 Truly The Ultimate |
| Review Date: December 1, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Bruce Aguilar, Hollywood, CA |
Yes Michael Jackson has had a few too many 'Greatest Hits' packages, but this one truly is the Ultimate collection of his musical work. Four CDs jam packed with hits and rarities spanning his entire 34 year recording career (J5, The Jacksons and solo), a DVD of his Dangerous concert that aired on HBO (available here for the first time) and an original 60 page book detailing his entire career. There's precious little more you could ask for from a box set.
Now Michael has only released 6 full albums of new material in the past 25 years so chances are that most already have the hits in one form or another so why buy this set? Consider the following list of all the rare and previously unreleased songs in this collection.
Enjoy Yourself - The Jacksons first hit from their first album with Epic
Ease On Down The Road / You Can't Win - both from The Wiz Soundtrack
Shake A Body - previously unreleased demo of what became "Shake Your Body Down To The Ground"
Sunset Driver - previously unreleased demo
P.Y.T. - previously unreleased demo
Someone In The Dark - track from the rarely heard E.T. Storybook
State Of Shock - duet with Mick Jagger (!) from The Jacksons last album Victory
Scared of the Moon - previously unreleased demo
We Are The World - previously unreleased demo
We Are Here To Change The World - from Captain EO (previously unreleased)
Cheater - previously unreleased demo
Dangerous - previously unreleased alternate version
Monkey Business - previously unreleased
Who Is It (IHS Mix) - rare remix
Someone Put Your Hand Out - rare promotional song (first time on CD)
On The Line - from the "Get On The Bus" soundtrack
Fall Again - previously unreleased demo
In The Back - previously unreleased
Beautiful Girl - previously unreleased demo
The Way You Love Me - previously unreleased
We've Had Enough - previously unreleased
That's 14 completely brand new tracks never heard before and 8 that were previously very hard to come by. These 22 tracks alone (a full album of material) make this set worth the purchase for any MJ fan. It's surprising that these demos and completed songs never saw the light of day until now considering the high caliber of the work. If this is any indication of the songs MJ has in the vault, I'd love to hear more - lots more.
No matter if you only have one or two MJ CDs, are a rabid fan or are just interested in finding out what al the fuss is about, this is the set for you. Sony did an amazing job with this set and Michael (a real perfectionist) should be commended for his bravery in releasing demos. I look forward to hearing many more of these previously unheard recordings. Thanks Mike. |
Great Collection of Hits and Unreleased Songs!!!
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| Review Date: November 20, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Derek, New York |
| I bought this the day it came out as I counldn't wait to hear the unreleased tracks. I was dying to hear Sunset Driver and the P.Y.T. demo. I was NOT dissapointed at all. Sunset Driver is an excellent song. I think it was meant to be put on Off The Wall but the booklet says it was recorded for Thriller. Anyways, I dont know why the song was never put on an album, maybe Michael was just being too picky. Other notable songs on disc one are "You Can't Win". I was glad to hear they had the long version with "Can't Get Outta The Rain" on it. The "Shake Your Body" demo is very similar to the final cut version. Disc two has the demo of "P.Y.T". I was looking forward to hear. It is mid-tempo, I guess Quincy Jones wanted something faster for the album. I really like this demo a lot. It is very catchy for a demo. As far as the rest of the boxed set, all the hits are there. My only complaints are that "Human Nature" wasn't put on. And as for unreleased tracks, where is "Hot Street"? Put Hot Street and Sunset Driver on the cd and you got two excellent unreleased dance tracks. "Carousel" is also another track from thriller that is very good but was unreleased. Wish that was on there as well. The dvd concert is good but I would rather see a concert from the "Victory Tour" in 1984 or even the "Bad Tour". The unreleased material on disc's 3 and 4 are O-kay. I just feel that MJ's best music was from Off The Wall and the Thriller era so I just wanted to hear as much from that era than anything else. This boxed set is definitely worth the money. |
Great release for the Holidays, Mike last album with SONY!
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| Review Date: November 25, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Music Fan, New York N.Y. |
I was surprised when I heard that Michael was going to be releasing a BOX SET this year. I hoped it would have all the hits that I've enjoyed thru out my life. Well I was surprise to tell you that I got more than what I expected. I got Unreleased tracks, Rare demo and of all things, that rare live concert from HBO. I remember that concert breaking HBO's record for the most people tuning to watch their station of all things, I was set for the Holidays!
...I did have to go on a hefty search to get "The Ultimate Collection" which started on 11.16.04 and ended 11.17.04...here goes...I was told by Circuit City that they would have MJ's Box set on sale on 11.16.04, so as a music fan who appreciates great...let me correct that...Quality music, i got off work and took a taxi to get to Circuit City before closing time to pick up the Box Set but to my discuss, they tell me that the album is on BACKORDER!...which is good for sales but I'm left with no BOX SET man!...I took the loss as a trooper and tried again the next day 11.17.04....
