Ultimate Collection
Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection
A year -- nearly to the day -- after Epic released the single-disc Number Ones compilation in November 2003, the long-awaited Michael Jackson box set finally saw the light of day. Entitled The Ultimate Collection the 57-track set spans five discs -- four CDs and one DVD containing a live show in Bucharest shot on the Dangerous tour -- and runs his entire career, from the Jackson 5 s early hits for Motown to Invincible in 2001. It's the first set to cover so much ground, which is eye opening. To hear Jackson evolve from the exuberant kid singing "I Want You Back" and "ABC" to the young adult behind the vibrant disco of "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is exciting and instructive; even if you're familiar with this material, it's different to hear the music change over the course of one disc. Unfortunately, The Ultimate Collection doesn't contain too many more revelations (although the early, radically different version of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" is not only revelatory -- it's practically a different song -- it's also musically noteworthy). Since Jackson has had such a long career filled with so many hits, there are too many hits to fit into the four discs, and not all of them are nearly as invigorating or ageless as much of the music that comprises the first two CDs. These are the discs that are devoted to the Jackson 5 the Jacksons and Michael s solo career through Thriller and with only a few exceptions -- such as the ludicrous "Thriller" itself -- the music still sounds terrific. The set starts to downshift on the third disc, when Jackson s career started to wind into second gear, at least creatively. This covers Bad a spotty but still effective gloss on Thriller that had several good singles, along with Dangerous a similarly uneven record. Which leaves the fourth disc to chronicle Jackson s muddled '90s and 2000s, selecting hits and album tracks from the commercial disappointments HIStory -- the album of original songs included on that two-CD set, not the hits collection -- and Invincible Throughout the four discs, there are a bunch of rarities scattered about, ranging from demos (including the original "We Are the World" featuring only Michael s vocals) and remixes to unreleased songs, selections from The Wiz the Jacksons duet with Mick Jagger on "State of Shock," "Someone in the Dark" from the hard-to-find ET's Storybook the ridiculously stilted Captain EO theme "We Are Here to Change the World" (its production seems better suited for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai than a Disney sci-fi flick), and "Someone Put Your Hand Out," an exclusive Pepsi-supported cassingle from the Dangerous tour. Some of this stuff is quite good -- "Sunset Driver" from 1982 and "Cheater" from 1987 are so funky, loose, and alive that it's hard not to wish that Jackson didn't fuss over his albums and just record like this all the time -- but a lot of this illustrates Michael s taste for MOR schlock (such as the children's tale "Scared of the Moon," a tie-in with his 1984 book of the same name). Since that schlock starts to surface halfway through disc two, it bogs down the set -- not enough to completely hurt it, but enough to make this pretty much the province of the hardcore fans, who will delight in the number and variety of rarities here (which is the primary attraction of the set, since the DVD is merely OK and the book is skimpy, offering only a Nelson George essay and a time line, along with many photos, most of which look fairly familiar). For the less dedicated, this is just a shade short of being definitive. It may be easy to carp about what's missing on any box set, but fans looking either for a concentrated dose of Michael at his best -- which would have been the Jackson 5 up through and including parts of Dangerous -- or a collection of all of his hits will find this somewhat unsatisfactory (for the record, the following hits are all absent on this set: "The Love You Save," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Rockin' Robin," "Human Nature," "Say Say Say," "Another Part of Me," "Leave Me Alone," "In the Closet," "Will You Be There," "Scream," "This Time Around," "They Don't Care About Us," "Heaven Can Wait," "One More Chance" . Despite these problems, The Ultimate Collection comes close enough to getting it right to qualify as a successful box set. