitti on it... he is fighting back against the racism. However, in the version included on this tape, the grafitti is edited out, so we just see Michael smashing a window for no apparent reason. Even so, the video is still an amazing experience! ROCK WITH YOU takes us back to 1980 before Michael's plastic surgery; BAD and BEAT IT include some of the best choreography even seen in music videos, although the version of BAD on this tape is the short version, not the full version with Wesley Snipes. This tape also includes the videos for Thriller, Remember The Time, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough and Heal The World in their entirety. This video is a powerful mix of music, dance, and film. Even if you don't think Michael is the King of Pop, this collection proves he is the King of VIDEO!

In memmorial of micheal Jackson Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

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
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.