Second try...I come from work to take the train to Best Buy because they state that they have the album there. As you can tell my hopes are up again. I get off the train run into Best Buy down the stairs to the music/cd section (I actually bumped into 3 customers who were all polite to my surprise) and I see no box set, no Biggie...I ask a sales person there and to my surprise he tells me..."Ohh, that new Box Set by Mike?..It's sold out man, sorry"...I was thinking to myself I should have just ordered online and save myself the trouble but the sales man gave me an alternative. He said "If you really want to get mike new album, you can try the VIRGIN MEGA STORE in Times Square"...I was walking away from the sales person and thanked him when an guy who was with his girlfriend stopped me and asked "Mike got a new album out?"...I told him "yeah" (..thinking to myself again, bad promotion from SONY but it's MJ's last album from them so whatever)...we actually spoke about Mike for a good min or two about how he's still the MAN and all that good stuff...The guy actually gave me a pound (ghetto hand shake) and thanked me for "supporting legends on the music industry"...I was ampped after the whole conversation and made it clear that i was going to get this BOX SET that day.
Third and final try...I take the F train to Times square walk about 1-2 long blocks and rush in to the entrance and to me delight, Michael Jackson-The Ultimate Collection is staring me in the face sitting there on the "new Release" stand shrink wrapper with the Logo and art work in Gold and ready to come home!...Man As soon As i picked up my copy, I felt how HEAVY this Box SET felt and I've never been so happy to buy Michael's last album...
`Til this day, I don't leave the house with out listening to MJ's The Ultimate Collection, I have my system set to max when I listen to mike after a hard days work. This The Ultimate Collection was made for my Surround System, even my neighbors don't complain about the walls vibrating! What a great way to end my story...thank god for Mike, he to me is definitely the "King Of Pop" and I'm at a loss of words when I'm just sitting back listening to this mans voice...I truly own an actual Ultimate Collection of music.
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Really the Ultimate!
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| Review Date: December 5, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Alain Desrosiers, Montreal, QC, Canada |
If you've ever considered picking up an MJ release for your collection, this boxset is the one to buy! If you're already an MJ fan, then you have no excuse to walk away from this!
First -- you get all the biggest hits. ABC, I Want You Back, Ben, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Black or White, Remember The Time, You Are Not Alone, Blood On The Dancefloor, You Rock My World... All the classics are on here.
Second -- you get most of the fan favorites! Some songs that are excellent, but that weren't hugely successful as singles... Songs like Wanna Be Startin' Something, Dirty Diana, Jam, Who Is It, Unbreakable, Butterflies... It's missing a few great songs, however, like Scream, Leave Me Alone, and Workin' Day And Night, to name a couple.
Third -- you get all new songs and demos. We've Had Enough, MJ's newest song, is excellent! Powerful and complex; the genius we've come to expect from MJ! In The Back, a groovy song with a sort of intricate simplicity. Fall Again, a beautiful ballad showing off Mike's vocal range. Sunset Driver, the funkiest track I've ever heard, all the way from the early 1980s! Beautiful Girl, On The Line, Someone Put Your Hand Out, all good ballads. We Are Here To Change The World, the theme song from the Disney 3D movie, Captain EO! It's upbeat and great to listen to! Cheater, Monkey Business, and even more! It's all amazing to hear!
Fourth -- The live concert DVD! One of the most energetic and mind-blowing concerts ever performed! My personal favorite out of all his tours! From the big bang of an opening with Jam, to the amazing Smooth Criminal, to the electric Workin' Day and Night, to the final, heart-stopping performance of Man In The Mirror, this is one concert not to be missed! You see some of Mike's best dancing and singing ever!
Fifth -- A beautifully designed booklet, featuring high quality pictures (some never-before-seen), a great text, and a complete chronicle of Mike's history up to this point!
So if you're thinking about picking this one up, I suggest to just go for it. Sure, it costs a bit more than a regular album, but you're not getting just one album... You're getting four, plus a DVD! And there's no better collection of Mike's material available than this boxset right here. Pick it up -- you won't be disappointed! |
OMG! Best Album Out There.
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| Review Date: November 20, 2004 |
| Reviewer: NoMoreViolence, Baton Rouge |
All the songs that you could imagine are on this! This man is a living legend, and has inspired many, as well as going on to be the biggest selling solo artist of all time, with over 380 million records sold to his name.
The best tracks are "We've Had Enough" and "The Way You Love Me"...which is obviously some of the new recorded songs on this. Others include songs from the Wiz Soundtrack, and unreleased songs: "Sunset Driver, Scared of the Moon, Cheater, Someone Put Your Hand Out, FAll Again, In The Back, Beautiful Girl, His Own Version of "We Are The World", Who Is IHS Remix."
The ultimate greatest hit is "Stranger In Moscow", which itself is enough to buy! Buy this. You won't regret it. |
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