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Babyface - Producer
Siedah Garrett - Duet
James Ingram - Arranger
Michael Jackson - Arranger
Michael Jackson - Programming
Michael Jackson - Producer
Michael Jackson - Executive Producer
Michael Jackson - Vocal Arrangement
Michael Jackson - Horn Arrangements
Michael Jackson - String Arrangements
Michael Jackson - Drum Programming
Michael Jackson - Rhythm Arrangements
Michael Jackson - Synthesizer Arrangements
Michael Jackson - Soloist
Michael Jackson - Harp Arrangement
Michael Jackson - Instrumentation
Michael Jackson - Percussion Arrangement
Michael Jackson - Introduction
Michael Jackson - Duet
Paul McCartney - Soloist
Steve Stevens - Soloist
Betty Wright - Choir Arrangement
George Duke - Synthesizer Programming
Quincy Jones - Arranger
Quincy Jones - Producer
Quincy Jones - Vocal Arrangement
Quincy Jones - Rhythm Arrangements
Quincy Jones - Synthesizer Arrangements
Jeremy Lubbock - String Arrangements
Jeremy Lubbock - String Conductor
René Moore - Arranger
David Foster - Producer
David Foster - Synthesizer Arrangements
The Corporation - Arranger
The Corporation - Producer
Bruce Dukov - String Contractor
LaToya Jackson - Screams
Tom Sweeney - Assistant Engineer
Brothers in Rhythm - Remixing
R. Kelly - Producer
Steve Anderson - Remixing
Andraé Crouch - Vocal Arrangement
Airiq Anest - Percussion Programming
Tom Bahler - Arranger
Tom Bahler - Producer
Tom Bahler - Associate Producer
Glen Ballard - Rhythm Arrangements
Glen Ballard - Synthesizer Arrangements
John Barnes - Vocal Arrangement
John Barnes - String Arrangements
John Barnes - Drum Programming
John Barnes - Rhythm Arrangements
John Barnes - Synthesizer Arrangements
John Barnes - Synthesizer Programming
George DelBarrio - String Arrangements
George DelBarrio - Orchestral Arrangements
Michael Boddicker - Programming
Michael Boddicker - Keyboard Programming
Michael Boddicker - Synthesizer Programming
Bill Bottrell - Programming
Bill Bottrell - Producer
Bill Bottrell - Engineer
Bill Bottrell - Mixing
Bobby Brooks - Engineer
Rick Butz - Engineer
Brad Buxer - Programming
Brad Buxer - Engineer
Brad Buxer - String Arrangements
Brad Buxer - Drum Programming
Brad Buxer - Keyboard Programming
Brad Buxer - Keyboard Arrangements
Brad Buxer - Harp Arrangement
Brad Buxer - Musical Direction
James Anthony Carmichael - Arranger
Keith Cohen - Mixing
David Daoud Coleman - Art Direction
David Daoud Coleman - Design
David Daoud Coleman - Packaging
Bobby Colomby - Executive Producer
Christopher Currell - Rhythm Arrangements
Hal Davis - Producer
Eddie DeLena - Engineer
Eddie DeLena - Mixing
Jeff DeMorris - Assistant Engineer
Matt Forger - Engineer
Matt Forger - Mixing
Matt Forger - Production Supervisor
Matt Forger - Mixing Consultant
Kenny Gamble - Producer
Kevin Gilbert - Engineer
Brad Gilderman - Engineer
David Gleeson - Engineer
Lynn Goldsmith - Photography
Berry Gordy, Jr. - Executive Producer
Peter Granet - Engineer
Peter Granet - Mixing
Bernie Grundman - Mastering
Mick Guzauski - Engineer
Jerry Hey - Arranger
Jerry Hey - Horn Arrangements
Jerry Hey - String Arrangements
Jerry Hey - Rhythm Arrangements
Jerry Hey - Synthesizer Arrangements
Jerry Hey - String Conductor
Jean-Marie Horvat - Engineer
Leon Huff - Producer
Craig Johnson - Engineer
Craig Johnson - Photography
Craig Johnson - Production Supervisor
Craig Johnson - Archivist
