of "This Is It," the original and an orchestral version. "This Is It" is featured in the film's closing sequence and includes backing vocals by Michael's brothers, the Jacksons. Disc two offers fans a rare listen to the early demo versions of classics "She's Out Of My Life," "Wanna Be Startin'," "Somethin'," and "Beat It." This disc also features a recently discovered spoken word poem from Michael Jackson entitled "Planet Earth." Michael Jackson's This Is It also includes a 36-page, commemorative booklet featuring exclusive photos of Michael from his last rehearsal.  (less)

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  (less)

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.  (less)

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, se...  (less)

DVD of a show in Bucharest during the Dangerous world tour.  (less)

the album plays on and on while never seriously promoting dancing or romancing. Its handful of weird moments--the resurrection-by-tape of Biggie Smalls on the bridge of the title track, for instance--are hardly large-scale bizarre like the first disc of HIStory . The title track turns out to be hardly the rampant egofest you'd imagine; instead, its subject is a female whom Jackson cheers on. Likewise, the most ear-catching moments of the "comeback" single "You Rock My World" come with Chris Tucker's jivey introduction. Despite a debt to "Payback"-era James Brown, "Rock" floats away like steam midway through. It's almost a relief when the old self-regard turns up: on the growling "Privacy," Jackson rants about muckrakers "stalking" him in se...  (less)

of Pop," HIStory 's second disc instead presents Jackson as an epauletted, single-gloved Richard III. By turns paranoid, angry, bitter, sentimental, and, in one instance, possibly anti-Semitic, HIStory was less a collection of songs than a case history. A few tracks--mostly those produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis--are sleek, modern pop/soul, but too much of HIStory has the overblown vacuousness of a musician who knows his time is past, but is unsure as to how to react to the situation. --Steven Mirkin  (less)