Michael Jackson
The Ultimate Collection

THE REVIEW

I will never forget when, in November 2004, I entered my trusted record store and spent almost 100€ on "The Ultimate Collection." The joy was immense. Finally, after more than three years of almost complete silence, I could listen to my favorite artist's voice again. However, only a few months later would the media trial of the century begin, which would overshadow Michael's most brilliant artistic side. In Germany, for example, the box set was withdrawn from the shelves, as it was in many countries around the world. And it's really a pity because, unlike other ineffective collections like "The Essential," this box set of 4 CDs, 1 DVD, and a booklet of over 50 pages, is unique in Michael Jackson's discography, as it collects the artist's greatest hits and offers as many as 8 completely unreleased tracks and several interesting demos.

The entire thirty-year career of the King of Pop is retraced: the dance kicks off with the great pop/soul hits of the Jackson 5, such as "I Want You Back" and "ABC" (the latter single in 1970 even knocked the Beatles' "Let It Be" off the top of the Billboard Hot 100), but also not missing are Michael's first innocent solo works, like "Got To Be There" and the multi-award winning single "Ben". We then move on to disco music, with the famous singles released from "Off The Wall" and other hits by the Jacksons. Worth mentioning is the pleasant demo "Sunset Driver", which fits well with the lighthearted soul-dance sounds of the late '70s.

The explosive pop/rock era of "Thriller" is instead revisited in the second disc, which also features 5 unreleased tracks, among which the moving solo version of "We Are The World" and the catchy "We Are Here To Change The World", already included in the mini-film Captain EO directed by Francis Ford Coppola, stand out. The third disc, in addition to the numerous funk singles extracted from "Bad," also includes "Chetater", a take-off recorded in 1987 and chosen as the lead single of the box set. The last CD, in addition to featuring classics like "You Are Not Alone" and "Blood On The Dance Floor", includes some of Michael Jackson's most recent works. The poignant "We've Had Enough", produced by Darkchild (who had already collaborated on the "Invincible" LP), underscores a further change in style and undoubtedly a more mature and suffering voice from Michael. The whole is enhanced by the DVD Live In Bucharest, probably one of Jackson's best live performances.

"The Ultimate Collection" is thus a sublime project, exquisite, and, as the title of the collection suggests, definitive. Every Michael Jackson fan and every music lover should treat themselves to the pleasure of listening to these four discs, which, for the last time, highlight the genius and versatility of one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever seen.