Craig Johnson - Technical Director
Julie Last - Engineer
Johnny Mandel - String Arrangements
Jay Marks - Mixing
Marty Paich - Orchestral Arrangements
George Mayers - Engineer
Don Murray - Engineer
Don Murray - Mixing
David Paich - Rhythm Arrangements
David Paich - Keyboard Programming
David Paich - Keyboard Arrangements
David Paich - Synthesizer Arrangements
Tom Perry - Engineer
Tom Perry - Mixing
Greg Phillinganes - Producer
Greg Phillinganes - Associate Producer
Greg Phillinganes - Rhythm Arrangements
Steve Porcaro - Keyboard Programming
Micha Prince - Engineer
Micha Prince - Digital Editing
Micha Prince - Editing
Teddy Riley - Arranger
Teddy Riley - Producer
Teddy Riley - Drum Programming
Teddy Riley - Rhythm Arrangements
Teddy Riley - Synthesizer Arrangements
Tim Roberts - Assistant Engineer
Thom Russo - Assistant Engineer
Dave Seaman - Remixing
Keith Seppanen - Engineer
Slash - Introduction
Barton Stevens - Engineer
Bruce Swedien - Arranger
Bruce Swedien - Producer
Bruce Swedien - Engineer
Bruce Swedien - Mixing
Bruce Swedien - Effects
Joe Tarsia - Engineer
Joe Tarsia - Mixing
Rod Temperton - Vocal Arrangement
Rod Temperton - Rhythm Arrangements
Rod Temperton - Synthesizer Arrangements
Tom Tom 84 - Arranger
Tom Tom 84 - Horn Arrangements
Tom Tom 84 - String Arrangements
Gerald Vinci - Concert Master
Arthur Wright - Arranger
Nelson George - Liner Notes
Rodney Jerkins - Producer
Rodney Jerkins - Engineer
Rodney Jerkins - Mixing
Rodney Jerkins - Instrumentation
Kevin Newman - Cover Illustration
Rail Jon Rogut - Engineer
Rail Jon Rogut - Assistant Engineer
Al Quaglieri - Project Manager
Suzie Katayama - String Conductor
Walter Afanasieff - Arranger
Walter Afanasieff - Programming
Walter Afanasieff - Producer
The Jacksons - Producer
The Jacksons - Vocal Arrangement
Nancy Donald - Art Direction
Nancy Donald - Design
Nancy Donald - Packaging
Neal Preston - Photography
Albert Watson - Photography
Brent Averill - Engineer
Brent Averill - Mixing
Lester Cohen - Photography
Bruce Wildstein - Engineer
Jai Winding - Keyboard Programming
Harrison Funk - Photography
Sam Emerson - Photography
Dexter Simmons - Engineer
John Chamberlin - Engineer
John Chamberlin - Assistant Engineer
Todd Gray - Photography
Stuart Brawley - Engineer
Stuart Brawley - Digital Editing
Stuart Brawley - Mixing
Jonathan Exley - Photography
Paul J. Falcone - Engineer
Janet Zeitoun - Make-Up
Janet Zeitoun - Hair Stylist
Jeff Burns - Assistant Engineer
Jonathan Mooney - Assistant Engineer
Brad Sundberg - Engineer
Brad Sundberg - Assistant Engineer
Nick Thomas - Engineer
Chris Tucker - Introduction
Ralph Nelson - Photography
Paul Foley - Digital Editing
Andre Harris - Producer
Andre Harris - Engineer
Andre Harris - Instrumentation
Pro-Jay - Engineer
Harvey Mason, Jr. - Digital Editing
Thicke - Producer
Thicke - Engineer
John Isaac - Photography
Jim Britt - Photography
Rob Hoffman - Assistant Engineer
Paul Dicato - Assistant Engineer
Dave Way - Engineer
Corbis Bettman - Photography
Bruce Cannon - Effects
Bobby Martin - Arranger
David Ashton - Assistant Engineer
Chris Ribando - Engineer
Vidal Davis - Assistant Engineer
Elizabeth Taylor - Author
Craig Durrance - Assistant Engineer
Ben Wright - String Arrangements
John Hanes - Digital Editing
Terry Doty - Contracting
Corbis - Photography
Karen Faye - Make-Up
Karen Faye - Hair Stylist
Seth Riggs - Vocal Consultant
Jason Powell - Assistant Engineer
Oscar Contreras - Engineer
David Mattix - Assistant Engineer
Mike Atkinson - Executive Producer
Tony Duino Black - Assistant Engineer
Nick Hon - Engineer
Dilip Mehta - Photography
Michelle Bligh Miller - Production Coordination
Joe Peluso - Assistant Engineer
Mike Riccio - Engineer
Reddy Riley - Engineer
Kenny Rogers - Photography
Steven Paul Whitsett - Photography
Joey Wilcots - Photography
Joey Wilcots - Assistant Photographer
Kleiser Wolczak - Photography
Bob West - Arranger
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