Michael's Catalog
The best Michael Jackson collection of his Motown solo days can be found on Gold, which I just purchased a few months ago. The mega-fan could go for the 4CD box set Ultimate Collection which goes from the Jackson 5 days to his Epic solo stuff.
But his maturity and greatest solo work didn't begin until Off The Wall in 1979 which some believe is a better album than the followup Thriller. I still prefer Thriller's fun of classic singles and the maturity that it shows, but make no mistake, Off The Wall is his best pure R&B album.
After those 2 classics there's a letdown with Bad, but it manages to be a decent followup. Dangerous and his last album Invincible get lost in the shuffle, but dig deep and you'll hear some songs that stand up to his canon.
The best collections of his solo stuff are Essential and Number Ones. But now that he's gone you'll likely see more, and frankly I'd like to see one on his non-hits, both from Motown and Epic.
But his maturity and greatest solo work didn't begin until Off The Wall in 1979 which some believe is a better album than the followup Thriller. I still prefer Thriller's fun of classic singles and the maturity that it shows, but make no mistake, Off The Wall is his best pure R&B album.
After those 2 classics there's a letdown with Bad, but it manages to be a decent followup. Dangerous and his last album Invincible get lost in the shuffle, but dig deep and you'll hear some songs that stand up to his canon.
The best collections of his solo stuff are Essential and Number Ones. But now that he's gone you'll likely see more, and frankly I'd like to see one on his non-hits, both from Motown and Epic.
posted by Tom Lane at 7:10 AM
<< Home