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Elly Roberts reviews
SONY/BMG Music Entertainment
- Cat.no: 5204222
- Released: July 2005
- Rating: 8/10
The Essential: 
Ultimate Collection:
Number Ones:
After four months of emotional battering and drama in a California courtwhich rocked his world, the ‘case of the century’ turned into a realThriller.
Now Wacko gets a ‘backo’ with the Essential release on Monday July18, a superb back-catalogue collection, though there are glaring omissions.
This is set to be another monster success for the humbled pop icon, butthings could have been a lot worse. Down in the dumps and, apparently, downon the funds, someone out there believes Jacko is in much need of a refill.His behaviour might well be Off The Wall, but he’s not all Bad. When you’reas talented as Michael Jackson, there’s no suppressing Human Nature, as he’ssure to pump up the units once again, adding to his global 130 millionsales.
Thriller remains the best selling album ever, with sales between 47and 52 million, which was nominated for a record 12 Grammys. Collectively,this made him the first act to top $100m in one year. Back on creativeterritory, he has single -handedly changed the face of pop – oriented soulmusic over the past four decades, either as part of the brotherhood, (TheJackson 5 and The Jacksons) or as a solo artist.
Tracklisted in anon-chronological format, delving as far back as 1969 when he was 11 yearsof age with I Want You Back to Invincible’s You Rock my World, you can tracethe progress of one of the most distinctive voices on the planet. Solo hitsinclude number ones Billie Jean, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, Black orWhite, You Are Not Alone and his biggest selling UK single Earth Song -1,038,821 copies.
Surprisingly missing, are the brilliant Bill Withers coverof Ain’t No Sunshine and his first chart UK topper One Day In Your Life, soit loses points for that. The longest period Jackson has gone without amajor hit was an incredible seven years, between Ben (who else could singabout a rat and get a hit?) in 1972, and Don’t Stop in 1979.
How long before his next one I wonder?
Weblink:Michael Jackson.com
The full list of tracks included are :
Disc 1:
1. I Want You Back
2. ABC
3. The Love You Save
4. Got To Be There
5. Rockin’ Robin
6. Ben
7. Blame It On The Boogie
8. Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
9. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
10. Off The Wall
11. Rock With You
12. She’s Out Of My Life
13. Can You Feel It
14. The Girl Is Mine
15. Billie Jean
16. Beat It
17. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
18. Human Nature
19. PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
20. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
21. Thriller
Disc 2.
1. Bad
2. The Way You make Me Feel
3. Man In The Mirror
4. Dirty Diana
5. Another Part Of me
6. Smooth Criminal
7. Leave Me Alone
8. Black Or White
9. Remember The Time
10. In The Closet
11. Who Is It
12. Heal The World
13. Will You Be There
14. You Are Not Alone
15. Earth Song
16. They Don’t Care About Us
17. You Rock My World
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.